103 replies to this topic

[JR Boucicaut]

http://www.modsquadh...ckey-catalogue/

Sticks - At the top of the list for their 2012 stick offerings is the Mako. For the first time in their composite stick history, the name SyNergy is no longer on one of their sticks. Sporting a primarily-white look, the Mako comes in with a weight reduction and balance improvement, a matte finish, and Z-Tac coating on the blade. We fortunately were able to use the Mako at MSH Winterfest this past weekend. The weight and balance was noticeable, and it is a great looking stick; should complement the RS's dark theme well. The Mako M5 falls behind it, with slight differences (blade manufacturing process)

The Stealth line is expanded (the RS and 65S are available in stores now) to include the 85S, 75S and 55S. The elliptical taper is only on the RS; the other sticks in the Stealth line have standard tapers.

The Mako shaft is Easton's tapered shaft, and the Mako M5 is a standard shaft. RIP Z-Bubble.

Skates - Although there is a page of Zach Parise talking about the RS, that skate will not be available in 2012. It was held back for future refinement. The skate line stays the same as 2011 - EQ50 down to EQ10.

Helmets - As discussed in previous threads, Easton will have a new lineup of helmets, starting with the E700. However, we did not cover the E600; same fit system, same removable pads, but slight difference; it will have a HDPE subshell. It should do extremely well at the price point that it is at, given the fact that the E helmets have a much better fit than the S19.

Gloves - The new Stealth glove series starts with the RS, which is a very interesting glove. Open wrists with an angled cuff roll provide good range of motion, a suede palm, and three-piece index, middle and ring fingers round it out. I know some have panned the look, but I think this is Easton's best glove in a very long time, and it was echoed by quite a few people in my company when we saw it in Vegas. Four price points with the Stealth; the EQ line also continues for 2012.

Protective - Stealth line is new for 2012; range of motion is good, when I tried them on in Vegas. Very light protective as well. I am not too crazy about the shiny caps on the RS however; it seemed hard and I wonder about how a wet jersey/socks will react to it. The EQ line continues from 2011.

Easton will answer as many questions as possible in this thread; also those who used the Mako at Winterfest, please post your opinions here.

[skyscrape]

I am happy to see a XXL Tall Available in pants! THANK YOU!!!!!!!

[raganblink]

Whoever designed their sticks I could kiss. Shelf appeal is right up there in terms of what kids want to buy. The Stealth and Mako look fantastic, can't wait to see them in person.

Based on the last ~5 years, Easton has lost a lot of support at the dealer and consumer level. Lately they've been getting their act together, and it goes a long way. From customer service to the product put out on the shelves, they're getting back the support from years past.

On the skates, I've seen a prototype 85S... if it wasn't for the cheap quality rivets that were completely rusted out, the skate looked in great shape considering who had and how long they've had it. It was insanely light weight (size 9 weighed less then APX in a 7) and the whole body of the skate was something that was pretty unique and looked like it would work well. I don't know what the exact circumstances of them not releasing a new skate line (my guess is durability issues), but this is a good thing IMO. It gives them time to make a skate that is going to last that top end elite level player 2 seasons. Which currently, can't last that player 6 months. The mentality in the hockey world right now is not lightweight, but rather durability. With the economy and the prices of skates today you can't expect to sell a skate that isn't going to last 2 seasons (assuming ofcourse it isn't grown out of).

Youth equipment... love. <3

Edited by raganblink, 08 December 2011 - 10:11 PM.

[DarkStar50]

I saw the Easton product today. The sticks look great and will have strong shelf appeal in the shop. Easton did an excellent job in designing a new look that players will want to pick up to feel and touch. That is winning half the battle right there for a brand in a shop setting. I also agree with raganblink that the youth gear is extremely well done in the presentation and the product delivery. The youth category can be very strong if presented properly. Job well done.
.

[Raft]

I must say I am disappointed that there will be no new skates in the 2012 line up. That being said if they are holding back for future refinement then I am sure it will be worth the wait, I assume they learned from their mistakes on the original EQ Skate line which only made it to some territories? (EQ1-EQ5)

Can someone who tried the Mako at winterfest comment on the stick or is it still under wraps? Is it similar to the EQ line? I would imagine so?

