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jerry8989

Helmet help for girl playing AAA

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Hello,

My daughter just made a 14U AAA team for this spring and fall.  She is on the smaller side for height and weight but has a lot of speed.  I want to make sure that I purchase her the best helmet for her to stay as safe as possible.   I know fit is most important so I'm taking her to try these helmets on, but if they all fit good which one would work the best.  I'm not looking at price at the moment and it has to be red.

These are the options I'm looking at:

Bauer RE-AKT 200 - Leaning towards this one because of the high quality cushion

Bauer RE-AKT 95 (Not out yet)

Warrior PX3+

If you have any other suggestions I would appreciate it. 

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Definitely look at the new CCM stuff too. Really nice and extremely comfortable. 

They will definitely not all fit as they're all pretty different in shape. I'd be shocked if they did. For protection, pretty much anything on the market is going to be about equal so it really comes down to fit and comfort. My suggestion would be to go into it with an open mind and also don't rule anything out just because it's not a certain brand. 

Fit, fit and fit should be your first three criteria. Also consider how much she likes the cage that comes on it for vision (though you can always change the cage, I assume you wouldn't want to if you don't need to.)

Good luck!

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Thank you @IPv6Freely.  I will look at the CCM's as well.  I try not to have any brand specific bias since they are always coming out with new stuff and it's about safety and comfort for her.  I'll let you know what I end up buying.  Thanks

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I would just be mindful of identifying what correct fit actually is. A properly fitting helmet should fit snug without any major pressure points.

A lot of people will throw on a helmet that is sized or adjusted too loose and say to themselves “man this thing is comfy!” when the reality is they might as well be wearing a cardboard box on their head as a loose helmet provides roughly that level of protection. 

Edited by Cavs019
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12 minutes ago, Cavs019 said:

I would just be mindful of identifying what correct fit actually is. A properly fitting helmet should fit snug without any major pressure points.

A lot of people will throw on a helmet that is sized or adjusted too loose and say to themselves “man this thing is comfy!” when the reality is they might as well be wearing a cardboard box on their head as a loose helmet provides roughly that level of protection. 

Good points! It's similar to how people buying their first skates always get something too big because they expect them to have as much room in the toe box as their sneakers do. 

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1 hour ago, IPv6Freely said:

Good points! It's similar to how people buying their first skates always get something too big because they expect them to have as much room in the toe box as their sneakers do. 

Listen to both IPv6 and Cav019. They have hit it on the head (pun intended) perfectly.. FIt fit fit and proper adjustment too , for the helmet..I have had many years expierence in fitting helmets/cages for boys and girls and would like to add to IPv6's note about cages. The cage should integrate with not only the helmet, but, far more importantly the facial shape of the player specifically and how it not only interacts with vision, but, how it fits the child's jaw line and facial depth. Numerous times I have found that a medium helmet fits the head and we have needed to put a small or extra small cage on to work with the entire profile. Ditto for all helmet and cage sizes no matter brand,  the brand/model that fits the player best is the best brand. 

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Hi guys, 

Thank you all for your input.  I took her to my local hockey shop today and she tried on almost every brand and model and the Bauer REAKT 200 fit her the best.  She said it was snug but not painful.  I have an option to order it through her new team which should save me about $50 off the total price.   I made sure to tell her not to look at anything but how it fit and if it was comfortable and not loose.

Thanks again I really do appreciate it. 

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5 minutes ago, Nicholas G said:

Pair that Re-Akt 200 up with a Re-Akt titanium cage! 

...provided the mask fits her face shape/length.

Very overlooked part of buying a combo.  That's why you're seeing stores nowadays just selling the loose helmets (and Bauer seeing that and reducing the amount of combos they offer for 2018) solely due to this.

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1 minute ago, JR Boucicaut said:

...provided the mask fits her face shape/length.

Very overlooked part of buying a combo.  That's why you're seeing stores nowadays just selling the loose helmets (and Bauer seeing that and reducing the amount of combos they offer for 2018) solely due to this.

Yeah, our shop never orders combos anymore. Too many times the helmet fits and the cage is too big or small. We got tired of taking cages in on "trade" for the proper fitting cage and then having a stockpile of cages in the back of the store. 

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Also it's pretty ridiculous how few options are available for titanium cages... I think there are literally only 2 on the market.

 

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On 5/2/2018 at 11:38 PM, JR Boucicaut said:

...provided the mask fits her face shape/length.

Very overlooked part of buying a combo.  That's why you're seeing stores nowadays just selling the loose helmets (and Bauer seeing that and reducing the amount of combos they offer for 2018) solely due to this.

This, as well as the best tip I ever got from this forum, which is to try a cage that is white on the inside (outside color does not matter). With a white on the inside cage, when I look down at the ice to track a puck coming to my stick, the ice camouflages out the cage.

With a cage like the Bauer Re-AKT titanium, I literally have to track a puck as it moves through the grids of a prison bar type matrix, which is difficult and distracting and lead to many missed pucks, which I saw no solution to (until I learned of this white on the inside phenomena). 

Now sure, you can say, "Well Cosmic, what about when you are tracking opposing players with black or any color jersey? What then?"

I actually do not notice the bars when tracking players. But when tracking the puck, perhaps because it is so small and catching passes is so fine motor, whereas moving with the play and players is more feel and gross motor, it all works out (with the white interior cage).

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Yet the weirdest category in hockey is facemasks. In the almost 5 years I ran the store up here in MI, we went from white to black to i2 as the most popular facemasks. During those periods we couldn’t keep them in stock long enough. 

But I suppose it made sense. People wanted white because it blends in, but wanted black for the look, which then prompted another look at i2. 

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10 hours ago, Cosmic said:

This, as well as the best tip I ever got from this forum, which is to try a cage that is white on the inside (outside color does not matter). With a white on the inside cage, when I look down at the ice to track a puck coming to my stick, the ice camouflages out the cage.

With a cage like the Bauer Re-AKT titanium, I literally have to track a puck as it moves through the grids of a prison bar type matrix, which is difficult and distracting and lead to many missed pucks, which I saw no solution to (until I learned of this white on the inside phenomena). 

Now sure, you can say, "Well Cosmic, what about when you are tracking opposing players with black or any color jersey? What then?"

I actually do not notice the bars when tracking players. But when tracking the puck, perhaps because it is so small and catching passes is so fine motor, whereas moving with the play and players is more feel and gross motor, it all works out (with the white interior cage).

*nods*  Yep.  For some, it doesn't matter.  For others, it makes all the difference in the world.

For those that don't like the 'exterior' look of a white cage, I've had good success spray painting the inside of black/titanium/grey cages white. 

(Never tried it with a chrome cage, but if you simply MUST have a chrome cage, then you probably deserve to miss a puck or two... :biggrin:)

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Howdy,

You all are nuts.

The only time I notice my cage bars is when I'm trying to stick my water bottle straw through them.  :-)

Mark

Edited by marka
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For full face protection, a hybrid mask with replaceable visor is the only correct option. The rest of you are crazy.

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