2018 Brian's Optik

[Punisher Goalie]

8 hours ago, mik said:

Can you post photo please? Sounds interesting to try, but can´t imagine how it realy looks.

2 hours ago, Cruskater said:

@Punisher GoalieI'd love to see a pic of the setup if you can get one before hitting the ice some night. Sounds like something I would try. I hate toe ties but they're the only thing I've found other than connecting two toe hook connectors back to back (with a zip tie) that gives me slack and that slight elasticky connection

@mik @Cruskater Yes will take a photo. I kind of stumbled on this idea when I was trying to lace the Smart Toe in tight but it wasn’t able to. I really think this is a setup more people should try. 

In the meantime, here is my crude drawing (not to scale!):

[bunnyman666]

10 minutes ago, Punisher Goalie said:

@mik @Cruskater Yes will take a photo. I kind of stumbled on this idea when I was trying to lace the Smart Toe in tight but it wasn’t able to. I really think this is a setup more people should try. 

In the meantime, here is my crude drawing (not to scale!):

You’re a pretty smart bloke, mister!

[Cruskater]

Thanks @Punisher Goalie makes a lot of sense looking at it.  You get the best of toe ties and the smart strap! Pretty genius

[Punisher Goalie]

1 hour ago, Cruskater said:

Thanks @Punisher Goalie makes a lot of sense looking at it.  You get the best of toe ties and the smart strap! Pretty genius

Thanks! Here’s the photo:

Good news is that if you have the Smart Toes (or ProLaces) it’s a cheap experiment!

[cwarnar]

21 minutes ago, Punisher Goalie said:

Thanks! Here’s the photo:

Good news is that if you have the Smart Toes (or ProLaces) it’s a cheap experiment!

Do you notice any lag in pad rotation when you recover?

[IPv6Freely]

10 hours ago, mik said:

Can you post photo please? Sounds interesting to try, but can´t imagine how it realy looks.

Basically like this, except the lace connecting the toe tie to the pad has 2" of slack in it instead of being tight like in this photo.

EDIT: Nevermind, looks like there was a whole other page of posts after the one I quoted  

[IPv6Freely]

1 hour ago, Cruskater said:

Thanks @Punisher Goalie makes a lot of sense looking at it.  You get the best of toe ties and the smart strap! Pretty genius

Unfortunately it loses most of the benefit of being an elastic toe tie at that point. It's kind of like the guys who have like 5" of lace toe tie saying they don't have any issues. Of course you don't, it's doing nothing at that point. 

Though to be fair, I do find the Brian's smart toe straps don't flex enough, mostly because so much of the strap is bunched up under the skate (like in the photo above). Another benefit of going to a shock cord system. I replaced the elastic straps on both my Brians pads and my Passau pads because I wanted more give in the elastic. 

[SaveByRichter35]

Yea that definitely looks like it defeats the purpose of having an elastic toe tie.  However, I have never worn a Brian's pad with that setup so if what IP says is true then I can see why you would do this.

[gsmith0062]

I added Smart Straps to my 1S pads with the same type of leader (without knots), but i used the CRS laces that came with the pads. It works good, and it relieves a ton of stress from my ankles. They still have quite a bit of pull downwards while in the butterfly, and rotation on recovery doesn't seem to be a problem for the most part.

[Punisher Goalie]

4 hours ago, cwarnar said:

Do you notice any lag in pad rotation when you recover?

No definitely not.

4 hours ago, IPv6Freely said:

Unfortunately it loses most of the benefit of being an elastic toe tie at that point. It's kind of like the guys who have like 5" of lace toe tie saying they don't have any issues. Of course you don't, it's doing nothing at that point. 

Though to be fair, I do find the Brian's smart toe straps don't flex enough, mostly because so much of the strap is bunched up under the skate (like in the photo above). Another benefit of going to a shock cord system. I replaced the elastic straps on both my Brians pads and my Passau pads because I wanted more give in the elastic. 

2 hours ago, SaveByRichter35 said:

Yea that definitely looks like it defeats the purpose of having an elastic toe tie.  However, I have never worn a Brian's pad with that setup so if what IP says is true then I can see why you would do this.

So all I'm going to say here is "don't knock it till you've tried it". I tried shock cord systems for a while, but it took me a while to realize I was bothered by how tightly they held the pad to my toe, mainly in two positions, standing/skating and RVH. When I tried the slack in the lace tying in the Smart Toe, I felt a lot more freedom of movement in the my feet when down in the butterfly (i.e., executing backside pushes, slides, etc.) and WAAAAAY more comfort integrating with the post in RVH. 

Don't get me wrong though - the elastic definitely engages. I can feel my skate stretching it out and it snapping back when I make those moves. I'll look at my in-net cam videos and see if I can find a frame that show it, or at least make a point of getting that shot next time I play.

