Itech FX50

[JR Boucicaut 3802]

Open

[sds 0]

Reviewer Stats: 5'6, 160 lbs

Usage Before Review: 3-4x

Previous Gear: Itech full cage on a Bauer 5k helmet, silver inside/black outside

Fit

I originally had trouble fitting the combo on my helmet, but my LHS fixed that for me. Somethingon the cage was scatching on the helmet and they just "widened" the cage a little, so it wouldn't catch. It now fits like a glove!

Comfort

The chin guard fits comfortably on my chin. No complaints there. The combo is noticeably heavier than my previous cage when holding them in your hands, but I don't feel a difference once it is on my head. If there is a difference, I quickly forget about it.

Visibility

The shield portion is smaller than most shields and to me that is a benefit. I want full visibility with no distortion when looking straight ahead. This combo delivers that. Since the shield is smaller, I believe it fogs up less because you don't breathe right onto the shield. Of course you sacrifice a little visibility since you must look through the cage portion when looking down at your feet, but that's ok. I'll take the greater air flow and reduced fogging any day.

I think the peripheral vision is good. There are black tabs on the sides of the shield. These tabs stick out about a half inch past the edge of my helmet. This cause you to lose a few degrees of peripheral vision. This may be of concern in a checking league where you might get a warning a nanosecond sooner that someone is about to lay you out, but I find the slight reduced vision to be very acceptable.

Performance

I LOVE this combo. I've come out of my cave and now I'm on the ice with everyone else. My vision has never been better. I have NO fogging issues. I have NO distortion issues. What I have is a nice view of the ice while protecting my chiseled face, which is exactly what I wanted.

I have been hit a couple of times in the masks by elbows and sticks and it has held up just fine.

Extras

The ability to just snap the shield in and out w/o any tools is very nice. I pop my shield out after every game and put it in an extra hockey sock to prevent scratching in my bag.

You can also take the full cage/shield combo off w/o any tools. It takes a little bit of muscle to pop it out of the groove/hinge, but that is another outstanding feature when you want to protect the head, but don't have worries about the face.

Conclusion

I repeat - I love this combo shield. Excellent vision and full protection is a wonderful thing. Aesthetically it looks a little goofy, but that is a small price to pay for the better performance. I do recommend this product to anyone who wants to come out of their caves and see the full ice.

Overall Rating

9/10

Updated to reflect my LHS fixing my fit issues.

Edited May 3, 2007 by sds

[tbintexas 0]

Reviewer Stats: 5'10, 180 lbs

Player level: Beer-leaguer

Usage Before Review: 1 year

Installed on: CCM 1052

Previous Gear: Bauer 8000 True-vision cage, Itech half-shield

To start off, I have to say that I love the FX50! I originally went from a half-shield (which I liked), to a full-cage to protect my teeth. I had some close calls with the half-shield and thought I better be practical about my hobby. When I put on the full cage, I immediately was bothered by the wires and figured I would eventually get used to it. I must have worn it for 4 months and never did get used to having the wires right in my line of vision. At the time, I considered the Oakley combo as well, but chose the FX50 becuase it was a littel cheaper ($10) but also came with 2 sheilds.

When I first purchased the combo, I tried putting it on a Mission Carbster and had multiple issues with the fit. It kept popping out of the top clip (as previously mentioned in the review above, the shield/cage doesn't come with traditional loops). I put on regular cage clips to keep it fastened securly. Once I changed over to the CCM 1052, it seemed to fit the helmet better, with no issues.

Comfort

The combo fits the helmet and my face with no issues. The chin cup isn't as 'soft' as the one with the Bauer True-vision cage, but it's not like it's rough or anything annoying. It's not the lightest shield/cage out there, but I don't find it heavy.

Performance

The best part - I can see! Wow, it's great to not have to look around/through the wires anymore. There is also no distortion when looking anywhere including the sides. I have had no fogging issues either, something that I was worried about since I play in a warm climate (Houston).

