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.Spec posted:Has anyone tried out sticks from prostockhockeysticks.com and had any thoughts? I've somehow broken two sticks since Jan and I'd like to not shell out the cost of another True if I can get something comparable for less (especially since it's going to break eventually). I played with a stick from allblackhockeysticks before and it was _fine_ but didn't feel great so I'm looking for alternatives. I have a friend who ordered custom sticks from there because he gets a fitness budget from work, and he's a big and tall guy who wanted some flex in a long enough stick without having to worry about a flimsy extension. He's happy with the sticks, but they took forever because they were custom. Buying an existing stick is probably going to give you a good experience.
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Sep 21, 2023 20:46
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| # ? May 24, 2024 20:07 |
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.Spec posted:Has anyone tried out sticks from prostockhockeysticks.com and had any thoughts? I've somehow broken two sticks since Jan and I'd like to not shell out the cost of another True if I can get something comparable for less (especially since it's going to break eventually). I played with a stick from allblackhockeysticks before and it was _fine_ but didn't feel great so I'm looking for alternatives. I've had good luck with refurbished sticks from https://www.hockeystickman.com/ You might have to check back every so often to see what they have available, but you can get $300 sticks for like $60.
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Sep 21, 2023 21:03
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Cool thanks for the feedback. I'll probably order something this week and hope my stick holds up for the start of the season next week.
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Sep 21, 2023 21:47
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Hockeystickman has been good to me, and I think maybe they do a referral discount or something so get a goon code and see if it saves you $5 (I don’t remember if this is real but I feel like it is?)
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Sep 21, 2023 21:52
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.Spec posted:Has anyone tried out sticks from prostockhockeysticks.com and had any thoughts? I've somehow broken two sticks since Jan and I'd like to not shell out the cost of another True if I can get something comparable for less (especially since it's going to break eventually). I played with a stick from allblackhockeysticks before and it was _fine_ but didn't feel great so I'm looking for alternatives. My current Sherwoods are from pro stock hockey and they're fine. There's a sticker on them that says something along the lines of "for professional use only," which gives me a laugh. On a side note, I've been in 3 straight ties now. Ties suck.
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Sep 21, 2023 21:53
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That’s Pro Stock Hockey. Prostockhockeysticks make their own brand. Anyhow I bought one and it’s pretty good, especially for the price. Refurbed sticks and stuff like the All Blacks shoot really poorly, they all feel dead. I really liked the Nexus 2N Pro but don’t like the Geo’s shape. I tried a bunch of stuff since then and didn’t love any of it. I just got a 77 flex P92T mid kick. It’s really light. I’d say stuff like All Black is 70% as good as a high end stick for 33% of the price, the Pro is 95% as good as a high end stick for 66% of the price. edit: I’ve got a Trigger 7 Pro, Jetspeed FT5 Pro, and Hyperlite here. I’ve gotten rid of a Geo. All of them weighed ~10g more than advertised and the Pro is about 5g less than advertised. Uncut (the stock was long like CCM) mine weighed 370g. Chemmy fucked around with this message at 23:29 on Sep 21, 2023 |
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Sep 21, 2023 23:24
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Anecdotal, but I have a couple of teammates that have gone through True pro stock sticks purchase fairly recently from ProStockHockey like they're made of glass. I know that's the tradeoff but seemed extreme
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Sep 22, 2023 00:34
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Ginette Reno posted:My skate runner broke on my Bauer Vapors last night. Gonna see if this pro shop I'm going to can put a new holder on for me so that I don't have to shell out another $500 for a new pair of skates. Hockeytron.com has Stepsteel runners for $5 and spare blades for $3. Pro shops can install them relatively cheap.
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Sep 22, 2023 14:37
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Long story short, my skates are 20+ years old (Nike Quest 1s) I obviously haven't played much, but I'm starting to coach my little guy's 6u team as an assistant. I did the Bauer 3D foot scan thing and it suggested Vapor - size 11.5 (Size 13 shoe) Fit 1 - I have narrowish long feet Thing is I found a Supreme Fit 1 for hilariously cheap locally... So, would I be ok in the Supreme Fit 1 vs Vapor Fit 1? Don't know enough about their builds to decide.
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Sep 24, 2023 22:41
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The only thing that matters is fit. Try them on. If you don’t extremely know what you’re doing don’t overthink this to save $50: go to a store and try stuff on.
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Sep 25, 2023 00:10
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Chemmy posted:The only thing that matters is fit. Try them on. Try every boot in the size you want, then just decide which price tier you want with that type of boot. The last time I bought skates, I tried on a bunch of models and liked the Bauer Supreme fit best. The newest Supreme line was like $900, but one tier below that was only like $400. They've lasted for over 5 years and are still structurally great.
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Sep 25, 2023 02:10
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Try them on if you can, but Supremes are wider than Vapors. I used to wear Vapors when I first started, but the newer ones were super tight on me, so I had to move to the Supreme line when I got them a couple years ago.
