Our Gift to You! Free Upgrade to 3 Day Air Shipping

Don't miss out on your opportunity to take advantage of a free upgrade to 3 day air shipping at HockeyGiant.com! If you've fallen behind on your Christmas shopping, we want to make sure you still have an opportunity to get your gift list taken care of before time runs out. This promotion will only be available until tomorrow, 12/20/2011 at 12:00 PST (3:00 EST). After that time, we will no longer be able to guarantee delivery by Christmas day. The offer also excludes Wheeled Hockey Bags and Hockey Goals. Just choose 3 Day Air Shipping at the checkout page and you'll recieve 3 Day Air shipping at the low ground rate of $14.99.

Make sure to check out the new Bauer Vapor X 7.0 LE Hockey Skates and Bauer Vapor X 3.0 LE Hockey Skates. The Vapor LE skates have the same specs and features as the stock Vapor 7.0 & 3.0 models, but the quarters have been repackaged with a slick, one-of-a-kind black and white design. There are limited quantities available, so grab a pair while they last!

                   

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Reebok 11K Pump Hockey Skate Review

This weekend I had the pleasure of trying out the Reebok 11K Black Ice Hockey Skates. The 11K's were the first pair of Reebok skates that I've ever used, mostly because my feet are so oddly shaped that I'm hesitant to wear anything other than my Graf 727 Cyberflex skates. I have fairly wide, flat feet, and my medial malleolus (the bone that protrudes from your inner ankle) not only sticks out more than normal, it also sits much further forward and often completely misses the padding in the ankle of the boot, resting near the edge of the boot eyelets. So, I often have a hard time finding a boot that works as well for my feet as the Graf 727's.

Anyhow, I had heard only good things about the quality and performance of the Reebok 11K skates, so I was pretty "pumped" (see what I did there? awful joke...) when I was given a pair to try out. When I picked them up out of the box they were lighter than I expected, and the graphics were flashy but not overdone. I had the skates baked and sharpened (1", for those who care) on Friday, and they molded very well. Oh, quick note here, make sure you release all of the air out of the pumps before you bake the skates. On Saturday, I sat on my couch and laced them up to see if the padding was still as comfortable as the day before when I baked them. They fit like a glove, or... yeah. The padding was a little bit more rigid than before I baked the skates, but it felt great and the shape achieved by molding was maintained.

On Sunday afternoon I had a game, which isn't usually my favorite time to pull out a pair of brand new skates, but it's been a bit of a challenge finding time to skate lately. The first thing I noticed when I stepped through the gate onto the ice was the forward pitch. Like I said, I've been using Graf 727's with TUUK Custom+ holders for the last 5 years, so I'm used to a pretty neutral stance. In the 11K's, I was definitely on my toes, but it wasn't quite as extreme as the forward pitch I experienced with the Cobra holders that were originally on the Grafs. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being a neutral pitch and 10 being the most aggressive forward stance, I'd say the 11K's were around 7.5 or 8. As the game went on, I was able to adjust to it and didn't really notice it anymore by the time the 3rd period rolled around.

I remember talking to some buddies about their own experience with Reebok pump skates a while back, and they mentioned that the pump seemed to lose most of its air after a period or so. I should clarify by saying that their experience was with the 9K from 2009. Anyhow, I pumped up the boots in the locker room and they seemed to stay pumped all game for me. No issues there. The pump is a really nice feature, and for someone like me who has flintstone feet, it adds another degree of comfort in the ankles.

The lace-lock or "Skatelock", as they call it, does its job well, but I could live without it because you have to unclasp it when you're done skating anyway, and it can be a little cumbersome at first. Nothing complicated, but it takes a couple extra seconds to operate and I might just as well do without it. I can see how most players would appreciate it, though. I was impressed by the way the boots wrapped my feet and provided a very secure yet comfortable fit. The Skatelock played its part in that, so I can't knock it.

