Miller CM8 Custom C/A Review

[CKeelty]

Okay, this is brand new, and I've played in it twice, but I'm impressed enough to review it already. I ordered this from Paul with the stipulation that he should reduce the shoulder floaters to a more... well... "sane" size. I didn't feel I needed the coverage up high that the stock design featured, and frankly I would have been embarassed taking the ice with those things under my jersey. Just me. So I asked Paul to reduce them, with his experience as the guideline, to a more standard size, and he did so.

The most important thing about the CM8? It's HUGE. I mean it. HUGE. I'm sure anyone who is interested has seen that in other reviews, but I must reinforce it. But that comes with an asterisk--it doesn't feel bulky, and it does NOT inhibit my movement WHATSOEVER. I heard other people say that before I bought this thing, didn't believe it, and now I do. It's amazing, it feels like my last C/A (a crappy Franklin good-for-the-money thing) did after ten hours of breakin.

More on size. The body is only slightly larger than you might find in another C/A, but it's very thin and lightweight, which I like. My first time wearing it, I was going nuts with my gloves in front of me, because I was afraid to take a shot to the chest. After playing a two-hour pickup game and taking some cannons to the chest, I will vouch for the protection, in spite of minimum bulk and light weight. I also think its thinness is going to make it cooler to play in. I'll get a definitive answer on that question this summer when I wear it for inline hockey.

The arms are the true beauty of this piece of work. Each of my arms is about as thick as a thigh when I wear it. They each have like 7 straps to adjust tightness, and these great big floaters at the elbows that are each about as big as a blocker, which is fantastic. They've made a big difference not only on shots to the outsides of my arms, but moreso they've made it easy to stop under-the-arm shots.

The construction is fantastic, it looks very durable, with no loose or crooked stitching. The straps are a particular testament to Miller's attention to detail--you don't realize straps come in varied quality until you see these. The elastic is nice and tight, and they're all very well stitched.

Any complaints? Well, the wrists terminate much closer to my hands than I'm used to, which is going to take some getting used to. On the other hand, I think it will add to the protection of my forearms and keep anything from sneaking through. The elbow floaters are turning to the outside a bit, when I want them square to my blocker and my glove cheater, but I suspect with the proper adjustments to the elastics, I can remedy that. Lastly (and this is the only complaint I think it legitimate, not just an "adjustment" thing) is that the elastic on the shoulder floaters is a bit loose, or long. It keeps them from interfering when I move, but it allows my jersey to move the floaters down on my body rather than holding them up high over my shoulders. If I continue to be unhappy, I'll probably just shorten the elastics by cinch-stitching them, but for now I'm going to wait and see how the thing breaks in.

Oh, and I only have one jersey that fits over it, and that's just barely.

So that's it. I could probably go on, but I think I've said everything of interest. If you have any questions, go on and ask. I love the thing already, and as I get used to how it fits and moves, I'm sure I'll only love it more. I give it a very high recommendation, 5 out of 5 stars. I love this star thing.

I must agree with you. My new CM8 is *huge* and very user-friendly.

I have been holding off doing a review until it was broken in. I have used it about 10 times and it is now very comfortable. I kept the "Garth Snow" shoulder floaters as once the jersey is on, they are not too bad.

My first game with it, I thought I was playing in real armour! Compared to my old equipment, it was stiff, bulky and seemed to have a mind of its own. However, I was very impressed with the protection in that game!! It did feel warmer than my old stuff though.

3-5 games in, and with the few adjustments made to the straps it was feeling a lot better (and I could get the jersey on without help). I was no longer fighting with it, and movement was greatly improving. The heat problem was also dropping.

Now the CM8 is a good friend. Feels great and absolutely no bruises!!! I think I am actually cooler in this c/a than my last one.

I also purchased pants and jock at the same time. Once again, great protection and very fast break-in.

As per the quality of the products, I agree that I have not seen any better!! Delivery time was a very quick 2.5 weeks.

Problems that I am having. Not being able to feel the puck as much is taking a bit of gettig use to. I could trap the puck between my chest and arm or in the bread basket and feel where it was. Now I actually have to look for it. Behind the net is more of a problem. This is a combination of new Eddy mask and the c/a. I guess I will just have to develop a few new techniques in these areas.

As for the Miller equipment, I think I will soon be the new poster boy for their product line because I really like the equipment, fit, delivery time and price.

I have a new CM8 too (and have been too lazy to post a review yet, so here goes!).

I agree with you guys, this is a great piece of equipment. The protection is much more complete than my old C/A (not suprizing, as it was a Vaughn 690). The arms are incredible. They square up to the body very well (no holes) and give excellent protection in the elbow region. One thing I was very concerned with was the outside blocker-side elbow, as I have had a number of bruises there. The CM8 has a huge floater that covers both the inside and outside elbow very well. The floaters don't inhibit movement, and I'm amazed at how free the movement is. The C/A is also much cooler than my old one, which is a great feature.

