Under Armour in the world of Hockey

[IDoezIt 9]

Whats the deal with UA in hockey?

I've seen them slowly creeping into hockey retailers and such.

I see they've began to develop hockey specific base layer. In addition to creating a bit of hockey specifc apparel.

At least this is still somewhat new to my eyes...

So are they planning on expanding more into the hockey market? To what degree? Any rumblings?

[Chadd 916]

UA is mostly marketing, the product is rarely equal to other brands and never seen it actually better than other brands. There is a reason that all of their marketing is about how cool they are and not about how cool it keeps you.

[enis750 48]

I wear UA base layer's for just about anything sport specific I do (both heat and cold gear)

zero complaints or issues and the gear lasts and lasts

I have some shirts that I have had for 3+ years and still work like the day I bought them

as far as their move into hockey, I don't know of anything specific other than base layers

I have a jock from them, long sleeve shirt and the X underwear thingy (helps w the groin issues Ive been having)

one of the dad's in my son's skating lessons has an UA visor, never seen that anywhere else

Id love to see them make a bigger move in the market w protective gear as well

[AIREAYE 248]

Chadd nailed it. As products, there's absolutely nothing special about them. I find them overpriced. The Bauer 37.5 stuff is better performance wise, and your Walmart/Target store brand stuff is better value wise.

[fcalog 58]

Great marketing and hype, best marketers out there for this type of product; to be fair most of this gear is overpriced, as mentioned by previous posters WSI, walmart, and target brands are a better value for essentially the same "secret blend" of man made fibers. 37.5 seems to be living up to it's hype.

[Cove 38]

Chadd nailed it. As products, there's absolutely nothing special about them. I find them overpriced. The Bauer 37.5 stuff is better performance wise, and your Walmart/Target store brand stuff is better value wise.

I have 2 37.5 shirts and I disagree.

[chk hrd 164]

I wear the Walmart/Target version and can't tell the difference between that and the UA shirts I've worn. I can by 3 cheapo shirts for the price of 1 UA shirt. Even if there was a difference it wouldn't be enough to matter. I'd rather have the extra shirts. Great marketing by UA. Just like diamonds, convince people of their worth and they will pay it.

[AIREAYE 248]

I have 2 37.5 shirts and I disagree.

I like my socks and shirt so we'll agree to disagree!

[Cove 38]

I have def had more UA gear then anything else. My UA skate docks > my Bauer Core socks. And our work shirts fray, and lose shape as poorly as UA as well.

[althoma1 574]

Bauer Core socks don't use 37.5 - on the premium and elite socks, shirts and pants have 37.5. The core versions are polyester and don't use the 37.5 material.

I haven't used any of the 37.5 garments yet, but most of the feedback I've read suggests it is better at wicking sweat and dries faster.

I do use UA pants with the grip on the shins along with a few other long pants. I find the waist band on the UA pants to be more comfortable than the old TPS R10 long pants I have (the UA waist band is wider and doesn't fold or twist) and the grip on the shins still looks like new on the UA pants, wheras the grip on the TPS pants and the Canadian Tire SMU Bauer long pants with grip is peeling off. Now the mesh area of the UA pants around the butt is really wearing out, but the compression, elastic waist band and grip have all held up well for several years.

I don't know if UA wicks any better than cheap Target/Walmart/Canadian Tire shirts and pants (probably not), but the compression and grip is certainly better than the cheaper products I've used. Now, I didn't buy the UA at full price - I bought them during a sale and used a coupon. They're certainly on the expensive side and some of that is marketing, but I do think their products have some benefits over cheaper options. I also have some high end Bauer shirts I picked up on clearance and could say the same thing about them - they're more expensive than the lower end SMU CT pants I have, but the material is more durable and the grip stays on instead of peeling off. I'll likely pick up some products with 37.5 in them at some point, but it won't be at full price.

[IPv6Freely 2082]

Chadd nailed it. As products, there's absolutely nothing special about them. I find them overpriced. The Bauer 37.5 stuff is better performance wise, and your Walmart/Target store brand stuff is better value wise.

Agree completely. UA has fantastic marketing, I'll give them that.

Your second point is actually pretty good too. While I wouldn't wear Target stuff as base layer for hockey, for off-ice workouts the stuff is actually pretty damn good. I've noticed the athletic wear section of Target has gotten bigger and bigger and I'm kind of surprised by how good the stuff is. I can't speak for Walmart stuff though as I haven't been in a Walmart in about 5 years.

