goalieThreeOne

All you need is diluted white vinegar. $3.00 for a big jug at your grocery store. $5 for a spray bottle. Everything else is just overpriced and unnecessary. But the most effective way to prevent odors is quick drying. Lots of ventilation, don't leave it in the bag. Grab a $50 wire rack from Target or wherever and a $10 box fan. I'm to the point I don't even need a spray anymore.

4 hours ago, daffy said:

Is anyone wearing Konekts who have narrow feet?  My foot would be a C width.  I read that by molding them they can fit a narrower foot.  Just wondering if that is actually the case.  In custom Trues now but after 3 years they seem to be loosening up.  Had them rebaked too.  Considering my next pair of skates and Konekt on the radar if they can actually be molded to a narrow foot.

I'm sub-C. I use them just fine but I did go down a size from 9 to 8 (I measure 8.25 and 8.5 and was using 8.75 Bauers)

I don't have enough empty space at the house. They want you to have 10' x 10' and I just don't have that much open floor space

1 hour ago, Phil1p33 said:

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.

I don't think you should count on these for pain relief. That's what physiotherapy and anti-inflammatories are for. You should be following your doctor's advice on that, including, not aggravating the injury while it's healing by playing on it.

As for support, there might be some benefits there. The theory is that the hinge will allow you to really cinch down the top without affecting the ability for your to bend the ankle to load for pushes. In this regard, it's no more or less "supportive" from the front and back, since it's designed to move with you. The benefit might be that it reduces the negative space to either side keeping your ankle square to your foot along that axis. Whether or not that's going to benefit your injury, is really something you'll have to sit and think about. In theory, it could limit the range of motion side to side, which would limit the amount your ankle will roll. However I believe high sprains are caused by "turning" the ankle while flexed which this strapping system will not limit. You could even make the argument that because you now have MORE range of motion to flex your ankle due to the hinge, it might INCREASE the risk of another sprain.

19 hours ago, Lukas said:

Yeah true. What about plastidip and then painting them?

Leather (even synthetic leather or rather, vinyl in Bauer's case) needs to breathe so paint would not be a good idea. Paint also has a hard time flexing and paint is technically full of solvents so it might hurt the material. I'd rock it like it is but of those options, I like plastidip the best because you can remove and reapply easily.

On 12/6/2022 at 11:16 AM, netminder said:

Im in a Graf PeakSpeed Pro. They are super light, but there isnt enough outside ankle support and I starting to feel like im just wearing sloppy hightop basketball shoes. I have a pair or Ultrasonics and Konekts on order to try on side by side at home, raw.  The breakage in clips, the lack of toe toe stability across the top of the foot and the thinner profile tounge has me already thinking Konekts wont be for me.

I mean, haven't you been badmouthing them for months? Are you getting them because you think they'll work or because you want them not to work so you can post about it online?

At the end of the day, people go online that either either really disappoints, or really excited about something. You're seeing a small cross section of goalies on here but a high number of those are complaints because that's what people do when something goes wrong. What you aren't seeing is the hundreds of guys using them every week that are fine with them and have no complaints.

These skates are made for the middle 75% of feet. If you have some odd proportions it will be difficult to make these work without some adjustments. Some of the mods here are also quality of life improvements (like holding toe straps in place). In reality if they don't work for you stock, they probably aren't meant for you and you probably needed a different skate. But guys on here are excited about some of the other advantage that they're making creative adjustments to help them fit.

1 hour ago, Lukas said:

What do you think will happen if I bleach them? Or on the other side paint them

Bleach will be too harsh on the pads, but even then, probably won't help. The issue is the glue underneath discoloring so unless you can find something that turns adhesive white without destroying the materials it's attached to, I think you're stuck with it.

On 11/19/2022 at 10:48 AM, kudot said:

Im an off the charts 8 4E+ and Ive now given up on these skates. 

My custom skate size is about a 7.75 EEEE in a custom bauer, I also have a very flat foot with almost no arch

The shop had me try a size 8 as well as a size 9, went with the 8 since the 9 felt loose front to back even without baking.

Ive had my skates baked a couple times but I just cant get rid of foot pain on my arch/side of foot.  Just cant get the size 8 boot wide enough to fit my hobbit feet.  I love the ankle flex these provide but have gone back to my custom bauers/Trues and now appreciate how comfortable they are

I'm going to be honest with you, with feet that wide these were never going to fit you. These are made for the middle 75% of goalie feet. Yours are substantially wider than that. I think you're very much better off with a custom skate.

On 1/12/2019 at 10:32 AM, Xdave90x said:

A floating T is not illegal in any league Tim Thomas had one when he played and Micheal Houser in the AHL use FM gear if I'm not mistaken it's the deepeness of the pocket that is measured  

Floating T in and of itself is not illegal, but it's de facto illegal. Glove manufacturers build their gloves with max pocket depth with a normal attached T, so any attempt to make it float exceeds that depth. Theoretically, I suppose you could get a glove manufacturer to make a short T and float it just enough to be in spec but that would be very odd.

