New skates damaged

[AMDG]

So I have a little more to add to my episode.  CCM did replace the broken cowling on the skate.  I continued to play on these and really got used to them.  I like the skates.  The boot fits well - it's stiff, but fits well and actually gives me more support than my old ones.  Also the blade position seems moved towards the inside and I'm finding it very nice to play with.

But this past week it happened again: the same skate, at the exact same spot, I took a shot off and it cracked.  I'll take a pic and uploaded for you guys to see.  This time I didn't notice it until the dressing room taking the skate off so it didn't hurt.  Actually, I don't really know when it happened.

Frankly I'm disappointed.  It's definitely past the warranty period of 90 days, so my options are really to buy and replace the cowlings, or repair them and apply some fiberglass on that one spot.  I'm leaning towards getting cowlings, but I'm hopeful that they're not that different in blade positioning.  

I've quickly looked on the web and found some Bauer One100 cowlings, which seem to have a similar gap on the inside edge of the cowling.  I've also found Graf cowlings as well as Vaughn GX1 cowlings.  Any recommends would be very much appreciated with regards to the protection of the cowlings and the positioning of the blades.

Thanks guys.

[Aquilzz]

46 minutes ago, AMDG said:

So I have a little more to add to my episode.  CCM did replace the broken cowling on the skate.  I continued to play on these and really got used to them.  I like the skates.  The boot fits well - it's stiff, but fits well and actually gives me more support than my old ones.  Also the blade position seems moved towards the inside and I'm finding it very nice to play with.

But this past week it happened again: the same skate, at the exact same spot, I took a shot off and it cracked.  I'll take a pic and uploaded for you guys to see.  This time I didn't notice it until the dressing room taking the skate off so it didn't hurt.  Actually, I don't really know when it happened.

Frankly I'm disappointed.  It's definitely past the warranty period of 90 days, so my options are really to buy and replace the cowlings, or repair them and apply some fiberglass on that one spot.  I'm leaning towards getting cowlings, but I'm hopeful that they're not that different in blade positioning.  

I've quickly looked on the web and found some Bauer One100 cowlings, which seem to have a similar gap on the inside edge of the cowling.  I've also found Graf cowlings as well as Vaughn GX1 cowlings.  Any recommends would be very much appreciated with regards to the protection of the cowlings and the positioning of the blades.

Thanks guys.

I'd send CCM customer service an email especially because this is the second time it's happened. Even though the warranty period is 90 days, one should still expect them to not fully crack. 

[TheGoalNet]

@AMDG - Agreed. Maybe you’ll get “lucky” and it’s known issue or bad batch and you’ll get hooked up. I’d call! 

[Awgoalie164]

On 1/10/2018 at 4:43 AM, AMDG said:

So I got new skates (CCM Tacks 6092) and wore them for 3 or 4 games. Last night I took a slap shot off the instep where there is a gap in the cowling. It hurt but, hey it's goaltending, right? So I continued and played the game. Well, the pain got more noticeable during the game, so in a stoppage of play I took my blocker off and rubbed the skate along the instep. It was cracked! Yes, the skate was cracked!!! I couldn't believe it. After the game I realized that it was right where there's a gap in the cowling.  

I've taken it to my relatively local shop and they told me CCM will warranty it probably replacing the skates. I'm not too confident in these CCM and when I asked about going back to Bauer (I've always worn Bauer Supremes until now) he told me that they were no more protective than the CCMs. He only has the Bauer s170 in stock but he can get the s190 skates. He stated that these are more protective than the s170.

Is it just me, or are skates supposed to protect the feet from shots?? I know that the Bauers don't have the cowling anymore, but do they protect from shots or are we supposed to Butterfly never exposing the side of the skates?

Looking on some advice on what direction to go with getting skates that protect my feet. Anyone else have this problem?

