Phil1p33

Hey appreciate the response. Realized my pain relief comment was a little silly as I definitely understand these wouldn't relieve my pain in any way. Reducing that negative space around the top of the ankle has been something that's been really intriguing to me. If I get my skates pretty tightly laced up top I can reduce some of that space but then I really limit my forward flex and if I loosen it up I get back some of that forward flex but I just get too much side to side flex that throughout the game gets pretty sloppy. I know that no skate will be roll proof but I guess I'm ultimately trying to cheat back on getting some of that dorsiflexion back while still maintaining a level of support and stability.

Curious if anyone who has these can chime in on if these would be a good for someone with ankle issues? I'm coming back from a high ankle sprain and my Bauer Elites just aren't cutting it anymore. I was already considering the Konekts before my ankle injury but I'm thinking if they could help with some stability and relieve some pain, I might move my timeframe up a bit on purchasing these.

How's the ankle doing? Have you returned to the ice yet? I've been dealing with a high ankle sprain I got back in early December. I've been out in my pads at a few stick and pucks since getting "cleared" by my PT and things have definitely improved but nowhere near where I was before. RVH right side is still a bit painful and recoveries haven't been the most comfortable either but I'm getting there. Just curious to know how your rehab has been.

@Chenner29 yeah not a problem.

Fit1s arrived today and honestly I can confidently say there's not a whole lot of difference between Fit 1 and Fit 2. The waist is definitely smaller on the Fit1s but length is exactly the same, coming in at 20.5" from the top of the waist band. They're a bit tighter around the legs which might be because they're newer but I plan on giving them a few skates before deciding whether I'll keep them or not. I like the length of my Premiers but I'm starting to wonder if maybe they're an outlier on the length. Pics for comparison. Black are Fit 2, Blue are Fit 1.

Thanks @Rogie I appreciate the info. I've got the arms and I can definitely tell the quality difference between those and retail, especially my premier arms, and they're just so adjustable. The only issue I have with them so far is that they're a little long but since they were pretty cheap I've got a few ideas on shortening them up. I'm about 5'9 so I doubt the body is going to fit me perfectly but I'm keeping my eyes open for a fit 2. I actually pulled the trigger today on a used EF5 at about half the cost of new and I'm thinking the EF5 body with the pro arms should get me pretty close to what I'm looking for. If that doesn't work I'll probably just end up going custom. That hyperlite set up was pretty much exactly what I was thinking but yeah, it's quite pricey.

Fit 2 is the only box punched. A pair of excellent condition fit 1s popped up on sls and I pulled the trigger. Hopefully these will be more in line with my other medium pants.

I think this is a pretty accurate representation of the sizing. I just picked up a pair of HPG14As in a fit 2 and I normally wear a medium pant. I've have been comparing them to a pair of Premier 1.9s and Bauer Pros. The waist is definitely bigger than the Bauer Pros and maybe a bit bigger than the Premiers but I wouldn't say a whole lot. The one area where I really see a difference is length, it was the number one thing I noticed when I had them out for a skate, just a bit too long and they started to push my pads out. From the top of the waist band down the front of the leg I measured about 20.5" on the HPG14As, 18.5" on the Bauer Pros, and 18" on the Premiers. I don't have a pair of large pants to measure but I'd bet that the length would probably be around the 20" mark. It's a shame because I really do like these pants. Just need to go on a quest now to find a pair of fit 1's that are in decent shape.

Appreciate the info! Any reason you went with the V9 pro vs pro carbon?

I gotta be honest and admit that I didn't even think about that LOL. Since I picked up the Premier I stopped tucking and using those loops.

Wanted to pop back in here and try to revive this. I ended up picking up a CCM Premier back in September and it's been pretty solid. I've only really had two issues. One, the elbow floaters, the elastic holding them to the arms was starting to give and causing them to fall down and gave me a lot of interference issues with my glove. I solved this by picking up a set of the CCM Pro arms and building a little frankenchesty. Ultimately the biggest issue I'm having is really in the size of the Premier. I came from an Eflex Shield 2.9 so the protection is a whole lot better but the floaters and shoulder wings are just so massive and I really don't feel as mobile as I once was. I've been looking at maybe making a switch and I wanted to know if anyone had any thoughts on the following units: CCM EF5 - I've tried this one on and it felt quite comparable to my Shield which I liked, my only issue/concern was that for a "Pro" level chest protector the arms were a bit questionable to me. Now, this really isn't too big of an issue as I could easily throw the CCM Pro arms on but even the belly pad seemed a bit light. Would love to know if anyone's got experience with this one. Vaughn V9 Pro Carbon - I feel like this is a logical choice as I'm looking to get back into a more mobile unit but I don't have a whole lot of experience with Vaughn or their chest protectors. The only Vaughn chest I've been able to try on was an SLR3 Pro and I was not too impressed. Other ones I've looked at include the Hyperlite, which I liked but the arms felt way too long and I don't really want to go a custom route, Axis 2, felt less bulky than the Premier but rib protection felt lacking. I'm keeping my eyes out for a full CCM AB18Pro in a fit 2 or 3 but they're seeming to be a bit rare these days. Appreciate any advice.

