Rbk style Skate locks any demand for manufacture?

[Vince58 4]

My son has had the little rbk lace latch lock things fitted to his boots for the last few years.  After fitting to his latest boots my small stockpile is depleted and I find they seem rather unobtanium.  

As a mold and die maker I considered cnc machining up a batch.  But then considered I could possibly make a tiny injection mould too to produce them in larger quantities.

Is there still any demand out there for these little gadgets?

[puckpilot 312]

There might be some demand. I've heard teammates say they miss them. For me, scooped up a few packs as they were phasing out, because I used to use them as eyelet extenders to help prevent lace bite. You might also take a look at these.

https://www.hockeyworld.com/CCM-Skatelock-Eyelet-4Pack

They sold these as replacements for the lace locks if you didn't like the locking mechanism. I was trying to get a hold of some, but couldn't, so I settled for the lace lock versions to address my issues. But you could sell these as eyelet extenders to help with lace bite, because there are always people that need help with that.   

[GoalForFun 176]

They're still an option on CCM custom skates if you want to go that route.

[start_today 770]

For me, these lacelocks were the #1 hockey thing that seemed like an actual innovation and great idea that was phased out and never caught on. 

So, I assume there’s some sort of demand for them, but it might be all 40 year olds who spend their hockey life trying to regain the glory of their late 20s when it seemed like they were better players. 

[krisdrum 233]

Hasn't advances in boot technology basically made these things obsolete?  With stuff like Trues that mold incredibly well to all the nuances of your foot, you can tension the laces more or less the same up and down the boot and get the snugness you want in each area.  

[marka 526]

Howdy,

29 minutes ago, krisdrum said:

Hasn't advances in boot technology basically made these things obsolete?  With stuff like Trues that mold incredibly well to all the nuances of your foot, you can tension the laces more or less the same up and down the boot and get the snugness you want in each area.  

Maybe to some extent (and I think its due to the stiffness of the boot vs. anything else), but I still think there's a lot to be said for explicitly being able to set lace tension on the instep/forefoot vs. the ankle area of the foot.

To me, lace locks are one of the things I wouldn't mind having back on my skates for sure.  The bigger question is how easy they would be to integrate well on a boot with normal eyelets.

Mark

[BenBreeg 493]

We use Howies laces which are the “puffy” style.  Thicker than the slippery nylon type ones that come with CCMs.  I find they have enough friction through the eyelets to let me tighten 2-3 eyelets to get good heel lock and leave the rest barely snug.