If you're experiencing similar issues as I've described, like I said, its worth a shot (lace is cheap). 

[IPv6Freely]

7 minutes ago, Punisher Goalie said:

No definitely not.

So all I'm going to say here is "don't knock it till you've tried it". I tried shock cord systems for a while, but it took me a while to realize I was bothered by how tightly they held the pad to my toe, mainly in two positions, standing/skating and RVH. When I tried the slack in the lace tying in the Smart Toe, I felt a lot more freedom of movement in the my feet when down in the butterfly (i.e., executing backside pushes, slides, etc.) and WAAAAAY more comfort integrating with the post in RVH. 

Don't get me wrong though - the elastic definitely engages. I can feel my skate stretching it out and it snapping back when I make those moves. I'll look at my in-net cam videos and see if I can find a frame that show it, or at least make a point of getting that shot next time I play.

If you're experiencing similar issues as I've described, like I said, its worth a shot (lace is cheap). 

And all I'm saying is I have no reason to try it because it defeats the point (at least to some degree, maybe not completely if you're still getting SOME stretch). And like I said, I found there wasn't enough stretch with Brians (or the Passau clone) because of the strapping getting bunched up. Switching to shock cord eliminated that issue and I was then getting full benefit from the stretch. 

[Punisher Goalie]

19 minutes ago, IPv6Freely said:

And all I'm saying is I have no reason to try it because it defeats the point (at least to some degree, maybe not completely if you're still getting SOME stretch). And like I said, I found there wasn't enough stretch with Brians (or the Passau clone) because of the strapping getting bunched up. Switching to shock cord eliminated that issue and I was then getting full benefit from the stretch. 

Ah ok, I see what you mean. Just curious - do you use a bootstrap? I go no bootstrap and loose leg channel so my skate can have ridiculous range of motion. I definitely stretch the smart toes but maybe that's just because of my (likely incorrect) technique.

[TheGoalNet]

If your happy with the set up, I’m glad you were able to come up with something that works for you 

I find it sort of odd though. I find the Brian’s feel more like skate laces than Pro Laces

Sorta for the reason you have the laces. The leather attachment point gives it some sort of rigity that Pro Laces don’t have 

[Cruskater]

I found both the toe hook and flex toe were great ideas but with their own faults. My major complaint with the toe hook is the lack of elasticity and stretch. Also pulls the pad down too much. Any of you guys with the smart toes have a similar experience? 

I might try a little bit of lace or shock cord to keep the elasticity but eliminate the ankle pain in the RVH and backside recoveries. Great posts guys. Thanks for the info

[cwarnar]

2 minutes ago, Cruskater said:

I found both the toe hook and flex toe were great ideas but with their own faults. My major complaint with the toe hook is the lack of elasticity and stretch. Also pulls the pad down too much. Any of you guys with the smart toes have a similar experience? 

I might try a little bit of lace or shock cord to keep the elasticity but eliminate the ankle pain in the RVH and backside recoveries. Great posts guys. Thanks for the info

Give pro laces a good look... Their armour line is getting solid reviews

[IPv6Freely]

1 hour ago, Punisher Goalie said:

Ah ok, I see what you mean. Just curious - do you use a bootstrap? I go no bootstrap and loose leg channel so my skate can have ridiculous range of motion. I definitely stretch the smart toes but maybe that's just because of my (likely incorrect) technique.

I actually have two of them but they’re a fairly loose elastic. I’m not sure which way these are SUPPOSED to attach but this works for me.

in this photo it’s actually a single strap that loops across.

[mik]

14 hours ago, Punisher Goalie said:

Thanks! Here’s the photo:

Good news is that if you have the Smart Toes (or ProLaces) it’s a cheap experiment!

Thanks, that is the exactly photo I wanted, great!

[TheGoalNet]

Optik C&A 

[Pauly35or00]

4 hours ago, TheGoalNet said:

Optik C&A 

Looks very compact to me. Is it supposed to be a mobile C/A?

[TheGoalNet]

@Pauly35or00 - yes, it’s supposed to be the best GN + SZ features combined with an emphasis with added mobility. 

I have a sneaking suspicion this model is designed to be easily converted to the upcoming NHL re Spec of C&As.

 I was fortunate enough to try on a Proto type from a different company that will comply with the new NHL specs when they come out. 

 I didn’t feel less protected, but the shoulder floaters and arms were tiny 

 I liked the small floaters because the visibility around the shoulders and looking down at your hands was phenomenal! 

 The arms felt a little weird 

After TGN Spec, my next purchase will be a new a C&A.

