Profile Review: Zuperior M, 280mm runners

[Radien55 4]

Steel: Blacksteel 280

Skates: CCM Tacks AS-V

 

Steel: LS Pulse 280

Skates: Bauer Vapor 3X Pro, Supreme Mach

 

Hollow: 7/8"

 

Profile Review: Zuperior M (6-13-20)

I have skated on this profile for over 50 hours now and I like it a lot, I came from a single 10".

This profile has 3 sections. It is one large 13" section in the middle, and two smaller sections in the front and rear.

It is basically a pitched single 13" with a shaved toe and added steel in the rear.

 

The first skate:

I expected to feel awkward and need time to adapt to it, but I didn't notice any difference from the single 10". I skated just like normally, it felt completely natural from the first step. After 30 min on the ice it hit me, how much easier it was to skate, it took less effort to accomplish the same things and I was skating much better.

 

The first two weeks:

I noticed huge improvements in speed, stability, more importantly stability at speed. Any kind of edgework (crossovers, tight turns with hand touch, single leg c cut with hand touch) became much easier. The stability of this profile gives me much more confidence in my edges. I drop the top eyelet on all my skates and I'm on my toes a lot. During the first week or two, I did not notice any drawbacks of this profile, only positives.

 

POSITIVES:

Speed

Stability

Edgework

Acceleration

 

RESHARPENING: 7/8"

I had gradually been pushing the profile more and more and gotten used to the dull blades. After they were freshly sharpened, I started to experience problems. Felt glued to the ice and skated terribly. If a puck was near me but in the "wrong" place, I couldn't move to get it, felt like the blades would be stuck in the ice and I would tip over like a chopped tree. I felt uncomfortable breaking hard from full speed too, instead of shaving the ice, the blades wanted to grab it and send me flying over the other side.

I tried to dull them up against the rubber floor and going back and forth on the ice breaking on each side to wear them down. After a bit they became better, but I had started to notice more drawbacks of the profile.

 

DRAWBACKS:

Mobility: These are marketed as an Agility profile and it is true as long as you are on your toes, but if you stop skating on your toes, you lose the agility.

On transitions, when pivoting from forwards to backwards, you have to be really on your toes and swing the whole skate around with a lot of clearance. Any laziness and you can easily catch an edge. This can tire you out by the end of a game.

 

CONCLUSION (after 50 hours of skating)

This profile is really good! It has a small mobility penalty but for everything you get, it is well worth it. I love the speed and stability and it makes me trust my edges and skate much better. Tight turns are great too, maybe not turn on a dime but you come out of the tight turns with speed. They are great for a full size rink and there I don't notice the drawbacks so much.

Playing 3v3 in one zone, or pond hockey, the limitations are more noticeable. This profile thrives on a full size rink where they can really fly.

 

The 6" front section: Better acceleration than a single 10". Don't be intimidated by the number, it feels natural. Going back to a single 10", all that steel in the toe felt terrible.

The 13" middle section: You are on this part the majority of the time, unlike a combo profile, there are no transitions under your foot, so it is a very smooth experience.

The 20" rear section: Saves you from falling backwards. Unless you lean back, you don't really notice this part. It's a very small section. Does not hinder tight turns like Detroit 1

 

Acceleration: 3.5

Very good thanks to the small 6" section,

Mobility: 3.0

Passing grade, would like a little more, but it works as long as the ice is hard

Speed: 4.5

Amazing! Only Detroit 1 is faster

Stability 4.5

It gives you all the stability you want, if you add more stability you would sacrifice too much mobility, i.e. Detroit 1.

 

Hollow, Symptoms and Profile troubleshooting:

This profile achieves grip from its large blade contact, not from a deep hollow. It is sensitive to hollow and ice conditions.

I played a game on hard ice (indoor rink) and everything was great, the next day I was on soft ODR ice and I struggled badly (same skates, same runners), as the blades sunk deeper into the ice than intended and that resulted in losing too much mobility and feeling glued to the ice. (A single 10" usually has the opposite effect, where the extra contact makes me skate better on softer ice.)

5/8" forget about it, 3/4" maybe. For me, even 7/8" was too sharp. I have moved to 1" now and it's much better.

If you experience any of these symptoms:

Feel like skis, glued to the ice, skating in mud, locked in to the path of the skates.

Try a shallower hollow: 7/8", 1" or even 1 1/16".

This will help alleviate those symptoms and make the profile shine.

 

 My curiosity makes me want to try the Quad 1 or 2 next.

Edited March 3 by Radien55