Hockey Equipment Discussion

[Northendzone]

I was at Pro hockey Life on the weekend getting my blades machined and looking around at all the new gear and thought I'd start a discussion.....

Bauer has new skates out that seem to be lighter than kids skates of course they only cost $800 (at PHL).......

It also blows my mind how many $300 hockey sticks they stock there - is the market for sticks at that price point really that big? I bought an Easton Elite SE at sportcheck for $129 (it was marked as being $199 regularly) - I have only used it once and I am unsure if I like it any more than my other Easton's.

I also wanted to ask if anyone has ever "baked" thier own skates in their oven at home. I was thinking of doing this to my son's skates - but was worried that I may damage them. If anyone has ever done this I'd like to hear about it.

[drewboy12]

Yes there is a huge market for sticks out there. People have a lot of money they are willing to spend on their kids these days. I dont agree that the $300 sticks are better then the $150 ones... However I tested Crosby's stick, i think it was $320... and yes, i noticed the difference. Amazing stick, and if i could blow that much money on a stick I would in a second.

Im not sure about baking your sons skates though.

[North East Goon]

Dont bake your skates, at the store that is done with hot air, not actual heating elements.

[Berger_4_]

I feel the price point sticks (the ones that are 90-140 bucks are so) are a waste of money. If you want to buy a composite that works, you have to buy a more expensive one. The cheaper ones aren't much better than woodies, and in fact I feel like I lose more in control and feel with them than I would gain in shot speed/release with a good wood stick.

Personally, I'm not a huge fan of the Elite SE's. It's basically an SL with a new paint job. And I hated the SL's. They're way, way too light and easy to break. The only composite I use now are the ST's. Awesome, awesome stick.

Why would you bother to bake your son's skates at home? It's offered as a free service wherever you bought the skates pretty well everywhere. It also depends on the type of skate. I know my Easton 1300's said right on the boot to not bake them or it would void the warranty because there's so much carbon fibre in them or something like that.

[North East Goon]

I find that these big ticket type stores dont fit your skates properly. The rule of thumb is 1.5 sizes smaller than your walking shoes. Yet if you go to a sport chek or hockey life, they will give you the same size as your shoes. I have a pair of Graf's that are size 9.5 and my shoe size is 11, and of course I skate like Rico freakn Fata with those babies on!

[macker]

Originally Posted by drewboy12

Yes there is a huge market for sticks out there. People have a lot of money they are willing to spend on their kids these days. I dont agree that the $300 sticks are better then the $150 ones... However I tested Crosby's stick, i think it was $320... and yes, i noticed the difference. Amazing stick, and if i could blow that much money on a stick I would in a second.

Im not sure about baking your sons skates though.

Can't believe it is starting again.....skating camp 2 weeks ago and now conditioning camp started last week.....for 7 year olds I bought my son two $20 wooden sticks again this year. Why pay up for something he doesn't know the difference of and that he can't properly utilize. Besides the kids on his team with the more exclusive sticks walk around like they have some magic wand and love to quote the price of their sticks....just annoying how spoiled some parents want their kids these days....guess what....kids won't know the difference unless you tell them....and Daddy uses a wooden stick so shhhhh....getting worse then golf clubs...

[nickerjones]

Baking the skates in the oven will cause the material to break down quicker...



Shameless plug... My site Dailyhockeydeal.com throws out deals everyday so you dont have to pay full retail places ..

[Northendzone]

Originally Posted by nickerjones

Baking the skates in the oven will cause the material to break down quicker...



Shameless plug... My site Dailyhockeydeal.com throws out deals everyday so you dont have to pay full retail places ..

i was thinking that the heat might cause the skates to come unglued/break down more quickly - next time I am at PHL - I'll have to ask about getting them baked - at the end of the day he is only 8.

I have seen some of your deals and they are good;however, sometimes when shipping and exchange is factored in the gap narrows.

[Northendzone]

last year after going thru three wooden rebok sticks i bought my son a $30 composite - I figured that it would be good for him for two seasons if i put a plug in it to make it longer......unfortunately he is dreaming of becoming a goalie, so then $50 will be a run of the mill stick....

[nickerjones]

Originally Posted by Northendzone

i was thinking that the heat might cause the skates to come unglued/break down more quickly - next time I am at PHL - I'll have to ask about getting them baked - at the end of the day he is only 8.

I have seen some of your deals and they are good;however, sometimes when shipping and exchange is factored in the gap narrows.

