Aftermarket Steel

[TheGoalNet]

On 3/7/2018 at 9:30 AM, bunnyman666 said:

You ever consider a Sparx?

Love mine AND I make a little extra cash sharpening other peoples’ skates.

Have you been able to keep up with that or been forced to slow down too?

[bunnyman666]

2 minutes ago, TheGoalNet said:

Have you been able to keep up with that or been forced to slow down too?

Slowed down completely right now until out of hospital.

[Lucky Pucker]

3 hours ago, bunnyman666 said:

Slowed down completely right now until out of hospital.

No excuses! Always skate like a champ! 

[bunnyman666]

2 hours ago, Lucky Pucker said:

No excuses! Always skate like a champ! 

The sharpening is the most likely to start back up first.

[ZeroGravitas]

Anyone heard about a manufacturer called "Massive Blade"?

GoalieMonkey recently got a bunch of steel in from them (https://www.goaliemonkey.com/accessories/skate-accessories/cowlings-runners.html?manufacturer=65881)

Was wondering if anyone had any experience with them and how they compare to Step.

[Puckstopper]

Looks like Tydan steel to me.

[ZeroGravitas]

On 5/14/2018 at 2:36 PM, Puckstopper said:

Looks like Tydan steel to me.

From my research, it looks like Massive Blade is a Korean company and the steel is made there, whereas Tydan is located and made in Canada.

I'm wearing a CCM skate, so Tydan was never an option for me.

Replacement steel from CCM seems to be about the same price as the Massive Blade, with Step being at a small premium ($10~).

[Puckstopper]

I was definitely making an assumption.  I do think it's interesting that two companies decided to offer a titanium nitride (gold) coating right around the same time.  Tydan is based in Canada, but I wonder if they might be sourcing their steel from Massive instead of it being the other way around as I'd originally speculated.  

[Puckducker]

Since I've been practicing my edge work more recently, I was wondering if upgrading the steel would be worthwhile. 

I'm currently in Bauer 9000's, so just using the stock runners that came with the skate. 

Would upgrading on the steel to something like a Step Extreme blades make a noticeable impact? And does the steel really hold it's edge for a longer period of time? 

[Mroy31]

40 minutes ago, Puckducker said:

Would upgrading on the steel to something like a Step Extreme blades make a noticeable impact? And does the steel really hold it's edge for a longer period of time? 

I've definitely been a fan of my Tydan DLC blades.  I think both Tydan and Step will have slightly better base steel than your stock brand steel, but the carbon/DLC upgrade has noticeably impacted how long my edges hold.  

I'm not sure the height difference between Step Extreme, Tydan or normal Step, but Maria Mountain brought up an interesting point on blade height.  Essentially the taller you go, the more torque you will be putting on your joints.  You could argue it's almost negligible, and if your joints are healthy then it won't be an issue, but I'd say that if you are already pretty comfortable on your edges, then Extreme might not be a necessary switch.  The Tydan height didn't take much adjusting to, but I don't actually have experience with the Extreme.

[Chenner29]

2 hours ago, Mroy31 said:

I've definitely been a fan of my Tydan DLC blades.  I think both Tydan and Step will have slightly better base steel than your stock brand steel, but the carbon/DLC upgrade has noticeably impacted how long my edges hold.   

2 hours ago, Puckducker said:

Since I've been practicing my edge work more recently, I was wondering if upgrading the steel would be worthwhile. 

I'm currently in Bauer 9000's, so just using the stock runners that came with the skate.  

Would upgrading on the steel to something like a Step Extreme blades make a noticeable impact? And does the steel really hold it's edge for a longer period of time? 

Comparing my stock LS3G against the stainless Tydans, I'm getting twice the amount of sessions in before I need to get a sharpening.

I've asked some users that have used both (SS and DLC) the difference and the results were all over the place.  Some said no noticeable difference, some said it's "yooooge"

[bunnyman666]

Monty22 on modsquadhockey.com is offering a black coating for $35 that can go on any blade new or used. Blackedge offers this service but only on brand new blades and will fit it in as part of a larger order. The only thing is that you have to cross-grind the coating off of the hollow surface on the newly coated blade or it would gum up a Sparx wheel. I sent off two pair...

[Puckducker]

4 hours ago, Mroy31 said:

I've definitely been a fan of my Tydan DLC blades.  I think both Tydan and Step will have slightly better base steel than your stock brand steel, but the carbon/DLC upgrade has noticeably impacted how long my edges hold.  

I'm not sure the height difference between Step Extreme, Tydan or normal Step, but Maria Mountain brought up an interesting point on blade height.  Essentially the taller you go, the more torque you will be putting on your joints.  You could argue it's almost negligible, and if your joints are healthy then it won't be an issue, but I'd say that if you are already pretty comfortable on your edges, then Extreme might not be a necessary switch.  The Tydan height didn't take much adjusting to, but I don't actually have experience with the Extreme.

I'm generally very comfortable on my edges, but when I'm doing a lot of in tight edge control (using the opposite leg to c-cut pivot around while in RVH for example), I'm losing my edge frequently. That's partially from the pad making contact with the ice (so I'm testing out pro laces now to see if I get more slack than the stock elastic ties on the G3's), but I would think having a taller blade would give me a better angle to work with as well. 

1 hour ago, Chenner29 said:

Comparing my stock LS3G against the stainless Tydans, I'm getting twice the amount of sessions in before I need to get a sharpening.

I've asked some users that have used both (SS and DLC) the difference and the results were all over the place.  Some said no noticeable difference, some said it's "yooooge"

That's so often the case with goalie gear. Subtle adjustments are unnoticeable to some, and game changers for others.

