TDS-MN

Only Sweat-X Odor Eliminator for me. Night and day difference when I gave different product a try. No idea what voodoo they craft it out of, but it has proven very effective for me. Worth whatever its cost is IMO.

When I first got into some used goalie gear to try the position out a few years ago, I took the newly acquired lot of stuff to a local sports shop that offered the ozone cleaning. Some of the stuff I got was really stinky, buying used, of course. The difference after sending it all thru the ozone machine was absolutely incredible, the gloves smelled like leather afterward. The chest protector smelled a bit like a new car. Putting the gear on after the cleansing was so much more pleasant. I can't speak to longer term exposure or repeated use. I play maybe once a month on average, but skate out at least weekly. I do spray my gear and air it out after each use, and have not had a lot of smell come back at all. So I am not sure that I would ever invest in this as a maintenance item. The one-time cleanse was enough for me. Goalies that use their stuff more frequently and maybe don't get to air/dry it out fully afterward, maybe there is more reason to consider owning something like this. I paid something like $30 for the shop to throw my stuff in their cleaner for an hour or something like that. Could do that a lot of times for what this setup would cost. But I am certainly convinced that it is effective way to remove some funky smells, for what that's worth.

I have a Vaughn that has finally fallen to this same wear. Noticed it a few weeks ago. I know that the pad saw a fair amount of use before I bought it, and I got a couple years of part-time use. Talked to my local gear repair specialist, and he says he sees this a lot. Will be getting mine repaired in the next month or so hopefully, to extend its lifespan, as I love the protection and fit.

I like the idea. I can't tie knots for S#%$, never have really gained that skill. But recently found these tails that were previously untouched on my Vaughn glove, and finally tightening them has made a WORLD of difference in the feel and responsiveness of the glove. Never had anyone teach me that there were adjustments to be made there, before. My first glove was just dialed in right by previous owner i guess, that I never had need to mess with it. Currently have some semblance of a knot, or maybe a tangle, but it has held for a few games at least. But the slider is a good thought, IMO.

I am a somewhat bigger guy, but I don't feel it hangs super loose or anything. Probably a couple inches below my waist, it looks appropriate with the rest of my gear, IMO. Also wearing XL CCM goalie breezers.

I have one, and I like it well enough.. Fits well without any alterations. I have it over an XL size Vaughn Ventus LT90.

Hahaha. Well, I would say things are looking up for this glove. Logged my second (limited, part-time) career shutout last sunday. Glove was so much more comfortable and responsive, felt like an extension of me rather than an ill-fitting tool I was struggling to hold. Been alternating days between folded closed in bag and propped open sitting out. My wife does not like the days it sits out as much, but I can face that wrath. . . .

I have heard good things about that product also.

I spray stuff down with Sweat-X odor remover, and set gear on floor in front of a fan on low. Let it sit overnight, or for a couple hours if I don't happen to unpack my bag later on game night. Glove and blocker get a few shots of the spray and onto the Peet boot dryer. Sweat band from helmet goes in laundry with my base layer. I have tried other brand of so-called odor eliminator that was available at Pure Hockey locally, but found that was notably less effective, to the point I could tell my chest protector was smelling pretty funky. Once I switched back to Sweat-X I noticed a huge improvement. But really, if you can get gear dry after use, it helps a ton to keep things smelling decent.

I checked out some of the posts in the Mods section. Wow, you have really gone deep into the construction (or de-construction) of these gloves. I do not have a photo handy, but as I had noted above prior to my game, I noticed a difference just after a short time of propping the glove open. And post-game report, I have to say that I felt much better about my catching using the glove. I should note that I normally only play between the pipes part-time, and my glove would sit closed up in my bag for extended periods. However, for the next few months I will be playing on a weekly basis. But between propping it open for a while prior to my game, and after tightening the black leather tails a bit at thumb and pinky loops, the response was increased a LOT. I have been playing against some lower level skaters in this current league, and the shots come a bit slower than what I am really used to, so I have had some timing issues. One thing I have even noticed already, is that I don't think I want to leave it propped open the whole week between games, as that does feel like it might start to make it require more effort to close. But just taking the advice above, I think if I do that a day or so ahead of game time, I am going to be OK. Had some nice catches last game, and find that I really like the pocket on this glove, it's pretty deep and holds the pucks well once I get them in there. But I am feeling like I have solved the challenge I was facing.

