Best stick/blade/wheels for inline hockey (outdoors)

[windflare]

Wheels:

Hyper Pros 250s are good. 150s aren't bad. Rink Rat World Cups are good. Red Star Rocket 86A wheels are okay. Use these for outdoors - the Hyper Pro 250s and/or Rink Rats are probably your best bet if price is not an object. Go with the 150s if price is an object, you can pick them up at HockeyGiant/HockeyMonkey/Inlinewarehouse for 3.99 per.

Blade:
ABS blades. Easton makes one, TPS makes one, Koho makes one, practically everybody makes one. Try those out. Don't use composite blades on asphalt - it is amazing how many people actually take composite blades or even OPS's to asphalt courts and play with them. It makes me want to barf.

Another option - if you have a source for cheap wood blades, go with those. Just replace them every now and then. They will definitely give you a better shot than an ABS on a ProPuck, as the ABS is not ideal for puck play (soft).

As for the pattern, there are tons out there. Easton ABS blades have many patterns, and some you should try are the Sakic and Forsberg, easily found at LHSs. For Nike Bauer ABS blades, give the Naslund or St.Louis a shot, stay away from the Kovy. TPS - Messier or Nash, I believe. Mission - Elias or Rafalski. Koho has a C21 pattern, I believe, that is not the Jagr pattern, but more of a Naslund clone. Check that out and see whether that works. If not, check with www.modsquadhockey.com on some of the patterns.

EDIT: Oh my, how could I forget - the V20/V40 blades from CCM. Tanks. Try the Lecavalier curve. The RBK 1k blades work okay, you can try the 3k - some of my friends use that for asphalt outdoors - but usually folks stick with the 1K.

 

[nyrmetros]

Wheels:

Hyper Pros 250s are good. 150s aren't bad. Rink Rat World Cups are good. Red Star Rocket 86A wheels are okay. Use these for outdoors - the Hyper Pro 250s and/or Rink Rats are probably your best bet if price is not an object. Go with the 150s if price is an object, you can pick them up at HockeyGiant/HockeyMonkey/Inlinewarehouse for 3.99 per.

Blade:
ABS blades. Easton makes one, TPS makes one, Koho makes one, practically everybody makes one. Try those out. Don't use composite blades on asphalt - it is amazing how many people actually take composite blades or even OPS's to asphalt courts and play with them. It makes me want to barf.

Another option - if you have a source for cheap wood blades, go with those. Just replace them every now and then. They will definitely give you a better shot than an ABS on a ProPuck, as the ABS is not ideal for puck play (soft).

As for the pattern, there are tons out there. Easton ABS blades have many patterns, and some you should try are the Sakic and Forsberg, easily found at LHSs. For Nike Bauer ABS blades, give the Naslund or St.Louis a shot, stay away from the Kovy. TPS - Messier or Nash, I believe. Mission - Elias or Rafalski. Koho has a C21 pattern, I believe, that is not the Jagr pattern, but more of a Naslund clone. Check that out and see whether that works. If not, check with www.modsquadhockey.com on some of the patterns.

EDIT: Oh my, how could I forget - the V20/V40 blades from CCM. Tanks. Try the Lecavalier curve. The RBK 1k blades work okay, you can try the 3k - some of my friends use that for asphalt outdoors - but usually folks stick with the 1K.

thanx for all that info

 

[windflare]

thanx for all that info

Np. Now that I reread some of your replies, it appears that the 250s aren't holding up well for you. Have you been doing rotations of the inside-outside wheels and also flipping them every now and then? It helps to even and slow down wear, to a certain degree.

I haven't had experiences with the Labeda wheels before, so I can't comment on them, but the consensus best outdoor wheels on MSH is usually the 250s or the World Cups. I've used the Red Stars before as well, and they held up decently, though you have to keep in mind I only weigh 140lbs.

As for your bearings - if they are rusted, I would highly recommend that you get a new set. The Bones Red bearings here are amazing - built exactly as the $70+ Bones Swiss bearings, but made in China instead of Switzerland, and they are just fantastic. Better than any ABEC-9 sets out there, and it's only 30 bucks for a full set. I use these for indoors, but if you are on a minimum budget and don't want to waste 30 bucks on outdoor bearings, go eBay for a set of ABEC-7s.
http://www.inlinewarehouse.com/descpage.html?pcode=PCBRB

 

[lotus]

Koho Crossover Jagr Curve

Thats what I play ball hockey with. I think I've hit more cars in the parking lot than I've hit the net hahah...