But just keeping my edge longer might be worth it. I skate 5 to 6 times a week right now. 2 weeks after a sharpening, I don't have nearly the same bite anymore. 

[SaveByRichter35]

I feel that the extreme blades are overkill.  You should be perfectly fine with regular sized Step or Tydan steel.

[mr_shifty1982]

4 minutes ago, SaveByRichter35 said:

I feel that the extreme blades are overkill.  You should be perfectly fine with regular sized Step or Tydan steel.

Step steel are great, got them a few months ago....the extreme are an overkill I agree

[Puckducker]

31 minutes ago, SaveByRichter35 said:

I feel that the extreme blades are overkill.  You should be perfectly fine with regular sized Step or Tydan steel.

So do you feel like the regular Step is enough of an upgrade to justify swapping out the stock runner before that runner is worn out? 

[SaveByRichter35]

6 minutes ago, Puckducker said:

So do you feel like the regular Step is enough of an upgrade to justify swapping out the stock runner before that runner is worn out? 

Absolutely.  It was night and day when I went from the stock Bauer steel to Step.  It is still taller than stock steel and it is a better quality steel.

[Matt]

Curious how you guys are profiling your skates?  I've always gotten my kids skates profiled, but I noticed on the Tydan site the can pitch the blades as well.  What do you guys normally get done to your skates?

[mr_shifty1982]

7 minutes ago, Matt said:

Curious how you guys are profiling your skates?  I've always gotten my kids skates profiled, but I noticed on the Tydan site the can pitch the blades as well.  What do you guys normally get done to your skates?

I heard a lot of mix emotions about profiling, I don't think it's necessary

[mr_shifty1982]

4 hours ago, Puckducker said:

So do you feel like the regular Step is enough of an upgrade to justify swapping out the stock runner before that runner is worn out? 

Get it done ASAP it's the way to go!

[old but slow]

21 hours ago, Puckducker said:

I'm generally very comfortable on my edges, but when I'm doing a lot of in tight edge control (using the opposite leg to c-cut pivot around while in RVH for example), I'm losing my edge frequently.

But just keeping my edge longer might be worth it. I skate 5 to 6 times a week right now. 2 weeks after a sharpening, I don't have nearly the same bite anymore. 

"I skate 5 to 6 times a week right now. 2 weeks after a sharpening" This right here might be a contributing factor to " I'm losing my edge frequently.".

I don't know how long your ice sessions are but I will not go more than 6 hours of ice between sharpening. Actually, since purchasing the Sparx Sharpener, I will rarely go more than 2 hours of ice time between. I read somewhere that 4-6 hours of ice between sharpening was ideal (I can't remember where I read that).

[Aquilzz]

3 hours ago, Matt said:

Curious how you guys are profiling your skates?  I've always gotten my kids skates profiled, but I noticed on the Tydan site the can pitch the blades as well.  What do you guys normally get done to your skates?

I strongly recommend a dual or triple radius. Basically what that means is the radius is shorter in the front for edge work (especially in butterfly) but longer on the back of the blade for stability. 
 

I'm a good skater and am aggressive on my edges, so I go with the "Goalie SAM". It's a triple radius, 10'-50-27'. Since it's so short on the front, a neutral pitch is what works for me although I do want to try a slight forward pitch sometime. 

For the most part, a pretty good, conservative dual radius is a 22 to 24' in the front and anywhere between 27 to 30' in the back. I would definitely get a forward pitch if the front of your blade is at least 22'. 

Don't know why any goalie would want anything other than a neutral or forward pitch, but that's just my opinion.

3 hours ago, mr_shifty1982 said:

I heard a lot of mix emotions about profiling, I don't think it's necessary

It's not necessary per se, but I STRONGLY recommend profiling your blades.

A stock blade will likely only be a single radius, which is good for beginners, but there is so much untapped potential. Finding something that works for you can be a game changer more so than any other piece of equipment. 

[Chenner29]

3 hours ago, mr_shifty1982 said:

I heard a lot of mix emotions about profiling, I don't think it's necessary 

Necessary, no.

However, depending the skill of the local sharpener, blades can have a tendency to round or flat out over time, especially if sharpenings are being done by hand.

Is it beneficial to a goalies' stability to be taken up from a 10' or 15' radius to a 22-30'? Absolutely!

Would it help a goalie pivot and turn better if their blade was adjusted from a flat 120' down to a more modern 22-30'? Of course.

It's definitely one of those ticky-tack things where the user won't be able to tell a difference until they realize how bad it's gotten.

[DL42]

you should always profile the blade, it get rid of any imperfections and increase performance and agility based on how they are profiled and each individual.  what is right for one maybe diff for another as each persons foot is diff and weight.

[BauerHockey47]

On 6/8/2018 at 10:19 AM, Puckducker said:

So do you feel like the regular Step is enough of an upgrade to justify swapping out the stock runner before that runner is worn out? 

On 6/8/2018 at 10:26 AM, SaveByRichter35 said:

Absolutely.  It was night and day when I went from the stock Bauer steel to Step.  It is still taller than stock steel and it is a better quality steel.

I second @SaveByRichter35's opinion: Even switching to regular-sized Step Steel will have an impact on your attack angle. I recently switched from Reebok 11k goalie skates with the original Bauer Vertex Edge cowlings and stock steel to the new CCM AS1 goalie skates and regular-sized Step Steel, and the improvement in attack angle (the result of a modern cowling and taller blade) is a welcomed improvement to my game. It allows for a more aggressive stance and quicker recoveries because you don't have to lift your leg as high to move from side to side.