goalieThreeOne

A prof strap could, in theory, allow you to strap it tight enough for a leg pad to sit higher than it normally would by lifting the boot further off your skate. In that scenario, it would be similar in function to the Lundy Loop. But in practice, there's absolutely no reason you should have to do this. The Lundy Loop was designed to let Lundqvist, who is limited on the maximum size he can wear per NHL rules, wear his pads higher to get extra coverage with the existing thigh rise. Since you are not governed by NHL size rules, this is a completely irrelevant scenario for you. You should buy the pads that allow your knee to land in the stack properly and you should not rely on a Lundy Loop or Prof Strap or any other strapping to change where the pad sits on your leg. If you need it to ride higher, then you would just go up a size provided that your knee still lands on the center of the stack. There are downsides to do doing this as well, because as your thigh rise gets taller, you're more likely to get interference between the thigh rises while you're skating.

The true purpose of a prof strap is to hold the upper part of the pad tightly to the calf. This allows the pad to stay close to your leg during the butterfly and may eliminate any slack that elastic straps leave, which in theory pulls the thigh rise closer inward in the butterfly, helping with 5 hole coverage. In addition, it helps make sure that your knee always lands on the knee block. In the old days, this would be accomplished with a knee lock strap, a piece of leather that ties the knee block to the inside outer edge of the pad. Since we don't use leather anymore, those straps don't exist and since strapping is elastic nowadays, you have to really crank down on it to keep your knee on the knee block. I view it as a worthwhile upgrade, but others may not prefer it. But it should have no affect on your pad sizing. Start with manufacturer sizing, try them on, and then go with what feels most comfortable.

9 minutes ago, tgfoo said:

Anybody with really wide feet try these out yet? I read they should work up to EEE width, but just wondering if anybody who usually has issues with wide retail skates has tried them. Currently in a pair of custom Trues and I'm definitely interested in trying these out.

If the manufacturer says they can fit, I don't see any reason why you shouldn't go try them on yourself to see. This is one of those things where what works for others may not work for you and vice versa. You can only really know if you try them on.

12 hours ago, Punisher Goalie said:

My pair from Pure came in yesterday. I ordered early AM on Friday. Sounds like they realized they weren’t supposed to be selling these online later in the day… Either way I’m planning to go to my local Pure for baking.

I have made no secret of the fact that I am a super fanboy of these skates ever since the first glimpses appeared online. That said, my initial first impressions out of the box were beyond even my own inflated expectations. 

For anyone comparing these to cheap 90’s roller blades or whatever, forget it. You will drop that argument the instant you hold these skates in your hands. These boots are not cheap plastic. These buckles are not cheap or fragile. Live and in person, everything about these skates conveys a high quality, durable build. 

Even though I know these absolutely must be baked, I couldn’t resist trying them on for a “dry fit”. Even unbaked, (for my feet at least) they already feel more comfortable with less negative space than custom VHs I’ve had previously. I have only one slight concern for my own fit - my ankles are very skinny and I’m worried, even on the smallest setting, about getting the top strap as locked down as possible. Even as-is I can get them as tight or tighter on the ankle as my current CCM FT2, so anything beyond that will be a bonus.

Looking forward to getting them baked this week. 

After watching the YT video of the interview with Bauer's goalie skate guy, I went and tracked down all their technology suppliers that he mentioned. Ultralon has been around for decades and had huge success in the ski boot market, but also sells lots of specialized foams for many other uses. The buckles are from Gudo, and you can find them on some of the highest end ski boots on the market. They produce buckles for other manufacturers to brand label as well. For something that's "brand new" and "untested" they sure roped in a lot of the best and most experienced outside engineering and manufacturing.

27 minutes ago, ThatCarGuy said:

I have a similar width 8.5 foot and I’m pressed pretty well into the end of the 8s.

I'm an 8.25 and 8.5. I just wear 8.75 because I like the extra toe room.

19 hours ago, ZeroGravitas said:

You in the States? Perhaps try the big box stores like Monkey and Pure?

If they're selling the Konekt, they will have the proper equipment (gloves, shims, toe sleeves, cold packs).

IMO, call a store and ask to speak to a manager. Tell him or her that you're looking to buy the Konekt but you're making a long trek and want to see if the manager can set you up to have a fitting appointment with his best skate fitter or most knowledgeable goalie employee. You can feign some ignorance and say that you heard it's a whole process to get the skate fitted and you want to make sure it's done right. If you're comfortable, make the appointment.

Your profile shows you've got Bauer skates so I don't think you'll have a difficult fit process. Someone like me whose high instep has always forced me to look at other brands might need more time to try on different sizes and make sure of the shims.

That said, the actual baking process is pretty straight forward as outlined HERE.

