Ultrasonic skates

[Miller55 333]

12 minutes ago, SkateWorksPNW said:

I havent seen a custom glove order in a very long time, other than team gloves. 

I took a break from playing from end of 2016-middle of 2019. Warrior had already stopped doing full custom, but Eagle was still doing it. At this point Eagle's custom options are fairly slim. The basic stuff of swapping cuffs or mixing designs from different models they can do, but the heavy customizations are not available anymore. I wear leather gloves or leather palms at the very least. At this point the only leather palms Eagle offers are Digital (not even sure if it's real Pittard's Digital) and Mustang, which is sueded. So the only option for leather palms is a custom repalm job, which goes for over 100 bucks. If I'm paying $250+ for gloves I'd like to get palms that I want. At this point I have 2 pairs of custom  L29s (From before my 2016 break) and a pair of black H34s, so I'm probably ok for a long time, but I kinda want a new pair of tan H34s like i used to have. I was gonna settle for the Cali Tan portofino but they wont even do goatskin palms. I'll probably eventually do it and just get digital pro palms so I can rip through them quickly and justify a repalm in either goat or kangaroo. 

 

Anyway, my point was just that custom options have significantly decreased across the spectrum, although I'm not familiar with custom stick options. 

[Miller55 333]

7 minutes ago, SkateWorksPNW said:

Had my third skate with these today. The overall review would be, meh, at this point. 

Maybe I am just used to TRUE but these still don't give me that connected feel with the ice. 

I have pain points and discomfort in multiple areas that I am going to have to work out. My profile doesn't feel right, the boot must be pitched differently or Bauer mounts there holders more forward or back than my TRUE ones since I feel very off balance. I dont really care for this flexible tendon guard but the new toe cap is nice. Ankle padding is very comfortable and the clarino liner actually extends all the way into the toe cap with the toe cap having a little bit of felt on the top which is also nice. 

I think I need to spend a little more time trying to tweak them before I can give me full official feedback. As of right now, they seem decent enough to wear in a low-end drop-in or pick-up hockey but if I was skating with the usual group of players I would definitely use my TRUE skates. I feel like I am playing C-league with these on. I am much slower and unsure of my edges due to the balance-related issues. 

I am going to spend the day messing with them and then will try and get some ice time tonight.

What were you using before the True customs?

[VegasHockey 1280]

8 minutes ago, Miller55 said:

What were you using before the True customs?

Mako. 

[Miller55 333]

1 hour ago, SkateWorksPNW said:

Mako. 

Yeah that makes sense lol. Haven't tried on ultrasonics but from what I hear they're not a long way from the 2s pros, which are a word away from mako/vh

[VegasHockey 1280]

16 minutes ago, Miller55 said:

Yeah that makes sense lol. Haven't tried on ultrasonics but from what I hear they're not a long way from the 2s pros, which are a word away from mako/vh

They are definitely more forward flexible with the standard eyelet system as copared to previous models but they still feel very much like a Supreme MX3/1S/2S, just more refined in some ways. Dont hate them. Dont love them. Im just waiting to finish this last conference call of the day and then I am heading into the workshop to tinker.

[Miller55 333]

26 minutes ago, SkateWorksPNW said:

They are definitely more forward flexible with the standard eyelet system as copared to previous models but they still feel very much like a Supreme MX3/1S/2S, just more refined in some ways. Dont hate them. Dont love them. Im just waiting to finish this last conference call of the day and then I am heading into the workshop to tinker.

Yeah I swapped the tongues from the 2s pros so I never had the issue with forward flex that everyone complained about with the stock tongues, even with the stick eyelets

[VegasHockey 1280]

6 hours ago, Miller55 said:

Yeah I swapped the tongues from the 2s pros so I never had the issue with forward flex that everyone complained about with the stock tongues, even with the stick eyelets

I found with the lower boot cut and standard eyelets on the Ultrasonic that the newly redesigned tongue doesn't limit forward flex as the previous generation did.

[Miller55 333]

2 hours ago, SkateWorksPNW said:

I found with the lower boot cut and standard eyelets on the Ultrasonic that the newly redesigned tongue doesn't limit forward flex as the previous generation did.