Support and response (and weight, of course) are always the most important performance characteristics of a hockey skate. In terms of support, I found no fault in the 11K's. I was really pleased with the amount of confidence I felt in the skates as I took turns at top speed. Every turn, stop and push-off was met with the right blend of rigidity and flexibility in the key areas. The response of the boots was good, too, and there didn't seem to be much energy lost when I pushed off to accelerate or stopped to change directions.

By the end of my game, my arches and thighs were a little sore. I don't fault the skates for this at all. I have flat, wide feet, and I was using a D width boot. The arches in the 11K's are relatively high compared to other skates I've recently tried on, but I'm sure they're right on par for most skaters. Also, the forward pitch of the boots put me more on my toes than I'm used to. This probably changed my posture a little bit and shifted the workload to a different part of my thigh muscles as I skated. I'm sure after a couple more skates my legs will readjust to the aggressive stance and the strain will subside.

All in all, I was really impressed by the look, fit and performance of the Reebok 11K Skates. When it comes to fit, the nice thing about these skates is that you have more stock fit options than I think I've ever seen with another skate on the market. The 11K skate is offered in D, D/AA, E, and EE. As most of you know, D is a standard fit, E is wide and EE is extra wide. D/AA is a good fit for players who want a standard D width boot, but prefer a narrower heel fit. With all of those options available, pretty much every foot type can be accommodated. I probably would have been better off with an E width boot, but the D width offered a manageable fit for me.

I would absolutely recommend the Reebok 11K Skates. They're light, supportive, comfortable, attractive and very well priced, especially when you consider the amount being charged for the top models being produced by some of the other manufacturers.

Get your pair of Reebok 11K Hockey Skates at HockeyGiant.com today!

Hockey Skates: Pitch, Hollow and Radius

Whenever you take your skates to your local pro shop to have them sharpened, I'm sure the man behind the sharpening stone throws around a few terms that you may or may not be familiar with. If you're a seasoned vet, you probably don't need to read much further. If you're a beginner, or you've simply made a habit of handing over your skates and crossing your fingers as you hope for the best, this article should help you become a bit more familiar with some of the hockey pro shop jargon.

We're going to discuss the terms pitch, hollow, and radius, as they pertain to runners (blades) on your ice hockey skates. Knowledge is power, and if you have a clear understanding of what these terms mean, you'll be able to communicate more clearly with your local skate sharpener. You have options – so take full advantage, and don't hesitate to make some adjustments here and there until you find what you're looking for.

Hollow

Hollow is the depth of the edges given to your runners when they are sharpened. The most common hollows used are (from deepest to shallowest) 3/8”, 7/16”, 1/2”, 9/16” & 5/8”. You may be wondering what these numbers represent. You may also be wondering why the sharper/deeper hollows are represented by smaller numbers. Well, the numbers actually represent the radius of the imaginary circle that would be created if you traced the contour of the hollow in the runner to produce a complete circle.

The grey area, in the diagram below, represents the runner. The groove in the 9/16" hollow is much shallower than the groove in the 3/8" hollow. This also means that the edges of the 9/16" hollow are not as thin or long as the edges of the 3/8" hollow. Keep in mind that these images were not done to-scale, but should help you visualize the difference between a shallow cut (9/16") and a deep cut (3/8").

A few things must be considered when choosing the hollow that best suits you.

1. Your weight – Heavy skaters do not need a deep hollow because their weight allows them to dig into the ice much easier than lighter skaters.


2. Hardness of the ice – Harder ice requires a deeper hollow in order to allow a player to dig in with the edges of the runners. On the other hand, soft, chippy ice requires a shallow hollow to allow a player to glide on the ice without digging in too deep.


3. Your skating style – Players who desire greater straightaway speed and easier gliding should use a shallow hollow, while players who desire the ability to make tighter, sharper turns should go with a deeper hollow.