I was wondering why Bauer even opted to give us the stainless steel when Bauer's top two Supreme player skates for 2022 (Mach and M5 Pro) require customers to buy the steel separately. That stainless steel might be worth about $20-30 dollars to Bauer's gross margin but every little bit adds up...

Appreciate the input. I called the store I ordered my 2s Pro Customs from. Spoke to the Senior Assistant Manager and asked about my situation. He said that no one was trained yet, but, to give him a call in a couple weeks before I plan my trip to make sure he's there and he will have done the training himself. This was Pure Hockey Chesterfield, btw.

There's nothing difficult about my feet other than my ridiculous sub-C width and small instep. I'm wearing 8.75's now, so switching to size 8 steel will be an adjustment.

Regarding the steel, I ordered some Pulse Ti runners to go with them. It infuriates me to no end that Bauer shut down Tydan DLC Edge replacements, because those are the best runners I have ever used. I generally regard Bauer steel as hot garbage, so I hope this Pulse steel surprises me.

For you retail guys, is there a good way of going about finding a retailer that's properly trained and equipped to do proper fittings? The pro shop near me is too small to deal with something like this. So I'm going to have to find a retailer to travel to to get fitted and I don't want to drive 5 hours and find out the shop I'm at doesn't know what they're doing.

13 minutes ago, ilyazhito said:

Vapor pads are easier to move inwards, because they have two internal breaks, as opposed to one break for Supremes. Is that what you're trying to say? 

Again, they don't refer to them as breaks anymore. It's a profile stiffness, and it refers to the amount of flexibility the pad has along the face/back of the pad.

1 hour ago, ilyazhito said:

That's an interesting tradeoff. Easier 5-hole closure, but at the same time the edges of the pads are less firm. 

Edges of the pad in regards to seal and stability will be the same. When we talk about pad flex, we can be talking about two different concepts. The first concept that you're alluding to would be related to torsional flex, that is, the ability to "twist". From that perspective. all recent goalie pads from Bauer should be nearly the same in that they remain very square to the ice and don't offer a lot of twisting. This is one of the factors that contributes to how well they slide.

When I mentioned flex in my previous comment, what I was really referring to was the ability for the pad to "fold". In the old days of pads and the early generations of Od1n pads, the defining flex characteristic of Vapor pads was the ability for the pad to flex in two locations, while the Supreme flexed in one location. Think "single break" versus "double break". In recent generations Bauer stops referring to them in terms of breaks and instead just refers to the "folding stiffness" of the entire core. US and Mach lines have become successively stiffer, while the HL has become softer. All this gets more confusing when you're talking about Pro Custom pads, because you can change the flex of the profile to whatever you want no matter what the model is, so you're really only choosing the shape itself. 

That being said, when referring to the second and third tier goalie lines, what I'm really saying that the 3x will fold easier than the Mach. Both models will have roughly identical seal and identical torsion flex as well as similar rebounds. 

On 7/26/2022 at 12:26 PM, ilyazhito said:

If both 3x and M5 have hot rebounds, what is the style difference that 3x is supposed to address?

3x, in theory, will follow the Vapor design and should have a softer flex profile that's more curved. The glove and blocker will follow the Vapor design as well so the trapper will be closer to a 590 and the blocker will ride a little higher than the Supreme.

1 hour ago, A.YOUNGoalie13 said:

My only thought between getting these or the pros is long term durability. We really don’t know how these will last over a full season. Bauer will of course tell us Vasy and all the other pros used the same pair all year but in reality they could’ve just kept getting new sets. We know the materials are good but they’ve never been used or molded specifically like this. Second versions are typically better than originals. Just a thought

We could say this about any new product. At the end of the day, it amounts to how risk-averse you are. I bet the guys that bought the first generation of Od1n pads probably wish they hadn't with all its issues. I certainly don't believe Bauer would flat out lie, but stretching the truth isn't out of the question. My concern wouldn't be whether or not the design holds up, but rather its reparability. Having a removable and replaceable liner could be  game changer from that perspective. If the liner wears out or you buy the skates new, just replace the liner and you're golden. Buckles look solid to me since they look like they're lifted right off of ski boots. Boot itself seems fine as long as they're leveraging their experience with previous generation skates. Holders are pretty well known at this point. I would want to know that replacement parts are available and also that the buckles aren't gonna tear themselves out of the boot if I pressure it too much.

19 hours ago, ZeroGravitas said:

A co-worker asked this question to the Bauer reps in our store because he was thinking of taking the holders off and putting roller chassis on it. Reps were unsure if it could be done. Now that we're closer to launch, I can try to see if Bauer has any new information on that.

I don't see why you couldn't. I don't believe the Edge holder and the Hi-Lo chassis mounting lines up though. At least when I converted my X500 player skates, new holes had to be drilled. Stress and strain on the boot is no different between surfaces. I struggle to see why that couldn't work even if Bauer doesn't officially "bless" it.