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Sep 25, 2023 02:40
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Henrik Zetterberg posted:Try them on if you can, but Supremes are wider than Vapors. Supremes are targeted to people who want better ankle support while skating. Vapors are cut a little lower are are supposed to be better for really tight turning and agility. Most beer leaguers should be paying for Supremes at best. The really good skaters will notice the difference, but it's more if it fits and feels good then you should be wearing those. You can get them baked a few times, so if you're buying used take them in some where to get them baked to your feet. I did manage to wear the heels out on mine already after a year, but I was in them 20-30 hours for most of last year (over 1000 hours easily). This year should be closer to maybe just 20 hours a week? I'm going to need to buy new skates in a few months already when the rest of the padding falls out of the heels. I haven't found a way to fix it nicely, but I can at least wear them for a bit still. Jhet fucked around with this message at 05:24 on Sep 25, 2023 |
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Sep 25, 2023 05:18
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Vapors have a shallower heel. Supremes make me feel like I’m skating upright and vapors+super feet footbeds make me feel like I’m on my toes. Otherwise the pitch is the same because the holders are the same and have the same geometry. The boots should fit the same, fit 1-3 are the same regardless of model. Low medium and high volume.
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Sep 25, 2023 05:50
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what does pitch have to do with it when you can just get a custom radius and add a degree of pitch if you want it? I think I’ve even seen +1.5
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Sep 25, 2023 09:56
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Exactly. IMO the only real difference between Vapors and Supreme is how they fit your heel. Geometry is the same otherwise. In other news, I got moved up a division and one of the guys on my team wears #69, because he used to work in the pornographic film business.
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Sep 26, 2023 19:10
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I’m pretty sure there’s a team in our league that used to be sponsored by a porn site or sex shop. A bunch of them have names that are thinly veiled innuendo on the nameplates. They’re a fun group of players either way.
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Sep 26, 2023 19:52
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I thought the Supreme also had a wider toe box. My teammate played with a team called the Predators. Their jersey was the Predator in a thong, with the goalie's mom name tattooed on the leg.
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Sep 26, 2023 23:16
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Anyone use the HockeyTracker app for iOS? I’m thinking about getting an Apple watch to track my skates and would love insight from anyone using it already.
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Oct 2, 2023 05:27
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Yep, I use it. It was hot poo poo 2-3 years ago. I subscribed for a couple years but now just run with the free version because I don’t care about stat tracking or whatever. It’s a good app and the dev is a good guy.
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Oct 2, 2023 06:14
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I used to use it quite a bit, I think the speed tracking is a bit flattering, some arenas tends to give a higher result than others it seems (although my watch is a bit older so I should try it again on a newer one). So all that to say, the accuracy of the data may vary for you depending on where you are. I stopped using it because most of what I cared about was Calories burned and the stock Fitness app has a Hockey activity on it.
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Oct 2, 2023 17:53
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I have a Fitbit that gets very confused by hockey, so I have to remember to manually hit "start workout" before each skate or it will have no idea what I'm doing. It's great at keeping track of heartrate, though.
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Oct 2, 2023 18:17
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I’m to the point where I’m getting my skates sharpened almost once a week and it feels ridiculous. Then I step onto the ice and remember why. Really nothing like having a really nice sharp edge.
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Oct 2, 2023 19:19
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Jhet posted:I’m to the point where I’m getting my skates sharpened almost once a week and it feels ridiculous. I haven't sharpened my skates in almost 3 months now and I skate 3-6 times a week. I have been noticing myself slipping on tight turns for the last couple of weeks but the closest sharpening to me is 30 minutes in the wrong direction from my rink and I cannot be bothered. Luckily the league I'm in that is at a rink with sharpening starts again on Sunday so I just have to make it through 2 more games with these dull rear end blades
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Oct 2, 2023 19:24
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The Sparx is an awesome thing to own if you live in an area where getting a good sharpening is nigh impossible. I had the chance to play on the Flyers ice on Saturday and then get cheap tickets to watch the game. I told our 5 year old daughter she was going to watch me play and then we're going to watch the pros play really fast. She got upset because she wanted me to play in both games.  She did fall asleep during our game but was awake for the Flyers, guess we weren't going fast enough for her.
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Oct 2, 2023 20:00
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calandryll posted:The Sparx is an awesome thing to own if you live in an area where getting a good sharpening is nigh impossible. I've had a half dozen people complain to me about their Sparx messing up their edge too, but I think it messes with the profile after too many uses. I think we're going to invest in one of the Wissota machines. I'm spending $50-60 a month during the season on sharpening and I expect that number to go up before it goes down as my kid gets more particular about his edges.
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Oct 2, 2023 20:13
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I've gotten a Sparx sharpening once and it was fine, but it definitely didn't feel as sharp as when my local hockey shop does it on the grinder.
