Dragon
04-23-2009, 03:14 PM
Last October I made the plunge and decided to go out and get a full custom set. I'd been using a set of 36" CCM Blockade Pro pads, Brian's Air Thief glove, and Brian's Airlite blocker, all from eBay. It was my third Thief in a row (one original and two Airs) and second Airlite. Nothing was NHL spec, and the CCMs were 12", of course.
After hemming and hawing about it for a while, I contacted Scott at Battram. I was very concerned about the fit of the glove, since I tend to be picky about that (like most of us). With a little research and Scott's help, I found two people in NJ who had the Nexus glove. I met up with both of them and tried on their gloves. Very comfortable. That was one of my main concerns, so I decided to go with the Nexus complete set. I filled out the sheet on his website, which was nice and easy. I put in all my requests and the next day spoke to Scott to confirm. The specs were as follows:
Pads:
NHL spec
Made to my measurements (I asked gave my ATK and asked for an extra 1/2" from the 36" of the CCMs)
Custom dragon/triangle graphic
Two boot straps
All leather straps
Two breaks in the vertical roll (Turco/Smith style)
Calf lifts (because I had them on the CCMs and liked them)
Embroidery
No sliding toe bridge
Blocker:
NHL spec
Custom graphic
Embroidery
Glove:
Non-NHL spec
Custom graphic
Embroidery
Double tee - each spine a 2" width (like my Brian's gloves)
Extra 1" on the pocket
When I talked to Scott on the phone I also asked for the University of Michigan M to be put on the thigh boards (because I think it was Soulpatch who had the PSU logo on his, and I liked it). He suggested I might not need the calf lifts, but he said they were removable, so since they weren't a lot of money I went with them. He also told me that he doesn't like double tees but he will do one for me. He told me that Chakal would have my graphic worked up in four or five days.
I got the graphic in about four hours. I asked him to make a couple of changes, and I was thrilled with the way it turned out.
I managed not to be *too* annoying, I think, and I had a bit of communication with Scott during the process. One thing which I thought was great was he once again expressed concern about the double tee and said he'd made both a double and a single one, and he'd be happy to attach whichever one I preferred. That was above and beyond, I thought, but I tend to be a bit stubborn, so I went with the double. I don't think it makes much difference, just as I don't think two boots straps do, but it's just what I like and what I've gotten used to. About three or four weeks after the initial order a huge box showed up on my doorstep. I opened it eagerly. Inside I observed:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3349/3329208253_9235287e05.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3611/3330041554_36278334f4.jpg
Very excited. I had a couple of small concerns. First, the spines on the tee were not 2" wide. Second, no M on the thigh boards. Third, no calf lifts. Fourth, the leather strap that holds the thumb to the thumb pad of the blocker wasn't attached to the actual glove; it was just hanging free. I contacted Scott, and he told me he thinks the wider spines would cause trouble by having too much material and not enough lace. He also said he'd forgotten the Ms because they had been discussed on the phone and were not on the order sheet. He said I could keep the thigh boards as spares and he'd send me either another set of boards or his new knee pads with the M. I went with the knee pads. Again, he didn't have to let me keep the boards; that was very nice of him. As for the calf lifts, he said he'd gotten a bit mixed up when we'd talked on the phone, and you can't really do calf lifts on the Nexus pads. He said he'd refund me the money for them. As for the thumb strip, he said that sewing that piece is done at a different time and sometimes it slips through the cracks. He told me he'd cover whatever it cost to get fixed at a tailor. Again, very nice, but I'm not going to ask him to cover the $4 or whatever; that's just silly.
The graphic is awesome. A bit less detail on the gloves than on the pads, but that's natural since they're smaller. But they got it perfectly. It's based off the tattoo I have on my back. The embroidery was good, too. I did notice that it was in white on the pads and blocker (on the blue) and in black on the glove (on the yellow). Not a big deal at all, though.