I've been using Floating T's for a few years now. I send every new glove to Dennis at FactoryMAD for the absolute magic he puts on glove closure and part of that is a Floating T. 

The thing about a Floating T, is that it kills the puck immediately. It's not going to magically catch more pucks, but there's zero possibility that it will bounce out. The downside is that it can numb the feel of the puck in your pocket, so you might not even know if the puck is in there or not. But its biggest benefit is that it contributes to some amazing glove closure. Worth trying once if you can learn to lace it yourself.

I use Sniper Skin for my paddle and knob, cut to my own preference and using the o-ring on the paddle for little more grip security. I only use tape on the blade and it's my least favorite thing to do.

This is not usually a topic that's discussed much, because it usually doesn't make a huge difference. But, what brand of stick tape do y'all prefer? I have become fed up with Howie's hockey tape. I usually buy it in a bundle, but by the time I'm on the second or third roll it starts breaking down. Either the adhesive starts getting on everything or the last few strands of the cloth on the end don't unwind while wrapping my tape causing the tape to get narrower the more I pull off the roll. Maybe that's just a "me" problem. Anybody have any suggestions for some durable and reliable tape?

On 11/7/2022 at 11:48 AM, ZeroGravitas said:

Hopefully it has more color zones than past Bauer pads. It looks like it might be just the two Orange and White zones (+ the multitude of spears - but I'm not counting those).

Looks like it'll have the same number of zones as the current Hyperlite: Upper inner corners, Middle/Lower Inner + Sliding surface, Lower outer and outside, plus stripes. I see two stripes here, but it's possible the goalie ordered a stripe that was color matched to the background and so they chose not to install the vinyl for it.

Graphic looks better than the current HL for sure though.

To follow up on that thought even though it's not what you were asking about, you definitely want to select the Vapor version of the TuneFit Connect strap. Most everyone prefers it over the Supreme style.

It's been that way (at least for NME masks) for a while now. It's called a mechanical liner. The female part of the nut is glued into the foam. You can carefully peel at the foam till you get access, put in a replacement, and then glue it back with contact cement. Some people suggest freezing the glue first to make it easier to come apart.

If you wanted to, you could definitely reinstall the liner with glue, or replace it entirely with an aftermarket kit. I'm not aware of anywhere you can get an entire new liner even though it could be easily replaced. 

Drove 5 hours to the closest shop that was trained on fitting Konekts. Stopped in Friday afternoon and they spent an hour with me going through the fitting process. Shoutout to Jordan at Pro Hockey Chesterfield. Fitting was exactly like it was described earlier in the thread except they didn't have the toe sleeves. Didn't think a thing of it and left. Tried them out at a public skate and my toes were on fire shoved against the end of the skate. Went back the next day and asked and apparently a customer had walked off the the toe sleeves a week ago and a new one was on order. Well that didn't help me that day since I'm heading back in the morning. So we improvised by cutting off the top of a sock, folding it, and shoving it into the end of the boot. Pure agony. But after it was done, there was just barely enough toe room to feel comfortable. I had expected this since I'm an 8.25 and an 8.5 and was previously wearing size 9 retail boots and then size 8.75 custom boots.

If you're dealing with arch pain, I want to mention three things I did to help:

1. If your issue is not so much pressure but cramping, try rolling the bottom of your feet over a tennis ball or lacrosse ball to loosen things up. I previously had to do this in my custom skates  until I got used to them

2. Since many people in Konekts might be moving to a new footbed size, you might be tempted to replace in the insole with something that corresponds. In my case we tested a pair of size D superfeet which go to 8.5 and the arch didn't line up. I had previously been wearing size E which are size 9 and those arches fit perfectly. So all I did was buy a new pair of E's and the store trimmed them out for me and VOILA. Superfeet doesn't mention this fact at all on their material, so you might consider going into a store and actually trying them out to make sure the arch portion lines up and trim it from there, even if it doesn't "match" your boot size.

3. Finally, I see a lot of folks talking about the lower buckle causing pain. My advice on that is to not be afraid if it seems like it's loose. My first skate was pretty painful and I had a red mark across the top of my right foot and cramping in my arches. I loosened that buckle by a whole step while twisting the strap back in at the same time and today's skate had no pain. And while it felt loose, I don't see that as a problem, because that lower buckle is going to be covered by the boot of the pad and the calf wings on either side. What this also does is give you enough room on the forefoot to stretch your feet a bit inside the boot and relieve any arch cramping.

The forefoot issue was something I kind of expected since I have a really low instep, but comparatively high forestep (height of your foot past your arches). Basically a retail Baur Fit 1 or 2 wouldn't work.

