Calling all Graf Users: Graf/CCM Hybrid Help

[mr_shifty1982]

@BadAngle41 good stuff there buddy. I'll have to weight my 2x vs the custom AS3. I see that scuff off the 2x is a real issue, with mine as well. 

[BadAngle41]

30 minutes ago, mr_shifty1982 said:

@BadAngle41 good stuff there buddy. I'll have to weight my 2x vs the custom AS3. I see that scuff off the 2x is a real issue, with mine as well. 

Ha. Yeah. Don’t think that issue will be going away. Maybe some shot blocker type material there would at least be a sacrificial lamb. 

[mr_shifty1982]

@BadAngle41

My 2x size 6.5 with Step Steel 4MM come to 812g

My custom AS3, believe they are size 6 with step steel 4mm come to 910g

Had to weight my Axis 26 stick, came to 738g

Edited September 27, 2020 by mr_shifty1982

[dstew29]

On 9/19/2020 at 10:44 AM, BadAngle41 said:

Update...

Now to find a shop who can do the XSG swap for me... suggestions? (I don’t have anyone I trust locally.)

Give Dennis and Cayden a call at GoalieParts.com. If they can’t do it I bet they’d point you to someone reputable who can (I’d venture to guess they can though).

They’ve been awesome to deal with sharpening/profiling so worth a call I’d say.

 

[jeantodt]

This is interesting topic..

I had have grafs for several years now and I like boot very much, but still thinking about cowlingless skates.  Are toecap strong enough without cowling?

Mine are size 10 if I remember right..

[SaveByRichter35]

5 hours ago, jeantodt said:

This is interesting topic..

I had have grafs for several years now and I like boot very much, but still thinking about cowlingless skates.  Are toecap strong enough without cowling?

Mine are size 10 if I remember right..

Yes. According to Graf the toecaps on their skates are thick enough to wear sans cowling.

[BadAngle41]

5 hours ago, jeantodt said:

This is interesting topic..

I had have grafs for several years now and I like boot very much, but still thinking about cowlingless skates..

 

Are toecap strong enough without cowling?

 

Mine are size 10 if I remember right..

Toe cap doesn't look changed at all since 7500 (maybe even further back than that) all the way to the current Pro|G Peak Speed...

Additional (higher res for those who want to open the image alone and zoom in) comparison of @beansbats Pro|G to my 9035:

[BadAngle41]

5 hours ago, jeantodt said:

This is interesting topic..

I had have grafs for several years now and I like boot very much, but still thinking about cowlingless skates..

How have you liked the 9035? Have you been a long time wearer of the brand or have you dabbled in others throughout time? 

[BadAngle41]

UPDATE:

Boots & Holders have been shipped off to @SaveByRichter35's trusted EQM. Hopefully have them back in a week or so.

Steels: Will likely send them out to NoIcingSports for the same treatment as my Vertexx Edge steels so I can better compare apples to apples...  

• Combination Radius: 20/32' Goalie, Pitch: Medium Forward
• Blade Matched
• 3/8" Hollow

[jeantodt]

21 hours ago, BadAngle41 said:

How have you liked the 9035? Have you been a long time wearer of the brand or have you dabbled in others throughout time? 

These I bought about 3-4 years ago, earlier I had CCM's goalie skates. I tryed g7500 before I bought these and for my foot they were spot on. 

Graf player skates I have had longer time. 

 

These 9035 are made in Canada and g7500 Swiss made

[BadAngle41]

UPDATE: With marriage of boot and holders complete... skates are on their way home... hopefully they arrive as scheduled and maybe I can get them on the ice this coming weekend!!

[jeantodt]

I am very interested to hear how them work..

Thinking to do same.. If it is success

[BadAngle41]

[Xdave90x]

5 hours ago, BadAngle41 said:

so you're just gonna tease us with a picture of the box

[mr_shifty1982]

Well?

[BadAngle41]

1 hour ago, Xdave90x said:

so you're just gonna tease us with a picture of the box

 

1 hour ago, mr_shifty1982 said:

Well?

Here’s a look with more to come on measures and comparisons to 2X Pro...

[mr_shifty1982]

13 hours ago, BadAngle41 said:

 

Here’s a look with more to come on measures and comparisons to 2X Pro...

Solid brother!! How is the fit? Did you skate?

Since me and you came from 2x what made you change?

[estogoalie]

I got a pair of G9035 a couple of years ago to replace my G50's, but despite the inside looking soft and cushy, the 9035 boot was much stiffer (ie: less flex) which kinda made me not like it. So I took my G50 boots and mounted them on a newer Graf cowling and put some Step Steel on them. I'm pretty happy with that setup. I've been wearing only Graf for 20 years or so. G50 boots were the best in my book. (750/Cobra were good too, the precurser for the  G50) I still have the 9035 in reserve, maybe one day I'll try them again if my G50's start falling apart.

[BadAngle41]

8 hours ago, mr_shifty1982 said:

Solid brother!! How is the fit? Did you skate?

Since me and you came from 2x what made you change?

Haven’t seen the ice yet. Likely will tomorrow evening. 
As for why I am trying this at all... it’s a number of factors. In spite of trying various insoles, lacing methods, and lacing tightness, my feet were getting really sore. Like a mix of almost painful and numb on the balls of my feet. Really weird. Additionally, since hip surgery where I had bone spurs and nearly all labrum & cartilage removed, I find the near bone on bone to be far more sensitive to stresses. So I thought I’d try to go back to a skate that has both a more neutral pitch and lower height overall. (BTW... took pictures and measures and will get them up soon to show details on this.)
The 9035 boot was selected for both its relative flexibility to 2X as well as my general comfort with Graf. Like @estogoalie, I was a long time Graf wearer prior to getting into cowlingless skates. 
 