50 minutes ago, daffy said:

Definitely want to know how any of you narrow foot guys like these.  I tried option B straps and could never get the velcro tight enough.  Thinking these should work much better for narrow feet.

When I was scanned by Bauer, they told me I was a sub-C width. Not sure how much narrower a foot can get than mine. Once I get my hardware sorted out, I'll report back.

19 minutes ago, jerd31 said:

I think I follow what you're talking about, and I don't think it sticks out enough to cause any issues.

I played a game last night and had no issues with the different screws/posts on the top buckle on each skate.  I'll give it another skate or two then, if all is well, switch them all over and threadlock them.

If you end up liking them, can you share the full specs/part numbers? What you've got there is close to the option I was discussing with the creator

49 minutes ago, jerd31 said:

No, the screw doesn’t extend beyond the head on the barrel.  Even though the screw is 1/8” longer than the barrel, that length gets eaten up by the buckle and skate/rivet.  Imo the screws Javi uses are too short, he should go with 3/8”.

Sorry, I'm referring to the head on the post portion. I'm concerned about the back side. That was my issues looking into binding posts and screw sets. The lowest profile binding post I could find was like 3/8.

1 hour ago, jerd31 said:

I picked up Chicago screw sets, they’re 1/4” barrel length open posts with 3/8” length truss head screws.  I swapped one of the buckles on each skate with the new hardware and will give them a couple skates to see how it goes.   
 

Do you think the height of the heads is too much? I'm concerned about both discomfort and possible damage to the tongue.

I have one of the tester kits. I have not installed it because I am concerned about uninstalling it because the back of the binding post has no screwdriver or hex point, so there's really no way to grab the backside of the post if you need to break the threadlocker free or the posts get rusty. I have been working with the designer on a couple alternatives. McMaster-Carr is a great resource, but the kind of hardware that's needed doesn't exist within the constraints of how short the hardware needs to be, how much diameter there is in the eyelet, and the low profile needed on the backside.

If anyone here is a wizard with mechanical hardware above and beyond what's in the McMaster-Carr catalog and wants to help me and the creator out, send me a PM, and I'll get you up to speed.

I'm assuming these are like ski boots, where you can twist the strap to shorten or lengthen the silver piston to fine tune the length and therefore the tightness?

With them only using two straps, are there any concerns about tightness in the lower foot?

4 hours ago, WillyGrips13 said:

Uh oh, the straps on the bottom pad pictured no longer have elasticity. Actually the elastic inside the skate-lace covering is severed on either side of the anchor piece. I think one side was severed before and the other side went last night. 

Should I use it like that or should I cut the skate lace and try and tie knots with the elastic on each anchor hole?

FYI, I got these in June 2018.

Looks like you got 4 years of use out of them and they're not expensive to replace

16 minutes ago, ilyazhito said:

That makes more sense. If I project the hands forward before or as I go down, there will be less space for the tweener shots to come.

Yep. This is a major fundamental concept that I don't think gets enough attention in Beer League. It's called Active Hands. Gloves should be out and up. Elbows in to prevent armpit shots. Your gloves should be actively tracking the shooters angle in three dimensions. It's not enough to just have your gloves out either, they should be "aiming" at the shot to present the post coverage to the puck. If it's in tight and low, gloves should be angled down at the puck and hands should be lower. From the puck's perspective, this cuts a lot of both the top and the underneath angles. If the shot is presenting further out, arms should also be extended out (not to full lock, just more forward) and up. When the shot comes, you should be attempting to "meet" the shot with your glove in the forward (Z) dimension, not passively trying to intercept the puck on the X-Y plane.

Try contacting GoalieParts, who's an Otny dealer. They're usually pretty responsive.

Looks like a reliable source is saying that the newer model fixes a known trouble spot. If you have the budget for the new one, get that one. Better safe than sorry!

What collar height is it?

7 minutes ago, Charlie T said:

Any link like this for Konekt? My true skates are absolutely destroyed and I'm waiting to order from the Bauer website as I have a code. This July release time I less than ideal 

I just posted the Bauer 2022 Full Line Catalog in the Files section. There's some great information in there about Konekt. There's also another thread about Konekt with some photos and discussion.

I don't want to de-rail the conversation, but after having looked at this thread it looks like some are attaching strapping using the assembly lace inside the leg channel. Previously I used the assembly lace to attach a Keneskey prof strap. Regardless of the setup, have y'all found that the assembly lace starts to stretch out where it's attached? I had to ditch the prof strap because the lace stretching made keeping my strap tight almost impossible.

10 hours ago, ilyazhito said:

I must have been confusing that with my 1S Od1ns, because those did have 4 holes. I believe it was an after market mod, though it is hard to tell.

I don't believe 4 hole was offered stock. 1s pads had a three hole toe bridge.