Latest Long-Term Review - G-Form Compression Shirt and Short

[JR Boucicaut 3760]

Our latest LTR -

http://www.modsquadhockey.com/forums/index.php?/topic/60695-g-form-compression-shirt-and-crash-shorts/

Any questions? Ask here.

[TeamHonda401 54]

Is the padding made of the same material as the lace bite pads? Looks like it would be a pretty nice setup for those that prefer lower profile shoulder pads.

[danno25nh 3]

I believe all of the pads including the lace bite pads are made of the same material. G-Form calls it RPT.

I wore a set tonight for a kenjutsu workout and purposely had my partner hit me a few times with a bokken (wooden sword).

It did a surprising job at mitigating the blows.

[fatwabbit 93]

A few questions:

Will you be able to use the shorts instead of an inline girdle? I know its meant to add additional protection, but would it be sufficient on its own?

One of the LTR's stated that he blew a tire and went into the boards, but the shorts held up very well, I assume he didnt have any pants or girdles on top of the shorts?

Durability of these shorts, would you be able to toss them in the washing machine?

I think these might be a good alternative to the padded shirt/girdle that I've been using. Been overheating too much in the last few games due to the humidity and higher temps here.

[Chickennecker 0]

Can wait to hear reviews of the shorts. Ive been wearing football girdles under my pants becuase they are very low end and they dont have any protection on the tailbone and very little on the hips. These might be a little better protection and look like they would have less profile too.

Edit-just saw the price, wow pretty steep. might be better off just buying better pants instead.

[smitty 0]

Hi Guys,

I am part of the G-Form team in Canada and will check in to answer any questions that pop up. Our Lace Bite Gel Pads are not the same material as our impact protection products. What is used here is what we call RPT (Reactive Protection Technology) which is a combination of Poron XRD and G-Form technology. Basically the harder the foam is impacted the stiffer it becomes, but only where the impact takes places, and only during the impact. Our pads can absorb up to 94% of impact while staying very thin and flexible. I have personally had former NCAA teammates slash and crosscheck me in the ribs with hardly feeling it. Obviously we do not condone people testing the product like this but any impact you experience over the course of a game will be greatly dissipated. As some people have seen on TV some of the Bruins are wearing the gear in addition to some NCAA guys. I think the last question I see so far is about washing. Since we co-mold the foam so that it is encased in a TPU they are able to go through the wash. Let me know if you have any questions, and please feel free to check out our YouTube channel if you would like to see some of our demos.

Cheers,

[Scopes 4]

Smitty, are there any chances that you will add a jock (cup) pouch to the shorts, how about sock velcros?

[althoma1 574]

Let me know if you have any questions.

The product looks very interesting. I've read through the thread and will follow it, but also decided to check out the product pages on the G-form site. One thing I noticed was that while sizes S-XXL were available there didn't seem to be a sizing chart anywhere and different manufacturers use different sizing methods (hell, I have some compression shirts in large that are of the same brand, but different model years and one fits perfectly and the other is quite tight). I'd suggest adding a sizing chart to the page and if it's there already and I missed it then try to make it more prominent :).

The shorts definitely look like something many roller hockey players could use instead of traditional girdles and they'd end up with less weight, but more protection. For future models of the shirt I'd suggest considering a long sleeve version with grip on the elbow area. I prefer long sleeved under shirts for hockey and I'm sure I'm not alone in this - most people won't want to wear a long sleeve shirt and then your protective shirt over that. For people that prefer short sleeves the shirt is great, but long sleeve users may not be buyers just yet.

[althoma1 574]

Smitty, are there any chances that you will add a jock (cup) pouch to the shorts?

Good idea...I'd consider shorts like these for roller, but would rather have a built in pocket for a jock then to have to wear a jock strap over it.

[Scopes 4]

^^ I already wear UA hockey compression shorts so it'd be an easy switch for myself (and many others most likely) to a product with more protection that otherwise performs the same.

[smitty 0]

Thanks for the questions guys.

-Size chart should be up on the site sometime soon.

