Gear skates?

[poznan17]

Interesting input on Gear skates.
Can anyone advise on other brands such as Bauer or CCM.
Looking to purchase first hockey skates for my son in $75-$150 range.

[DannyG]

Trying to be objective here, but this is kinda difficult...both Bauer and CCM, of course, have been industry mega leaders for nearly a century...

Frankly, their inline products are technologically inferior, they put very little money into R&D, they are attempting to ride a wave of their "hockey name" by producing less quality knock-offs using poor quality variations of technology that other companies have produced. Mission and Tour have pumped tens of millions of dollars into making current inline models of skates what they are today, which is darn near rocket science.

CCM and Bauer (even worse, the Nike lines of Bauer stuff) have not produced any new technology in the past ten years, they simply borrow on others' and put their name on it.

We are not sure how the Gear guys are producing their extremely inexpensive new line of products. Gear, about 6 years ago, was a company at the forefront of inline development, but they went under. This new resurrected Gear company is coming up with some interesting stuff, as you have now read about...

I would never recommend any Bauer/Nike or CCM products (other than ice, maybe) to anybody...

Incidentally, If I could wave a magic wand (meaning price was to be no limiting factor), hands down, I would be buying:

helmet: Bauer H5000 (okay, ya got me, but nobody has improved on the 5000 in the last six years, eh?)

mask: Itech RBE Chrome

sweaters: Bakka 1000, or Bakka 1200

pants: Hyper, any model

Skates: Tour, any model (had to go back & edit this...I will definitely be buying another pair of Stubbies if this pair lasts at least 12 months That would be about 500 hours of skating.

Stick: Easton Synergy

Gloves: Mission, any model

In terms of this discussion, I am curious as to others opinion on this list...

<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by DannyG on 03/15/03 01:15 AM.</EM></FONT></P>

[RichardGraham]

Hi Danny,

Fascinating post. Wonder if anyone from CCM or Bauer/Nike reads this message board. If so, they'd better get moving, huh? :)

I can't be a one-manufacturer guy, obviously, as IHC is supported by lots of manufacturers, so I'm all over the map with my equipment. However, I will tell you what I'm currently using:

INLINE:

Skates:
Bauer H-8 Professionals with Final Factor Frames
and
Tour 9000s with Rocket Hockey frames

Wheels:
Whatever I can get for free or on the cheap. (I play indoors and outdoors, Rink Rat Mike.... lol)

Shinguards:
Koho Revolution SG 2200s

Girdle:
BiltRite Pro League Series

Pants:
Black Biscuit Team USA pants

Elbow pads:
Bauer NHL Reactors

Shoulder pads, when I wear 'em:
CCM Power Line SP 90

Helmet:
Bauer HH4000

Current sticks:
Easton Ultra Lite Graphite 110 flex (way too stiff for my wimpy shot)
Jofa ASD Titan fiberglass
Rocket Hockey ClixStix

ICE:

Skates:
Nike Zoom Air (Man, I took a lot of crap when they were brand-new and white, and I skated even worse than I do now. lol)

Shinguards:
Easton X-Treme

Girdle:
BiltRite

Pants:
Itech S-HP650 (Play it Again Sports, $19.99, like brand-new)

Elbow pads:
Bauer Supreme EP 1000

Shoulder pads:
CCM Power Line SP 90

Gloves: Victoriaville, model unknown

Helmet:
Bauer HH4000

Shield:
1XCEL

Current sticks:
Easton F-100 Ultra Lite Graphite Kevlar with Louisville Messier blade
Louisville Tri-Core 3 with Louisville Hull blade

As IHC keeps me on a tight budget, I tend to look for deals and/or charity, and have been pretty fortunate. Having just picked up my ice hockey pants the other day, I almost have one complete set of equipment for ice, and one for inline. Maybe next year, I can afford some skating and shooting lessons!

Sincerely,

Richard Graham
Editor
Inline Hockey Central

[Superstar9]

Go with Tour, trust me, its the best. Tried it all basically and when it comes to game day, I always wear the tours.

[Superstar9]

ok Danny, everyones opinion counts.. Heres mine on whats best out there...

