Stick, skates, glove recommendations?

[Lososaurus]

I'm planning on picking up a pair of inlines, gloves and a stick this weekend; The plan was to go to either Hockey Giant or Hockey Warehouse(unless you guys can recommend somewhere better, I just know I'm not going to Sports Chalet or the like ).

Problem is, it's been 10 years since I bought a stick or skates or any gear for that matter and I don't know what to look for anymore and I was just looking for advice on what I should look for, avoid, etc and was wondering if you guys could help.

I have an old Easton stick that has always worked well and bauer inlines that aren't really hockey skates and not really recreational and I'd be looking for hockey inlines.

[VegasHockey]

Well, it's a rather bland question, you know? Playing style, price range, any preferences, it all comes into play but I'll do my best to help.


Gloves: I currently use Easton gloves. Love em, best I've ever owned. Still, there's a lot of good glove manufactuerers out there. As long as you don't go cheap and get some crappy clothe version, you should be fine. Nike/Bauer, CCM, Warrior, Eagle, Louisville/TPS, Flak, and plenty of others, all good brands.

Sticks: This one really does depend on your style of play so it's really hard to say anything on this one. If you're going with casual play and don't play often, I'd recommend a wooden stick or a shaft with replacable blade. If you're going wooden, Sher-Wood is awesome. If you want to get a shaft, Easton still makes some decent ones at affordable prices. Anything else, you're going to spend a bit of money probably.

Skates: I'm a Bauer guy all the way. I've had my Bauer inlines for 10 years now. They're before Bauer and Nike became one. I'm sure Bauer/Nike is very similar to what it once was though, so I'd give those a shot if I were you. I never liked how CCM skates fit, but of course, that's to my specific foot. I've heard some people like Mission's and some don't, so I really don't know on those. Don't know a whole lot about RBK skates. Same goes for Tour. Tour's been around for quite some time now but I've never tried them. Really, your best bet is to go to a shop and just try on a bunch and get a good feel for them.



Hope any of that helped.

[SuperCalo2000]

I went to the hockeymonkey.com physical store as well as Hockey Giant and both stores had pretty cool dudes working there and all kinds of equipment at a rage of prices. They helped me find some gear for my nephew and some stuff for me as well. It is a trek to the OC but worth it.

[yipperzz]

if you're going to giant, you might as well go a little further out to monkey too. hawk hockey if you didn't know. it's hockeymonkey's physical store. i like hockeymonkey's selection as far as brands go but that's just my personal preference. but it doesn't hurt to try both and see the selection and price.

[Lososaurus]

I guess the real question I'm asking is is are there any brands I should shy away from or any I should give a second look?

[spjon25]

I have seen that some of the GEAR equipment is rather poorly made. I had a wheel bag of theirs break on me rather quickly after normal use

[VegasHockey]

Originally Posted by spjon25

I have seen that some of the GEAR equipment is rather poorly made. I had a wheel bag of theirs break on me rather quickly after normal use

I own some GEAR inline pants and they're fine, but that's all I own of them. Does that company still exist?

[yipperzz]

Originally Posted by spjon25

I have seen that some of the GEAR equipment is rather poorly made. I had a wheel bag of theirs break on me rather quickly after normal use

i agree. most of the big brands out there aren't that bad. just depends on how much you want to spend. you can't go wrong with ccm/rbk, bauer/nike, graf, easton, warrior, eagle. i'm probably missing some companies. but those are some of the most popular companies out right now. if you go lower end you may end up with poor quality or life, but performance wise (especially since you haven't played in a while) it shouldn't be too much of an issue.

[Lososaurus]

Originally Posted by yipperzz

i agree. most of the big brands out there aren't that bad. just depends on how much you want to spend. you can't go wrong with ccm/rbk, bauer/nike, graf, easton, warrior, eagle. i'm probably missing some companies. but those are some of the most popular companies out right now. if you go lower end you may end up with poor quality or life, but performance wise (especially since you haven't played in a while) it shouldn't be too much of an issue.

I'm a believer in "Buy cheap, buy twice(or more)" and "do it once, do it right", so I wouldn't mind dropping a couple bills on gear that could last me to an intermediate level or some kind of organized league( in the garbage division, haha ). All the bigger companies seem to have positive reviews/vibe, there does't really seem to be anything out there that should be avoided like the plague(at least for the larger companies).

Right now, it's just myself and two friends, one of which is a goalie and all we do is lace up, setup our PVC net at a local school and shoot around, but if we were to get more serious about playing, I wouldn't want to buy a new pair of skates and essentially have to break them in and get used to their handling during a league or anything of the like( plus, I think it'd be nice to just have a pair of skates that fit properly ).

[ianmonsta]

Originally Posted by Lososaurus

I'm a believer in "Buy cheap, buy twice(or more)" and "do it once, do it right", so I wouldn't mind dropping a couple bills on gear that could last me to an intermediate level or some kind of organized league( in the garbage division, haha ). All the bigger companies seem to have positive reviews/vibe, there does't really seem to be anything out there that should be avoided like the plague(at least for the larger companies).

Right now, it's just myself and two friends, one of which is a goalie and all we do is lace up, setup our PVC net at a local school and shoot around, but if we were to get more serious about playing, I wouldn't want to buy a new pair of skates and essentially have to break them in and get used to their handling during a league or anything of the like( plus, I think it'd be nice to just have a pair of skates that fit properly ).

make sure you get harder wheels, soft wheels will get torn up on concrete

[Lososaurus]

Originally Posted by ianmonsta

make sure you get harder wheels, soft wheels will get torn up on concrete

That's exactly the problem one of my friends is having now, I think he has indoor wheels or just super soft wheels and they're wearing down very quickly.

[Lososaurus]

Man another thing I'm not sure about are 1-piece sticks. I don't want to be playing street and grind down the blade and then wind up having to buy a whole new stick. Any recommendations? I just don't want to be spending cash on sticks over and over...

[Catman39]

Originally Posted by VegasHockey

I own some GEAR inline pants and they're fine, but that's all I own of them. Does that company still exist?

I think GEAR is now owned by Hockey Giant.

[ianmonsta]

Originally Posted by Lososaurus

Man another thing I'm not sure about are 1-piece sticks. I don't want to be playing street and grind down the blade and then wind up having to buy a whole new stick. Any recommendations? I just don't want to be spending cash on sticks over and over...

if youre playing outdoor school yard hockey then definately get a 2 piece, it doesnt have to be a gnarly composite one, the blade will wear down quick and youll be glad you can just pop the old one out and get a 10-15 $ one, there are also plastic ones that last quite a bit longer that arnt bad for outdoor hockey.

[yipperzz]

yeah definitely no on the 1 piece outside. a 2 piece with a tapered blade will be just as good as a 1 piece except you can replace the blade when it breaks/wears down. i wouldn't waste my money on a composite blade outside though. only if you're playing indoor in a league or on ice would i spend good money on a nice blade. if you're just practicing and messing around outside, you can pick up some cheapy blades for around 10 bucks.

edit: you might want to look into a standard shaft though. it's easier to find the cheapy blades for standard shafts. most tapered blades i see are pretty high end and not many wood/abs for outdoor use.