Puckstopper

Yeah,  I may obsess on this stuff a little. 

I thought in light of the V1 stick thread being resurrected I'd dig this up and report some results.  I've tried cutting a variation of the Lundquist grip into 4 different stick types:

Warrior RV1 Pro+: 1 of 2 sticks cut failed.  Failure was after many uses and I was really leaning on it.   Uncut 3rd stick from the pack was given away 2 years ago and is still going strong in low level beer league.

Warrior M/1 Pro+: 2 of 2 sticks cut failed.  Failures were almost instant and with minimal force.   Uncut 3rd stick from pack is taking up space in my stick rack.   I may dig it out occasionally if I want to try a stick without a custom grip, but that's unlikely.

CCM Eflex 4: 2 sticks cut, 0 failures.  These are my primary game sticks and I have an uncut, unused backup from the 3 pack, which I'm profoundly thankful for!  

Bauer Supreme Ultrasonic: Picked up a pro-stock one of these in red to match my EF5 setup.   So far so good, it's been used 3 times since being cut down and hasn't show any signs of failure.  

I see others cutting Warrior sticks in this thread, but the circular cuts are a little less aggressive than what I do.  If I were going to cut a Warrior, I'd do so carefully and stay to just trimming the paddle a bit.  

The hollow is the same, but the 1mm of difference in the steel results in a difference in feel.   Generally speaking you want to start about 1/8" deeper when transitioning from 4mm to 3mm, and the reverse if going the other direction.  Even with that there's quite a bit of adjustment due to the difference in feel, but most goalies make the switch fully after a couple hours of ice time.

What most people DON'T do, that I'm a big advocate of, is backing the hollow back down after the initial switch.   Say you go from 5/8" on 4mm down to 1/2" on 3.   Try a 9/16" after getting comfortable on 1/2", leave it for a couple sharpenings, and then try 5/8".   Some people can go back to their old hollow that way and shuffle easier.   Others can't, but for the price of a couple sharpenings it's worth trying to dial in.

The final piece of the puzzle is the skates themselves.   You're in an X700 (flexible boot, so needs a deeper ROH) with 4mm steel (easy to grab and maintain an edge on, so you can shallow your ROH slightly).   If you were to go to a stiffer boot, you'd actually want to go shallower in ROH for your sharpening.   So, hypothetically speaking you buy True TF9's and decide to try the 3mm steel instead of sourcing 4mm.   For this example, I'm going to assume your preferred ROH is 1/2".   For the steel, I'd recommend trying 3/8".  However, making the jump from an X700 boot to a TF9, I'd probably be encouraging you to go between 5/8" and 3/4" for ROH.   Combine the two and I'd put you in either a 5/8" cut or a 7/16" cut if jumping to 5/8" made you nervous.   The boot is the bigger adjustment for sure.

9 hours ago, A.YOUNGoalie13 said:

Any people that used the V1 pro + have any comments on the V2 pro +? Any major upgrades or anything?

2 out of 3 of my custom V1's are still useable.  I've just moved to my Eflex 4's as my stick of choice.   Love that softer feel!   

5 hours ago, OldSchoolGoalie said:

I was considering heating up the boot and clamping them like you do with True skates for heel lock, but I don't think the boot really will hold up to that.
 

It won't hold up well, especially if you've already baked them multiple times.   Lower end skates aren't meant to be baked over and over, eventually the materials will give out.   The better materials and adhesives used in mid and upper tier skates are one of the things that are rarely discussed but are a real thing.   Even top tier skates can only be baked a finite number of times, but usually something other than the boot itself is what gives out.  

I feel your pain, although in the opposite direction.  Having non-standard feet makes for an expensive buying experience or a lot of compromises on comfort!

On 1/29/2024 at 9:29 PM, daffy said:

@insertnamehere I think the True one piece would be close comparison to cowling height such as my old Vaughn cowlings that I have now.  Lower height is easier on my hips after wrecking them and my groin early in my career.  

@Puckstopper I agree thar pic isn't quite right for comparison when Bauer is most common cowlings.  Even those I have a hard time with. 

Ideally I'd like to try some used 1 piece Trues but with my narrow foot almost impossible to find on the used market.

If anything the 1 piece Trues sit lower than the Bauer Vertexx cowlings, although that largely depends on the steel.  The store I used to work at had plenty of old stock goalie skates to compare to the True's.   There were 3 factors in me picking the 2 piece True skate over the 1 piece and the largest one was I was used to a taller skate and didn't want to go back.  

On 1/11/2024 at 6:14 PM, creasecollector said:

 

My favourite shot was this stack the pads save I made. Glad they were able to snap this. It's been a few years since I've stacked them up, and man it felt good. 

