xmikex32

1 hour ago, coopaloop1234 said:

Figured you were in the states, just wasn't sure. Bauer doesn't allow cross border transactions to occur.

Mach's are single break at the knee and stupid stiff. Ultrasonics are double break, but still a very stiff pad. Fortunately the thigh rise has some give to it and there's more a "S" curve to start. 

I didn't mind the Mach's stiffness, it was the curve profile more than anything that was cumbersome. I have a half decent butterfly and could get the straighter profile to work, but, they are heavily designed for guys with a wide flare. 

Have you looked into Hyperlites? They should be on sale now with the HL2 on it's way and they will have a more generous flex profile to help with a narrower butterfly. 

 

 

I have looked into the HL and would love a set but right now they are out of my price range and all the used ones look beat too crap  That is why i was looking at SR level stuff and some lightly used pro stuff. Maybe once the HL2 drop retailers will discount them like the US. Kind of stupid Bauer wont let cross border transactions since its the exchange rate that is lowering the price not the retailer themselves. besides CCM all other manufactures allow this.

Rance at TGC did mention the X5 but until your link i couldn't find any info on it. Still narrowing it down from X5,M5, or the new brians senior line. 

I was originally going to pick those up but they don't ship out of Canada and wouldn't ship them to me when i contacted them. Im landing near the top of the stack on my warriors so a little higher would probably be perfect. do the thigh rises break in and curve at all on supreme pads or they pretty stiff and hold their shape? There is a mach set near me but the thigh rise looks super straight and I don't have the widest BF

What do you guys think of these? I'm really torn between new pads and used pads since i cant get them for around the same price but the US SHOULD be better built and last longer. Since the M5 and US are pretty close in build. I would need to try on a set for true fitment but im currently in warrior 34 so with the steeper boot angle i would think a 34 Bauer would fit me.

https://sidelineswap.com/gear/hockey/goalie/goalie-leg-pads/6228892-bauer-ultrasonic-pro-goalie-leg-pads-34-medium-m-excellent-condition

After a couple skates they are starting to feel better and better. I don't feel stuck anymore and can move around a lot better. I am still having a couple issues that i blame mostly on my poor technique. I don't get the same bite and push with the 3mm blades. I am able to shuffle a lot better but when i push in my BF i cant seem to dig in and just slide/skid along the ice with my blade, I'm blaming my technique.  I also noticed  that the small rubber texture piece near the toe seems to drag on the ice and slows me down. I'm guessing I'm pushing with my leg too vertical and need to make my leg more horizontal to plant my foot and get a good push. When I do push and slide i feel the rubber piece dragging on the lead foot too. I also took some advice and didn't lace the skate up to the top eyelet this mimicked where my old skate ended. I was able to get more mobility and flex out of the boot this way. 

Ive been told the M5's are the same stiffness as the US but just not as high end. Would a used set of US wear better than SR level Bauer stuff? This will be my first Bauer set and it seems like the thigh rise and boot area always wear first. 

How are your guys US holding up? eyeing a set on SL but dont know if they will hold up as well as other manufactures SR line. Torn between the new Brians Sr line, Bauer M5/3X(yes different flex profile) Or used US.

1 hour ago, Puckstopper said:

Catch glove is the one place I'll always pay the extra for pro level stuff.   Not only are they better padded, but the attention to detail (closure) is almost always better as well.  

I am most likely going to go that route since the one time experience i had with SR level gloves was a RBK 9k and it wouldn't close to save its life and would give me stingers all the time with low level shots. It seems that Brians gloves have their own breaks but would the optik be closer to a warrior r would that be Gnetic? i like the warriors finger the palm feeling.

12 minutes ago, jerd31 said:

I had G5 Sr's before them and the Brian's were stiffer in the knee- I felt the Warrior's were pretty soft in the knee/thigh.  My Gnetik V's with stock breaks are definitely stiffer than both.  From what I understand, the Optik 9.0's were kind of a middle ground between the Optik and Gnetik lines.