Well we are in talks with some Canadian Manufacturers... and Hockeymonkey now uses USPS for shipping to Canada so you dont have to pay the ridiculous fees for UPS . SO Hopefully I will find ya some better deals in the future!

[COGENT]

Originally Posted by Northendzone

i was thinking that the heat might cause the skates to come unglued/break down more quickly - next time I am at PHL - I'll have to ask about getting them baked - at the end of the day he is only 8.

I've baked my current pair of skates twice now and there is nothing wrong with them. I've heard some skates are better for baking that others but again, that's just what I've heard.

the nice part about baking a skate is it skips the whole breaking in process and with the stiffness of the skates these days I think it's totally worth it.

FYI Hockey experts will bake any skate for free whether you bought it there or not.

[united]

I have bought 3 sets of gloves, pants, and skates through Hockey Monkey via nickerjones and have had no problems and have saved hundreds of dollars. Just a plug for him! Very nice and helpful member of the forums.

Originally Posted by COGENT

FYI Hockey experts will bake any skate for free whether you bought it there or not.

Really? That's awesome to know! Thanks.

[Ragz]

I baked my skates at home... 175 for 10 minutes for each skate. But make sure you have a convection oven to do so, if not the heat will not be even and could melt places of your skate.

[Northendzone]

My wife gave me some choice for my birthday, while the in-laws gave me some money. I turned all of this into a new pair of Graf 570 from PHL - they were $329 (hockey monkey has them for $300).......these were my first pair of Grafs and I was pleasently surprised how comfortable they were for my first skate.....just need to get use to the overall feel of them......my previous skates were a pair of Reebok 5k's......

[nickerjones]

NE ... dont grafs make you feel like your more sitting more forward than your other skates? I have a pair of g35's that I am still trying to get used to.

[pylon]

Grafs are awesome. I have been wearing supra 703's for nearly 20 yrs, and am so use to the fit now that I cannot wear anything else. Says a lot about the quality of the product that they have been essentially running the same model for 25+ yrs and pros still buy that same boot. Might upgrade to the Ultra G3 next go around since it is the same fit, but nothing fits a narrow flat foot better than a 703 boot. I've always likened Graf to be the New Balance of skates, as they have a boot for every foot. Unlike other manufacturers that seem to be either for narrow feet or wide feet.

One thing, if you buy Grafs, the only guys in town I will let bake my skates are the guy at pro skate in Marda loop. They fit skates better than anyone in town. Not only will they bake em, they will also punch out any pinch spots. By the time they are done, you can literally go Kent Nillson style and not even tie them they fit so perfectly, they essentially achieve a form fit. Just need to snug them up a bit and they are good to go.

Also the best sharpen in town too. Adrenaline is a close second in the sharpen dept though.

[Berger_4_]

Originally Posted by pylon

Grafs are awesome. I have been wearing supra 703's for nearly 20 yrs, and am so use to the fit now that I cannot wear anything else. Says a lot about the quality of the product that they have been essentially running the same model for 25+ yrs and pros still buy that same boot. Might upgrade to the Ultra G3 next go around since it is the same fit, but nothing fits a narrow flat foot better than a 703 boot. I've always likened Graf to be the New Balance of skates, as they have a boot for every foot. Unlike other manufacturers that seem to be either for narrow feet or wide feet.

Also the best sharpen in town too. Adrenaline is a close second in the sharpen dept though.

I've found that I can't get a wide enough boot in a Graf. I need to go to an Easton EE to get the right width.

I found Tuxedo did a damn good job on my skates. I use a 3/4 hollow and they had no problem getting that done for me. I made the mistake of going to the sports swap or whatever it is in Crowfoot Crossing, and I would never, ever recommend anyone to go there. Just a couple lackey kids in the back who looked at me like I was drunk when I asked for a 3/4.

[Northendzone]

NJ - the back part of the boot does seem like it is slanted forward - i only really noticed this when i was trying them on in the store. i broke my right ankle years ago, so it is a different size than the left - i found that the bauers i tried on were kind of rubbing my fat ankle.....


if i had my druthers i'd get my skates sharpened at no sweat esporta on mcleod and heritage - however, out of convienece i go to PHL.......

anyone ever try that flat bottom v sharpening thing?

generally speaking i prefer my skates with a deep hollow - i hate when the feel dull.

[Tyler]

Bought a new pair of RBK socks the other days. Opinions?

They suck. Use the old socks.

[Northendzone]

i also boughty a pair, only used em once and i liked em - i have since removed those velcro tabs as they were a pain......and the socks stuck to my jock shorts.....