Throwing down a gorgeous 2 pad stack is nothing but fun.   Especially against younger players who have NO clue what you just did to them.   Love the stick position too, picture perfect!

To be fair though, the cowings you're showing are the final evolution of cowling design and sit slightly higher than the Gen 1 Vertexx's being discussed earlier.  

On 1/26/2024 at 5:15 PM, froese said:

I switched to a Z-channel 1/2 radius last year and I love it. Just the right amount of bite but a bit more glide than a regular sharpening. I use JRZ Pro Black DLC, 3mm.

After one game I'm inclined to agree.   Shuffles felt effortless, but I still had tons of bite to move while down.    I'm going to go to the set of steel with a regular 5/8" ROH on it for the next game and see if I notice a big difference.   I'm afraid I may be in the market for a new sharpener again...

So, I ended up finding some lightly used Ti Pulse in my size on Nevermadeitprostock.com and shipped it and one pair of LS5G off to Noicing for a profile on the Ti and a refresh on the LS.   Nothing too interesting there.   But I did decide to try something new.  The LS5G got a Z-Channel 5/8ths equivalent.   First skate on them will be tomorrow night, so it'll be interesting to see what if any differences I notice.

Just now, coopaloop1234 said:

It's not like the Supreme line has had a strong variety in colour options. Shadow is up there for more available. 

You're not wrong.  Plus, if you're really a whore you can pay for Digi-Print and the world is your oyster.  

2 hours ago, coopaloop1234 said:

Here's a better view of all the colour zones. 

Looks like there's 5 different colour zones plus the thin vertical line. 

I'd forgotten that pic, thanks.   So, not quite as much to work with as I'd hoped, but still strong possibilities.  

Thej graphic looks like it could be the best Bauer stock graphic in a minute too.   Depending on if you can make any changes to that big white zone in the lower middle. 

I'd planned a visit to the Hockey Shop when my wife and I flew into Vancouver for an Alaskan cruise before COVID.   Of course, our flight was late and we didn't land until almost 9pm instead of getting in around noon as planned.   Oh well, just an excuse to go back to BC at some point. 

31 minutes ago, IpaddyTECH said:

Not necessarily defending Warrior, but we are proudly wearing brightly colored, stupid expensive foam and arguing about which expensive foam looks best... so what does that say about all of us I wonder... 

merely for reference haha

douchebag (plural douchebags)

1. (US, slang, vulgar) A jerk or asshole; a mean or rude person; someone seen as being arrogant, snobby or obnoxious. synonym ▲

   Synonym: douche

Douchbags?  Nah.   Totally insane?  Of course, but that comes with the territory of destroying your knees, hips and back as well as taking repeated shots to the head and groin (usually from your own teammates in warmups).  Many of us do  this well past the time where we should have moved on to more sedentary pursuits like golf and in some cases even shuffleboard or parchisi.     

Thanks man!  When I saw how closely the EF5 graphic lined up with this I ditched plans for a Tampa colored set instantly.

Finally got my entire Ozzie tribute set on the ice at a game where my wife could come and take pics.   As much as I like how easy it is to breath in the combo, I think I'll stick to my mask going forward due to the crazy ringing you get when your teammates decide to go up high in warmups.  

Edit:  Yes, I know I need to reskin CCM as Vaughn or at least cover the logos with Padskinz if I really want it to look like Ozzie's setup from the late 90's. 

I agree with losing the puck as a downside.   I had a major issue with that when I had my black/dark green Eflex 4 set with black skate lace.   I guess when I said dark, I should have specified I like dark backs of pads and gloves (black or navy by preference).  I also tend to go dark on the sliding surface of the pad to get whistles on squeakers that get trapped partially under there.  

On 1/23/2024 at 8:05 PM, ThatCarGuy said:

Interestingly I've always had the opposite experience with whistles as far as dark equipment goes. More often than not I got a slower whistle because the official wasn't sure it was covered

I honestly think it has a lot to do with the level you play at.   In upper levels the refs feel more pressure to get it right AND are more inclined to force the goalie to have it solidly covered.   In beer league, the emphasis is more on making sure everyone gets off the ice and to work the next day safely.   Since adopting primarily dark schemes I've noticed that I get much quicker whistles.   It's to the point where I don't break out my red EF5 set against teams where I know my guys are outmatched so I can get those slightly quicker whistles for them.   

18 hours ago, Fullright said:

I am all for getting an edge but if the color of a tender's pads is key to the goalie's effectiveness....

Pretty sure Billy Smith's Kohos were the first to be colored and they werent white. Not so sure, however, the colors had much to do with his name on The Grail.