For sure. I was trying to say that even with the old eyelets and standard height, just changing the tongue was enough to address the lack of forward flex. I'm 200lbs and skate hard, and even I had a tough time with the og tongues, but swapped for regular felt tongues with a pu lace bite protector and I was fine. I'll bet a half inch lower and more moldable eyelets only help even more

[adam14 182]

19 hours ago, Miller55 said:

I took a break from playing from end of 2016-middle of 2019. Warrior had already stopped doing full custom, but Eagle was still doing it. At this point Eagle's custom options are fairly slim. The basic stuff of swapping cuffs or mixing designs from different models they can do, but the heavy customizations are not available anymore. I wear leather gloves or leather palms at the very least. At this point the only leather palms Eagle offers are Digital (not even sure if it's real Pittard's Digital) and Mustang, which is sueded. So the only option for leather palms is a custom repalm job, which goes for over 100 bucks. If I'm paying $250+ for gloves I'd like to get palms that I want. At this point I have 2 pairs of custom  L29s (From before my 2016 break) and a pair of black H34s, so I'm probably ok for a long time, but I kinda want a new pair of tan H34s like i used to have. I was gonna settle for the Cali Tan portofino but they wont even do goatskin palms. I'll probably eventually do it and just get digital pro palms so I can rip through them quickly and justify a repalm in either goat or kangaroo. 

 

Anyway, my point was just that custom options have significantly decreased across the spectrum, although I'm not familiar with custom stick options. 

Don’t want to sidetrack this thread too much but I just wanted to point out that Eagle does offer a  heavy customizable glove, right down to finger length, gusset height and custom add ons. I was in the process of ordering a pair just before Covid and was in direct contact with their factory so I’m not sure where you got that information.

They are still making one of if not the nicest custom gloves on the market.

In regards to leather, since it has been a banned material by the NHL for a few years now and companies as a whole have stopped using it, it’s understandable that it’s only still available in niche markets. Eagle do offer a leather palm overlay, not exactly the same but again, it’s not a commonly used material anymore. 

[Miller55 333]

22 minutes ago, adam14 said:

Don’t want to sidetrack this thread too much but I just wanted to point out that Eagle does offer a  heavy customizable glove, right down to finger length, gusset height and custom add ons. I was in the process of ordering a pair just before Covid and was in direct contact with their factory so I’m not sure where you got that information.

They are still making one of if not the nicest custom gloves on the market.

In regards to leather, since it has been a banned material by the NHL for a few years now and companies as a whole have stopped using it, it’s understandable that it’s only still available in niche markets. Eagle do offer a leather palm overlay, not exactly the same but again, it’s not a commonly used material anymore. 

Could be. I was told they couldn't even make me a 15" PPF x905 (14.5 is the PPF+ size) and that they didn't have any leather palm options, not overlays. I never heard that the NHL banned leather, pretty sure Crosby still wears leather shells. Anyway, this is way off topic, but I've probably bought 8-10 pairs of Eagle custom gloves over the last 20ish years, and the options that they offer now are significantly less than what was available in the past.

[JR Boucicaut 3802]

58 minutes ago, adam14 said:

In regards to leather, since it has been a banned material by the NHL for a few years now 

It amazes me that people actually fell for that.

[Monty22 833]

59 minutes ago, adam14 said:

Don’t want to sidetrack this thread too much but I just wanted to point out that Eagle does offer a  heavy customizable glove, right down to finger length, gusset height and custom add ons. I was in the process of ordering a pair just before Covid and was in direct contact with their factory so I’m not sure where you got that information.

They are still making one of if not the nicest custom gloves on the market.

In regards to leather, since it has been a banned material by the NHL for a few years now and companies as a whole have stopped using it, it’s understandable that it’s only still available in niche markets. Eagle do offer a leather palm overlay, not exactly the same but again, it’s not a commonly used material anymore. 

Wait, what?  Please cite

[Monty22 833]

Less popular yes,banned , no. 

[Hills 712]

29 minutes ago, Monty22 said:

Wait, what?  Please cite

There was a post on S2K about leather gloves being banned in the NHL because they stuck to glass and caused injuries. I among many other people fell for it.

[mojo122 535]

12 hours ago, SkateWorksPNW said:

I found with the lower boot cut and standard eyelets on the Ultrasonic that the newly redesigned tongue doesn't limit forward flex as the previous generation did.

I never had a problem flexing the tongue on the 2S Pro.  My complaint was that the tongue was too thick coming off the toecap.  Took a while for that area to fully compress, but was nice once it finally did.  I went with a traditional felt tongue to see how that compares performance wise.

[VegasHockey 1280]

13 hours ago, mojo122 said:

I never had a problem flexing the tongue on the 2S Pro.  My complaint was that the tongue was too thick coming off the toecap.  Took a while for that area to fully compress, but was nice once it finally did.  I went with a traditional felt tongue to see how that compares performance wise.

Well. A couple more skates in.... Still not the biggest of fan of the these skates.

They just don't compliment my skating style or maybe they provide to much flexibility which makes me feel like I have a lack of support north/south. East/west feels good, nice lateral movement, but north/south I just feel all over the place. I messed around with lacing, I changed how I normally lace my skates, loose at the toe, tight in the midfoot, loose at the top. That just doesn't work for these. I finally settled on loose at the forefoot, tight in the midfoot and medium tight at the top. This seemed to allow good support and flexibility but just doesn't feel 100% correct. 