 

[slade]

rink rat world cup.


do it.

 

[lotus]

rink rat world cup.


do it.

seriously +1 to that =P I love mine. Just a little pricey.

 

[nyrmetros]

Np. Now that I reread some of your replies, it appears that the 250s aren't holding up well for you. Have you been doing rotations of the inside-outside wheels and also flipping them every now and then? It helps to even and slow down wear, to a certain degree.

I haven't had experiences with the Labeda wheels before, so I can't comment on them, but the consensus best outdoor wheels on MSH is usually the 250s or the World Cups. I've used the Red Stars before as well, and they held up decently, though you have to keep in mind I only weigh 140lbs.

As for your bearings - if they are rusted, I would highly recommend that you get a new set. The Bones Red bearings here are amazing - built exactly as the $70+ Bones Swiss bearings, but made in China instead of Switzerland, and they are just fantastic. Better than any ABEC-9 sets out there, and it's only 30 bucks for a full set. I use these for indoors, but if you are on a minimum budget and don't want to waste 30 bucks on outdoor bearings, go eBay for a set of ABEC-7s.
http://www.inlinewarehouse.com/descpage.html?pcode=PCBRB

the way I skate, and the surface I skate on, I honestly don't know if any wheel will really hold up. But all I know is that alsmost every guy on my team uses Labed asphault on the 2 outside wheels and labeda grippers on the 2 inside wheels. my local store didn't have em last night as I mentioned so I got whatever they had left, just to hold me over for a few weeks. However the guys at the shop did clean my bearings for me and they got most of the rust off, so that's a bit of good news there.
I also purchased the rbk 5k inline skates last night on clearnace. I haven't tried them out though cause I wanna switch the wheels before I use em. rinkrat indoors wheels wouldn't last 10 minutes at our rink.

And yes I rotate my wheels after evey game.

 

[TBLfan]

For durability the easton abs blade. For performance, while sacraficing some durability the vector v40.

Wheels: Rink Rat World Cups

 

[nyrmetros]

when I played wit the koho 2100 abs blade, it honestly felt more like a toy that an actual puck blade.

 

[Ducks]

I'm telling you, try out the Easton ABS/fiberglass blade. I use one on a RBK 4k shaft for ice hockey and it works fine. Obviously it's not the most ideal for ice, but if it can stand up to the weight and impact of a puck it shouldn't flex much at all when using a roller puck or ball. Trust me, it's pretty stiff.

 

[nyrmetros]

I'm telling you, try out the Easton ABS/fiberglass blade. I use one on a RBK 4k shaft for ice hockey and it works fine. Obviously it's not the most ideal for ice, but if it can stand up to the weight and impact of a puck it shouldn't flex much at all when using a roller puck or ball. Trust me, it's pretty stiff.

Is there a specific model of the Easton ABS/fiberglass blade that i should look into. There's a chance I might have used this once before, but I've gone through so many stick blades that I can't remember anymore. lol

I have used this one oin the past and I think I only thought it was fair.

http://www.inlinewarehouse.com/descpage.html?pcode=ESXABB

and I have used the black version of this one recently and I thought I liked it

http://www.inlinewarehouse.com/descpage.html?pcode=1KRB7

 

[Ducks]

yeah it's the first one you linked. I got it as a cheap way to test out a new curve. Like I've said, I use it for ice hockey and it stands up, so you shouldn't have any problems with it flexing on a roller puck.

 

[TOCxNJ]

I've played inline hockey outdoors exclusively for the last 15 years or so....

I swear by this blade:

Koho Ultimate 2100 It's only $16.99... Order them in bulk and you can qualify for free shipping... The blade never breaks on me and it's an ABS blade so it wears down much slower then non-ABS blades..

ha, nice i use the same blade...its really the ONLY blade i have found for outdoor that doesnt break within an hour of me using it. i've been playing for over 15 years on and off but have yet to find a replacement blade that does any better on outdoor rinks. i'd love to try something new because i'm not always a fan of the curves, so the search will continue.

also, weird off topic thing...people who tape their blades playing outdoor, how the hell does this work for you? i get waaaaaaaay too much drag, i cant stand it. i have never used tape on the blade for anything other than ice or indoor.