Helmets: New 2003 Itech HC-100 is the best and safest helmet on the market. Check it out, im serious. I'm a bauer helmet fan but, I switched for the first time in years, Itech's new helmet is the best


Mask/Sheild: Players: Oakley Aviator half shield, nothing can touch the optics on it. Next would be the Itech Pro Wave half

Jerseys: Tour Pro Sublimated or Pro Joy Customs

Pants: Hyper Titanium

Skates: Tour G-90, second, mission D-Limited

Sticks: Easton Synergy Grip, Bauer Tri-flex, Mission M-1 (m-1 and tri-flex are about even)

Gloves: 2003 Itech HG-7700 .. check em out, they're awesome.. 2nd, Oakley Mace Gloves

Elbows/ shins: New Itech 1055 techlite series (always the top along w/ jofa) Used most among NHLers

Wheels: Labeda Dynasty or Hyper Trinity.. (havent used rink rat yet but, I'll know soon)

Thats what I think, and being in the pro shop business, I've seen just about everything

[Superstar9]

Whats with the talk of a "new GEAR" company? As far as I know (I may be wrong) the stubbies and all the gear stuff thats out there cheap, are closeouts.. correct me if Im wrong but Im pretty sure that's the case.

[missionhockey21]

This is what I am currently playing with in inline...
Helmet: Bauer H5000
Cage: (i think) Bauer 3000
Shinpads: Biltrite Works Series
Gloves: Eagle Proglo, and Biltrite Works
Pants: Hyper Titaniums, Black Biscuit Rebels
Elbow: Really comfortable, old, and cheap;-)
Skates: Mission D-1, and Mission Vsi boot w/a Labeda Sensor chassis
Sticks: Easton Synergy, Louisville Genesis, and Mission Flyweight
Wheels: Labeda Dynastys and Hyper Trinity's

[Colby39]

This my list of the best equipment, not necessarily what i have:
Helmet: Bauer 5000 w/ Oakley visor
Elbow: Jofa EP 8077
Shin: Jofa SG 8090
Girdle: Mission Matrix
Skates: Tour G90's, then custom Graf 707 boot w/ Red Star alloy chassis
Gloves: Oakley Mace, then CCM 852 split-finger
Sticks: Sherwood 5030 featherlite, Easton Griplite w/ Focus Flex blade, NOT A SYNERGY, THEY"RE TOO LIGHT!

Lemieux fan 4 life

[JMUDukes26]

I'm really going to break the mold here:
This is what I actually wear...
Helmet: Nike 0004 L (same as a Bauer 4000)- love the fit, a vast improvment on the 3000.
Elbow: Jofa somethings... from ice hockey
Shin: Easton Ultra Lites
Girdle: None
Skates: Nike Quest 1 with the Red Star E-Frame chassis. Best boot I have ever owned (ice or roller) I opted for the hi-lo chassis, but I have talked to some people who simply love the rocker. Very light weight, and you can't beat the price. I picked mine up for $200 a pair. Wait until you see the Quest V12, the skate is like... weightless!
Gloves: Eagle X70 XP (non glo) I don't need to make a statment by wearing shiney gloves, but these are super light, easy to break in, and have unparalleled feel.
Sticks: Easton Ultra Lite with a Focus Flex Yzerman blade.
Wheels: Red Star Snipers (came with the skates)- great wheels, I like them much better than my Hyper Trinity's or my Labeda Millenium Grippers. I'm a bigger guy, so they wear better.

[columbus_RHstar]

my list:
Helmet: Bauer H5000
Cage: Bauer 3000
Shinpads: mine are so old my dad used them when he played! but they are comfortable and not bulky, but the labels have all worn off so I don't know who makes 'em.
Gloves: Louisvillle Pro Bionics
Pants: Looking into some hypers since I just ripped my old CCM's
Elbow: I have some old hespeller elbow pads I use occasionaly, but usually I use some real small football elbow pads made for 5th graders ;)
Skates: I have the Fishbones now but I'm out growing them quickly
Sticks: Easton Z-bubble sr and a junior to back up.
Wheels: I have 4 different wheels on each skate. I have Ladeba Dynastys, Labeda Millenium Grippers, Labeda Gripper Lites, and on the back I have CYKO whels that I tested a while back and I liked how they worked on the back of my skate.

[DannyG]

Chris might be ahead of me here...epuck comes out with this sales line of five skate models, and I'm looking at what I think is a new line...pants, too. Then other people are talking about the "new" stuff...I bow to Chris' on this one, unless somebody closer to a source can tell us different...

[poznan17]

Thanks everyone for this extensive review.
Even though Tour is not an inexpensive skate, luckily I will be buying Jr size for my son.
Any special features we should look for?
What exactly is a rocker and what does it do. What about a shifter? Here in Chicago, we do not have any Pro-shops around to ask for advice.

[JMUDukes26]

A rocker is a device found on some of the new Bauer/Nike skates that allows the two center wheels to adjust so 3 wheels are always on the court. This is supposed to provide improved speed and traction. I have no idea how they actually perform. CCM had a primitive form of the same concept on its 355 RH skates about 8 years ago. Some people swear by them.