Pads:
It took me a couple of times to get the strapping exactly right. With the CCMs I put one strap through the heel and one under the instep. With these I settled on both straps through the heel. They rotate perfectly every time, and they're fantastically comfortable. Exactly the right height, and I haven't had any issues with the 11" width. My knees land right on the stacks. It took me a little bit to figure out how tight to make the velcro strap of the knee lock so that it would hold my knee tight without the outside edge of the knee lock folding over. No problems now. The thigh rises cover my 5 hole perfectly, with a bit of overlap (though not enough to bother me at all), and they seal along the ice great. I have about an inch of slack in the toe ties, and I don't miss the sliding bridge at all, nor the calf lifts. The Turco breaks are great, too; I don't know how flexible they'd be without the breaks, but I like them with them. The S-curve isn't huge, but it's good enough for me, plus they flex more when needed on the ice.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3327/3330041632_784428f52c.jpg
Also, the knee pads are great. I used the thigh boards for a few weeks or so - maybe a month - until the pads showed up. I had one puck sneak through the thigh rises and hit my right on the knee after my knee had fallen off the knee stacks during a scramble. It wasn't travelling that fast, so it just stung a little bit. Typical of my luck, the knee pads came in the mail the very next day. I laced them in without issue and they've been great.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3364/3329208475_9133239aef.jpg
Anyway, I love these pads. When they go, which I don't anticipate will be for quite a while, I'm thinking I'll get the same thing again.
Blocker:
Very comfortable. Two velcro straps on the wrist to control tightness. Took me only a bit to get it right.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3601/3329208583_61d27ccac0.jpg
I decided to not even get that little strip attached to the thumb; it gives me a little bit of extra freedom when grabbing my stick. The finger protection is good, too.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3607/3330041960_67c19a37dd.jpg
Beyond that, a blocker is a blocker. I have not noticed any issues with downsizing from the old Brian's to the NHL legal size. I would totally get another one of these, too.
Glove:
Just like the two I tried on, very comfortable. Several straps on the interior to adjust the fit, which took my only a little bit to get right. I did notice, though, that when the glove is closed there is a gap up at the top of the tee. I figured it was a break-in issue. Padding on the back is good, though.
When I got it out onto the ice, I was having issues. First, unless it hit me directly in the pocket, it was popping out. Never had that problem with any of my Brian's gloves. I tried adjusting my wrist angle, but nothing really helped. I know all about looking the puck into your glove, but sometimes when you're just blocking on a screen or a close-in shot which is too close to react, it'll hit you in the palm. Every other glove I've had (all Brian's back to when I was about 12 or 13) would angle it into the pocket.
My conclusion about that is that the angle of the palm is different. On the Brian's the palm angles straight back from the wrist to the pocket.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3314/3330042206_186fcf7523.jpg
The Battram has more of an angle there. The palm comes straight out from the wrist and then has a sharper angle, closer to 90%, back to the pocket. That causes a lot of pop-outs.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3549/3330042272_1e5800431c.jpg
The top of the tee has not closed up with use. Also, the tee doesn't seal to the ice, no matter how hard I press down on it. If I don't have my blocker or my stick next to the top of the pocket, the puck slides right out. I even had a shot a couple weeks ago where I made the glove save (in the pocket, no less). As I moved my hand, the puck slid out of the top of the closed tee, and when I dropped to my knees to cover it, it slid out from underneath my glove and kicked loose into the slot. My defenseman was fortunately able to clear it.
I also have gotten quite a few stingers in the glove. Oddly, they're not in the fingers or at the break. Rather, they're at the heel of the palm. Any heavy shot really hurts a lot, including a hard shot that I misjudged as it came in from outside the blue line and hit me in the heel of the hand. The rest of the protection is great.
It should be noted, this glove is *great* for stick-handling. I can pick up the stick just with this glove, which I could never do with any other glove. I can handle the puck either the regular way or Turco style. And, as noted before, when it's just on your hand it's very comfortable. The break was perfect for my hand. But I won't get another Nexus glove. Back to Brian's for me!