Did you have the glove/blocker too? If so how did you like them?

11 hours ago, jerd31 said:

I had an Optik 9.0 set prior to my Gnetik V’s.  I used them for about a year playing 1-3x/week, they held up great.  Pads definitely loosened up and got a little softer in the boot pretty quickly, but overall the quality was pretty good for the price point.  

How stiff were they? I'm currently in warrior G/5 Pros and I don't mind a little boot flex, I actually prefer it but i like the thigh rise to stay stiff. I'm torn between Bauer or these new Brians line. I know SR level stuff wont compare to their pro line but playing 1/2 times a week in BL at mid to lower level doesn't really warrant 2k+ pads, as much as i would like the justify it. 

Looks like Brian is releasing there SR level gear Optik X3 shortly. I have not seen many reviews on their off shore gear, how does this stuff hold up on par with other Sr level over seas gear?

https://www.goalies-only.com/collection-optik-x3/

4 minutes ago, mr_shifty1982 said:

I have these skates, custom and I love them. 

Point of advice on 3mm blade, go 1/2 inch at least. 

I requested 4mm blade, and you will feel more comfortable with it most likely. They put a black steel 4mm blade for me. I was the first to have it in the market few years back. Maybe they provide regular steel now. 

Good luck. 

Ya I'm going to order some step 4mm blades and see if i like them more. anyone know the stock radius of step blades? I've tried googling it and can only find 10 and i think that's for player blades. The skates themselves were comfy a little stiff and not broken in but i was able to play the whole game and didn't have any arch discomfort or anything like that 

Think im going to pick up some 4mm steel and get it profiled and see how that goes. not sold on the 3mm, i had them the sharpest they could get and felt like i had no bite like i did with my 4mm.

@Novasteel31 for some reason IF you do decide to go with ccms check out ccms clearance page depending on your size you can get some top skates for cheap. I wear smaller skates(8) and picked up the AS3 for $340

13 minutes ago, Puckstopper said:

1.  So I'm sure you know, 3/8" is a pretty deep hollow.   I'm surprised you aren't actually tripping over yourself going that deep on a boot that's so much stiffer than your U+ boot, even with the drop to 3mm steel.   Regardless, I'd double check the sharpening before I did anything else.   Head to your sharpener, describe your issue and ask them to verify that the edges are level.   I wouldn't be surprised if you find out the inner edge is just a little higher toward the boot than the outer edge, causing you to have to reach for that edge. Then, if they are level give yourself a few hours on the ice.   If you still hate the feeling, it's time to invest money. 

2.  Issues like this are why I now run a 5/8" hollow and profile my blades.   More on profiling in your 3rd point, as it's the main solution to that issue, whereas it's an added benefit here.  

3.  You nailed part of the issue.   Getting used to the taller "modern" holders comes with an adjustment period.  As mentioned in point 1, several hours is reasonable to get used to them.  But profiling can really help as well.  Details below:

You're also fighting the fact that you likely have more steel touching the ice now than you did on your old skates.   Even the best skate sharpeners in the world will change the profile of a blade over time, generally rounding the blade by removing more steel from the heel and toe of the skate.   An average sharpener will make this process worse, and a hack can ruin a profile in just a few sharpenings.  CCM skates come out of the box with a single radius 30' profile.  Rather than me spelling it out, go here to learn more about profiling, but suffice it to say 30' is really flat.  Most forward skates are on a 9' profile, and your old skates are probably somewhere lower than 30' but not as rounded out as a forward skate.   I would be willing to bet that the extra steel under your toe is what was causing the unnatural movements.   Again, you could just adapt, but having the profile changed is also an option.   Personally I use the 15/20/28 Goalie option from NoIcingSports (the site I linked earlier).   That means the toe of my skate is a 15' radius for easy pivots while moving and smooth drops to my butterfly, while the middle is 20' and the rear is a conventional (for Bauer anyway) 28' radius to allow for powerful pushes from my heels.   Another popular option is Goalie SAM which is a 10/27' dual radius with a 50mm flat spot between the two.   I didn't like it, but lots do.   Any place with a Blademaster machine and the right jig can do Goalie SAM, where I have to mail my blades to NoIcing. 