[missionhockey21]

I do not like the rocker chassis. There are many people who love them, I used a pair for a game of my friends and really disliked them. Maybe have your son see if a friend has a pair for him to try out. As far as other brands I am skating in Mission D1's and my brother Tour G90's, both which we have founded to be great. But from what I have heard the lower end models are very good for begginers, also on hockeygiant.com I saw Tour Fishbones for $99, but I do not know the available sizes at that price (more in likely limited). Anyways I hope this helps you guys out a bit :-)

[DannyG]

according to the Hockey Giant guy, phone conversation this afternoon...my supposition regarding Gear as a manufacturing concern is correct: company discontinued business for a couple of years, present product lines are new in production. Hockey Giant guy says they are obtaining & moving thousands of Gear product units per quarterly order, no present indicator of inability to continue to get stock.

[missionhockey21]

Do you know if Gear plans to make an actual new lineup of skates Dan?

[DannyG]

Hockey Giant guy cautioned me that "what we have currently are the 2002 models, Gear could come out with some new year stuff in '03/'04 that would make it hard to get the '02 stuff in the near future.."

I cannot find "Gear Hockey" on a search engine, either...

[STLHockey]

my list:

helmet/shield: Bauer 3000 Helmet, Itech Pro Wave Half-Shield, Jofa Cage

Shinguards: Jofa (extremely comfortable and protective)

Gloves:Easton Air 2002 (Wrist Guard feature is awesome)

Skates: Tour G-80's

Stick: Easton Synergy 100 flex

Other: Lousville Slash Guards

[Yekcoh]

my list:

Helmet/shield: really old CCM helmet with really old CCM cage ( even got run over by a car )

Gloves: Nike Fit, really old Coopers

Skates: Bauer Vapor 2 Rocker, Gear Varsity ( yes that's right even lower model than the Stubbies :), don't ask how I ended up w/ these :) ), Hoping to get a Tour or Mission when I get the money.

Stick: Easton UltraLite w/ a TPS Xtreme Messier Blade

Shinguards: Jofa 6090 ( The of the few pieces of my eqpt that am really proud of :) ), they're really made to last!

Girdle: First Mission wrap girdle ever produced :)

Elbows: really old Jofa somethings.

Pants: old black Bauers, Nexed Core

[DannyG]

Hey, Yekcoh:

great list!

How many hours have you put into your Varsities yet? It took my Stubbies about 10 hours to mold the ankle padding to my ankles, but they were comfortable from the get-go...I also increased the net worth of the boots by 50% by adding $20 Dr. Scholls' inserts to the footbed...have you done anything to your Varsities??

and dude, how old are you...you sound like a guy that has played at least from the early 80's...we note that you haven't filled out any profile info...and, hey, at least bow to some modicum of fashion sense, get some other color of pants than black...

-Dan

[Yekcoh]

Haven't gotten much hours on it yet. Mayber just around 5 hours. The problem is it's a half inch too small for me. So it's basically a backup skate since the bolt on my Bauers gave up on me and I had to replace it with a real nut and bolt :) Maybe if I spray paint it it'll add some artistic value and become expensive after my lifetime :)

And no, I am not that old. ONLY 22. Just so happened that I've gotten some old passed down stuff :)

Kinda got tired of black so I got these white Nexed Cores, never heard the end of it. Been taking a lot of crap ever since although I think it's turning black anyway :)

[showstoppr67]

This is my current equipment list (which I'm very happy with):

Helmet: CCM HT2
Visor: Oakley Aviator Pro-Cut half shield.
Gloves: Easton Z-Air (2001)
Elbow Pads: Jofa 5044
Shin Guards: Jofa 6090
Girdle: CCM Tacks
Pants: Black Biscuit Pro
Skates: CCM 1152 w/ Tour Redline chassis.
Wheels: Labeda Gripper Milleniums & Labeda Grippers
Sticks: 1) Easton SyNthesis w/SyNthesis composite blade
2) Easton SyNergy Grip
3) Easton Z-Bubble Grip w/ Z-Carb(Focus Flex) blade
(All Bananahan retail patterns)

.....and my wish list....

I definitely want to try out Innovative's new stick lineup including the Inno Novius (tapered) and the Inno True1 (425g), also interested in RinkRat wheels when more feedback is posted.

[poznan17]

Well, we took your advice and ordered Tours.
Another question. Can you use those skates outside or will concrete/blacktop harm the wheels?

[missionhockey21]

Yes you can use them outside, but you need to get a set of outdoor wheels and probably another set of bearings wouldn't hurt either, then you could just directly switch wheels without the extra work of changing bearings too. If you are intrested, I could find some outdoor wheels at a decent price for you on the web. I hope this helps you out :-)