As for performance, these things are slick. You don't notice the flex until you do because it feels natural. I have a little extra exhaustion in my quads, because the tight top strap is keeping me from bending my ankle to the side, a bad habit I've developed. Pushes are FAST. I did not expect this result, but I think the flex in the ankle is allowing me to keep the whole runner planted during a push instead of just the front of the runner. The ergonomics are insane.

My only gripe at this point is that my elastic toe ties (Monster/Bauer) don't stay put and they are sliding down past the toe. This messing with my pads coming back to center on both legs. I'm surprised this is happening considering they're essentially the same design that Bauer is using on their latest pads. I will either use the skate lace suggestion mentioned earlier in the thread, or I will shorten the elastics to bring back the tension and just leave them wrapped around the front of the holder instead of over top. I also might experiment with putting some grip material like a player glove patch kit that adds some friction to keep them from sliding down.

All in all, it's a good setup for me. But I also think that these skates will not be the magic bullet for everyone. I think you have to go in expecting that just like retail skates, they're made for the middle 90% of feet and that if you have feet that are oddly proportioned, these won't solve that. If you're in that boat, I suggest going full custom because that option is not too much more than the retail cost of Konekts. My prediction is that either the buckles or the moldable liners will make its way to the senior line during the next cycle and that will be a good option for those whose issue is not proportions, but rather things like hotspots, bumps, and burrs.

And yes my team did chirp me for wearing "rental" skates.

My Konekts came in yesterday. Unfortunately I can't get them baked until Mid September because I'll have to drive 5 hours to Chesterfield, MO to the closest shop that has the fitting kit.

1 hour ago, RichMan said:

I'm curious to see how the clasps will wear out the inside pad channel in the long run. There's bound to be some new wear and tear spots not seen from conventional skates.

How's the toe splay in these things? I find my X170s rather narrow at the toe box.

I think that's already been addressed in the thread earlier. No additional wear was found during testing. But there's also nothing stopping you from putting a piece of sacrificial adhesive nash or jenpro a la PadSkinz right at the bottom of the boot.

Earlier in the thread it's pointed out that Bauer wants you to put on a toe sleeve during fitting to allow for toe room. Given that the shell and liner is made for all widths, there should be no issue for your individual foot as long as you use the sleeve.

On 8/13/2022 at 10:35 PM, ZeroGravitas said:

Just had the same issue with my skate. Used maybe 4 times? 5?

I'm not sure how stiff that strap is, but I wonder if you could take the very tip of that strap end, and bend another 90 into it make a hook. Might be hard to get it back in, but that could keep it from popping out all the way.

Is that piece hollow or is it machined with a hole? If it's just a machine hole, I wonder if you could drip some JB weld in there for a more permanent hold? Obviously there's a flaw in the design, but I bet someone could figure out something to give it a little extra hold.

11 minutes ago, ilyazhito said:

Is that why the recommended profile and hollow recommended after the Tydan Blade assessment feels too dull? I followed the asessment and got my blades profiled with a Goalie SAM, but 5/8 was way too dull (I use the LS- 5G+ blades on the Bauer Elite skates). I use 3/8 on my goalie skates, by the way. 

Maybe harder blades don't need to be sharpened as much and to such a deep hollow, because their properties allow them to be sharper for a longer time. 

I don't know anything about that assessment, but I just assume it's not the right sharpening for you. The steel type won't cause that much of a difference and may not require any changes at all. If you're used to 3/8, 5/8 is going to feel dull no matter what. It comes down to personal preference.

On 8/7/2022 at 12:16 PM, A.YOUNGoalie13 said:

Its all in how you sharpen them the steel type doesn’t have much to do with it

I feel like it's more nuanced than that. If you suddenly switch to a blade that harder and has a coating that keeps your edges longer, then they dull much slower. So in that sense the same cut on harder coated steel will feel sharper over the same period of time than cheaper softer steel would. I believe Tydan (or Goalie Parts) used to make a note about this on the product pages. 

A review I read just recently said that they ended up swapping the stock insole because they had flat feet. The stock insole looks like the same thin foam one that comes with other skates and is not moldable on its own. I'm leaning more towards using my Superfeet

2 hours ago, ilyazhito said:

 Since my knee is above the center of the stack, my knee is more likely to slide off the side when I bring my knees down to drive them into the ice. This is a problem when I try to recover or change directions while down.

If I'm in a pad where my knee is in the center of the stack, that doesn't happen. 

Yep and that goes back to what I said earlier. Which is that you size your pads based on where your knee lands and everything else is secondary to that.

I use Superfeet insoles. Should I insert them while I'm doing the fitting process?

2 hours ago, WONGER said:

Trying them on will not tell you if they'll form to your feet well or not.  The 8's that I could usually stand to be in with other Bauer skates felt awful unbaked.  I would either talk directly to a Bauer rep at length or wait till you know someone else with as wide of feet as you to confirm they can be shaped that wide. 

Aren't the stores supposed to let you try them on baked with sample liners?