-Down the road there will definitely be many more variations of both the shirt and shorts. The company is still very new, and growing extremely quickly (which is of course a good thing). While there are no direct or immediate timelines and different version and products, the design team along with high level athletes from many different sports have many ideas in mind, including a cup pouch and/or velcro tabs. Demand has been coming in from so many different sports, as well as many avenues for the electronic products we make that we want to make sure we don't get too ahead of ourselves with a million different SKU's. That being said, if the interest from the hockey community continues to grow then we will be able to fine tune the products to be more sport specific.

Cheers

[fatwabbit 93]

Am definitely interested, and sent a note via your website for any distributors in Australia.

Am looking forward to hearing more. I love my current one90 girdle, but man it gets really hot and its bulky. If these can withstand the rigors of inline hockey, you'll get a real following.

[danno25nh 3]

I'm already considering how to convert the shin pad or a part of the hip pad into a forearm slash protector.

I hate long elbow pads but take a lot of forearm slashes.

[shooter27 116]

Basically the harder the foam is impacted the stiffer it becomes, but only where the impact takes places, and only during the impact.

Is the concept similar to ZoomBang technology, which gets rigid when it gets impacted, but is soft otherwise?

[smitty 0]

You are correct that the foam hardens on impact, but is soft and flexible otherwise. This being said, there are many differences between G-Form and Zoombang. Zoombang is a putty like material that does not actually have a molecular reaction. G-Form is a smart material, and the molecules actually lock together during impact. This allows the foam on the bottom (eg. the part that is touching your body) to stay soft. This is how we are able to drop 12 lb. bowling balls onto the screen of an iPad with no damage whatsoever. Other differences are in the weight and flexibility. We do not need full "gaps" in our pads to provide flexibility as we can make very articulate molds. Zoombang is place in a plastic like casing that can actually burst if hit hard enough, and the plastic often can cause chaffing.

[golee334 1]

Stx had a product line (K18) that had a similar gel like foam used in their lacrosse gear, is this technology similar to this or a lot more high end?

[smitty 0]

The K18 line uses a material called D3O. It is the only other material out there that is actually a smart material other than PORON. While it does offer very good impact absorption, there are some key differences. It is a silicone based material, which has some down falls. It is more expensive, cannot be washed, will break down from UV light and can not be molded into the shapes we are able to mold pads, leaving it quite inflexible. You will also notice that the D3O material is always "hidden" because it can breakdown so easily.

[Wallzy41 9]

One of the LTR's stated that he blew a tire and went into the boards, but the shorts held up very well, I assume he didnt have any pants or girdles on top of the shorts?

Nope, I had pants on. I knew I hit the boards, but I didn't feel anything.

[shooter27 116]

This is how we are able to drop 12 lb. bowling balls onto the screen of an iPad with no damage whatsoever.

I (and I'm sure others on here) would love to see video of that if you have it.

[nisselrm 21]

they have a video of a guy driving his cts over an ipad. impressive.

[smitty 0]

Here is the link to our YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/GFormLLC?feature=gb_p13n_ch_rec

The car running the iPad over was actually done by an independent reviewer, but we have a bunch of videos up, mostly using our electronic cases to show impact protection.

[Davetronz 109]

Now I'm tempted to test my case with a slapshot. I shouldn't have watched that video.

It looks like your QA team has a lot of fun testing out the products.

[AIREAYE 248]

The K18 line uses a material called D3O. It is the only other material out there that is actually a smart material other than PORON. While it does offer very good impact absorption, there are some key differences. It is a silicone based material, which has some down falls. It is more expensive, cannot be washed, will break down from UV light and can not be molded into the shapes we are able to mold pads, leaving it quite inflexible. You will also notice that the D3O material is always "hidden" because it can breakdown so easily.

D3O can be washed, just not subjected to higher temperatures as in a conventional dryer. It can be molded into unique and flexible shapes, just like Poron and G Form. Not sure where you got that from...

[JR Boucicaut 3760]

D3O can be washed, just not subjected to higher temperatures as in a conventional dryer. It can be molded into unique and flexible shapes, just like Poron and G Form. Not sure where you got that from...

I will agree with smitty here - I know a hockey product manager who tried working with d3o years ago and said the exact same thing - that it just wasn't a good application to work with in terms of hockey.

[AIREAYE 248]

Things have changed, it's a much more versatile material now. This isn't the place to discuss this though, but I'd like to follow-up with you on that soon, JR.