For scratching/smudging, I have been nailed in the cage by pucks and sticks with no issues and have had a few collisions on the sheild portion with only one scuff. I'm careful to use the helmet bag so it doesn't get scratched up. In fact, I use the side pocket of my gear bag for only tape and the helmet so nothing gets thrown against the shield scratching it.

Cleaning the shield is easy as it pops out in about 10 seconds with no tools required.

The one thing that I'm not 100% sold on is the fancy 'clip' or hinge at the top which holds the combo in place. Like I mentioned, it kept popping off for me. I'm not sure if it was the odd-shape Carbster lid I was using when I first started using it, or if it's a defect or ? To remedy this, I just put regular cage clips on.

Conclusion

After one year, I still am happy with it and am still using the same visor with no issues. If you take care of this and put it in the bag, you should really cut down on the scratches. In the past month, I've had 2 other teamates of mine switch to the FX50 and they are also very happy with it.

Overall Rating

9/10 (because of the funky clip/hinge)

[qmechanic 17]

Reviewer Stats: 5'2", 130 lbs

Player level: Intermediate, play on women's team

Usage Before Review: 1 year

Installed on: Bauer 8500 medium helmet

Previous Gear: Bauer 4000 with black Bauer cage, Bauer 4500 helmet with Itech 920 Combo cage

Product reviewed: Itech FX50 combo, standard size

Fit

Fit will probably vary a lot depending on what helmet and what size helmet you have. The FX50 comes in two sizes (standard and small) and I got the adult size (standard), which fits perfectly on my Bauer 8500 medium sized helmet. The width of the FX50 matches the width of the Bauer helmet exactly and the forehead to chin length of the FX50 is also just right for my head (i.e. if the length were too long, the chin cup wouldn't hit my chin).

My only complaint is that I installed the J-hooks on my helmet and sometimes the alignment of the FX50 gets screwed up so that I can't get the edges of the cage to fit into the J-hooks very well. I have to bend the plastic J-hooks a bit.

The FX50 was easy to install on my Bauer 8500 helmet. All the hardware for installing the FX50 was included in the package. The only thing I had to supply was a screwdriver. I did have to play with the plastic hinge and the plastic J-hooks a little to get the combo aligned with my helmet. I know when the combo is aligned when the edges of the cage go smoothly into the J-hooks on the helmet.

9/10

Protection

I play in a women's league during the regular hockey season and in a co-ed recreational league during the summer, so I never have to deal with any high-flying shots. There might be the occasional high stick, but the FX50 hasn't been really "tested" in my recreational play, so you should take my rating with a few caveats.

10/10

Weight

Any combo/shield will definitely be heavier than a cage. That is probably the one thing I don't like about combos/shields. I like to be able to lift up the cage/shield/combo and have it stay in place while I take a drink of water or wipe down my face. However, the FX50 wasn't any heavier than the other shield I used, the Itech 920 Combo.

5/10

Durability

I've been playing with it for a year now and have had no problems. I got one scruff mark on it when I fell down on the ice and someone knocked their stick blade on the shield part of the combo. I'm still using the shield as the scruff mark is relatively minor.

I rarely have any problems with fogging. And when I do (which might happen every 10 hours of ice time), I just apply some anti-fog with an Itech anti-fog wipe and I'm good to go.

I don't have any problems with scratches, either. I just make sure to put my helmet in a bag after I finish playing.

8/10

Intangibles

The main reason I got the FX50 was because I noticed that many of the advanced players seemed to use shields/combos as opposed to cages. The vision was outstanding, crystal clear. I don't feel like I'm looking out of a shield at all. I tried the Itech 920 Combo right before getting the FX50 and the vision I get from the FX50 is much better in comparison.

The shield makes my head look like a bubble. It's not very attractive, but then again, I use it for the clarity of vision, not looks.

Conclusion

I'm very pleased with the FX50 and highly recommend it. It gives me great vision while still providing adequate protection.

9/10