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I was at the Hockey Expo during the high school tourney and saw the new Nike Bauer One 95, priced at around $650. Nike Bauer has done it again! They have found a way to overcharge hockey families hundred of dollars, just like they do with their basketball shoes. ABC news compared $150 Nikes to $15 Starbury shoes and found little functional difference. Cosmetic differences, yes, but are cosmetic differences worth hundreds of dollars? I find it interesting that Nike can offer a reasonable alternative like the Vapor XXII for about a third of what they charge for the Vapor XXXX . When I see how many kids are wearing Vapors XXXXs, I guess many people find these cosmetic differences worth it! The Nike rep tried to justify the price with high-tech mumbo jumbo jargon - "We stipulated the lateral omnipotency with carboflouric nanoregistrants, while decreasing the polysyllabic drag co-efficient producing a skate that weighs 2 micrograms less than our competitors $100 skate. Yet the skate is so stiff, we guarantee it will cause arthritic ankles" What BS! Top of the line skates will not offer Peewee Johnny any improvement in performance. Spending over $600 on skates will not move Peewee Johnny from a B team to an A team. Why do parents pony up more than $600 for skates that offer very little or no performance improvement compared to $200 skates? Buy decent reasonably priced skates that fit well!

Medley,

It's all about the 'bling bling'.

Same reason a $200 Warrior Dolomite is better than a $30 Sherwood featherlite wood stick. It comes down to the 'bling bling'. Listen to kids in the locker room and no kid would dare be caught with a wood stick or wearing Bobby Orr "pro Ok'd" skates.

You now need to buy the $600 skates, plus buy the new $350 battery operated heated blades, in order for your child to be able to compete with Johnson or Smith's kid.

I can guarantee you that you put the non-'bling bling' equipment and use wood sticks and you will get the same if not better performance.

Don't blame the equipment companies...blame the parents who have to outfit their kid in the latest 'bling bling'. I buy ALL of my kids equipment on clearance or slightly used off of EBay (with the exception of sticks where it is hard to get the right sticks on clearance) and it hasn't hurt him one bit.

SWPrez: you may be right but not all kids hate wood sticks, 5 kids on my team used featherlites, the blades get chopped up quick but they still perform fine. I myself have used two of those this year but the blades always broke for me. I now use a vapor V junior cuz i like the 50 flex.

dalakonig wrote:SWPrez: you may be right but not all kids hate wood sticks, 5 kids on my team used featherlites, the blades get chopped up quick but they still perform fine. I myself have used two of those this year but the blades always broke for me. I now use a vapor V junior cuz i like the 50 flex.

Nike actually just sold Bauer so it is possible that next year's model of Vapor skates won't only not be made by 6 year olds in Chinese sweatshops but they also might not be so grossly expensive.

Hockeyguy_27 wrote:
Nike actually just sold Bauer so it is possible that next year's model of Vapor skates won't only not be made by 6 year olds in Chinese sweatshops but they also might not be so grossly expensive.

Why is it that when a young American like Lee Ann Rimes, Michelle Wie, or Lebron James excels in an adult-dominated arena we applaud them, but when a child from the Third World excels as a seamstress we try to hold them back?

Like Ness skipping his senior year, I say if these 6-year-olds are ready to move up they should.

(Sorry. With no more Edina games I figured it was time to inject a little tasteless humor.)

SW Prez, it's an honor to have the president of Switzerland here!
I am also a bargain hunter. I usually buy closeouts of last year's discontinued model. Thank you Mission for offering quality equipment at a reasonable price, then slashing the price when the new models hit the stores.

And remember Prez, it is what we desire, Nay Lack, that insures that we remain Pretty Darn Independent. Sorry for the inside puns!

MedleyWR,

Free market, free will.

By the way, what kind of car do you drive?

gerryodrowski wrote:MedleyWR,

Free market, free will.

By the way, what kind of car do you drive?

Gerry,
I could not agree with you more, regarding free markets. And I also advocate freedom of speech, thus my rant regarding Nike. However, I did not intend to demean any kid who wears high end equipment, or the parents that buy it. My kid wears high end stuff, I just shop carefully - closeouts, discontinued models, etc. Caveat emptor.

MedleyWR wrote:I was at the Hockey Expo during the high school tourney and saw the new Nike Bauer One 95, priced at around $650. Nike Bauer has done it again! They have found a way to overcharge hockey families hundred of dollars, just like they do with their basketball shoes. ABC news compared $150 Nikes to $15 Starbury shoes and found little functional difference. Cosmetic differences, yes, but are cosmetic differences worth hundreds of dollars? I find it interesting that Nike can offer a reasonable alternative like the Vapor XXII for about a third of what they charge for the Vapor XXXX . When I see how many kids are wearing Vapors XXXXs, I guess many people find these cosmetic differences worth it! The Nike rep tried to justify the price with high-tech mumbo jumbo jargon - "We stipulated the lateral omnipotency with carboflouric nanoregistrants, while decreasing the polysyllabic drag co-efficient producing a skate that weighs 2 micrograms less than our competitors $100 skate. Yet the skate is so stiff, we guarantee it will cause arthritic ankles" What BS! Top of the line skates will not offer Peewee Johnny any improvement in performance. Spending over $600 on skates will not move Peewee Johnny from a B team to an A team. Why do parents pony up more than $600 for skates that offer very little or no performance improvement compared to $200 skates? Buy decent reasonably priced skates that fit well!

That's good stuff how did you remember all that?? or was it on the box when you got them home

That's good stuff how did you remember all that?? or was it on the box when you got them home [/quote]


I made it up. I stated it was BS, but it was my BS, poking fun at Nike.

Remember, if you don't buy these skates, then the terrorists have won.

AND if you don't buy these skates, it's 3am somewhere in the world and a phone is ringing.

Just sayin'.

CNT wrote:That's good stuff how did you remember all that?? or was it on the box when you got them home

medley wrote:I made it up. I stated it was BS, but it was my BS, poking fun at Nike.

Good one none the less !

gerryodrowski wrote:MedleyWR,


By the way, what kind of car do you drive?

I don't drive a car, I ride a horse. I got it online - it was a closeout. It's not top of the line, but it was cheap!