Any other questions, just ask. I don't own a camera, so if you want other shots I'll have to borrow my friend's again. I can do it; it just might take a few days. All in all I've been satisfied with my Battram experience. I'll totally get the pads and blocker again; not so much the glove. The personal service and attention was top-notch.
Dragon
After hemming and hawing about it for a while, I contacted Scott at Battram. I was very concerned about the fit of the glove, since I tend to be picky about that (like most of us). With a little research and Scott's help, I found two people in NJ who had the Nexus glove. I met up with both of them and tried on their gloves. Very comfortable. That was one of my main concerns, so I decided to go with the Nexus complete set. I filled out the sheet on his website, which was nice and easy. I put in all my requests and the next day spoke to Scott to confirm. The specs were as follows:
Pads:
NHL spec
Made to my measurements (I asked gave my ATK and asked for an extra 1/2" from the 36" of the CCMs)
Custom dragon/triangle graphic
Two boot straps
All leather straps
Two breaks in the vertical roll (Turco/Smith style)
Calf lifts (because I had them on the CCMs and liked them)
Embroidery
No sliding toe bridge
Blocker:
NHL spec
Custom graphic
Embroidery
Glove:
Non-NHL spec
Custom graphic
Embroidery
Double tee - each spine a 2" width (like my Brian's gloves)
Extra 1" on the pocket
When I talked to Scott on the phone I also asked for the University of Michigan M to be put on the thigh boards (because I think it was Soulpatch who had the PSU logo on his, and I liked it). He suggested I might not need the calf lifts, but he said they were removable, so since they weren't a lot of money I went with them. He also told me that he doesn't like double tees but he will do one for me. He told me that Chakal would have my graphic worked up in four or five days.
I got the graphic in about four hours. I asked him to make a couple of changes, and I was thrilled with the way it turned out.
I managed not to be *too* annoying, I think, and I had a bit of communication with Scott during the process. One thing which I thought was great was he once again expressed concern about the double tee and said he'd made both a double and a single one, and he'd be happy to attach whichever one I preferred. That was above and beyond, I thought, but I tend to be a bit stubborn, so I went with the double. I don't think it makes much difference, just as I don't think two boots straps do, but it's just what I like and what I've gotten used to. About three or four weeks after the initial order a huge box showed up on my doorstep. I opened it eagerly. Inside I observed:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3349/3329208253_9235287e05.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3611/3330041554_36278334f4.jpg
Very excited. I had a couple of small concerns. First, the spines on the tee were not 2" wide. Second, no M on the thigh boards. Third, no calf lifts. Fourth, the leather strap that holds the thumb to the thumb pad of the blocker wasn't attached to the actual glove; it was just hanging free. I contacted Scott, and he told me he thinks the wider spines would cause trouble by having too much material and not enough lace. He also said he'd forgotten the Ms because they had been discussed on the phone and were not on the order sheet. He said I could keep the thigh boards as spares and he'd send me either another set of boards or his new knee pads with the M. I went with the knee pads. Again, he didn't have to let me keep the boards; that was very nice of him. As for the calf lifts, he said he'd gotten a bit mixed up when we'd talked on the phone, and you can't really do calf lifts on the Nexus pads. He said he'd refund me the money for them. As for the thumb strip, he said that sewing that piece is done at a different time and sometimes it slips through the cracks. He told me he'd cover whatever it cost to get fixed at a tailor. Again, very nice, but I'm not going to ask him to cover the $4 or whatever; that's just silly.
The graphic is awesome. A bit less detail on the gloves than on the pads, but that's natural since they're smaller. But they got it perfectly. It's based off the tattoo I have on my back. The embroidery was good, too. I did notice that it was in white on the pads and blocker (on the blue) and in black on the glove (on the yellow). Not a big deal at all, though.