I personally have the S190’s and have had them for 2 years. I went from using them at the peewee level to the JV and varisty level of High School and noticed no difference. I have taken shots, stick, and skates to the side, toe, and even back and felt only a little sting with pucks but no damage. The only little thing is with the screws for the toe block, they have been riding on the toe plastic but there is really only cosmetic damage that hasn’t affected the quality of protection. 

[AMDG]

So I've attached a pic of the crack.  I don't understand why they would make that window without the actual guard on it.  Does it really save that much weight???

Anyway, I'm going to reach out to CCM and see what the response is.  Let's see if they stand behind their products . . . 

[CG35]

That "window" is actually there to increase your attack angle within your stance. It recesses the corner edge of the cowling which would normally be the first part in contact with the ice. The Bauer ones also used to come unglued or crack all the time. I played for a couple of years with them completely removed because in all honesty if you take a shot there it's offering almost zero protection anyways. There are photo's of some pro's that actually completely cut away the cowling in that area... if I can find one at some point I'll post it up.

As far as cowling vs no cowling... I much prefer my S190's with the LS3G steel to the cowling and StepSteel set-up... The StepSteel blades were great, but having the rise in the blade makes them less stable for skating then when it's designed and built into the holder/boot... very big difference. I also had StepSteel blades break when hit with pucks... there's just way too much blade sticking out compared to the amount actually supported within the holder... always carried two sets of blades. That being said... if I still had those skates, I would definitely still use StepSteel in them. If you take a shot to the toe in the S190's there is a definite feeling of "shock" and then it just goes away. In the area you're having issues with Bauer adds a little bit of soft padding and the toe and boot are extremely rigid, but it's likely gonna hurt a bit no matter what... just not designed to take pucks there any more.

[AMDG]

18 hours ago, CG35 said:

That "window" is actually there to increase your attack angle within your stance. It recesses the corner edge of the cowling which would normally be the first part in contact with the ice. The Bauer ones also used to come unglued or crack all the time. I played for a couple of years with them completely removed because in all honesty if you take a shot there it's offering almost zero protection anyways. There are photo's of some pro's that actually completely cut away the cowling in that area... if I can find one at some point I'll post it up.

As far as cowling vs no cowling... I much prefer my S190's with the LS3G steel to the cowling and StepSteel set-up... The StepSteel blades were great, but having the rise in the blade makes them less stable for skating then when it's designed and built into the holder/boot... very big difference. I also had StepSteel blades break when hit with pucks... there's just way too much blade sticking out compared to the amount actually supported within the holder... always carried two sets of blades. That being said... if I still had those skates, I would definitely still use StepSteel in them. If you take a shot to the toe in the S190's there is a definite feeling of "shock" and then it just goes away. In the area you're having issues with Bauer adds a little bit of soft padding and the toe and boot are extremely rigid, but it's likely gonna hurt a bit no matter what... just not designed to take pucks there any more.

I completely understand those reasons when it comes to pros where performance is everything.  I do not get paid to play.  Protection so that I can continue to go to work the next day and get paid is my priority.  I have always had cowlings and never gotten hurt with shots to them.

I've contacted CCM and we'll see what the response is.  Here's hoping!

[CG35]

You might be able to find a good closed-cell expanding foam or silicone type product that will fill the gap in behind and help support those glued in plates as well as add an extra amount of padding there... not sure what else you will be able to do without finding a different manufacturer's skate that still uses a true full cowling, or maybe a good used set of cowlings you can put new boots into..? Hopefully, CCM helps you out on this again. Are you still making actual kick saves or are these just freak shots that have found their way under the toe of your pads..?

[AMDG]

CCM replied and said that they would cover the damage under warranty.  A few days later a set of cowlings arrived at my home (see attached pic).  So I'm going to bring them to get the broken one replaced.  I'm still thinking of applying some fiberglass to the 'windows' to strengthen the cowlings and protect my foot.  But I can't speak badly of CCM's service or the skate-boots themselves . . . just their cowling design.