Buying first time equipment, is this good?

[technophile 0]

Just FYI, if you want to save some money but get decent pads, you can get Jofa 7500 shin guards (equivalent to RBK 5k) for $30+$10s/h on Ebay. Might free up some of your money for other nice equipment.

I'm probably going to end up ordering the 7500s for myself when I have some spare cash, as they've got some really nice features and a lot of people swear by them.

[yipperzz 28]

Just FYI, if you want to save some money but get decent pads, you can get Jofa 7500 shin guards (equivalent to RBK 5k) for $30+$10s/h on Ebay. Might free up some of your money for other nice equipment.

I'm probably going to end up ordering the 7500s for myself when I have some spare cash, as they've got some really nice features and a lot of people swear by them.

i have the 5k's and love them. if you can afford the higher end models, they only add more protection from there. very comfy too.

[Roach 0]

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

I'm with warrior on this as well.

Jofa/RBK have very well designed shins. I don't play a high level of hockey and I find myself changing Jofa shins only every 3-4 years. Seriously, you can't go wrong with this.

[hockeyherb 1]

To your question about the face shield, I think they're pretty durable and really how often do you think you would land on your face without being able to brace yourself with your hands?

I have a comment about elbow pads, of all items. I find these the most annoying piece of equipment to wear (although obviously very necessary) so it's hard to buy it over the internet. I had to try on all different sizes and brands before I found something comfy even though I knew what size I was based on internet measurements.

Having said that, I'd still recommend checking out some LHS for your remaining items. After shipping costs, if you have to pay it, it's likely you can get similar prices and you never know, they might offer you a deal if you're buying several pieces. But like Jimmy said, don't go in just to try on stuff you plan on buying from somewhere else.

The other benefit is that you'd get stuff that actually fits properly which is more important than saving a few bucks. Be honest with yourself, if you order stuff from the internet and it sorta fits but sorta doesn't, you know you're going to keep it anyway because of the hassle to return, and before you know it you'll want to spend money to replace those items. Where are your savings now???

Good luck

[BK 0]

I agree with herb.. in the longrun, you WILL be happier to go to your local hockey shop..

Chances are that you are going to get a bunch of gear that wont fit you correctly, will hinder your game because of it and cause all sorts of injuries, bruieses, blisters and rashes from your gear rubbing you wrong.

Honestly, after shipping... your paying the same price for everything anyways. Would you ever buy a car online without test driving it first?..

On top of all that, theres the issue of warrenties.. odds are, your order will be screwed up.. do a search on "hockeygiant" "hockeymonkey" and look at how many threads come about about dissatisfied customers.. Shipping, order screwups, 2nd hand gear, broken gear and HORRID rma/return experiences will be the bulk of what you find.