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I bought a pair of Tanel plate shoes about five years ago and really liked them. After about four seasons (I would estimate somewhere in the neighborhood of 200 plate games), despite taking good care of them they really began to show their age. The surface finish began peeling and cracking in spots, the metatarsal guards started to rip loose at the seam where they are sewn on, they have heavy wear and cracking at the "hinge" where your foot bends right next to the steel toe box and a couple of the eyelets where you lace them up ripped out.
Normal wear and tear? I don't know. Maybe 200 games is just the life expectancy for these shoes. They look good and feel great when they're newer. Even my well-worn Tanels look pretty decent with a good polishing and I keep them in my bag in case I wind up on a muddy field.
Last year I bought a pair of the new Rebok plate shoes and love them. I guessing about 50-60 games on them so far and no apparent wear issues. To me, these feel like a pair of tennis shoes, really comfortable and excellent protection. One issue "ASA-wise"...they do have white lettering on the heel and a while logo (about 1" square) on the tongue. I may try to black those out if I find a good way to do it. The old magic marker routine can look pretty cheesy if the white still bleeds through.
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