I don't think anyone is saying color = career altering boost in effectiveness.   However, even a tiny edge can make a difference over the course of a season.  See my point above, I may only get one mistaken whistle a game with my dark setups, but I DO consistently get those whistles so I'd be a fool to wear gear that helps my team.

At higher levels, the difference between being a top 10 goalie in the NHL and falling out of the top 20 is only .05% and falling out of the top 32 is only .15%.   I'm not saying you can go from backup to starter or Average Joe NHL goalie to All-Star by wearing pads where the shooter loses the perimeter of it out of the corner of their eye, but again, if you can get ANY advantage in the show you'd take it.  Getting one free save every 2, 5 , 10, pick your number of games is still somewhere between 5 and 25 free saves for an NHL starter.  

Most of the evolution of gear has started small and snowballed.  Nylon and velcro replaced metal and leather for straps.  Full sheet foams were used in place of shredded foam, and needless straps were removed.   In 15 years we had pads that had evolved to be both significantly lighter and more durable.   With the advent of digital printing it's not beyond the realm of possibility that goalies will work on creating deceptive graphics that draw the shooter's eye to the center of the pad and away from the perimeter.  

14 hours ago, RichMan said:

For 1500$, I would of expected a more sophisticated dock station with maybe a rotating camera on a swivel or track to have a more precise scan and less balance or swaying issues. Just a thought 

From a retail perspective this is just more expensive equipment that doesn't generate much profit for the space it takes up.   The iPad gets dumped in a drawer and comparatively costs True or the store very little $$$   

From reviewing my own scan and those of a couple other employees, I can tell you that the iPad scanning method does a really good job of capturing the nuances of your foot.   The results speak for themselves.  I've held on to my True customs for 5 years, which is far and away the longest I've used any piece of gear in the last 15 years.  They've given me no reason to move on, and when I do I'll be very torn between another pair of Trues or Konnekts.  

I can see the selfie stick method being extremely frustrating though.  I get the issue they were trying to solve (the unnatural crab walk around the customer with your head at crotch level while trying to avoid bumping into customers who feel the need to shortcut through the skate fit area) but if you can't see the screen, it's no good.  

CCM's pros are also younger and possibly a little less set in their ways than the True guys.   I've always found it interesting that, despite having access to new toys with a much lower bar to entry than your average Joe, an awful lot of professional hockey players seem to cling to what they know as they age.   They'll update their training methods, eat better, work with new coaches to try different drills, etc.... but cling to the same old gear they've used forever.   And it's not just goalies.   The example I'm most familiar with is Filip Hronek.   Last year with Detroit he went from using a stick with a flat toe and a heel curve to a standard P28 curve and stuck with it all summer.   The result was his best offensive season and he netted a 1st and a 4th from Vancouver at the deadline.  At the start of the year we were hoping we'd get a 2nd for the guy!  

New gear certainly isn't a panacea for guys, but you really only see guys make a switch and try it out long term if they're in full blown desperation mode like Jack Campbell or Antti Ranta (who's already gone back to Brian's).  

To bring it back to CCM, removing the wrist strap makes the glove much more functional.   The easy range of motion was the best thing about Warrior gloves back in the day, and the CCM version I tried on last year felt amazing as well.   There's very little loss of attachment and much less resistance moving the glove around.    

6 hours ago, maxtm30 said:

I was using eflex before switch to a supreme 2s pro back in 2018 (feels like decades ago at this point). I took a risk based on what I didn’t like on my past setups and It paid off in my case. 
 

I also sold hockey gear for half a decade and a lot people (players and goalies alike) definitely have a lot of inertia when it comes to trying new things. Sometimes you think you know what you like but maybe you actually don’t.

To be fair, in a retail environment you're asking someone to make the leap from one type of pad to another at a price tag north of 3k for a full pro setup.   It's understandable that some folks may be risk adverse at that number.    Stores that do demo/loaner sets are doing more to push acceptance of new features forward than just about any other channel.   A lot of people who try something new realize how much R/D went into ensuring that new features will meet with broad acceptance.

I worked for Perani's when I had mine done, so it was just my boss scanning my foot with an Ipad like you see here:

It appears the process has evolved:

True full customs solve this issue for me.   I skate in those for goal and TF9 EE's for skating out.  The difference in comfort between the two is night and day!  As you said, my toes feel funneled in the TF9's, whereas the custom skates felt like a (very stiff) pair of old sneakers from the first bake.  Literally no pressure points anywhere, snug at the heel, just the best feeling set of skates I've ever had.  

8 minutes ago, ZeroGravitas said:

I don't 'member this at all!

All of you guys are going with a white boot area so I had to post one with an opposing style.

Ironic, I was working on something similar that would also make the Ian Clarke junkies happy...