Pads:
It took me a couple of times to get the strapping exactly right. With the CCMs I put one strap through the heel and one under the instep. With these I settled on both straps through the heel. They rotate perfectly every time, and they're fantastically comfortable. Exactly the right height, and I haven't had any issues with the 11" width. My knees land right on the stacks. It took me a little bit to figure out how tight to make the velcro strap of the knee lock so that it would hold my knee tight without the outside edge of the knee lock folding over. No problems now. The thigh rises cover my 5 hole perfectly, with a bit of overlap (though not enough to bother me at all), and they seal along the ice great. I have about an inch of slack in the toe ties, and I don't miss the sliding bridge at all, nor the calf lifts. The Turco breaks are great, too; I don't know how flexible they'd be without the breaks, but I like them with them. The S-curve isn't huge, but it's good enough for me, plus they flex more when needed on the ice.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3327/3330041632_784428f52c.jpg
Also, the knee pads are great. I used the thigh boards for a few weeks or so - maybe a month - until the pads showed up. I had one puck sneak through the thigh rises and hit my right on the knee after my knee had fallen off the knee stacks during a scramble. It wasn't travelling that fast, so it just stung a little bit. Typical of my luck, the knee pads came in the mail the very next day. I laced them in without issue and they've been great.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3364/3329208475_9133239aef.jpg
Anyway, I love these pads. When they go, which I don't anticipate will be for quite a while, I'm thinking I'll get the same thing again.
Blocker:
Very comfortable. Two velcro straps on the wrist to control tightness. Took me only a bit to get it right.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3601/3329208583_61d27ccac0.jpg
I decided to not even get that little strip attached to the thumb; it gives me a little bit of extra freedom when grabbing my stick. The finger protection is good, too.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3607/3330041960_67c19a37dd.jpg
Beyond that, a blocker is a blocker. I have not noticed any issues with downsizing from the old Brian's to the NHL legal size. I would totally get another one of these, too.
Glove:
Just like the two I tried on, very comfortable. Several straps on the interior to adjust the fit, which took my only a little bit to get right. I did notice, though, that when the glove is closed there is a gap up at the top of the tee. I figured it was a break-in issue. Padding on the back is good, though.
When I got it out onto the ice, I was having issues. First, unless it hit me directly in the pocket, it was popping out. Never had that problem with any of my Brian's gloves. I tried adjusting my wrist angle, but nothing really helped. I know all about looking the puck into your glove, but sometimes when you're just blocking on a screen or a close-in shot which is too close to react, it'll hit you in the palm. Every other glove I've had (all Brian's back to when I was about 12 or 13) would angle it into the pocket.
My conclusion about that is that the angle of the palm is different. On the Brian's the palm angles straight back from the wrist to the pocket.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3314/3330042206_186fcf7523.jpg
The Battram has more of an angle there. The palm comes straight out from the wrist and then has a sharper angle, closer to 90%, back to the pocket. That causes a lot of pop-outs.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3549/3330042272_1e5800431c.jpg
The top of the tee has not closed up with use. Also, the tee doesn't seal to the ice, no matter how hard I press down on it. If I don't have my blocker or my stick next to the top of the pocket, the puck slides right out. I even had a shot a couple weeks ago where I made the glove save (in the pocket, no less). As I moved my hand, the puck slid out of the top of the closed tee, and when I dropped to my knees to cover it, it slid out from underneath my glove and kicked loose into the slot. My defenseman was fortunately able to clear it.
I also have gotten quite a few stingers in the glove. Oddly, they're not in the fingers or at the break. Rather, they're at the heel of the palm. Any heavy shot really hurts a lot, including a hard shot that I misjudged as it came in from outside the blue line and hit me in the heel of the hand. The rest of the protection is great.
It should be noted, this glove is *great* for stick-handling. I can pick up the stick just with this glove, which I could never do with any other glove. I can handle the puck either the regular way or Turco style. And, as noted before, when it's just on your hand it's very comfortable. The break was perfect for my hand. But I won't get another Nexus glove. Back to Brian's for me!
Any other questions, just ask. I don't own a camera, so if you want other shots I'll have to borrow my friend's again. I can do it; it just might take a few days. All in all I've been satisfied with my Battram experience. I'll totally get the pads and blocker again; not so much the glove. The personal service and attention was top-notch.
Dragon