Buying first time equipment, is this good?

[AlGiballa23 0]

1.skates: CCM Vector 6.0 already purchased on their way

2.helmet:itech full face shield

3.shoulders: CCM 652

4.Shin: CCM452

5.Elbow: CCM652

6.Pants: CCM452

7.Gloves:Not sure yet

[Chadd 916]

It's all decent stuff, just make sure everything fits properly before you buy it.

[McCabe24 0]

Vapor series of gloves is nice, doubt you would need the XXX or XX but a lower model should perform well for your price range. Read a good review of the new Vector line on here as well if you have access to them.

[BK 0]

It's all decent stuff, just make sure everything fits properly before you buy it.

Exactly..

I cant ephasize enough that even the most expensive, top end gear is crap if it doesnt fit you right.

[DarkStar50 680]

Get better shin pads, IMO.

[warrior37 0]

id look into lower/mid range rbk/jofa protective, 3, 4, 5K series

[Allsmokenopancake 0]

If you are not sure on the gloves, and I don't know what level you play at, but I recommend the CCM Vector 4 gloves. I just bought a pair recently, they were $50 at my LHS, and I love them. There are higher end gloves you can get, but I don't play to a level where I can justify it, so if you are in a beginner/c league, these are great for the price.

[Hooah4 12]

Have the 6.0 Vectors, and the 652 elbows. Both have been exceptional so far. I also would recommend upgrading at least to the 652 shins. There are tons of mid level gloves out there. The Mission L3 is a great glove for the price.

[Quintin 16]

That was what my first kit was, minus the 652 stuff (all 452 apart from shins - had Jofa's). That's a pretty good first kit. Cheap and quite good protection.

For gloves, I'd recommend the CCM Vector gloves. VERY comfortable.

[hockeyherb 1]

1.skates: CCM Vector 6.0 already purchased on their way

Does this mean you bought them off the web? When did you try them on? How do you know you got the right size, or are you willing to just try them when you get them and send back if they don't fit?

[jjtt99 0]

Jock! Don't forget a jock!

If you're starting from scratch you'll also need some form of a garter (some are combined with a jock) to hold your socks up....speaking of, you may need a pair of practice socks and a practice jersey.

Oh yeah, you'll need a stick too -- there's only like a million options out there.

Good luck!

[cause4alarm 7]

You can get tons of good deals online, but if this is your first set of equipment, you should really go to an actual hockey store with a good staff to help you fit yourself and to actually test out the equipment. At the very least, make sure you've checked out the stuff you're buying in person and bring a friend who's an experienced hockey player if you can.

It would also be helpful to know what level of competition you're playing at, what age group you and your opponents are in, and whether or not you're playing in a checking league.

[yipperzz 28]

the 652 shoulder pads are pretty big. have you tried other shoulder pads out? the shop i went to only had those and that's what i picked up. but it seems a little bulky for myself. just a warning in case you didn't know...

[AlGiballa23 0]

To answer all the questions, I used to play hockey in 2002 for about a half of a year. Never really played any game besides pick up ones, but I did take a stickhandling class as well as played games at drop in. I used to have ccm supertack 852's, but I sold all my gear and am getting back into Hockey. I went to a LHS and tried on the vector pros in 11, they were too big, so I tried the closest thing they had on which were the rbk 8k's in size 10. they were fine but maybe a little bit tight, so I ordered 10.5 vector 6.0's. Those should fit fine seeing I am a 12.5 shoe size. I have tried on the 452 shoulder pads but they semmed pretty thin in the chest...IDK im 17 and will be playing adult league so IDK if I need good shouldies or not, but how about the rbk 3k's? I love the fit of CCM 452's, so would the RBK 3k's be comprable in protection/fit of the 452's? I still want protective ones because I'm sure i'll play pickup games where we'll check, so what do you guys think? I know all of my sizes so I'd buy online. I will have about 270 to spend on gear, I have the skates, jersey, sticks (wooden TPS ones). So I'll need a helmet, shoulders, elbows, pants, shins, gloves, and socks. I've checked hockeymonkey and they have really good package deals but nothing in my size. Same with HockeyGiant. Here are my sizes:

Shoulders: Large

Elbow: Medium

Glove: 14"

Helmet: Large

Pants: Large

Shin: 15"

Once again I'd like to spend about 270 shipped. Could you guys give me sites? I ordered my skates from www.247hockey.com and I see some nice gear on there, and they have all my sizes so I was thinking about that, but shipping is very overpriced, IMO.

Also, I wanted a full face shield, if I fall on my face will it bust? Or are they very strong? And 452 shin guards will there be a big problem with these? It's 15 dollars to upgrade to 652, is it really worth it?

Alright thanks for the time and sorry for the elongated post.

Take it easy guys.

