TGN Deep Dive: Bauer Konekt Skates

[BadAngle41]

2 hours ago, Punisher Goalie said:

Here is my attempt at making an installed-but-easily-removable mod for taking up volume (same effect as shortening) on the top strap to lock in my skinny ankles.

As I posted above, I have been sandwiching a piece of thick foam between the strap and the tongue to get the desired effect. It has worked perfectly for 5+ sessions, however I don’t like the extra step of having to place the foam behind the strap each time I put the skates one (come on - a huge part of the appeal of these skates is the quick on-and-off!).

Since this doesn’t have to be a very high-strength component - the nature of the “sandwiching” keeps everything together - I simply superglued fresh blocks of foam to 5.5” long pieces of 2” wide OneWrap (hook on one side, loop on the other) and wrapped it around the upper strap where it overlaps the tongue. Conveniently, in the “small” setting on the upper strap, the notch at the end of the metal hook/bracket keeps the contraption from sliding off the strap. Note - loop is on the outside as hook might cause friction/wear on the boot of the leg pads.

Haven’t been on ice with it yet, but it appears to function exactly as my prototype solution, so I am quite optimistic. 

Loving everything about these skates and these minor mods have added another dimension of fun!

Crude in comparison, I just cut to size a piece of adhesive backed ECOProFoam I had from an old mask refurbishment and slapped it under the grey loop where the top Konekt strap goes through. It has held up well over 5 skates or so now. It may just be a placebo effect as it does compress to a fraction of its thickness, but certainly hasn't negatively affected the skate's performance. V02 of this could see the use of some strips of Maltese with a thin layer of neoprene (also adhesive back and left over from a mask refurb) that would not only be slightly thicker than the current test solution, but stylish to quasi-match the green Ultralon.  
@Chenner29 had mentioned the ECOProFoam lace bite pads that are intended to adhere to the backside of a skate tongue with velcro which might be worth trying too. 

  

[goalieThreeOne]

My Konekts came in yesterday. Unfortunately I can't get them baked until Mid September because I'll have to drive 5 hours to Chesterfield, MO to the closest shop that has the fitting kit.

Edited September 2, 2022 by goalieThreeOne

[RecoveringGoalie1]

18 hours ago, Wrbsti15 said:

Prob not bake with super feet in the liner but put them in right away and do the cool down with the super feet in 

That's exactly what my shop did. Baked the skates, and then replaced the stock ones with the super feet prior to putting them on and letting them sit for 20 minutes. Worked like a charm and would highly recommend that if you have any foot pain.

[Punisher Goalie]

On 9/2/2022 at 10:42 AM, BadAngle41 said:

Crude in comparison, I just cut to size a piece of adhesive backed ECOProFoam I had from an old mask refurbishment and slapped it under the grey loop where the top Konekt strap goes through. It has held up well over 5 skates or so now. It may just be a placebo effect as it does compress to a fraction of its thickness, but certainly hasn't negatively affected the skate's performance. V02 of this could see the use of some strips of Maltese with a thin layer of neoprene (also adhesive back and left over from a mask refurb) that would not only be slightly thicker than the current test solution, but stylish to quasi-match the green Ultralon.  
@Chenner29 had mentioned the ECOProFoam lace bite pads that are intended to adhere to the backside of a skate tongue with velcro which might be worth trying too. 

  

Not crude at all - that’s actually an even simpler solution. I just wanted to have the option to easily remove and potentially change the thickness of the foam if needed later. The lace bite pad on the inside of the tongue is a good idea too. 

[ZeroGravitas]

Liners are up at Pure Goalie. Expensive!

https://goalie.purehockey.com/product/bauer-konekt-goalie-skate-replacement-liner-senior/itm/47419-41/

They come in black now too!

[Cass]

Almost got a pair today, sadly my size was not in stock tried on an 11 but was still a-bit too tight around the big toe. 3 week wait to enjoy the future lol. The skates felt amazing despite this and well constructed. 

[RecoveringGoalie1]

Worn them a dozen times and will never go back to regular skates again. I've noticed a significant reduction in hip strain while playing with them, and that doesn't take into account the performance improvements of being able to T push faster and get deeper into a stance to challenge a shooter in tight without going down too early.

Of all the new gear I've picked up since I've returned to the net, these are the first that have really blown my mind in terms of raw performance over a prior generation of equipment.

Edited September 6, 2022 by RecoveringGoalie1

[Wrbsti15]

49 minutes ago, Cass said:

Almost got a pair today, sadly my size was not in stock tried on an 11 but was still a-bit too tight around the big toe. 3 week wait to enjoy the future lol. The skates felt amazing despite this and well constructed. 

Baking mine as we speak. I did a size 11. I’m a 13 show. I do feel some pressure where buckle is on top. They put shims in 

[coopaloop1234]

18 minutes ago, Wrbsti15 said:

Baking mine as we speak. I did a size 11. I’m a 13 show. I do feel some pressure where buckle is on top. They put shims in 

Happy Tuesday to you too. 

[jerd31]

Hey wtf why didn't my fitting include a happy ending?!

[Wrbsti15]

16 minutes ago, coopaloop1234 said:

Happy Tuesday to you too. 

Lmao. That’s my wallet and keys. Ha ha. 

[Cass]

1 hour ago, Wrbsti15 said:

Baking mine as we speak. I did a size 11. I’m a 13 show. I do feel some pressure where buckle is on top. They put shims in 

Congratulations my left foot is practically a 12 and my right 11 1/2 didn’t want to risk it, in the UK so shops don’t seem too keen on letting you baking them and seeing how they feel. Luckily felt no pressure any where other than the toe, anyone feel the lower buckle seems a little too easy to pop open compared to the top buckle? 

