Search the Community

Height - 6'2" Weight - 215 lbs Pant Size: XL Shell Size: XL Time of use: About 8 months, 2-3x/week Other pants previously used: CCM Crazy Light, Warrior Pro Stock Franchise Level of play: Beer Leaguer Location: In very hot and humid rinks Fit - 6/10 In the store, and in the early usage, I thought these were the best pants/girdle on the market, and could not find fault with them. They fit like a pair of tight shorts, which is nice. The thigh guard's ability to move with my leg is an infinite improvement over the pants that I previously wore (although I have never tried a true girdle, and suspect that the true girdle would be even better). However, once you get skating and sweaty, the shortcoming of the belt closure system become quickly apparent. Most pants offer the skate lace, plus the belt. The other girdle has a nice big piece in lieu of a belt, which offers a more comprehensive close. With the belt, if I cinch it tight, so that the pants hold in place with all the crouching and bending and striding and twisting, then I can get a nice hold, but there is pressure on my waist which I am not thrilled about. If I loosen it up, so that I do not feel this pressure, then I find myself yanking the pants up during faceoffs. According to the size chart, I am between L and XL. In the store, when I tried on a Large, it showed some distress in the mesh around the crotch, and figuring this could become a durability issue, I went with the XL, which still seemed to give a nice snug fit (as it still does). 4 points out of 10 may seem like a lot to deduct, for one area not fitting to my liking. However, after having come to my own senses (that this is the only pant or girdle on the market that uses such a skimpy closure system), I am thinking, "What were they thinking?" Ok, maybe since it is a snug fit all around, Warrior did not think that they would need more than just this belt? I do not know, but I do know that the belt system in the previous girdle had issues (unrelated to my gripe, but issues nonetheless) with its belt closure system. Protection: 7/10 In the thigh guard, tail bone, hip pad, and kidney area, these are pretty solid. However, I would not trust the thin, medium density foam inserts that cover the femoral triangle. Sure, I have taken pucks off of these pads, after having deflected passes when I was forechecking, but I would not trust these to stop slapshots. Weight - 10/10 This thing is feather light. I barely notice it when it is on (and not cinched tightly). Durability - 3/10 On the bright side, the mesh that holds it together, and gives it great breathability and ventilation, has held up. However, the plastic inserts are pressing through the front top area, in multiple places, and require repairs: This is also a successful repair, where the back was splitting: I take very good care of my gear; always drying it after use, and leaving it alone when not being used. So, I chalk this up to "not my error." Intangibles 8/10 If you: -Play Forward and do not plan on blocking a ton of shots. -Play in a hot/ humid rink -Travel with your gear, so that weight is a premium factor when checking gear for airline flights -Do not mind the belt closure system -Are ok with the pants lasting 6-9 months, before you may require another pair Then these pants are perfect for you. However, if you want a pair of pants/ girdle to last longer, and/ or the other items above are not of prime consideration, then I would say look elsewhere. I do not expect these to last much longer, and am debating whether to try the MX3 girdle (for mobility/ snugness of fit to the body) or the QuickLites (for lightweightness, and durability) as my next pair. I will definitely not be buying another Dynasty girdle (although I will still buy Warrior. I do not think that this is a poor quality or manufacturing issue, as much as it is a design flaw, in something that was an innovation, so Warrior is still all good in my book). Conclusion I am happy to have tried these out. If Warrior can fix the belt closure system, beef up the femoral triangle area (perhaps thicker, higher density foams), and fix the issue of the sharp plastic inserts pressing through in the areas noted, then these would be perfect. This pant does some things exceptionally well, and perhaps better than any other pant on the market. However, it comes up short in the areas referenced, for my preferences. Overall score - 34/50 ** Quick note on the Shell: The shell required a quick repair out of the gate, on the velcro closure system (which I understand was an issue for every user that I know of who also used this shell). However, since the repair, everything has held up just find, and I like the mesh in the back for extra breathability. This is my go-to shell, amongst a pro stock Warrior and 2 custom shells that I had made.

Warrior Dynasty Grip Flex: 75 Curve: Kovalev Height: 6' Weight: 175 Postition: Forward Time-frame of use: Approx 3 months Aesthetics: In the past few years Warrior has toned down their loud designs. I really like that they are taking this route. Overall this stick looks alright, not bad at all, but nothing special. 7/10 Weight and Balance: The Dynasty is slightly blade heavy, not as much as my one95, but not as nice as my DT1 either. Weight is about average compared to sticks that are one line below the top end. 8/10 Blade: The blade didn't seem too hard or too soft. I did have some durability problems that I will discuss later. 8/10 Shaft/Flex: The stick has a nice mid flex to it. Seems to load fairly easily. I only got to use the stick for a short while, but I didn't notice it going soft at all in that time. 9/10 Stickhandling and Passing: My stickhandling and passing were half decent with this stick. It could have had a better feeling blade, and maybe be a little bit lighter blade. With that said however, I paid about 2/3 the amount of a high end stick. 9/10 Shooting: My wrist and snap shots were nothing special with this stick. I primarily attribute that to being a mid kick. Slap Shots were pretty good, and my one timers were great. The stick loaded effortlessly for them. Each shot would come off nice and hard. My favorite stick in that regard. 8/10 Durability: My only real problem with this stick. It broke down fairly quickly for me. A small hole/crack developed just around the bottom/hosel of the blade. I rarely break sticks so I was surprised it went so quickly for me. I maybe used it 8 times during mens rec games. My one95 on the other hand I have used around 30 times and is still going strong. My DT1 I have used about a dozen times and still looks great. 3/10 Conclusion: I got this stick on a small sale for about $150 CDN. For that price the performance was great. It is too bad the durability wasn't fantastic with the stick. If the next line of Dynasty sticks have the same durability my DT1 has shown, I will consider picking one up for when I play D this summer. 7/10