[GeeZa32 0]

I'm with the dude who said go away from he 652 shoulders. Those things are MASSIVE and incredibly restrictive. I mean, if you are gonna be a banger along the boards, go and knock some people out...if you are looking to actually pop a few in the net...go for something a LOT less bulky...

[cause4alarm 7]

Here's what I know from internet research:

Many of the bigger retailers have free shipping if you buy $150 of equipment. Totalhockey.net and Summitonline.com will ship for free at around $100 and Icewarehouse.com and Hockeyone.com will ship for free at around $50. Aside from that, Epuck.com advertises a flat rate of $8.

As for buying equipment:

shoulders--You sound like a decent sized guy based on your shoe size. So unless your adult league is a checking league or you're playing against a bunch of big guys who can't skate/stop, you can probably skimp on your shoulder pads.

elbows--Also not where you need to put most of your money. Just make sure that the elbow pads fit securely and won't inadvertantly rotate or shift during play.

pants--If you're not a great skater and you expect to be falling on your tailbone a whole lot, make sure you have sufficient padding there. I think mid-level pants for your level of competition would be good enough. You don't need to go overboard with padding, but if you plan on diving or being on your ass a lot, don't get the cheapest either.

shins--Spend more here if you have knee problems. If you get something with really good straps (like RBK), then you may not even need to tape up your legs. Err on the side of more expensive since knee injuries really, really suck.

gloves--Spend more if you're picky about your gloves. If not, then just know that cheaper gloves with cheaper palms don't last as long.

helmet--Since this is one of your more vital body parts, you might as well get some good protection for it.

cup--I found my old cup to be too wide to skate comfortably, so I bought the Shock Doctor cup, which is narrower and has flexible edges. If this isn't an issue, then your run-of-the-mill cup should be fine.

Good luck.

[TheProfessor 2]

Not to derail this thread, but speaking of knees, can anyone recommend a good shin pad for someone whos had a knee injury? Im looking to protect the sides of my knees and my current pads are way too lightweight.

[jimmy 194]

If your planning to buy all this stuff online, please don't go to your LHS and waste their time or try on their equipment. You say you know all your sizes, it seems you may have done this already. Remember, LHS's are not showrooms for internet sites.

[jbyun04 7]

Not to derail this thread, but speaking of knees, can anyone recommend a good shin pad for someone whos had a knee injury? Im looking to protect the sides of my knees and my current pads are way too lightweight.

i've never had knee injuries before but my manager swears by RBK 7K.

thats a much better start kit than what I started with. Basically it was Bauer 1000 w/ 2000 cage, easton octane shins, franklin something recreatoinal elbow pads, hespeler gx300 gloves, easton black maxx shoulder pads and bauer 300 pants. Terrible package to start with and I got hurt very easily. Starting with super soft CCM 159 tacks from Canadian Tire doesn't help either :lol: :P

[cause4alarm 7]

Not to derail this thread, but speaking of knees, can anyone recommend a good shin pad for someone whos had a knee injury? Im looking to protect the sides of my knees and my current pads are way too lightweight.

I started this thread a week ago asking the same questions. I also had a knee injury, although slight, as a result of a collision from the side.

I ultimately decided that my current shinguards (Itech Kinetix 4) are sufficient for the time being, but if I had to buy a pair today, I'd go with the one of the higher end models from RBK. I've also heard good things about the Nikes.

[AlabamaICE 0]

Look at the Bauer Vapor XV gloves. Nice feel and not as expensive as the XX. Like somebody else said, get a good cup. Protect the family jewels.

[Cheesehead 0]

Look at the Bauer Vapor XV gloves. Nice feel and not as expensive as the XX. Like somebody else said, get a good cup. Protect the family jewels.

lol protect wuts important. u can lose a hand, but u cant lose....

well u catch my drift :lol:

[TheProfessor 2]

Does anyone know if the Reebok 5k ice pants have tailbone protection? Its not mentioned in the info listing and I expect I'll be falling on my ass a lot my first season.

[Cheesehead 0]

Does anyone know if the Reebok 5k ice pants have tailbone protection? Its not mentioned in the info listing and I expect I'll be falling on my ass a lot my first season.

no idea but u can sew/duct tape a mouse pad in there if it doesnt

[hockeysew 0]

Looks like a decent 1st set up but get ready to quickly upgrade as your ability level rises-the faster you go and play the harder you will fall(hopefully less but it will be harder)-I had the 452 pants but really didnt care for the hip protection which is on the small side-Protecting your tailbone is critical-You can sustain a debilitating injury to it which is very long in healing and painful

Basically my advice to a newbie is to buy the best you can afford without going overboard-reasons being:

1. Good quality equipment will last longer if taken care of

2. What is your protection worth?

3. The feeling of being well protected will tempt you to push your game a little harder which within reason will allow for faster improvment in your game.

4. Will retain better resale value if needed

Good luck and Game on!!