Current list of favorites are:

1. CCM EF2

2. Optik 

3. V8E

4. Passau 

[cwarnar]

5 hours ago, TheGoalNet said:

Current list of favorites are:

1. CCM EF2

2. Optik 

3. V8E

4. Passau 

I think i’ll be due in the next year for a new CA... I’d be curious on the Optik pricing... tough to beat Passau bang for buck

[ULTIMA]

Even though I'm injured, I'm well enough to have recently gone to try on the Optik line.  Glove felt pretty good although I felt an inconsistency in the feel between different pro gloves on the shelf. Whatever that was about. Not sure how I feel about that dial tightening mechanism on the wrist, I can see that thing malfunctioning and causing an issue. Otherwise I liked it. Blocker's good I suppose, not much to say. Pads were okay, there seems to be a big hype going around about them, they didn't impress me. I didn't think they were bad, just not all they're cracked up to be. They only had the FLY in my size, it was solid like a Premier or Ritual G3. Not a fan of the toe strapping system, I see what they're trying to do there but I didn't like it. Even their sales associate recommended I buy HAL cords and switch them out. And their heel strap I found was about as useful as breasts on a nun.

I'll be getting new gear around April-ish, I was hoping I'd be more excited for that line of gear and to begin designing a custom graphic but I left the store feeling underwhelmed.

[Punisher Goalie]

3 hours ago, ULTIMA said:

Even though I'm injured, I'm well enough to have recently gone to try on the Optik line.  Glove felt pretty good although I felt an inconsistency in the feel between different pro gloves on the shelf. Whatever that was about. Not sure how I feel about that dial tightening mechanism on the wrist, I can see that thing malfunctioning and causing an issue. Otherwise I liked it. Blocker's good I suppose, not much to say. Pads were okay, there seems to be a big hype going around about them, they didn't impress me. I didn't think they were bad, just not all they're cracked up to be. They only had the FLY in my size, it was solid like a Premier or Ritual G3. Not a fan of the toe strapping system, I see what they're trying to do there but I didn't like it. Even their sales associate recommended I buy HAL cords and switch them out. And their heel strap I found was about as useful as breasts on a nun.

I'll be getting new gear around April-ish, I was hoping I'd be more excited for that line of gear and to begin designing a custom graphic but I left the store feeling underwhelmed.

@ULTIMA I certainly won’t try to push Optik on you, but having had a few weeks in my set, just wanted to give you some feedback on the above. 

Glove - it is pretty clear there is a big difference between the “game readiness” of retail gloves vs. custom gloves, with customs arriving super-game ready out of the box. There is even an option to have Brians “extra” break in the glove when ordering custom. Even though my set of a custom SMU (all Bucky) for @TGC-Rance, it wasn’t extra-broken in. I would still say it was on par with some of the most game ready retail gloves, closest in my experience to my Ritual G3 Pro.

BOA - So far, the BOA system on the trapper has been OUTSTANDING. You just take a few seconds when first putting the glove on to dial it all in (get it?) and then leave it. Great for someone like me with smaller hands, the middle BOA section brings your hand down into the break more. They even clearly designed the backhand padding to be really easy to close up with your blocker hand. Now, I can see this wouldn’t be great for someone who doesn’t want to be locked in to the glove all game, but you can always keep the strapping looser (or, heck, its Brians, if you’re going custom just don’t get BOA). In terms of the durability of the system, in my other life I’m a golf nut and I’ve had many pairs of BOA shoes and I have NEVER had any problems whatsoever with the system. I do wonder what if any extended warranty Brian’s will offer if you ever have a problem but I really do think you can trust the BOA, barring some freak accident.

Blocker: I personally like the blocker, but will probably never touch the BOA system. I wear my blocker loose. If I had built a fully-custom set I guess I would have left that off. I did remove the thumb-side “pillow” thing, but haven’t really given the blocker a second thought.

Leg pads: lots of personal preference goes into this, but I’ve been very happy with my specs (33+1.5, FLX with 90 degree toe). This is exactly what I would have ordered custom, so that’s why I decided to go with the set at TGC and get em quick! I have never had the FLY, but I did have a set of SZ3s in the same size with the 90 deg toe and I can definitely tell you the FLX has a significantly different feel. I like to strap somewhat snug below the knee and in the leg channel, go loose/elastic for toe ties and no bootstrap. I’m getting the exact “connected to the leg” feeling I’ve been looking for without sacrifing leg rotation. Also, despite being the FLX, rebounds boom off these pads, IMO on par with 1S. 

Sounds like you had a different experience and everyone is going to have their varying preferences, but just wanted to give you some thoughts to consider. Especially if you’re thinking of a custom set - Brian’s will make you just about anything!

[SaveByRichter35]

19 hours ago, TheGoalNet said:

Optik C&A 

I like the profile of this c/a.  The color combo kinda makes it hard to see everything but it looks fairly streamlined. 

[TheGoalNet]

Here’s a few other looks. The one on the manican is a prototype