Pitch

Pitch is a reference to the profile of the runner on a hockey skate which causes a player’s weight to shift to their toes or mid foot. Forward pitch puts a player on his toes and gives the skater an aggressive stance. Neutral pitch puts a skater on his mid foot for a stable, balanced stance. There's really no benefit to putting a backward pitch on your runners because leaning back on your heels will simply throw you off-balance. The pitch is adjusted by grinding down the runner at an angle so that your weight is shifted (pitched) toward your toes.

*Be careful with pitch adjustments*... Once you put a substantial pitch on your runners, there's no going back because you obviously can't reverse the grinding process. Your only option at that point is to replace the runners, which isn't the end of the world, but it's another $40-50 bucks that you don't want to have to spend as the result of a poor decision.

Another thing to understand about pitch is that your holders also play a major factor. For example, Cobra holders (used on Graf skates) have a longer heel post which lifts the heel and puts more of your weight on your toes for an aggressive stance. TUUK holders (used on Bauer skates), on the other hand, have a very neutral pitch, putting most of your weight on the middle of the foot for a neutral stance. If you've decided that you prefer a neutral stance, you're better off buying TUUK holders than grinding down the runners to off-set the natural pitch of another brand of holders. And if you prefer an aggressive stance, your best choice is to go with a pair of Cobra holders. This is the better way to address the issue of pitch, because if you happen to break a runner which you spent the time and money to have pitched (*tip: runners break more often than holders), you have to replace it and have it profiled again to match the runner on your other skate... Whereas if you simply chose a pair of holders with the pitch that suits your needs, you wouldn't have to deal with the hassle of readjusting the runner pitch.

Radius

Radius is the measurement of your skate runner’s profile as it relates to the size and shape of a circle. The visual aid above, which was used to show the imaginary circle created by the hollow of a runner, should help you understand how the radius is measured also. But in the case of runner radius, just imagine that you're looking at your runner from the side, and that the imaginary circle follows the contour of the blade's bottom edge. A runner with a 13’ radius is fairly flat and a large portion of the runner is touching the ice surface – so when you trace the profile of the blade and continue the imaginary line out to create an imaginary complete circle, the radius of that circle is 13'. A runner with a 9’ radius is noticeably more curved from tip to tip than a runner with a 13’ radius, and you can see that less of the runner's bottom edge is touching the ice surface when it's resting flat on the ice.

When you have your runners profiled, you're giving them a different "rocker". Visualize the curved feet of a rocking chair; you can find rocking chairs with varying foot curvatures, and this difference affects how much of the undersides of the feet are actually touching the ground beneath at any given point. When you look at the different rocker options that are available, you observe the same effect. More curvature (i.e. 9' Radius) = Less blade touching the ice.

Here’s basically how the pros and cons boil down…

1. 13’ radius – offers greater surface area contact, which increases straightaway speed, acceleration and balance at the cost of tight cornering and smooth transitions


2. 11’ radius – offers a good, well balanced blend of speed and agility


3. 9’ radius – offers great agility, tight cornering and smooth transitions at the cost of straightaway speed and acceleration

How to Bake Your Hockey Skates

Many ice hockey skates are now made with a special type of thermo-formable foam that responds to heat and becomes soft enough to be reshaped for a customized fit. Most hockey pro shops have a skate oven that is used to heat up the skates for about 5-10 minutes at approximately 175°, but the temperature and baking time varies from one skate model to the next.

Do I Have to Bake My Skates?

For certain skate models, baking is required, for others it is highly recommended and for most it is not absolutely necessary but may be worth doing anyhow. Hockey skates are made to be stiff and supportive but can be uncomfortable when they haven't been broken in. Baking your skates often gives you a more comfortable fit than the fit you'll experience with a pair of skates that you wear right out of the box, and baking also helps eliminate some of the initial pressure points that exist with a new pair of skates. Break-in time varies from model to model, but typically takes between 6 and 10 hours of hard skating.

Can I Use My Kitchen Oven to Bake My Skates?

Baking your hockey skates in your home oven is not recommended because the skates can be damaged if they are improperly baked. It's always best to have the skates baked in a skate oven at a hockey pro shop. Also, the manufacturer's warranty is often void if the skates are baked in your home oven.

