The RinkFor the not so ready for prime-time players, coaches, referees, and the people that have to live with them. Discuss experiences in local leagues, coaching tips, equipment, and training.
Thanks for the link, I have been reading the reviews there for a while. They definitely have good points to include, but I don't want to do what everyone else is doing. I want to do it better
Those reviews are good because they are from actual hockey players, but I would want to include my own review with pictures, videos and specs, then allow users to add their reviews.
for the sticks, if you could weigh every stick you come across that'd be nice. i don't think many people have the weight scale so you rarely see the weight in grams. mind you weight isn't a huge concern, but people do ask.
i don't think videos would be needed for sticks, unless you want to do your full review in video form. i personally prefer to read it, although a picture handy would be nice.
protective equipment is where you could have videos. like for a shin or elbow pad, you can show how to fasten it, and show any areas that need to be discussed... like some velcro straps not tightening enough for example.
detailed specs are always nice, because not everyone reads/has access to the official catalogs of each brand.
for the sticks, if you could weigh every stick you come across that'd be nice. i don't think many people have the weight scale so you rarely see the weight in grams. mind you weight isn't a huge concern, but people do ask.
i don't think videos would be needed for sticks, unless you want to do your full review in video form. i personally prefer to read it, although a picture handy would be nice.
protective equipment is where you could have videos. like for a shin or elbow pad, you can show how to fasten it, and show any areas that need to be discussed... like some velcro straps not tightening enough for example.
detailed specs are always nice, because not everyone reads/has access to the official catalogs of each brand.
Also to add, I have been watching Ice Warehouse reviews on Youtube and a lot of others. And they seem to never give input for shorter players. If they are reviewing a new stick, they will always pull out a SR and give a review of it assuming everyone is over 6 ft playing. So I would like to see maybe a review of the SR version and an INT version of the same stick.
Also to add, I have been watching Ice Warehouse reviews on Youtube and a lot of others. And they seem to never give input for shorter players. If they are reviewing a new stick, they will always pull out a SR and give a review of it assuming everyone is over 6 ft playing. So I would like to see maybe a review of the SR version and an INT version of the same stick.
Not everyone was lucky enough to be born over 6 ft
If anyone was born over 6 feet, I feel sorry for their mom.
Specs and honest commentary about durability, user responses for that product etc.
I have made some reviews for http://www.hockeyus.com which uses reviews from people who axctually have used the products instead of someone just getting a free product for a review on a website. Some online stores offer reviews and mention important things like 'These are gooid sticks but we have had a lot of returns for breakage' etc.
Weigh everything. That would give us a good comparison and be a unique thing that only you could provide. Hell, even if you just had a friend at a hockey shop and brought a postage scale over there, it would be fascinating to hear the actual weight.
Don't give any grades or ratings. Unless there's a baseline to compare things to, it's ridiculous. That one YouTube place that reviews is awful. "I'll give the flex a 4 out of 5"...what does that mean?
My favorite reviews are from drum magazines like Modern Drummer. Here's what the thing I'm reviewing is, here's the gimmick they say sets apart, here are the main features and the benefits, here's how it worked in practice. Then wrap it up and come up with 2 or 3 good features and 2 or 3 that might need improvement.
Wrap it up with where to go to find more information.
i think jarick is bang on with his points. for sticks, i think you've already received some good insight there, so not even gonna touch that one.
for protective, i'd say first and foremost, mention what your body type is, and what kind of fit a particular piece of equipment has. for instance, with pants, are they built for taller lankier players(ie bauer), or or do they have a shorter, looser fit(ccm), etc. then you can go on about mobility, actual protection and weight. and after that, any unique properties of the equipment, like liners, velcro attachments, fastening systems, etc.
the problem with equipment reviews is that every piece of equipment is so different from one another and therefore needs to be treated uniquely and distinctly.
Thanks so much for all the feedback so far. It is great to hear all of this feedback, it is nice to know this stuff now, because some of these points I would probably not clue into for a while. Great tips guys!
Weigh everything. That would give us a good comparison and be a unique thing that only you could provide. Hell, even if you just had a friend at a hockey shop and brought a postage scale over there, it would be fascinating to hear the actual weight.
Don't give any grades or ratings. Unless there's a baseline to compare things to, it's ridiculous. That one YouTube place that reviews is awful. "I'll give the flex a 4 out of 5"...what does that mean?
My favorite reviews are from drum magazines like Modern Drummer. Here's what the thing I'm reviewing is, here's the gimmick they say sets apart, here are the main features and the benefits, here's how it worked in practice. Then wrap it up and come up with 2 or 3 good features and 2 or 3 that might need improvement.
Wrap it up with where to go to find more information.
That link I posted above for Hockey Us dot com http://www.hockeyus.com weigh everything they review. They mention what the company says it weighs and what it actually weighs.
I think weight isn't as important as balance. I think a measurement of balance point to stick length would be a good idea.
I really should start doing full reviews, I think I've only done two... and one of them prompted a change in production(Compro).
I would agree with that for sure.
I like my Harrow sticks because they are balanced well but someone else in here said it felt blade heavy or the opposite I forget now but the point is to me it feels perfect so I would like to know about how other sticks balance out in case I should want to try something else.
I wouldn't because Harrow does it for me but you know what I mean here.
I know it's hard because everybody likes to see the reviews as soon as a new product comes out, but the long term reviews over at MSH are great. Not all products are built the same, and opinions do change over time. Even going back to an old review and posting comments a few months later would be helpful.
