Gear skates

[Yekcoh]

I need some comments on Gear skates especially the cheapest one the Gear Varsity. Thanks.

[DannyG]

locally, seven guys wear Stubbies, one wears Big Daddies...

The skates have all five features I personally look for.

Performance is 100% up to present. Jury is still out on final factor: durability. Most of us here, figure that, if they last a year or so (even if no more), they will be a good value.

I have about 50 hours in mine (Stubbies), took about 10 to break in the heavily padded ankle.

No complaints, and frankly, it would be easy to gripe about making a "mistake" in spending $40 on a pair of skates. I have never heard anybody admit that they goofed when they made the decision to blow $399 on a skate.

So far, so good, we all recommend them...

[MDE3]

Danny - lol -"I've never heard anyone admit....." - check out all the commentary on the Mission Vibes - which were variously attached to some pretty expensive skates.

[missionhockey21]

True, take me for an example, I've said many times that buying the vibes were huge mistake of spending $400. I am just glad I am satisfied with my current skates, I dont like being a complainer too much;-)

[RichardGraham]

Hi Danny,

I suggest all IHC readers purchase inexpensive $50 skates and send the remaining $350 that they were going to spend to Inline Hockey Central. More bang for the buck... /wtimages/icons/wink.gif

Sincerely,

Richard Graham
Editor
Inline Hockey Central

[DannyG]

Mike:

I stand totally corrected...you are right, I came into this discussion group with that topic winding down last Fall, but I remember it well...I confess I didn't buy a pair of skates that year, and bought Tours for my daughter, so I was, by coincidence, completely out of the loop...

Gee, "vibes," V-forms"...If I were a manufacturer, I would probably want to stay away from anything with a "v" in its trade name...

[MDE3]

what no Gears??? /wtimages/icons/wink.gif

[DannyG]

Hey look, bub, don't make me come over there...

Don't be makin' fun of my Stubbies...I got four points last night in our Novice League game...This is our league where teens and adults can play together, I play on a line with my daughter, which is the coolest thing...even she is thinking about getting some Stubbies now...watch out, these things might just take over the industry...(hey, it sounded good, and I honestly kept a straight face when I said it...honest...)

[MDE3]

Unfortuneately too many manufacturers play on "what's hot now" marketing and the proof is not always in the pudding.

It's not limited to hockey or even sports equipment but there seems to be more incidents in sporting goods than elsewhere. I guess someone's got to pay for all those huge endorsement contracts.

I'd say golf clubs, are probably worse than anything else for where the hype exceeds the reach of credibility - right up there with basketball shoes. Hockey has to it's honor the v-form, the vibe, and most recently all the various one piece sticks - some of which aren't worth the powder to blow them to H...., Oh let's not forget the wondrous early Fishbone carbon boots which cracked at the sound of a passing puck. (I believe they corrected the problem with the later boots)

Feel free to add to the list - (I must be entering male menopause or have been reading too many of "C.C's" posts lol)

[MDE3]

That's great - I haven't been able to play with my son for years now lol - and made the mistake of getting him high end skates at a young age - now he only expects the most exotic stuff - which is fine now because he has to buy them lol.

[DannyG]

as we are still fairly certain they're out there on the 'net, get him some vibes for christmas, maybe you could then catch him...

[Superstar9]

Dont forget the ongoing hype to the next wheel, the newest is always the must have..millenium, trinity, dynasty, now rink rat.. whats next? Who's gonna promise wheels that play for you or hit warp speed first?? lol

[MDE3]

Well maybe if I make him carry a lead stick, two anchors and wear an open drag chute.

[DannyG]

five minutes ago, I finished putting a z-carbon replacement blade on Caitlin's synergy...I am now claiming she has a $213 hockey stick...with each subsequent such process, I figure I can get the MSRP of the "Catilin Guard" model of the 2007 Synergy up to about $499...

[MDE3]

Bingo!!

[DannyG]

well, at least you got a plan...

[MDE3]

rofl........... parental bias lol - hey got to have the kid's talking about something.

I figured out that my son's current skates which required that I rob the chassis from my new Stingers (paid $220.00 about 2 months before Hockey Giant had them for $150.00) and dismantled a pair of new Graf 704's ice skates which I had purchased so he could play Midget AA this year - a week before the Bullets invited him to camp (about $360.00 with delivery ) - so he could zoom around on a $580.00 hybrid skate - not including the 10 hours of my very valuable invective filled time. Never had such trouble getting the rivets out of a set of slates before as with the Stingers.

[DannyG]

You only forgot to mention the three new tools that you had to create/develop/invent to get the job done, 'cause either you didn't have the "right" tool, or the "right" tool didn't work on the job at hand...

[missionhockey21]

The vibe imo, was something many people trusted. I have been wearing Missions since 1996, and loved them. They creates the Hi-Lo's which changed inline hockey. So when the Vibe came out, I put my trust that it wouldnt let me down. But lets be honest, how many people owned a pair of V-Forms or knew more than ten people who had them? I dont usually fall into hype, but the times I have, I regretted it.

[MDE3]

Too true - all the other special pincers and pliers and broken edged chisels fill up a whole drawer- not to mention two different kind of rivet pullers.

[DannyG]

maybe this should be a new topic, but...

a broken screwdriver still works as a "snake-guide" to pull leather straps through the holes on goalkeeper pads...

just another helpful hint from "hockey household Danny..."

[MDE3]

I think we all did, My son was the "first on his block" to wear Missions - we bought the top of the line just before the hi/lo's came out and fitted them with a new Labeda High lo - like 2 months before lol. Then Mission came out with a package that was at least $150.00 less than we paid for the hybrid pair. But I must say - as a happy as we were with the original Missions - the subsequent models were not of the same quality. We found problems particularily with the boot. Lots of ripped eyelets and torn cuffs. And the angle of the cuff at the back used to rub my son's lower calf raw. He still has scars there. We stopped buying Missions after that and haven't been back since. Until we bought the Stingers in 2001 we "custom" made skates every year by reusing the labeda chassis until it was too small, and then bought a pair of converted Graf 703's wich were similar to his ice 704's. We used that Labeda chassis for another couple of years on different boots - usually converting his ice 704's in the spring.

I've heard that Mission has overcome those problems now and people are very happy with their new stuff.

[MDE3]

I can see the TV series now......

[MDE3]

As I look back over this last series of posts the words "get a life"(refering to me not you - this is your life lol) keep reverberating through my head.

[missionhockey21]

The newer mission skates are much better imo. But I can relate to making custom or hybrid skates, I stayed up all night a few months ago putting a redstar chassis on a flyweight boot for my brother, very rewarding, but its a lot of work when you can cant find like half the tools you need ;-)

[MDE3]

Yes it is rewarding - when you are finished - while in process.....even the dog hid under the bed.

[DannyG]

I'm right behind you in the get-a-life department, but yeah, at least I get paid for this...the t.v. series will no doubt set a new standard vs. censorship, because it some where will have to have the word "dork" in the title...