[Stewie 721]

it only makes sense for them to enter hockey. They dont have to change their products too much to make a hockey specific undergarment, and the UA logo alone will sell it. Whether or not its any better or worse than Bauer or any other manufacturer, i cannot comment on. I own some UA hockey liner socks that i got for cheap, and they worked pretty good, but the new bauer premium socks, as well as my drymax and swiftwick socks all outperform the UA ones, granted they were more expensive (except the SW which i got when a LHS went out of business.)

[z1ggy 81]

37.5 fiber is the real deal I think. I've been using it now for a few games, both on upper and lower body. When I take it off after my game, I'm barely even sweaty, I don't feel all wet and gross during games, which is nice.

UA, Bauer... Many companies in the hockey realm use this technology now. I must say though, I do really like UA hoodies compared to a traditional cotton one. Whatever they use, is very light weight, yet I still remain really warm. Is their product line up expensive? Yes. Is it worth the premium? I think in some cases, yes. For things like socks and shorts, probably not. Hoodies, bottoms and other items may actually be better than cheapo brand stuff though.

[shoeshine boy 241]

I like UA for both under the gear and casual wear but their sizing is all over the place. I normally wear XL hoodies and even then I've got enough room for a light fleece underneath but when the Charged Cotton Storm hoodies first came out a few years ago I had to get XXL. in the charged cotton shirts I can easily wear an L.

[IW Team - Chase 184]

Those Charged Cotton shirts are the bee's knees, well for anything but physical activity. Definitely excellent loungewear.

[yipperzz 28]

Unless things have changed, the Target brand is Champion. If it's still Champion, they're not some no-name brand. They've been doing athletic clothing for quite a while. They may not be the "cool" brand but they should work just fine. I have some Reebok, Nike, UA, and Easton ones and don't really see much of a difference other than fit/cut of the shirts. I just pick up whatever is on sale. I'd like to try the 37.5 tech but I'll wait until I see them on sale before I try them. I figure it can't be any worse than any of the other brands out there and if it's as good as some say, it should work pretty nice.

[beerleaguecaptain 999]

It's all just polyester to me! I like it just fine but all of this stuff seems like it's just a 1960's retread.

[IPv6Freely 2082]

Unless things have changed, the Target brand is Champion. If it's still Champion, they're not some no-name brand. They've been doing athletic clothing for quite a while. They may not be the "cool" brand but they should work just fine. I have some Reebok, Nike, UA, and Easton ones and don't really see much of a difference other than fit/cut of the shirts. I just pick up whatever is on sale. I'd like to try the 37.5 tech but I'll wait until I see them on sale before I try them. I figure it can't be any worse than any of the other brands out there and if it's as good as some say, it should work pretty nice.

It's Champion yes, but it's one of those "retail store buys a brand name people recognize and slap the logo on their products" things. Kind of like how Mossimo is now a Target brand, too. Anyway, I agree I don't find much difference when it comes to athletic clothes (which is why I buy the Target stuff).

The 37.5 on the other hand... yeah. Totally different story. It really is as good as people say.

[benson 8]

I haven't tried the new Bauer 37.5 stuff yet, though I'd like to. My LHS doesn't carry it, and I haven't made the stop at Total Hockey yet to pick up anything. Thinking socks first, maybe a loose fit top.

That said, I like UA gear. It is well made, lasts a long time, and works as well as anything (so far). I have the UA compression top, and the sticky portions for pads have held up well and when I wear it, I feel cool temp-wise. Compared to my old base layer of a cotton t-shirt, I think it is a million times better.

I'm hoping to make time to pick up at least the socks, but maybe a top too sometime soon. Maybe I'll go crazy and just ask for them for Christmas. We'll see.

[LoneStar77 25]

I like all of my UA stuff, especially the long sleeve hockey specific shirts with the grip on the shoulders, elbows, & chest...but I got them for $15-$20 a piece at a UA Clearance House store.

[Monty22 821]

I like all of my UA stuff, especially the long sleeve hockey specific shirts with the grip on the shoulders, elbows, & chest...but I got them for $15-$20 a piece at a UA Clearance House store.

This. I don't pay over $20 for the long sleeves, I do like the grip panels on the elbows.

[IPv6Freely 2082]

UA kind of reminds me of Beats. Mediocre product, massive marketing, and everyone who owns them will tell you how great they are.

[z1ggy 81]

^ That's because user experience is almost totally subjective for clothing.

I can prove to you with *gasp* science, that there are better head phones than Beats. People rave about those because they don't know any better.

[IDoezIt 9]

What are Under Armour's chances of landing the NHL Jersey/Apparel licenseing when RBKs ends in a year or 2?

[kingofnooyork 30]

I have the base layer pants. I think they're great. Keeps my legs warm and wicks moisture well. I prefer them to bauer's base layers.