Stick: Warrior Dynasty Flex: 85 Curve: Kopitar Player: 5'10, 145 lbs, 3-4 times a week (2-3 games, 1 practice) Playing Style: Playmaking forward with a knack for scoring in in-tight areas, I rely on a quick release and accuracy. Shaft/Flex: The shaft had a great feel in my hands, as the shape wasn't too boxy, nor too round. The little "niches" helped with the grip somewhat, but took a while to get used to. It did seem a tad stiffer than 85 flex, but my shots were pretty good with this stick. 7/10 Blade/Puck Feel: This blade was one of the best things (at least in my opinion) about this stick. I could feel the puck on the blade, and it wasn't very "pingy" like many of the new OPS's on the market. In addition, catching passes was golden as the puck seemed to just stick on the blade. The only complaint I have is about the durability, as after about 3 weeks a crack appeared on the heel of the stick. Researched, and it was a well-known problem. 9/10 Weight/Balance: This is a pretty light stick, a tad blade heavy and definitely not in the class of the APX or the new AX1, but nontheless it was not too heavy and not too light. 9/10 Shooting:.Shooting was great. The mid-kick (in my opinion) suited my style better than the Widow's low-kick (at PHL, I kept going BD with the Dynasty, and Bar-north with the Widow - it's really just a matter of getting used to the kickpoint though). Clappers and snappers were great, and my wristers had a few extra MPH on them. 9/10 Durability: This is perhaps the only downfall of the stick. I noticed at the hosel (the part where the shaft and blade are fused) a lot of composite was splintering, and of course the blade cracked after week 3. That being said, I was still able to play with it despite all these nicks and bruises. 7/10 Overall: One of the better sticks I've owned over the past years. I do have to say, I liked the 75s and the s19 a bit better (most likely due to the eliptical taper), however I despised the durability on each of those sticks. The Dynasty was a solid jack-of-all trades stick. I did also notice my backhand sauce was a lot better than I remembered it to be.. Very stick, well worth the $99 sale price I got it for! 8.5/10

http://www.modsquadhockey.com/forums/index.php?/files/file/152-2013-warrior-hockey-catalogue/ Sticks - New for 2013 is the updated Dynasty line – continuing with the AxySym technology. The Dynasty AX1 has been upgraded in several areas; the biggest changes are on the bottom half of the stick. Starting from the fuse point (HiFused), the lower part of the shaft has been reinforced to prevent twisting, and the blade is the same as what was debuted on the Covert DT1. The matte clear shaft has their Velvet finish, and the SlickGrip (which has a textured feel on one side of the shaft) is the Grip version. AX2 shares the same blade however doesn’t have the shaft reinforcement and the fuse point is lower. While the AxySym tech goes down to the lowest model, from the AX3 and down, other than weight, you’ll lose one of the spars in the blade. Covert line carries over for 2013. The goal sticks carry over for 2013, however, there is a new Swagger stick – which is the TF2. Biggest difference between them is that the regular Swagger has a reinforced heel and comes in more colorways. Helmets – unchanged Protective – This is where Warrior went out and made things a little more simple in terms of lines; there will only be one line of protective going forward. Going with their cap technology, which consists of multiple layers of materials to disperse impact and reduce weight, they’ve also changed the liner; they are going with Polygiene, which has been used in other sports equipment to reduce odor and moisture management. The liner’s color is yellow (that is Dynasty’s color, Covert is blue.) The elbow pads are very impressive – if you are one of those guys like me who won’t get rid of their Jofas, this surely makes it tempting to. The shin pads are a bit leaner than previous Warrior shin pads as well, and fit very well. There will be three models of protective – Dynasty AX1/AX2/AX3, and what’s even better is the price points they are placed at. Also, one of the biggest stories they want to tell this year is fit – Warrior is introducing an intermediate sizing chart – on shoulder pads, they will go Jr S/M, L/XL, Int S/M, Int L/XL, then Sr S-XL. On the shins, they will have an Int 14” and 15” which will be less bulky than their Sr counterparts (although there will be a Sr 15”) Gloves – Keeping with the line trimming, the Franchise-style gloves remain unchanged, however, the Luxe and Projekt lines have been scrapped. The Covert glove will be a mash-up of those two models; a tapered fit, with the SmartPalm+ palm that was featured on the Projekt glove, and the Bone System padding that was on the Luxe. Other new features include the vented outer, which is mesh-like to the touch. The liner will be their Chillwave, however, will have Polygiene, and is blue. Very good feel out of the box. Pants – this category has been simplified as well; only one family of pants in the Covert, which is essentially an tweaked Projekt pant - forward-canted, floating waist pad with a dual belt system (you pull down and it tightens, doesn’t go around your waist.) Chillwave/Polygiene liner. Projekt girdle and Bonafide pants carry over from 2012 to round out the line.