I was looking into profiling before the new skates and this might push me into that direction. The new skates definitely feel more flat and putting me upright vs. my older skates which seems to let me lean forward slightly. I have step steel on my U+'s that was added not that long ago and are pretty tall, but you are probably right that they aren't the same radius. It felt like i was on skis or really long blade i couldn't turn on my toes, if that makes sense. I would try to pivot and it felt like my front toe was catching on the ice. I will look into profiling only downside is no one around me that I'm aware of does it so i would need to send them out every couples months to get them rechecked. 

your profile has more blade on the front vs the SAM correct 15 vs. 10? I tend to push more with my toes so would going with 15 net more blade contact? I know profiling is a topic in its own with tons of information out there. I feel like having more of a forward lean would net be a better outcome since i could pivot more on the balls of my feet. 

You're right i just didn't expect them to feel so different. Just need to get on them more and move around a lot. Do you know or think if going to 4mm again would make it feel more like my older skates as far as bite and pushing power? 

Hey guys,

So I recently picked up a pair of CCM AS3 to replace my CCM U+ pros that I got in 2008. Last night was the first time i skated in them and not sure if I'm jumping the gun but they felt WAY different and I was having real issues moving around. This was my first skate in 2 months and first time in the skates so I'm hopefully chalking it up to a mixture of variables.

1. The blades are 3mm vs my old skate which are 4mm. I liked the ease of shuffle but felt like I had no bite, blades were sharpened to 3/8. I felt like I had no power in my pushes and was getting constant slip out. This could be my technique but I was able to push easily in my older skates. I know they make 4mm blades that fit in 3mm holders, would this make the skates feel like my older ones?

2. Another issue I found was when I would go to drop down into my BF I would start to drop and it felt like i was catching my edges again halfway down. IDK if it was because my older skates ankle support was shorter and the boot was broken in more which gave me more flexibility. How I got around the issue was having a wider BF, this seemed to let me drop straight down without catching my edges again. A wider BF isn't the worst but i didn't feel as mobile and I don't have the widest BF so i felt it in my hips a lot like I kept stretching/pulling something when i would drop. I also had an issue of when someone was coming for a shot from the boards i would get ready to drop down one leg to push across to follow the player cutting across the crease and I would get the same feeling that my edge was getting caught in the ice while pushing across. It felt like there was resistance pushing from post to post.

3. I'm sure the skate height also played a role but trying to turn and get up from my BF i felt really unstable and almost tripped a couple times. It felt like i was getting up too early and had to catch the edge while i was getting up.

I do like the fit and the lightness of the skate but if i cant move around and get good pushes ill have to send them back and start my search all over again. I know its hard to make judgements off of one skate i just kind of felt let down that there was such a bug transition from one skate to another. I don't get much time to go skate so unforntuely my "testing" time only occurs during games. 

any suggestion or insight would be appreciated. 

5 hours ago, AnotherRandomGoalie said:

Alright, so let me give you a little background here. I'm 5'10, 160lbs with a 32-33 size waist (I'm about 6'2 on skates if that even matters, I don't think it does but, wanted to mention it in case) and I have noticed a certain level of restriction in my senior medium Bauer goalie pants used with my 34+1 Bauer M5Pros (I know it's not the pads because the thigh rise sits perfectly on my legs and my knees land directly on the knee block). To describe the restriction further I mean when I get up from the VH, RVH and sometimes even the butterfly where my pads get caught under the pant leg. It has certainly got better over time as I have gotten used to them but I'm beginning to wonder if I've developed some kind of tolerance for this or if its completely normal for this to happen. 

Sorry if I'm a little long-winded here, this led me to the question, would I be able to wear a size small (meaning switching from a size medium to a size small) without sacrificing too much protection? If anyone could help me decide if this is a good idea, it would be greatly appreciated.