While the arms are great, they took some getting used to and breaking in. First off, Paul and I had a misunderstanding about the blocker. I was using a straight blocker, which didn't fit at all on the Miller C/A. After discussing the issue, he sent me a new floater and cut me a deal on a blocker (which kicks ass too). The new blocker/shorter floater work great. Next, the cuffs took getting used to. They are much closer to my wrist than I'm used to. On the catcher side, this pushed my glove off my hand a bit, but after working in the forearm pad (half hour in front of the TV) the problem was solved. Finally, the floaters take some getting used to. They are very large, but do sit down well with a jersey on (perhaps why they are hanging too low on CKeetly's... fixing the elastic is the solution there). The problem is that I'm having trouble seeing behind the net. I've never been good at it, but now I really have to drop a shoulder. If that's the only flaw in the C/A it's a fixable and minor one.

Overall, this is a great unit, and Paul's customer service is excellent. Shipping time was about 3 weeks.

[j-lantern]

Hey, what are the arms made out of? Specifically the inside part that you sweat into. I'm curious because when I dump my heaton I'll probably get a CM-8, but the one redeeming factor of the helite is that the arms are covered in some sort of a mesh/coolmax type thing that really keeps you dry(er) and dries very quickly between uses, as opposed to my old one, which featured arms covered in a lycra type material that took forever to dry. There's nothing worse than having your whole arm in wet, cold equipment. By the way, has anybody felt/been bruised from a shot yet?

[CKeelty]

The entire unit, as far as I saw, is made from the same type of nylon (the name of which I don't know) which is pretty smooth and comfortable against the skin and seems to be pretty much waterproof. I wear a t-shirt with short sleeves, which means my arms from the biceps down are against nothing but the C/A, and it is quite comfortable. This summer I'll wear it for inline with nothing at all underneath it, and see how comfortable it is then. I like that it seems waterproof (or at least quite resistant) because it won't take on a lot of sweat.

As for feeling shots? I frequently (almost always) feel a shot hit me, and I can tell how hard the shot is, but I have yet to have one hurt or sting. The construction on the CM8 is different from most models I've seen, in that the outer protection is mostly hard plastic, and the soft protection is on the inside. I believe this is what allows you to feel the shot (good for finding a rebound off your body, also for holding pucks) but prevents you from being hurt. In... let me see... I guess 4 games now in the CM8, I haven't got a bruise, and I haven't been stunned. I faced a guy in my Friday practice who had the hardest shot I've yet played against. I estimate around 75 mph. Perhaps a bit harder. I got a bruise through my pants (at the top of the thigh, just right of my cup), one on my blocker thumb and one on the index finger of my catcher hand. Meanwhile, I took about 10 hard slapshots off my shoulders, 25 or so off my elbows/arms, and probably 25 or so in the belly and chest. I was shocked at how soft the shots in the belly felt. Seriously, with how light it feels, you will expect to be hurt until you find out you aren't. Of the shots to my elbows and arms, probably 10 of them felt hard enough to hurt or bruise, but none of them did, at all. And I think only one of the shoulder shots felt like it did more than graze me, and again, no bruise, no stunned "dead arm" like I used to get in my Franklin C/A.

Feel the shot yes, hurt by it NO!

I was nursing 4 bruises before the CM8. They have all gone away and no new ones!!

Drying time seems fairly quick. I usually come off the ice fairly wet and the CM8 has always been dry the next morning.

DaveB, when you have figured out a good way of looking behind the net, let me know. I am still adjusting my game in that area.

I'm still working on the behind the net game, but I tried something this morning that seemed to help a lot. Before I got dressed, I bent back the shoulder floaters a bit at the top (starting about 4-5" from the top) into an arc. Instead of standing up straight, they curved back over my shoulder a little. I found that it was easier to see over my shoulder for the first half of the game (until they went back to their original shape). I think a little more bending will get them to stay perminantly.

I realize that this modification flies in the face of the CM8 philosophy (look as big as you can), but you still look damn big without the floater points holding your jersey out in front of you.

By the way, I also wear a short sleeve shirt (polypropylene) and I like to have the arms adjusted relatively tight. The liner material is very comfortable, even when putting on and taking off the C/A. If you would like a different material lining the arms, I'm sure Paul would be happy to discuss it with you (I once had a conversation with him while he was on the way to the fabric store ).

I don't face many super-hard shots, but I've had quite a few that would have left a mark with my old unit. Still no bruises! (on my upper body, at least)