rbk/jofa vs tackla vs girdle

[romdj 26]

So here I am, having the choice between a few pants for a similar price, and hopefully you guys (having much more experience than I do) can orient me toward one or another what I'm looking for is good overall protection & mobility and back protection is the most important of all, I can't try them out as I'm buying them online.. so the pants are:

• NWT pro stock rbk MHP 7000
  
• Like new Tackla air 9000
  
• New Pro stock Girdle Rbk 9K
  
• other girdles, new ccm,warrior or totalone.
  

Any help appreciated. I'm slightly going toward the pro stock pant as I think they should have the edge on quality, comfort and protection..

thanks for your help,

Romdj

[Beflar 55]

My 2 cents: Personally, since pants can last a long time, I would wait for the CCM pants with the U Foam to come out. They look very interesting.

[LeMagnifique66 0]

Two schools of thought: Looser fitting pants (like the Tackla's you've mentioned) for mobility or lycra/spandex type "form-fitting" girdles with a loose shell over top for mobility. Which one is "best" ultimately comes down to what you prefer. (As nobody but you can determine that, and you'll be buying online, you'll just have to do some trial and error, unfortunately.)

The biggest advantage to a girdle (aside from the obvious shell swapping etc.) is that the pads tend to stay in place no matter how you're moving out there. Also, I can tell you from having looked over several girdles in person that most (not all) seem to have better than average protection. Most are very well padded with virtually no gaps in protection. (The Bauer TotalOne definitely seemed well padded and the largest pads were actually removable so you could wash the girdle.) But, some folks just can't get used to the more snug fit of a girdle and find it "binding" or uncomfortable no matter how stretchy or adjustable they may be. (Sort of like how some folks just can't stand compression under garments no matter what and just about all companies now have looser fitting options for those individuals.) I haven't used a 9K pro stock girdle, so I can't comment from personal experience. But, most everyone I know who has had one liked them a lot. (It's noteworthy that many pro-level players are actually willing to sacrifice some protection for mobility and weight-savings. So, I don't always equate pro stock with ultimate protection levels. But, in this case, it does seem the 9K was well built.)

With pants, I tend to look for gaps in protection first. It seems that the most often under-padded areas are the inner thighs, hamstrings, and "butt cheeks". (The area between the hip caps and spine guard... some pants have enough of a gap there that if the spine shifts and you happen to fall on your butt that you end up with a bruised cheek. Not exactly life-threatening, but can keep you off the ice for a week or more.) The Tackla 9000's I have seem to be about as gap free and protective as I've come across in an ice pant. Easton S19 (and I would assume the new RS - not having seen them in person yet) are also right up there and even a little lighter weight (though not seemingly as durable). RBK 11K could use a little wider spine guard to give you that better "cheek" protection. But, they're still quite well built. (A bit heavier than the previous mentioned pants though.)

[Chadd 916]

I've owned a few girdles over the years but never liked them as much as I like my 9000s. I found that the pads would shift quite a bit on rub-out type hits thanks to the spandex. The back also comes up very high, especially compared to girdles that essentially have no back protection at all. If back protection is important, you want pants.