I actually saw your review on this right after I posted mine. How did you find the sizing of this one vs other chest protectors you've had? I'm currently in a medium CCM but the one i'm looking at is a Large with regular arms so I'm a bit hesitant on pulling the trigger.

I'm not opposed to them but I do like the way the retail CCM units have the belt loops that work with the buckles on the CCM pants. There also tends to be a whole lot more CCM on the used market than the others. I've tried on Warrior, Bauer, and Vaughn. The warriors felt a bit too bulky for me but I did like the Bauers and Vaughns, probably need to spend some time looking at both of those brands again and seeing if I can try them on again.

Hey everyone, I'm currently in a CCM Shield 2.9 that's been decent for my lower level games but as I've progressed into faster more skilled games, it's definitely not giving me a whole lot of confidence. I recently snagged a Premier pro but ended up selling it as elbow floaters were sagging too far down the forearms and causing a lot of interference with my glove and blocker, I've chalked it up to the age of the unit and the condition of the elastic on the elbow floaters but I wasn't sure if that was a common theme with that chest protector. I'd love to get some feedback on a few of the units I've got in mind. EF5 - I feel like this will probably be the closest to my Shield 2.9 but I have read some things stating the protection for a "pro" level unit was questionable. Axis - I've tried this unit a while back and liked the fit but haven't found any sort of long term use reviews. Premier - Now that I know what to look for with the elbow floaters I've debated trying to find one in better condition because I did like the feel. CCM Pro - I've got my eyes on one but it's a large body. It does have regular arms which I do believe will work for me but I'm in a medium now so I question whether it would fit correctly. I appreciate any feedback!

I was rocking a pair of bauer pro's for a while, came from CCM Premier 1.9's, and the difference was really noticeable. They were super light compared to my CCM's and the protection was good, can't think of any stingers. Only reason I went back to my Premiers was that the bauers didn't match my new set . As soon as I've got the cash I'm getting a new pair.

My new, to me, set arrived yesterday and I can’t get over how good sport gold looks! Took a risk with the 580 as I had never tried on before yesterday but I was impressed, thing was a vacuum in the one game I played.

I ended up finding a custom EF5 set that was close to 90% what I would order if I did custom myself so I had to pull the trigger. Honestly was sold on the EFs after my first skate. Felt like they slid better than my Axis and I felt a lot more mobile in them. I love my Axis pads but they’ve always had this “clunky” feel to them. Excited to see if I can feel any real differences between the 5s and the 5.9s.

I wanted to try a softer pad. I had looked at Vaughans as well but felt more familiar with CCM.

I've been using the blocker since they came out. I've only ever used CCM and wanted to try something different so it's been an interesting change. Rebounds are nice, I how the palm feels more like a player glove, and the adjustable fingers are a nice touch. The only thing for me is how tight the wrist feels, I like how loose my EF4 blocker sits on my wrist.

@ArdeFIN I agree, if they weren't still under warranty I'd fiddle with them and pull that slack but didn't really want to go that route with only having one skate with them. Ended up taking them back to my LHS and getting a refund. It sounds like after my first visit they called around and heard others reporting similar issues with the 5.9's so hopefully the custom 5's go down a different production line. @ilyazhito both sets were returned within 30 days but I believe CCM has a 90 day warranty

Hey everyone, a little over a month ago I picked up a set of EF5.9 pads. I got to use them for about 10 skates before I noticed that the stitching holding in the left knee block was coming loose and the block was separating from the pad (there was about a 1/4 inch gap between the block and pad). Took them into my LHS and they did a replacement for me. Last night I skated in the new pads for the first time and when I got home I noticed that this time, the right knee block is starting to separate from the pad now. I’ve had a set of axis 1.9s since last September and I haven’t had any knee block issues. My plan was to do a custom order for EF5s here soon but now I’m questioning that decision based on the quality of the two sets I’ve used. Just curious to know if anyone else has heard about issues like this or if this is pretty normal for EF? Added couple pics to show the separation. First one is the new set with one skate, right pad. Second pic is the old set left pad.

The Sportwagens are nice and I really liked the Alltrack too. It's kinda sad they're not making any more wagons for the US market. I love my hatch but a little extra cargo room would be great. If they ever bring over that Golf R Estate I'll swoop one up in a heartbeat.

Oh, that's a good point. I've never seen an Axis with an external break in person but comparing the shape of the no external vs external in the CCM catalog it doesn't look like it changes that much. I'm not sure if that's a great way to compare but looking at the eflex shapes you can definitely tell a difference between the two. Getting a chance to demo some EF5's tonight so it will be nice to see if there's a big difference for me between the EF and Axis.

MK6 GTI. Sticks over the seat and the Passau backpack fits perfectly in the hatch. Really want a Z71 Colorado but *truck prices*.

@mr_shifty1982 Oh, I didn't think about the double break internal option, thanks. @seagoal I won't pretend like my flexibility and technique are amazing but maybe I worded my post a bit incorrectly. I can get okay 5 hole closure in my Axis set but with the straighter thigh rises the cost comes at putting a bit more strain on my hips to get that wider flare. My thought was the external break would add a bit more flex above the knee and maybe reduce how wide I needed to get my hips rotated to close off the 5 hole.