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Oct 2, 2023 20:17
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.Spec posted:Has anyone tried out sticks from prostockhockeysticks.com and had any thoughts? I've somehow broken two sticks since Jan and I'd like to not shell out the cost of another True if I can get something comparable for less (especially since it's going to break eventually). I played with a stick from allblackhockeysticks before and it was _fine_ but didn't feel great so I'm looking for alternatives. I'm on my second after I broke my first in the stupidest way possible after about a year of usage. Like the new one even more cause it's the redline and the previous one wasn't. Also whoever is running their customer service there is real quick with responses.
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Oct 2, 2023 22:56
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I’ve only had my skates done by a Sparx for probably 4 years or so. Works great.
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Oct 2, 2023 23:06
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Does a GPS only Apple watch work with HockeyTracker? And can I leave my phone in the locker room, which is basically a faraday cage buried inside a cube of cinder blocks, or do I need to bring it on the bench with me for accurate tracking?
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Oct 2, 2023 23:48
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It works fine, it doesn't need your phone or any signal at all to record how bad you are at the game. Just uses the heart rate monitor and the accelerometer for stride detection.
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Oct 3, 2023 00:10
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Kevlar v2.0 posted:I've gotten a Sparx sharpening once and it was fine, but it definitely didn't feel as sharp as when my local hockey shop does it on the grinder. Which is interesting because I feel like my edges are better off of the Sparx than anything locally. I think as with any sharpening, it all depends on who does it. I'm extremely anal about my setup and check that I'm lined up with the center, etc. They did release a new item that will use a laser ( ) to measure if the edges are even. I'm curious to see how good it actually is.
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Oct 3, 2023 00:34
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Yeah it makes a HUGE difference who sharpens your skates. Gunzo's is a local Chicago chain and those guys always do a great job. There was exactly one guy at Play It Again Sports who did it well, but everyone else there sucks. When he left, he started a side sharpening business on his own that took a ton of business away from Play It Again.
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Oct 3, 2023 00:45
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Kevlar v2.0 posted:Yeah it makes a HUGE difference who sharpens your skates. Gunzo's is a local Chicago chain and those guys always do a great job. There was exactly one guy at Play It Again Sports who did it well, but everyone else there sucks. When he left, he started a side sharpening business on his own that took a ton of business away from Play It Again. That has been the only good thing to come of those auto sharpener machines is that anybody can set it and forget it. When I was a regular at my home rink it really depended on who actually did the sharpening but I knew everyone that worked there and when certain guys were working you just didn't even bother. When I moved, the only place that is open with a regular schedule is Pure Hockey and before they got the auto machines I would routinely get my skates sharpened on one day, play that night, and take them back the next day for a free redo because they were butter knives. What made it worse was the staff schedule was so weird or turnover was so high I could never pinpoint who was good and who was bad. So far since they got the machine things I have been fairly happy with the cut and they seem to last a good 8 skates or so without losing too much edge. I keep one of those quick stick things in my bag just in case but honestly find myself using it a lot less now that I don't get a sharpening by hand.
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Oct 4, 2023 02:01
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quote = edit
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Oct 4, 2023 02:02
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I think my wife is coming around to me buying a Sparx. She understands now the pain of me trying to get my skates and my kid's sharpened properly. There are/were 3 guys that I trusted with sharpening my skates, but one is about an hour away, another closed up after Covid, and the last one isn't available all the time (it's a former Pro-EQM retiree with a garage setup). Currently I go to a new place (20 mins away) with a CAG-One machine, and it is okay, but feels a bit weird. I can't really describe bit but for the first game or two the blade feels "sticky" I can turn and stop fine, but I have quite a bit less glide. I recently had to get my kid's blades sharpened for his sort outs at the closest place that is usually okay, but he had a horrible time on the first day. He said that they felt way too sharp and couldn't do his normal movements. I went to the former EQM who had one of these https://prosharp.ca/products/hollow-thickness-checker and said that it's set closer to 7/16"~1/2" even though I had asked for 5/8"~11/16". He fixed it for free and my kid went from the worst to middle of the pack.
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Oct 4, 2023 20:51
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You could easily do a cost analysis on a Sparx machine. It's probably worth it to get one if your entire family skates.
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Oct 4, 2023 21:25
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I found that once I bought one, the way I sharpened changed. I found I would run a single pass to freshen up the edges and feels like I do less major sharpening. I also do a lot of sharpening for my team when they need it and when we do tournaments I toss it in the back for my car for parking lot sharpenings.
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Oct 4, 2023 21:54
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Our rink has repeatedly threated anyone with a lifetime ban if they know you have a skate sharpener and offered your services to anyone besides your immediate family because it "hurts their bottom line." Absolutely hilarious.
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Oct 4, 2023 22:09
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You skate at the most absurd rink in the world.. you really ought to collect stories and sell them or something.
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Oct 4, 2023 22:16
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