The first major issue was pitch, I messed around with various shim heights and think I finally figured that out. With a shim I felt very neutral even with pitched steel. 

Next issue was skate pain. This is the first time I've had pain in my feet in ages. I don't ever have foot pain so this was a big deal to me. First it was the small pinky toe, which I had a problem with in the retail skates Inna FIT2, and guess what, still have a problem with the customs. My poor toes feel like they are being crushed in a vice. The only way to avoid that pain is to not lace the first skate eyelet. The location of the pressure and pain is directly where the toe caps is riveted to the boot. I looked at maybe punching it but as soon as I start to put pressure there it looks like it's going to ruin the boot. Not a good thing. So I guess it is what it is. 

The skates feel heavier than my TRUE skates. Maybe it's just mental. I dunno. I'll weigh them tonight and see. 

Overall, nice skates, I am sure if they compliment a players skating style and foot they would be awesome but they just don't work for me. 

Lastly, the Pulse TI runners. They sharpen nicely. Feel good. But Flare is better IMO. I really don't understand how anyone can skate on anything else other than Flare. I feel like that steel has changed my game entirely. But that's for another thread... 

[Sniper9 530]

Going from true (and if you like true) to Bauer and CCM is too much of a difference for me.  If you're happy with what you have whether it's Bauer ccm or true. Stick with it. I've been a victim of wanting to try something new just bc they look nice and shiny, but regretted it (my old as1s). The most painful break in period I ever had, especially coming from trues. I learned my lesson and won't try anything else until true fails me. 

[VegasHockey 1280]

44 minutes ago, Sniper9 said:

Going from true (and if you like true) to Bauer and CCM is too much of a difference for me.  If you're happy with what you have whether it's Bauer ccm or true. Stick with it. I've been a victim of wanting to try something new just bc they look nice and shiny, but regretted it (my old as1s). The most painful break in period I ever had, especially coming from trues. I learned my lesson and won't try anything else until true fails me. 

I always force myself to try other brands so I understand the pros and cons when talking to customers. These are very nice skates, they just dont work for me personally. Some people prefer Audi over BMW even though they are both equally nice. 

[flip12 715]

5 hours ago, SkateWorksPNW said:

I always force myself to try other brands so I understand the pros and cons when talking to customers. These are very nice skates, they just dont work for me personally. Some people prefer Audi over BMW even though they are both equally nice. 

I’ve always heard that Audis are just budget BMW copies.

[Leif 161]

7 hours ago, SkateWorksPNW said:

Next issue was skate pain. This is the first time I've had pain in my feet in ages. I don't ever have foot pain so this was a big deal to me. First it was the small pinky toe, which I had a problem with in the retail skates Inna FIT2, and guess what, still have a problem with the customs. My poor toes feel like they are being crushed in a vice. The only way to avoid that pain is to not lace the first skate eyelet. The location of the pressure and pain is directly where the toe caps is riveted to the boot. I looked at maybe punching it but as soon as I start to put pressure there it looks like it's going to ruin the boot. Not a good thing. So I guess it is what it is. 

I had the same issue with custom Bauer 2S Pro, with blisters forming on my big toes where they rubbed against the join between the toe cap and the upper. I wore a silicon sleeve (from ebay) on each big toe to prevent pain, but they must have expanded the boot because the rubbing has gone without the sleeves on. It only took a year. You’d think they’d fit the appropriate size toe cap to avoid this happening. Beautiful skates, but I’m tempted to try True when they wear out. 

As for cars, BMW seems to be de rigueur in the UK for ice hockey players. (VW, same company as Audi, for me.)

[Leif 161]

56 minutes ago, flip12 said:

I’ve always heard that Audis are just budget BMW copies.

Audi usually if not always share platforms with VW, for example the Audi A1 is basically a VW Polo in a fancy frock. Engines, gearbox, transmission, brakes etc will be the same. That reduces cost greatly. 

[IPv6Freely 2093]

We all know Audi and VW are the same company. Let's get back to skates, please.

[stick9 892]

13 hours ago, flip12 said:

I’ve always heard that Audis are just budget BMW copies.

Completely different and there is nothing budget about them.

[flip12 715]

On 9/19/2020 at 10:46 PM, stick9 said:

Completely different and there is nothing budget about them.

Now I’ve heard different.

[stick9 892]

6 hours ago, flip12 said:

Now I’ve heard different.

That's probably their opinion or how they perceive it. Which is far from reality. 

Back to skates before we get a finger wag. 😉