If you don't have access to a hockey pro shop with a skate oven then a hair blow dryer works fairly well and provides a safe alternative. Just point it into the boot on low heat for 10-12 minutes and the materials should become warm enough to do the trick. Be very careful when you're lacing up your skates because when the materials are warm the eyelets can become strained and may even pop out if you pull too hard. Pull the laces outward as you tighten rather than upward. After you've tightened the skates, stay seated for about 40 minutes so the materials have a chance to cool down. It's also best to wait about 24 hours after baking before you skate to allow the materials to harden and set.

Does Every Skate Model Respond Differently to Baking?

High end models, such as the Bauer Vapor APX Skates and CCM U+ Crazy Light Skates should always be baked for the best fit because the quarter package of elite models such as these is very rigid and somewhat unforgiving in the absence of baking. Mid level skates should be baked as well, but it's not absolutely necessary as the boots are typically a bit softer. Introductory level skates have a softer shell and usually do not have the same type of thermo-formable foam padding which is used in mid and high level skates, so they do not need to be baked because they are easier to break in the old fashioned way.

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Bauer Supreme TOTAL ONE Hockey Skates Review

Bauer continues to push the hockey skate market with breakthrough technology and innovation. The new Bauer Supreme TOTAL ONE Skates are fully loaded with every feature at Bauer’s disposal. Leading up to the release of Bauer’s 2010 Supreme line there was plenty of hype surrounding the TOTAL ONE’s, but there were also many skeptics who had a hard time justifying the projected $800 price tag. For anyone who has had the opportunity to skate with them, or simply try them on in the store, the question is no longer “Why would I spend $800 on skates?” but instead “What should I cut out of my budget this month so I can grab a pair?”

If you haven't had a chance to try them on yet, I'd highly recommend grabbing a pair ASAP. But in the meantime, I'll go ahead and lay it out on paper for you. The big question is "What makes the TOTAL ONE better than its predecessor, the Supreme ONE95?" First off, at 695 grams in size 8 the TOTAL ONE skates are lighter than the ONE95's which were well over 700 grams. The Anaform boot is constructed with a lightweight, Alive composite quarter which is thermoformable for a great fit. The TOTAL ONE offers a superior, contoured fit which has been optimized for weight reduction, comfort and support.

One of the other major weight-reduction contributors was the implementation of the new Tuuk Lightspeed Fusion Runners which are 30% lighter than the Lightspeed 2.1 Power runners which were used on the ONE95 skates. The Fusion Runners are constructed with lightweight aluminum (upper portion of the runner) and high grade stainless steel which are fused together with epoxy and rivets. The breakthrough concept was first explored by CCM with the Rocket Runner and has been optimized by Bauer with their substitution of aluminum in place of the plastic which was used in the upper portion of the Rocket Runner.

Another new feature of the TOTAL ONE skates is the customizable reflex tongue. The tongue is constructed with a channel for composite inserts which provide varying degrees of stiffness to deliver maximum recoil with each stride. The inserts are available in Mid, Stiff and X-Stiff to accommodate the personal preferences and needs of each player, determined mainly by their weight and the aggressiveness of their skating style. This is a new approach to boot customization, which previously had not been placed so conveniently in the hands of consumers.

The outsole of the boot is made with texalium composite and is well ventilated with 4 strategically placed perforations in the base of the mid-foot. The boot has an incredibly comfortable interior with Hydrophobic liner that provides a secure fit with a textured grip that locks your feet in place. Another feature which provides added comfort is the comfort edge on the top portion of the quarter package. Pro players and custom skate users have been fortunate enough to enjoy this feature for quite some time, but with the TOTAL ONE it comes as a stock feature.

If you're not convinced yet, just listen to what some of the NHL's top players have to say about the Bauer TOTALONE Skates in this special feature video provided by Bauer Hockey Inc.

Buy the Bauer Supreme Total One Ice Hockey Skates at HockeyGiant.com