[Krev]

Are we to assume that Dave's hiring is also going to impact the 'refinement' of the skate line?

[Chadd]

As usual, I seem to be in the minority. I wasn't really a fan of the graphic execution on the Mako when I first saw it. It also marked up pretty easily when I used it at summer jam. That said, I really liked the flex profile and shot release. Puck was wasn't bad either. The stick felt very light in the hands and the puck seemed to really jump off the blade on shots. Load and release seemed to be very predictable from one shot to the next. I really like the stick and I like the white idea, just not a huge fan of the execution in this case. Personally, I think it's a huge improvement over the EQ50 in terms of feel and performance.

I love the helmets. As much as I love my E700, I think the E600 is going to fly off the shelves. As JR mentioned, it addresses many of the complaints with the mounting hardware on the E700 and comes in at a "sweet spot" in pricing.

RS protective is very nice. As I said in the Vegas topic, it's a great year for protective equipment across the industry. The shoulder pads are very nice, with the exception of the hard caps, and the elbows are pretty comfy as well.

As for the skates, I hope Easton is finally able to get its house in order with the year off. It's actually comforting to see them hold back and not put something out just to get it out and then fix it for next year as they have done at times in the past.

[hellaavangard]

I'm definitely looking forward to checking out an E400 in person, I'm interested to see how the new liner is, I've heard it's similar to the V3 seen on more recent pro stock S9's

[Beflar]

So is the mako the replacment for the eq50 stick?

[skyscrape]

So is the mako the replacment for the eq50 stick?

Sticks - At the top of the list for their 2012 stick offerings is the Mako. For the first time in their composite stick history, the name SyNergy is no longer on one of their sticks.

[natbat]

I love the new RS gear. I noticed that they also color coded the back of their pants like Bauer. Not a fan of the purple or lime on the back of the pants. When I owned my one80 pants, I had to die the lime color black with laundry die, friends on my team made fun of me RS shoulder pads look very protective and I like the wrap around feature, they look much more comfortable then the S19's. After seeing the RS gloves, it is time to upgrade my Easton Air's for sure. Any of you guys try them on? I have been looking to buy the S19's or EQ pro's, but now, I am waiting for the new gloves to come out. Nice job Easton.

Edited by natbat, 09 December 2011 - 06:30 AM.

[Goonsquad]

The MAKO was awesome to use! Loved it. It'd make the top of my shopping list if I could get it with a P91A pattern...

[althoma1]

I had the opportunity to try the Mako stick and handle the other equipment at Winterfest and these are my thoughts:

Mako - light, great looking with excellent feel and balance.

RS Gloves - they're very comfortable and feel like they're already broken in as soon as you put your hands in them.

Protective - sleek, nice looking and slim fitting shins and elbows. I was suprised to see the hard caps on the shoulder and elbow pads though and I'm not sure the calf guard on the shins needs to be hard plastic.

E700 Helmet - just as light as the S19 with a new adjustment system. It's a great looking light helmet that doesn't fit me well. I did try several different settings on the helment, but it never felt perfect on my head. I was able to get my head into the medium and I use a large in most models (currently use a large M11).

Edited by althoma1, 13 December 2011 - 01:30 AM.

[shooter27]

They are dumping the Chara pattern I see. Guess that means it didn't sell too well.

Also, I couldn't tell from the pictures, is the Stealth elbow pad a 3-piece pad or a 2-piece?

Edited by shooter27, 09 December 2011 - 02:03 PM.

[AIREAYE]

They are dumping the Chara pattern I see. Guess that means it didn't sell too well.

Also, I couldn't tell from the pictures, is the Stealth elbow pad a 3-piece pad or a 2-piece?

Chara moved into Warrior recently as well.

JR, I found out the Canadian pricepoints of some of these products, am I allowed to post them?

