First published review of Warrior Messiah pads & gloves

[Law Goalie 147]

Full review here.

So the first review is out; while there's precious little written detail, there are many points worth discussing.

To be honest, I'd kill to get my hands on these, just to see how they're built and how they feel, but for now, the pics are all I can go on.

The Messiah glove looks like a very interesting piece of gear. The angle and shape of the break, combined with the triple-tee, make it eerily reminiscent of a first-generation Vaughn T5500 rebuilt with a bindingless one-piece cuff (which is very much in vogue at the moment, thanks to Lefebvre's new RBK PS3 - even though Wilcox's TPS Xlite had it years ago). Am I completely off base, here, or is that exactly what the Messiah looks like? If that is in fact how it plays, Warrior may have a major winner on its hands. There are still guys who religiously collect 5500s, and Vaughn still makes them on order. This is a very old glove with a very strong following, and if Warrior has improved it and lightened it up, as they appear to have done, it could be huge.

In spite of the styling, the Messiah blocker looks decidedly old-school in a couple of respects. Keeping a binding on the perimeter and using a laced closure on the board seem like strange moves; however, the fact that this was the same construction Brian's used in making the lightest blocker in history (the Demon), and that the Messiah comes close to this gold standard (sub 1.5lbs) with a hell of a lot more coverage in the finger padding shows that there was some sound thinking here. Likewise, the bevelled toe (the front edge of the board) is something Brian's (and a few others) have pulled off before by making smart material choices. I'd be a little concerned about how the binding on the toe will wear, but that's half the point of binding: it's easily replaceable.

I'm not wild about the funky-looking slits and patches in the palm, largely because they seem like they won't wear terrifically well, but I'm certainly willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. The one thing that does concern me i the total lack of protection on the outside of the palm: the pinky has great coverage with the floating shield, but the side of the palm itself is totally exposed. While this is certainly a limited exposure, it's fairly easy to get clipped there when hugging the stick-side post against a low-angle threat, and there are some pretty small bones in the hand. Another oddity: mesh gussets for the thumb and the outside of the hand, but not on any of the fingers: note the point at the tip of the pinky where the nash picks up again.

The pads are a curious mix. They have maybe the squarest boot I've ever seen: no rounding, no taper, nothing. Functionally, this is spot on; it only looks peculiar to a traditional eye. The knee-rolls are, as almost all knee-rolls are these days, completely cosmetic - yet they correspond at the top and bottom to unusually large breaks in the square vertical roll. (A small pet peeve: Marty Turco has pioneered many things in goaltending, but breaks above and below the knee are not among them.) The contrast between the round knee-rolls and the square vertical roll is visually interesting, but not a major point of interest.

What is interesting is that these breaks do not correspond to breaks in the round medial roll (on the inside edge of the pad), which runs continuously from the boot to the top of the pad, as in the Lefebvre design. Glenn Miller's new pads have segmented this medial roll, creating far more flexibility across each break. (A word on this: unless your pad uses HD foams thicker than 1/4", or higher density than HD80, internal breaks - that is, actual cuts in the internal foam structure - are not as important. 1/4" HD80 is very flexible stuff; is that interaction of the internal foam with the shell of the pad that stiffens it up, primarily.) Unlike Reebok, however, Warrior has widened the medial roll along the shin, which should make for a more stable platform in the butterfly; potentially a very nice improvement.

One other strange point: Warrior has e gone to the trouble (and expense) of covering the areas of the medial wraps (calf & boot) which are exposed to the ice in the butterfly with Jenpro, yet for some reason, left the lowest calf-strap exposed. For years, Reebok has annoyed customers and EQMs by insisting on Cordura for the calf- and boot-wraps, creating a region of high friction and rapid wear. Warrior has done exactly what needs to be done to remedy this (notice how many pros boot-wraps are patched with Jenpro, or frequently replaced). Why the left that strap exposed is beyond be.

A final note on appearance -- I really like that Warrior has incorporated some dye-sublimation into their pads. I am credibly informed by a wiser man than myself that Cordura and synthetic leathers cannot undergo this process; Warrior is using a different material on the outside gusset of the pad, and on the secondary accent colour (the grey on the face of the pad) -- and I have to say, it looks fabulous. While I might not have chosen those designs myself, the idea of a fully customisable outer gusset is one of the most attractive I've seen in a while. Think about it: instead of having your name embroidered, you could get a unique image on the outside of the pad - 'you' nominating a company or even an individual consumer. I'm always one for performance first, but this is a great idea.

