Looking for a new cage..

[hapamatt122 0]

I need another cage for my new ccm ht500 helmet.. currently on my 652 helmet I have a Bauer fm3000 that I took off my older bauer1000 helmet.. this is a size Large, also at one time I've had an Itech RBE III chrome in size Medium (which still fit a bit large so I'm not sure if the Itechs just run big or not) but I never really liked the Itech cage.. anyhow, so for my new helmet, I'm looking at either going with the Jofa/CCM 480 (mostly because a lot of ppl hype it here and you see all the college kids wearing it) but I also ran across this Bauer 8500 oval wire cage which is only $10 more.. does anyone have any experience with the oval wire? the thing is my LHS only has itechs so I can't try these out, I'd have to order online and basically my only experience with either brand would be with bauer, but that cage is so old the design probably has changed. any ideas? also, which size would I opt for if I go w/ the 480 (keeping in mind I fit a size L w/ my old Bauer and a size Medium in Itech).. i'm assuming i would stick with size L if i go w/ the bauer. sorry if any of this is confusing.

[cause4alarm 7]

I need another cage for my new ccm ht500 helmet.. currently on my 652 helmet I have a Bauer fm3000 that I took off my older bauer1000 helmet.. this is a size Large, also at one time I've had an Itech RBE III chrome in size Medium (which still fit a bit large so I'm not sure if the Itechs just run big or not) but I never really liked the Itech cage.. anyhow, so for my new helmet, I'm looking at either going with the Jofa/CCM 480 (mostly because a lot of ppl hype it here and you see all the college kids wearing it) but I also ran across this Bauer 8500 oval wire cage which is only $10 more.. does anyone have any experience with the oval wire? the thing is my LHS only has itechs so I can't try these out, I'd have to order online and basically my only experience with either brand would be with bauer, but that cage is so old the design probably has changed. any ideas? also, which size would I opt for if I go w/ the 480 (keeping in mind I fit a size L w/ my old Bauer and a size Medium in Itech).. i'm assuming i would stick with size L if i go w/ the bauer. sorry if any of this is confusing.

Is the Bauer cage going to fit alright? I'm thinking that the CCM (helmet) may have been built to be compatible w/ the 480 since they're the same company.

I ended up buying a 480 too after one of my college teammates kept raving about it. It was an improvement over the bent-up piece of crap I was using before, but it didn't exactly make me a better hockey player. Anyway, the guy also said that they look the coolest too, so I'm going to take his word on that.

[JDub 29]

What other features to the 480 do you like?

Is the floating chin cup noticable? How is the vision?

[DamnLocust 0]

I went from a bauer 4000 cage on my itech helmet to a 8500 oval wire cage this summer.

Right away, I noticed that the 8500 was lighter, and had better vision. The floating chincup with dri-fit on the 8500 was a big upgrade from the regular one on the 4000. Now it's as if the cage isn't even there.

I had been planning on using the 8500 for one league that mandates full face protection, and using a visor for another league that allows 1/2 shields. I liked the cage so much, that I traded away my visor and wear the cage for all league play, and even to pickup where I don't need facial protection at all.

[gtoddh 0]

I use an 8000 cage, not the 8500 Oval, but it's the same material and color. I like it much better than the black Itech I used to use. My vision seems less restricted with the gray-ish color metal. This might be one thing to consider. I don't know what color the 480 is.

You might also consider the Itech I2 (I think it's called that). It's white on the inside and black on the outside. It's said to improve visibility even more.

As for the Dri-Fit chin cup, my chin doesn't rest in the cup. The mask is far enough off my face that I don't feel it hardly ever. I prefer it this way as I can put helmet on/off without unsnapping the mask. BTW, my helmet is an Itech HC100.

There are many helmet/mask combos available. I just kept trying until I hit on a combo that felt best for me.

Good luck!