Sticks - Mixed opinions right off the bat. Agree with raganblink; the contrast is definitely eye-catching. For any store with racks/sections exclusively for Easton, these two lines will immediately jump out and stand out. The Mako series reminds me of icecream lol, very loud; but not Warrior-loud, A perfect contrast to the black and subtle color of the Stealth. Love the color scheme of the M3; it's more aqueous, which suits the series' namesake. However, once consumer feedback trickles its way around, I'm going to agree with Chadd in that the puck marks/paint chips will be very apparent. Concerned parents on a budget may subconsciously/consciously avoid this line because they might think that it's not as durable.

Skates - I fit into Stealth the best and my S15s will probably start to fall apart soon; so I can't wait to try the RS...very likely to be my next skate.

Gloves - iirc someone said something about how the RS used the old S17 gloves' last. If this is the case and the RS has a broken in feel already then they'd be a good improvement over the older Stealth gloves. I loved the fit and comfort of the 2008 S17s. The only problem with those guys was the palm...hopefully this suede palm is better.

Protective - Interesting to observe that Easton has varied the fit of their Synergy/Stealth shin pad lines over the years. Stealth used to be more bulkier and now they've gone with the very slick profile. I personally don't think that the black works well here. They remind me too much of the old Warrior Hustler and Hitman pads, and those guys didn't sell too well here. Agree with everyone else RE the youth protective. Love the neck fit on the RS and EQ10s; I've had some problems with getting the pads over the kid's head (and thus had to find other less suitable models) and hopefully these will be better. The extra padding on the EQ10 pants are good to see as well.

Edited by AIREAYE, 09 December 2011 - 08:01 PM.

[Stoop]

Can someone give me a quick rundown of the overall differences between Synergy and Stealth?

For sticks, is it a low-kick versus mid-kick thing? Or low weight versus durability?

For protective, I'm always thought of the Synergy and EQ as their heavier, more protective line.

[JR Boucicaut]

I never said anything about the RS/S17, do not misquote me. Do your research and then attribute your quotes properly.

No need to post pricepoints either.

Can someone give me a quick rundown of the overall differences between Synergy and Stealth?

For sticks, is it a low-kick versus mid-kick thing? Or low weight versus durability?

For protective, I'm always thought of the Synergy and EQ as their heavier, more protective line.

SyNergy/Mako is a low kick stick. The Stealth line has the radical technology.

[chippa13]

I personally found the Mako to be almost too blade light. It "felt" shorter in my hands than my Miken Z9 or the Winwell Pro Stock Lite that I got to try at WF. The performance and puck feel were pretty good.

[AIREAYE]

Didn't quote you directly, but yeah. Couldn't find the exact post, so I had to rely on memory proved faulty, hence the 'iirc' and 'or someone'. Anyhow let me rephrase that bit into a more productive question:

How has the fit of the Stealth gloves changed over the years?

[Haggerty]

The MAKO was awesome to use! Loved it. It'd make the top of my shopping list if I could get it with a P91A pattern...

Same as the Parise curve my friend... Best curve on the market!

[adam14]

What's happening to the ST?

[cooperalls]

I believe the Mako M5 will replace the ST

[DarkStar50]

As usual, I seem to be in the minority. I wasn't really a fan of the graphic execution on the Mako when I first saw it. It also marked up pretty easily when I used it at summer jam. That said, I really liked the flex profile and shot release. Puck was wasn't bad either. The stick felt very light in the hands and the puck seemed to really jump off the blade on shots. Load and release seemed to be very predictable from one shot to the next. I really like the stick and I like the white idea, just not a huge fan of the execution in this case. Personally, I think it's a huge improvement over the EQ50 in terms of feel and performance.

Most everyone here is too young to remember when wood sticks would get marked up by pucks.

[BoDangles]

Was going to try for a e700, but might need to wait for the e600 to see if the difference is worth the price difference.

The new Stealth protective line looks good, but not a fan of the plastic look. Sort of surprised they didn't use the matte finish on the skinny plastic material to tone it down some, think that would have looked amazing myself.

[skyscrape]

Most everyone here is too young to remember when wood sticks would get marked up by pucks.

Wood????? What is this strange material you speak of???