02-20-2014, 11:21 PM
So I finally got to skate on the AR1s and Arius plate today. I'm usually on Bont/Invaders, and the change to the longer plate and heavier boot was a bit weird at first.
The boot is a strange thing to me because it's so heavy and padded and I feel very aware of it on my foot, where i'm so used to my Bonts being tight and light and just an extension of my foot. I'm not a huge fan of it so far, but it's not anything to get mad over. It's a decent skate boot, but I'm not sure I would skate it full time. A bit too much like strapping bricks to my feet. I'm not sure how anyone with a heavy plate lasts on them.
The plate though... this interests me. It's so light. The weight of the boot is counteracted by how light the plate is- the set up is lighter then my Bont set up, which I was not expecting. I compared it to a Bont/Avenger set up that was a few sizes bigger and they seemed similar.
Even with my struggles to get the darn things apart, I like this plate. It's simple in that its action all comes from the cushions and it can't really be adjusted past those. I am rolling the light blue cushions, which are the softest that I have, but I'd almost like to see softer ones.
I like a lot of action and play on my skates, and I found it's almost not enough for me. Even with it, after a few laps skating with it, I got it to do what I want. It takes very little effort to turn or stop on this plate and it reacts to every little bit.
I found I was able to do some small things in it that I can't in my Invaders (like spread eagle propelling, which I was never able to get my Bonts to do, but could do the foot work, where in the Arius, being able to turn my toes was enough to make the plate work).
I am a fan of this plate so far. It answers so well to my foot! I'd love to stick it on my Bont and see what magic it would do. Responsive plate on a boot that fits perfectly- what more could you ask for? I think if you really want a DA45 (even though it claims not to be, the angle is basically a 33, there's no denying it.)
I used the normal wheels I do on our floor, Radar Villains, and I think I want to go harder so I'm going to try the Bont wheels with it on Sunday. I think a bit more slide on the wheels will counteract the tightness of the action. I see this is a pretty common "issue" with the plate for people who like play, where as people who like a bit tighter don't think there's any issue with it being too tight, those who want it to be soft don't think its soft enough.
I still can't get the toe stops off (I have stripped the allen wrench place on both plates now. Whoops Sorry Nathan!), so I just got used to the higher toe stops. I think if I could put this plate on my Bonts with my Bionic toe stops, it would be an incredible set up.
I've only skated it for about an hour before practice, and then hitting practice, so I can't wait to test it a bit more. We're bench marking on Sunday and I plan on wearing it for part of that to see how it goes through the motions. I'm really excited to scrimmage in it.
I'm gonna keep posting about it, even if y'all don't care, because I feel like it =)
The boot is a strange thing to me because it's so heavy and padded and I feel very aware of it on my foot, where i'm so used to my Bonts being tight and light and just an extension of my foot. I'm not a huge fan of it so far, but it's not anything to get mad over. It's a decent skate boot, but I'm not sure I would skate it full time. A bit too much like strapping bricks to my feet. I'm not sure how anyone with a heavy plate lasts on them.
The plate though... this interests me. It's so light. The weight of the boot is counteracted by how light the plate is- the set up is lighter then my Bont set up, which I was not expecting. I compared it to a Bont/Avenger set up that was a few sizes bigger and they seemed similar.
Even with my struggles to get the darn things apart, I like this plate. It's simple in that its action all comes from the cushions and it can't really be adjusted past those. I am rolling the light blue cushions, which are the softest that I have, but I'd almost like to see softer ones.
I like a lot of action and play on my skates, and I found it's almost not enough for me. Even with it, after a few laps skating with it, I got it to do what I want. It takes very little effort to turn or stop on this plate and it reacts to every little bit.
I found I was able to do some small things in it that I can't in my Invaders (like spread eagle propelling, which I was never able to get my Bonts to do, but could do the foot work, where in the Arius, being able to turn my toes was enough to make the plate work).
I am a fan of this plate so far. It answers so well to my foot! I'd love to stick it on my Bont and see what magic it would do. Responsive plate on a boot that fits perfectly- what more could you ask for? I think if you really want a DA45 (even though it claims not to be, the angle is basically a 33, there's no denying it.)
I used the normal wheels I do on our floor, Radar Villains, and I think I want to go harder so I'm going to try the Bont wheels with it on Sunday. I think a bit more slide on the wheels will counteract the tightness of the action. I see this is a pretty common "issue" with the plate for people who like play, where as people who like a bit tighter don't think there's any issue with it being too tight, those who want it to be soft don't think its soft enough.
I still can't get the toe stops off (I have stripped the allen wrench place on both plates now. Whoops Sorry Nathan!), so I just got used to the higher toe stops. I think if I could put this plate on my Bonts with my Bionic toe stops, it would be an incredible set up.
I've only skated it for about an hour before practice, and then hitting practice, so I can't wait to test it a bit more. We're bench marking on Sunday and I plan on wearing it for part of that to see how it goes through the motions. I'm really excited to scrimmage in it.
I'm gonna keep posting about it, even if y'all don't care, because I feel like it =)
