Graf 735 with T-Blades: Never sharpen your skates again!
Written: Mar 13 '04 (Updated Oct 05 '05)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Durability: |
 |
|
| Comfort: |
 |
|
|
Pros: Light weight, high performance, change on the fly skates
Cons: T-blades take some getting used to
The Bottom Line: If you are an advanced or elite level player, this is a good choice. T-blades are weird, but you will grow to love them.
|
|
|
| puckmugger's Full Review: Graf 735 with T Blade System Ice Hockey Skates Sen... |
The 735 was something of a shock when I first heard about them. They were going to feature the new T-Blade system that was becoming so popular in Canada and Europe, but hasn’t quite caught on here yet. T-Blades are a rather revolutionary idea. Rather than sharpening your skates, you have a thin and very lightweight strip that gets thrown away and replaced by a new blade. Sounds pretty weird, huh?
Well, Graf liked this idea so much that they purchased the T-blade company. The 735 is the first mainline skate to have been produced with the T-blade on it. Rumors abound that CCM will follow suit by purchasing the T-blades for their skates from competitor Graf for at least one of their new models.
T-Blade
So the obvious questions you would be having right now likely revolve around the T-blade and what it really is. The T-blade is a surgical steel runner mounted on a reinforced ABS strip. These attach with 5 or 6 screws (depending on skate size) to an ABS holder. The T-blade steel has a perfect hollow that molded directly on the steel. The runners have a mirror like finish that is impossible to achieve with conventional sharpening. The smoother finish leads to better glide.
Because of the design of the T-blade, the steel is substantially harder in than a conventional blade. They hold an edge five to ten times as long as a standard runner would. When your blade does finally get dull, a new pair runs about $15. I know you’re still skeptical, right? How could it last that long? That’s what I thought too. I have two close friends who are using T-Blades and neither of them has replaced their runners yet. One has been using them for six months, the other for four. That would be a long time to go without sharpening.
Another nice thing about the T-Blades is that they offer many choices. They come in 9, 11, 13, 15 and 18 millimeter hollows (roughly 3/8 to 7/8). They also have three different rocker lengths available - Small, Medium and Large which range from about 9 feet to 13 feet. If you decide you want to change your rocker it is a small $15 cost rather than the $60 to have a tech re-rocker your steel.
Boots
OK, enough said about T-Blades. What about the rest of the skate? The 735 is a co-top of the line skate, sharing that honor with the rest of Grafs 700 line. Graf has a number of models in various shapes unlike other skate makers. The 735 and 727 are their most expensive skates.
While the 727 is a high volume boot, the 735 is most certainly not. My foot fits quite nicely in the medium width 727, but I would need surgery to get into a 735 medium.
The 735 is cut similar to a Bauer boot. It is a little narrower in the heel and toe cap, but just a touch wider in the mid-foot. As with all Graf boots the instep is higher than that of a Bauer. This skate comes in three widths, so if you cannot wear Bauers, you are not necessarily out of luck. I haven’t been able to try on a 735 wide, but I suspect it would fit most CCM guys (and gals) quite nicely.
Like all Graf Skates the 735 features a clarino liner, the most comfortable material currently used for lining skates. Many players skate barefoot in clarino-lined boots, although I don’t personally recommend such behavior. Clarino absorbs substantial volumes of perspirations yet dries very quickly. In the dry climate of Colorado, my Graf Goal skates are dry in less than half a day, a very nice thing when skating twice in the same day.
The exterior of the 735 is a ballistic nylon called teclite. It combines foam and a metallic fiber that gives the 735 skates that space age look everyone is going for these days. This is something of a departure for Graf’s 700 series skates which have traditionally been high quality leathers and synthetics.
The outsole is plastic, but the T-Blade carrier does not need the stiff insole that a traditional skate would require, so the lack of carbon fiber soles is not as big an issue with this skate as it might be with a CCM or Bauer skate.
Graf uses a solid plastic toecap. This ensures that there will not be material that gets cut and looks terrible when other skaters step on your toes. It also slightly reduces the weight of the skate.
The 735 is a very stiff skate that is recommended for higher levels of skaters. It will offer more than adequate support for big, strong skaters. However, light skaters (less than 150 pounds) or casual players will have break in problems and never be able to make the skate perform at its full potential.
The 735 is also one of the lightest skates on the market. It comes in close to a Bauer Vapor XX in weight, but will certainly outlast one.
Reactions
Of the two skaters I know who are using the 735, both of them are quite pleased with the skate. One had some trouble breaking his in, the other said it took only a couple hours. Both pair have held up very well to date, with the only damage being a cut from another player’s skate on one.
Almost everyone who I have talked to about their T-blades mentions that there is a little bit of transition time from regular steel to T-blades. They are so much sharper that it is a little disconcerting at first. However, once the adjustment period is over, not a one of them had any thoughts of ever going back.
The T-blade system is as common in Canada and Europe as almost any other type of holder already. Part of this is due to limited availability of sharpening services in many areas. Nonetheless, it is only a matter of time before they catch on here as well.
Graf is planning to launch two new models with t-blades for North America later this year. CCM will be rolling out some skates with them as well. Further, if you would like to put T-blades on your existing skates, that is possible as well. Most decent techs could set up a pair of skates with T-blades for about $100.
Summary
To close, this is a typical high quality Graf product. The boots are fairly stiff and aimed at a high-level player. If you aren’t at least 150 pounds and/or don’t skate a minimum of 2 hours a week, you will have substantial issues breaking the boots in. For advanced and elite level players, this is a fantastic, ultra light boot with a new, but very good blade and holder.
© Scott Noble – Unauthorized use prohibited
A few of my other reviews that you might find helpful:
Hockey Skate buying demystified
Graf 727 Cyberflex Skates
CCM Vector ZG 130 Skates with T-Blades
Bauer Vapor XX Skates
Nike THG V-Force Skates
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
puckmugger
|
 - Top 50 |
|
Location: wandering the fringes of the goal crease
Reviews written: 488
Trusted by: 247 members
About Me:
My book is now available in major bookstores or by order from my profile page.
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.