If i remember correctly most manufactures use the same length of pants regardless of size and only change the waist. I am roughly the same waist and height as you but weight roughly 185 and wear size large ccm pros which seem to fit a little shorter than other companies. I had the issue of other pants being too long and when i would drop into my Bf the pants would sometimes snag on the side of the pad and push up. Before the ccms I went with Simmons and had them do custom length for me i went with large waist and medium length. Most companies will do custom pants these days so that is always an option.

9 minutes ago, AnotherRandomGoalie said:

I meant to reply to this thread and then never got around to doing so. I apologize for the late response, I have not had any buyers remorse from going with the M5 gloves over the Mach. There is of course a difference in materials and everyone is subject to a random stinger every once and a while, but I haven't noticed any myself. 

Are the rebounds off the M5 blocker pretty hot? torn between just getting a full M5 set or getting mach gloves and M5 pads.

so better sliding than the warriors with hotter rebounds and some pad flex sounds pretty good. 

I know the gloves have different breaks but as for the blockers my understanding is that the hand position is slightly different from supreme to vapor, with the vapor higher up on the hand vs more neutral in the Supremes. How are the rebounds pretty good off the 3x blocker?

would m5, US stiffness be that much more than new G5's? i liked the stiffness of the warriors when i got them and didn't have any issue transitioning and liked the rigidity. I actually closed my 5 hole easier and more consistent with the stiffer thigh rises.  

so then vapor rebounds are hotter than warrior rebounds and supreme are even hotter or pretty close? Is the advantage of the supreme more so the actual stiffness of the pad and not rebounds? Granted the Supremes should have bigger rebounds but it seems like they are pretty close. This might be my first Bauer set and I'm trying to figure out what actually will work for me and what i want. I've gone from Simmons 999 series, velocity knockoff, to warrior g5 pros. i cant try the pads on the ice but I feel like i would like a stiffer pad but more looking for sliding and rebounds since i like the hotter rebound of the warriors they just seem to have softened up a little bit, which hasn't actually hindered my game.

I will admit that I'm note sure if the stiffer pad would work for me since i have a more medium to narrower BF. I am able to close the 5 hole with my warriors which are 34+1.5 with a single break. Looking at the two lines i can see the vapors being very flexible and i was able to easily bend the thigh rise of the hyperlite/3x. being a senior pad will the 3x noticeably get softer as they break in or do Bauer's foams hold up pretty well. If they do soften up maybe the Supremes will work once broken in more.

2 hours ago, coopaloop1234 said:

Vapour and Supreme pads share a lot of similarities when it comes to rebounds and torsional flex. Where you're (mostly) going to see the differences is boot angle/flexibility and thighrise flexibility. 

I had G5 pros and the rebounds from my Ultrasonics are massively different. I'd expect the Vapours to be similar enough that you'd see a big diffrence. 

So you think the rebounds would be hotter off the 3x/hyperlites vs the warriors? 

I believe I did I didn’t have that much time to mess with it so maybe I didn’t open it up enough. 

As far as rebounds go how do the 3x compare to G5 pro's? I keep reading contradicting information that even though they are soft you still get hard rebounds out of them. Flexible pad with hard rebounds doesn't sound too bad.

Has anyone had any issues with their hands fitting in the Mach glove? I don't know if its because its off the shelf and not broken in or i didn't adjust the straps correctly but my fingers feel very tight in the glove, almost to the point that i couldn't fit them all the way in. I have smaller hands so i know that isn't the issue. Weirdly enough the M5 glove fits my hand better and seems to close easier.

7 hours ago, Chenner29 said:

Some shops have an exception where if you’ve bought gear there in person they can ship it to you. It’s very much a wink wink nudge nudge scenario 

hmmm if that's true i just need to find someone close to the hockey shop and get them to ship the pads. is it a MAP reasoning why Bauer doesn't let stores ship outside of Canada? I see CCM does the same thing and its kind of dumb since they sell the same gear in the states.