[SirJW 207]

LOLz about the Gatorade Bottle review over there, btw I love mine cuz no one on the bench puts there grimmy hands on the top of my water bottle anymore

[Law Goalie 147]

The Gatorade bottle was actually the only decent review I've seen there in a while. Apart from Davie and Gasman, the really knowledgeable guys don't post much, and when they do, they're ignored and buried under a dozen posts of rubbish.

[Law Goalie 147]

Small update: a second review has appeared, with a few more pictures and no text.

goaliecrease.net - Warrior Messiah review

[McDougalfaschnitzer 32]

The pads are probably the one thing I'd like to try the most. I want to see how their knee setup feels. As for the glove, it felt more like a Bauer Reactor glove than a Vaughn when I tried it on.

[Justin Liedloff 13]

Law,

A couple of things.

First, Wilcox didn't have a true one piece cuff on the XLite trapper. It was actually a standard trapper setup that was covered in a single piece of Jenpro. I know Itech had a true one piece molded trapper, but I can't remember the model.

About the bottom strap being exposed. My guess would be that when the pad is worn, and in the butterfly position, that strap won't make contact with the ice, simply because it's below the plane of the calf wrap. This is only speculation based on the pictures I saw of course.

[Law Goalie 147]

Thanks for the correction re: the Xlite. I can't remember why I was so damn sure about it being a one-piece; mut have read a bad review.

While that strap might not be intended for exposure to the ice, if the pad was loose enough through the bottom of the calf, ankle, boot and toe, I can't see how it wouldn't contact the ice. It is, I agree, total speculation - it just seems like an odd decision on a pad these days.

[goaliecrease 0]

I absolutely hate the warrior goalie line. It is so cheaply made that it should ruin their reputation right off the bat. It did with me.

That review with no text is coming from my site. The reviewer has been let go. ;) http://www.goaliecrease.net

[SEagle30 0]

Ok I stopped by a major hockey store today and took a look at the new Warrior equipment. What in the hell are they trying to do with the glove? It looks like a messed up version of Bauer's first vapor XXX model glove.

[Law Goalie 147]

Well, based on the way this thread went, and some of the recent posts elsewhere, I'd say Warrior might be in a bit of trouble with their new goalie line.

Someone scanned and posted this ad from USA Hockey magazine, and the level of irrational antipathy in the replies was kind of high even for that board:

Now, for the record, I like what Warrior's trying to do in this imagine. Its dynamism is a stark contrast to the rather plastic and bog-standard 'closed butterfly' shots that every equipment manufacturer in creation has been using since the Velocity, with the occasional excessively wide stance or V-H split-knee posture thrown in. That's the whole point: everyone else uses a limp butterfly with the goalie staring blankly off into space; Warrior's goalie is unorthodox - note the rather aesthetically pleasing angles of the pads, not stuck at 90-degrees to the ice but twisting both ways to form a hint of a helix - and totally focussed on one thing, and one thing only -- the puck in his glove he just saved. That fixation on making the save at all costs is, rather obviously, tied in with their whole Messiah branding. Personally, I think it's a terrific piece of advertising; Jim Aitchison would be proud.

Now, unfortunately, Warrior wasn't able to send any goalie gear to the MSH skate, which means I've yet to have a chance to try it personally. It seems to have a relatively low profile here in Toronto; not much penetration into the establishment. I have checked the pro-level Messiah line out quite thoroughly in the shops, and while there are a few things I don't love - the break and shape of the glove, the grooves in the blocker palm that look like wear-magnets, the exposed lower calf-strap - they appear to be, at the very least, an interesting approach. Offsetting the pad buckles from the lateral edge of the pad is a simple and effective idea. The calf-cradle is probably the best I've seen. They've put a lot of work in to allow the end user to remove and add options to the pad with an ease unmatched by anyone but Pete Smith.

I think Warrior's goalie line may never get the level of exposure and interest it deserves, even if they have several NHLers in them come October.

[Law Goalie 147]

Kiprusoff in his new Warriors:

Looking good...

[McDougalfaschnitzer 32]

Stuff looks pretty good, but at the same time does not look like the retail gear, judging by the glove and pads.