Edited September 6, 2022 by Cass

[ZeroGravitas]

33 minutes ago, Cass said:

Luckily felt no pressure any where other than the toe, anyone feel the lower buckle seems a little too easy to pop open compared to the top buckle? 

Yup, I noticed that too, especially if you have it on the loosest or next-loosest setting. One wrong jiggle and it can come off. Sucks for people with high insteps that need to go loose there.

[Wrbsti15]

1 minute ago, ZeroGravitas said:

Yup, I noticed that too, especially if you have it on the loosest or next-loosest setting. One wrong jiggle and it can come off. Sucks for people with high insteps that need to go loose there.

I put the lower buckle on the 2nd setting and the top buckle all the way tight. Guess we’ll see how it goes. I didn’t want to go to tight on the lower buckle 

[Cass]

5 minutes ago, Wrbsti15 said:

I put the lower buckle on the 2nd setting and the top buckle all the way tight. Guess we’ll see how it goes. I didn’t want to go to tight on the lower buckle 

I remember the Bauer rep guy saying that the lower buckle should only be worn snug anyway, but alas I’m sure all will be fine. It’s not like anyone here has had one pop open during play. 

[kudot]

3 hours ago, RecoveringGoalie1 said:

Worn them a dozen times and will never go back to regular skates again. I've noticed a significant reduction in hip strain while playing with them, and that doesn't take into account the performance improvements of being able to T push faster and get deeper into a stance to challenge a shooter in tight without going down too early.

Of all the new gear I've picked up since I've returned to the net, these are the first that have really blown my mind in terms of raw performance over a prior generation of equipment.

I was pleasantly suprised that these skates reduced any hip pain I was getting.  I guess the ability to lean forward really does reduce the stress on the hips.  I may even try going back to a stiffer pad if my hips dont hurt!

[Wrbsti15]

I tried the skates on again at home with my super feet and was getting discomfort in the lower arches of both feet.  Not sure if I’ll have to use the stock insoles or maybe rebake with a shim on my arch area. 

[XCVII]

Based on the mixed responses I'm seeing here and other places online, this is just the first step in the evolutionary process of laceless skates. It's the first of it's kind and there's probably improvements to be made. CCM and others will probably try to do their own version too.

While I'm excited to get a pair, I think I'm gonna wait for the next generation.

[Wrbsti15]

9 hours ago, Wrbsti15 said:

I tried the skates on again at home with my super feet and was getting discomfort in the lower arches of both feet.  Not sure if I’ll have to use the stock insoles or maybe rebake with a shim on my arch area. 

Seemed the discomfort was more when I was sitting. When I was standing and walking around they felt much better. I may need to do a rebake with shims on my lower arches and on top of my foot. 

[BadAngle41]

4 hours ago, Wrbsti15 said:

Seemed the discomfort was more when I was sitting. When I was standing and walking around they felt much better. I may need to do a rebake with shims on my lower arches and on top of my foot. 

If it only hurts when sitting... maybe the answer is... skate. The only way that solution doesn't work is if you find yourself at the end of the bench with a backup towel on. 

Somewhat kidding... they shouldn't hurt at any point. I'm sorry to hear you're struggling with fit. I'm hoping I'm part of the silent majority of those who have picked up this skate and not had any issues, and not the outlier.

[Wrbsti15]

19 minutes ago, BadAngle41 said:

If it only hurts when sitting... maybe the answer is... skate. The only way that solution doesn't work is if you find yourself at the end of the bench with a backup towel on. 

Somewhat kidding... they shouldn't hurt at any point. I'm sorry to hear you're struggling with fit. I'm hoping I'm part of the silent majority of those who have picked up this skate and not had any issues, and not the outlier.

I’m really hoping that’s all it is and I’ll be fine. I think I have the buckles in a good spot so we’ll see. If not I can try a rebake with shims 

[Wrbsti15]

Got my 1st skate in tonight and felt great. The first few minutes took some adjusting but they felt pretty natural. I did not have any pain on top of my feet. I did however have some discomfort in my lower arches throughout the game. It got a tad better as time went on but still discomfort in that area. I almost lost my balance once just due to how the flex is. I’m hoping the arches get better. My toes also felt close to the end of the line but didn’t feel cramped. If the arch issue continues I’m hoping I can use the shims in the arch area and that will solve the problem. 

[jerd31]

Had my first skate in my Konekts with my profiled LS5G steel- SAM profile, 9/16", felt so much better than the stock steel.  I'll probably go to 1/2" next time- I was at 7/16" on SAM profile with my old CCM's.

I've also noticed my quads are more sore than usual with Konekts- I guess the ability to flex also means more quad activation.  Either that or I'm just out of shape- probably a bit of both.

[Wrbsti15]

4 minutes ago, jerd31 said:

Had my first skate in my Konekts with my profiled LS5G steel- SAM profile, 9/16", felt so much better than the stock steel.  I'll probably go to 1/2" next time- I was at 7/16" on SAM profile with my old CCM's.

I've also noticed my quads are more sore than usual with Konekts- I guess the ability to flex also means more quad activation.  Either that or I'm just out of shape- probably a bit of both.

I do like mine but I get pain on top of feet and lower arches. Seems to get better as the skate goes on. My ankles were a tad sore the next day.  I might try to rebake. I’m using super feet comfort and have tydan steel Sam profile at 5/8”

[jerd31]

3 minutes ago, Wrbsti15 said:

I do like mine but I get pain on top of feet and lower arches. Seems to get better as the skate goes on. My ankles were a tad sore the next day.  I might try to rebake. I’m using super feet comfort and have tydan steel Sam profile at 5/8”

I use my Road Runner inserts and have minimal pain, which has reduced with each skate so I'm assuming it's just the typical new skate break in process.  Overall they're pretty comfy ~5 skates in- no complaints here!