Have noticed an improvement just after letting it sit propped open overnight. I did also find some ties to tighten at both thumb and pinky finger, which has also tightened up the feel and response in both directions. Looking forward to my game tonight to see how it plays. Have had a few times where I went to catch and took the puck on backside of fingers when glove wasn't fully open.

Nice, these methods would seem to start to "re-train" the glove it would seem. Worth a shot. Appreciate the thoughts, sometimes it's the simple things that Get over-thought, which I think I might have been guilty of here. Will give this a try. Thanks for the replies!

Hey All, Looking for some insight/advice. I have a Vaughn V6/1100 pro catcher that I picked up at Play it Again sports, in really nice condition, I don't think it has seen much playing time prior. Fits my hand well, and snaps shut pretty well. Issue I have, is that it feels like it doesn't re-open that well. Definitely more effort than my older TPS Response glove. To the point that I usually feel the need to force it open once play stops or leaves my area. Looking at the pocket form outside, I can push the opening about 3/4" further open in preparation for next shot, but natural flex using just my fingers from inside leave me feeling like I am not taking full advantage of the pocket size. Any ideas other than just more use to maybe change how it works? There are a few velcro straps at various points on back side of glove, and I have messed around with them some, but to no real result in change or feel.

Roseville location, on the other side of town, is pretty well stocked with Goalie stuff also.

I cannot fit a 2XL jersey over my Vaughn ventus c/a, which is an XL size on its own. It fits, but is much too tight for my liking. And the sleeves are one of the main pinch points. MY options are a CCM goalie cut that is as it came off the shelf, or a goaile cut from Tron. I did find a 3XL Bauer standard non-goalie cut jersey, that fits well, but I had to have the sleeves shortened, as that thing was HUGE.

George's mentioned above is local to me, and I've used them for several repairs over the years. Great attention to detail and usually a nice turn-around time also. I know they do accept mail-in items.

Sorry for the confusion. Update, I decided to just go ahead and buy these 35+1. They are Vortek VK7. A "Who?" kind of brand. Seems they were not around very long back in their day, and I can't find any sizing info online due to them not existing anymore. But this particular set was very low cost, and in very clean shape. So I figured I'd just take the chance and bring them home where I could really mess with them. Initially it felt like I was missing the knee stack, but it was really more a case that I was rolling off and toward the front of the pad. These stacks are thicker than what I had on my old pads, and they have velcro between each of the layers. I was able to adjust that to change the 'offset' between the various layers and now it seems that I can land on there much more consistently, at least on my basement floor. Not sure how soon I will find a game to give these a shot on the ice surface. Another thing I've been doing with them so far is working the boot break, that is still very stiff and not as 'folded' as my Xceeds, and so far getting that a little more flexible has also seemed to be improving how they ride on my leg and skate. So I am guardedly excited to give these a try. Just being able to spend some more time screwing around with the fit has been encouraging so far.

Thanks for the replies. I wasn't really sure how big of a leap to 35 would be from my current 34's. given that my ATK measurements had me right in there between, depending on whose chart you consult. But with the 35's in question, it seemed like I was almost fully missing the knee stack. They were also set up with Pro Laces for the toes, which I haven't experienced before. They seemed to really push the pads up, but I wasn't sure if that was really the cause or if the size was the big difference. I may go back and see if they are still there and see what might be if I leave those undone. I've wanted to 'upgrade' to some modern, legal sized pads, but finding some that are in at least as good of shape as my old Xceeds has been a real struggle, at least in my price range. If I played more often, I would be more willing to drop more $$. But I am currently like once every couple months or so. Frequency usually picks up for fall/winter. Oh, and I see I mis-typed a 17 instead of the 19 intended in my first post.

Hey All, I will preface this post by stating that I am dealing with used stuff I can acquire via craigslist or used stores. My current set is an older pair of TPS Xceeds, 34". I enjoy them but they are 12" wide. I use them for pickup games etc, but they don't meet current 'legal' spec. They seem to fit well enough, I landed at this size after finding my ATK measurement of 17.25 approx. I was able to find a different used set in nice condition that I was interested in, but they are 35+1. In testing the fit they seemed to ride a little high, which isn't totally a surprise given they are a bit longer. Is there any way to adjust them to maybe better meet my fit, or should I keep digging for a better math size-wise. Felt like I couldn't get my knee to land on the stack consistently, but this was simply dropping to floor, not really a true representation of play on ice. Holding them up to my leg, with my foot at the boot break, the knee stack feels like it is where I would like it, so I am wondering if there are any hints to get them to fit/stay lower? Or maybe I just cannot fit into a 35" pad? Looking for advice from one more experienced than I. Thanks in advance!