 

[nyrmetros]

ha, nice i use the same blade...its really the ONLY blade i have found for outdoor that doesnt break within an hour of me using it. i've been playing for over 15 years on and off but have yet to find a replacement blade that does any better on outdoor rinks. i'd love to try something new because i'm not always a fan of the curves, so the search will continue.

also, weird off topic thing...people who tape their blades playing outdoor, how the hell does this work for you? i get waaaaaaaay too much drag, i cant stand it. i have never used tape on the blade for anything other than ice or indoor.

I thought so too, but all the good players at our outdoor rink use tape on their stick, while the mediocre players don't use tape on their sticks..... hmm...... They also use candle wax on their tape jobs....

 

[Ducks]

I thought so too, but all the good players at our outdoor rink use tape on their stick, while the mediocre players don't use tape on their sticks..... hmm...... They also use candle wax on their tape jobs....

wax is for ice hockey. It's meant to help keep water from getting into the tape/blade as well as reduce snow buildup.

if you play roller hockey and want some friction for the puck/ball you can always use some friction tape lengthwise along the blade instead of wrapping it, that way the bottom slides smooth and the blade stays gripped.

 

[BigBearnier]

for wheels, try the labeda shooters.. they've worked pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty well for me.



aaand for wrapping the blade, you could just wrap over the top and sides, leaving the bottom tape-less. just basically the same as taping for ice, just not going round the bottom...

 

[TOCxNJ]

for wheels, try the labeda shooters.. they've worked pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty well for me.



aaand for wrapping the blade, you could just wrap over the top and sides, leaving the bottom tape-less. just basically the same as taping for ice, just not going round the bottom...

this is what i do actually....but there are some dudes that tape the whole blade, even the bottom for outdoor. i never understood that, i'm guessing these guys probably started out with ice hockey. i started with outdoor so maybe thats why.

 

[waffledave]

I use a Koho Torpedo and it's awesome...Wood stick with fiberglass core, and it lasts me about a month before it wears down too much to be usable.

Don't tape your roller hockey stick. Why would anyone do that?

 

[nyrmetros]

I use a Koho Torpedo and it's awesome...Wood stick with fiberglass core, and it lasts me about a month before it wears down too much to be usable.

Don't tape your roller hockey stick. Why would anyone do that?

everyone in Whitestone Queens seems to take their roller hockey sticks.... ??

 

[waffledave]

everyone in Whitestone Queens seems to take their roller hockey sticks.... ??

It doesn't make sense to me...A ball is alot lighter than a puck, and most stick blades have some grip already, more than enough for a ball. Tape just gets in the way for me, and without snow or ice or water I don't see a reason for it.

 

[wolfgaze]

ha, nice i use the same blade...its really the ONLY blade i have found for outdoor that doesnt break within an hour of me using it. i've been playing for over 15 years on and off but have yet to find a replacement blade that does any better on outdoor rinks. i'd love to try something new because i'm not always a fan of the curves, so the search will continue.

also, weird off topic thing...people who tape their blades playing outdoor, how the hell does this work for you? i get waaaaaaaay too much drag, i cant stand it. i have never used tape on the blade for anything other than ice or indoor.

Every blade I've ever ordered has had a 1/2" mid curve... Are you referring to those few 'big curve' ones they manufactured way back when? I don't think you can find those anymore...

 

[lotus]

I thought so too, but all the good players at our outdoor rink use tape on their stick, while the mediocre players don't use tape on their sticks..... hmm...... They also use candle wax on their tape jobs....

They could just be using the same stick they use for Ice Hockey and are too lazy to take off the tape/wax. I've seen that before.

 

[slade]

i use tape lengthwise as well. it softens the feel of the puck and grips it.

if youre playing on a smooth surface, with a pro puck- it offers a very similar benefit to tape on an ice blade.

i use candlewax on the blade as well- it keeps the tape in tact.

 

[nyrmetros]

They could just be using the same stick they use for Ice Hockey and are too lazy to take off the tape/wax. I've seen that before.

That is true. Some do play both ice and roller. However they said they use a seperate stick for ice and roller. I asked specifiacally about that. lol.

 

[nyrmetros]

Has anyone here tried the rbk 1k red illegal curve blade for roller hockey?