Puckstopper

Nope, not interested in making a 1 in 1000 paddle down save at the expense of the saves I will miss due to the added weight of all that tape and the puckhandling opportunities I'll muff because I can't quickly and efficiently get my hands into position to make a good play. This is a solution desperately seeking a problem.

If you're torn between US and Mach, definitely wait for Mach to drop to order. Even if you end up going US, you can save hundreds of dollars by waiting a couple of months. We're at the point where even considering paying full price for US is pretty questionable.

If stickhandling is the number 1 concern, look up YouTube videos of Cujo playing the puck. He flipped his stick over and shot backhand. He was able to generate a surprising amount of oomph on his clearing passes playing that way.

"Inner core is rebound active" "SKATE LACE POCKET Reduces puck spin which increaces puck retention" Good grief, parts of that catalog read like a shitty Amazon listing...

Check out that finger curl! The most retro Vaughn thing ever.

So he got to wear those for all of a handful of games before jumping to the show....

I tried a game like that in my Hyperlites. I didn't really notice much difference, as the professor strap makes sure you land on the block. I ended up putting the knee strap back on as I preferred to have the redundancy.

Where are you at? I'll check my storage unit and see if I have any to spare.

It's a design flaw for sure. There's a huge difference between my Axis 600 and my EF5 600 in terms of closeabilty. However, it's not a QC issue.

Lots of companies (in all industries, not just hockey) would have changed the shape of the knee block to the point where these wouldn't have been backwards compatible and then tried to feed us some B.S. about *pompous announcer voice* "the redesigned shape of the kneeblock reduced sliding by 3.8%. When adding the slide plate, friction is reduced by another 18.79423%". Good on Warrior for not falling into that pit of douchbaggery.

I'd say that of any 580 user, but I'm sure they think I'm equally nuts for only being able to catch with a 600 type break.

Because they're not ready to announce the name I'm guessing. Just like Mach went unbranded for a while.

Looking at the pics on Instagram it really does look like a reincarnation of Retroflex. Having used both Axis and EF5 there's a lot of overlap there and definitely room for a softer pad below those lines for goalies who want that. You might not go out of your way to create such a line, but if you've already got the dies laying around, you might as well cater to demand. Or, it could be one of those Major Junior/NCAA and up options... Also, other than aesthetics, I'm not sure why the EF5 kneeroll feedback was so negative. They make zero difference in how the pads play (other than improving predictability over EF4 by being flat).

You're asking a lot of him...

I thought the same thing. "Siri, write about goaltending..."

I love my Axis pads and feel like they offer a lot of what you're looking for. I strongly recommend a weave sliding surface on any CCM pad, as Speedskin is hot garbage once the ice gets a little messy. Warrior G5 is also worth having a look at (I never used G4, so can't tell you much there). I had those with weave and they were light, slid beautifully and I loved the consistent rebounds off the flatter blocker. There are some changes coming to the glove with the G6 line that might actually convince me to give Warrior catch gloves another try. I love how light they are, but they've never closed right for me. Without giving away too much, it appears they're addressing that issue with the upcoming release.

Honestly, I'm pretty picky about getting my laces right, and my biggest concern is having my comfort preference be "between clicks". It's why, after driving one, I love cars with powered seat reclining. With a manual adjustment I'm almost always too upright or too laid back. I worry about having to choose between too loose and too tight with these. And yes, I'm aware I obsess over absurdly trivial things. BOA is amazing on a catch glove and beyond stupid on a blocker. I love the idea of putting my glove on, not having to tighten it up after the velcro slips a little on the backhand and then having to fiddle with it at a whistle because I pulled it too tight. On the blocker, I never once used it. Set it the day I bought my Optik blocker and never fiddled with it again. Just like every wrist strap. Agree with this. They push the envelope better than anyone else, for better or worse.

Only if they were for a former pro, which is starting to look more likely. Is the previous owner the original purchaser or did he get them secondhand as well?

Those look like 2X, not 2X Pro.

We can call those the Toblerone pads.

They were better described by @ZeroGravitas as "very ok". They're pads you buy if you want to buy pads again a year later, especially if you're being compared to Anders Lindback. I'd look at lightly used Sr level pads or even new Sr stuff. Brian's and Warrior are solid in this area and Bauer's 2nd price point is really good as well. When you get down to an entry level price point you're making so many compromises in terms of soft foams, low quality straps and cheaper external materials that it's something you want to avoid if at all possible.

How does the finish come out when you do that? I find that I notice more vibration when sharpening blades without the skate to soak up some of the vibration. If someone brings in multiple sets of blades I always take the time to sharpen each set of steel in their skates to absorb some of the vibration and get a better finish.

I don't. I use the 2 piece skate and sharpen on a Blademaster at the shop I work at. I'll ask my buddy and see if he's ever done any True skates.

This is simply not true IF the Sparx is properly calibrated, maintained and adjusted. I have a friend who owns a Sparx and takes good care of it. Compared to the average sharpening you get at a rink or pro shop it's a better option. Now, if you sharpen your own, or know a guy, or are lucky enough to have a store that takes pride in sharpening, you'll get better results than a Sparx, both in terms of the quality of finish on the steel and profile retention. And I freely admit I've seen some skates that came off a Sparx that the owner did the old "set it and forget it" routine on that were pretty rough. But even those were better than some of the nonsense I've seen churned out when some kid who's had very little training is turned loose with a cheap freehand sharpener. Fire/FBV sharpenings work better on my player skates than they do my goalie skates IMHO. ROH sharpenings are more forgiving when banged off a post. As a skater though I swear by FBV type sharpenings though and would encourage you to try it. Flipping your skate isn't needed IF the Sparx is calibrated correctly. I'd read the manual, make sure you understand what goes into dialing in a perfect sharpening and in general make yourself the SME on how the Sparx operates. Investing a little bit of time in dialing in your profile/sharpening and being able to diagnose issues with it yourself can pay huge dividends in your ability to move around on the ice.

LOL, do both. Most retail operations right now are so desperate that they'll let you put in a couple days or evenings a month. That's what I do to maintain the discount and the ability to sharpen my own skates.