Here's my current mode of transport. Nice to fit a couple gear bags in the back any time needed. 2012 F150. 5.0 v8. Had a small SUV prior. Can justify the lack of fuel economy since I don't hardly have to drive anywhere during the week aside from hockey. I might not be as happy if/when I ever have to return to working at the office.

Used to be over the counter at Pure Hockey. They offered that and another product I can't recall the name of. But they stopped selling it. I had to order online for my last fix. Will be doing that again, nearly out of the bottles I bought last purchase. Your suggestion is something to think about. Might give it a try. Directions say to mist but not saturate, and let air dry. I usually put in front of fan so I could re-bag everything the next morning.

I have found Sweat-X to be very effective. My post-game ritual is to spray everything and either set in front of a fan, or in the case of the glove/blocker, those get a shot of spray and then go on the Peet boot dryer. I only use my goalie gear maybe once a month typically, and have found it to hold up well after treatment, never a wave of stink when I open the bag. I did play weekly for a while, and for the last half of that session, I was out of my usual spray. Used some other that was available retail at my local Pure Hockey store. But that never really got the post-game smell knocked down. I was surprised that there was as much difference in performance from over-the-counter sprays. Smell subsided once I got back to using the Sweat-X. I have never tried any home-brew style sprays for comparison however.

I don't know about getting any staining off gear, but I will attest to the effectiveness of an ozone machine for removing the smell. There is a local hockey/sport shop that has a machine, and when I first acquired my set, all used gear, I knew I was not going to be able to wear as it was. Threw everything in the machine for a bit, might have been an hour or 2 I can't remember now, but the smell was gone, old glove & blocker smelled like leather again. I am about due to take the C/A back, I've been playing more frequently and that has begun to smell a bit once again.

With the number of people who have been vaccinated growing to a pretty strong majority here, we have been able to play without a mask if you are vaccinated. I did a couple games as skater and as goalie while using the CCM masks, and both were pretty bearable. But I am glad to put them away now, and hope that we stay on this course now.

I played some pick up public games back in the fall, in net. End of October was my last game. I was also skating out in a 'league' up until Thanksgiving, when our state Gov put a lockdown on sports. Since then I did put the pads on one evening over the winter and my took some shots from my kid, down at the local outdoor rink. Actually got a pretty good workout that day. Our local organizations did start their adult hockey programs back up, but I chose not to start back up, when the policies were that all players had to mask even while playing, and no locker rooms so players had to dress at home/in the parking lot before entering. Winter in Minnesota was enough to discourage me from being part of that. I was not thrilled about the mask part but understand and agree with it to be honest. But the unpredictable-ness of winter weather kept me from going back to play on a regular basis. Even as a skater, I didn't see a way that I was going to embrace the lack of indoor space to get geared up before the game. With that said, things have loosened up as far as the restrictions, as the current session has progressed. Certain arenas opened up a bit more than others. And I really got to missing being on the ice in skater or goalie gear. The league that I played in last fall, posted up that they were in need of a sub goalie just this last week. Combination of missing play, and missing seeing those people, I threw took the opportunity to sub in goal. Rink allows goalies in and to use the locker room, but only 15 minutes ahead of game start. Skaters get 10 minutes locker room time. And they enforce this strictly. Stood at the door when my watch and the attendant's watch did not match up exactly. 16 minutes, you do NOT go in. Silly, that a matter of seconds makes a difference, but whatever. I had gone thru in my head how to most effectively get all of the gear on as quick as possible, not my usual approach to a game, but made do. Will note that in hindsight, the knee pads should have gone on before breezers. That choice robbed me of any pre-game warmup, I was on the ice as they were gathering up the warmup pucks. Honestly, playing the game with a mask on was not bad. It did keep me from water breaks when the play was in the other end of the rink, as the helmet had to come off to move mask to drink water. Found that 17 minutes running time, I got really thirsty at around 15 minutes down, so the last couple minutes I was anxiously watching the clock. Players were mostly masked up. Saw a couple that hung something under their chin, but most followed the rules. I had a blast, and played well enough to pick up the win, to the surprise of a few, who only know me as a skater. It really got me wanting to get back to playing, but I have a couple things, being old, high blood pressure and a little diabetic, those factors have me concerned until I have a chance to get the vaccinations. I will hold off from committing to a regular schedule and weekly locker room exposure until I get the shots, I'm thinking. But seeing that 'light at the end of the tunnel' finally, and a return to regular ice times in the not so distant future.