5 hours ago, estogoalie said:

I got a pair of G9035 a couple of years ago to replace my G50's, but despite the inside looking soft and cushy, the 9035 boot was much stiffer (ie: less flex) which kinda made me not like it. So I took my G50 boots and mounted them on a newer Graf cowling and put some Step Steel on them. I'm pretty happy with that setup. I've been wearing only Graf for 20 years or so. G50 boots were the best in my book. (750/Cobra were good too, the precurser for the  G50) I still have the 9035 in reserve, maybe one day I'll try them again if my G50's start falling apart.

100% agree with you that the 9035 is stiff compared to prior Graf offerings. But for me coming from S190 then 2X Pro, the 9035 should provide more flex than I’ve had in the past few years. I say should because I haven’t had them in the ice yet to say for sure... and based purely on the squeeze test... they’re marginally more flexible at the quarter panel... and slightly more at the top of the boot. TBD...

One thing I will say is that given the toe cap can protect from shots, shedding the cowling is a no brainer for me. Like I mentioned above, I’ll get some comparison measures up soon to compare this frankenskate to not only the 2X Pro but also to the Graf cowling for those are more concerned about stock height and pitch than redundant protection. If there is anyone falls into that bucket that is. 

[BadAngle41]

Some comparables...

Weight: As expected... the size 7 Graf/XSG combo comes in at 913g... nearly identical to @mr_shifty1982's custom AS3s w/ 4mm steel (910g.)

Holder & Steel Height: Dropped .36" (9.23mm) at the heel and .16" (4.02mm) at the ball of my foot. In other words... the XSG holder is not only shorter but also much more neutral with only a .49" (12.40mm) drop compared to Vertexx Edge of .69" (17.61mm.) Steel height difference came in at a hair... so for the purpouses of this review I'm calling it a constant.

Boot: Despite the visual (could be the graphic or lack of cut out at the top) the 9035 is only .67" (17.00mm) taller than the 2X Pro... coming in right at the middle of the top eyelet on the Graf. With that... the 9035 does have 10 eyelets to the 2X Pro 9 eyelets.

Feel: While the 2X Pro does have a good heel lock... the 9035 feels much tighter... like a good solid hug around my heel and achilles. Hard to tell from the images below... but both boots do have a slight pitch forward at the heel. Squeeze test has them feeling nearly identical with only slightly more give at the top of the 9035. Tongue on the 9035 is VERY comfy with lots of added thickness. 

1st Skate Impressions...

I was lucky enough to have the game before mine be a forfeit so after the obligatory stretching I got dressed a little faster than usual so I could get on the ice before my game. Couldn't tell a difference in weight in spite of knowing it was a 136g from the 2X Pro. The more neutral pitch was apparent quickly though... and in a god way. Just felt like I wasn't using my toes to hold myself up. After a lap or two I did some butterfly slides and the slightly longer (measure TBD) steel of the stock Step Blacksteel felt great as well... like I could just get a touch more push off the toe than before. The Step steel had been profiled to the same 20'-32' Medium Pitch Forward found on my 2X Pro... not only for a constant to help compare... but because I just like the profile.

During play I really did feel like they were a great marriage between all of the benefits of cowlingless skates (weight, attack angle, etc.) but in a package that was something I was more accustomed to... largely due to the more neutral XSG holder. The 9035 boot does play more flexible but really only in the lean forward. I think that's almost entirely to do with the makeup of the tongue. It is MUCH more padded than the 2X Pro... so even when tied pretty tight... the added cushioning allows for more forward flex than the think felt and lace bit pad of the Bauer. Overall... that little bit of weight towards my heel and off my toes just felt really balanced. Going to give it a few more skates as "stock"... then maybe look into a new footbed that can provide more arch support without raising my heel.

Thanks again to @SaveByRichter35 for the EQM hookup... and to @mr_shifty1982 for the steels.

EQM work was top notch... bunch of coppers in the heel...

 

Stock non-heat moldable Sidas footbed... has some arch support... but may need slightly more...

Heel Height Compare...

Overall dimensional comparison...

9035 Tongue...

1st Skate...

[beansbats]

On 10/9/2020 at 10:32 PM, BadAngle41 said:

 

Here’s a look with more to come on measures and comparisons to 2X Pro...

This is fantastic!  I'm loving my Pro G's but it has been nearly impossible to find replacement steel, so I'm tempted by the idea of putting some Vertex holders on them.

-steve

[BadAngle41]

7 minutes ago, beansbats said:

This is fantastic!  I'm loving my Pro G's but it has been nearly impossible to find replacement steel, so I'm tempted by the idea of putting some Vertex holders on them.

-steve

I'm not sure what the height or pitch looks like on the stock Pro G holder... but break out a measuring tape if you don't mind and throw your finding up here. I'd be interested to see if it falls more in line with either Vertexx Edge or XSG.

[SaveByRichter35]

Ugh I am so jealous.  I'd complain that I cannot wait to use my skates but I cannibalized them for inline hockey.  I'm going to keep an eye on these skates on SLS and see if I can get a seller to drop their price on them a little bit more.

[SaveByRichter35]

@BadAngle41 How did the inside toe of the skate fair in regards to contact with ice?  Any noticeable wear in the area we spoke about via text?

[BadAngle41]

1 hour ago, SaveByRichter35 said:

@BadAngle41 How did the inside toe of the skate fair in regards to contact with ice?  Any noticeable wear in the area we spoke about via text?

No wear at all yet. Just got home from skate #2 in them. The piece is plastic but not even a scratch. 

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