Reebok Larceny Glove and Blocker Review With Video

[Hills 709]

These are a set that has been out of production for sometime. But I know a few stores/websites that have them on sale still and I have heard about people inquiring about them so I figured I'd give them a review.


Personal Details

Male
6'3”
190 lbs
Butterfly
A-D level hockey

Usage time: 1 year
Price: I paid $500

Glove History: Simmons 994 Blocker & Warrior Messiah Blocker with Warrior Messiah M3 Catcher (mistakenly called it the M2 in the video), Smith 6000 Retro Blocker/Catcher, Reebok Larceny Pro. Now Larceny Pro Blocker and CCM EFlex Pro Glove

I believe these were Reebok's first full line of pro equipment made entirely overseas. To some people this is an issue, to me as long as the equipment works I am happy.

I am going to review these as 2 separate items as my opinions on them are pretty different.

Blocker:

Initial Thoughts: When I first received the blocker I felt like it was bulky and almost cumbersome since I was coming from a flat board Simmons 994 blocker and a very lightweight Warrior Messiah blocker and Smith blocker. I also noticed how protective this glove is compared to my previous blockers. The Larceny blocker is very well made and was extremely comfortable to put my hand into.

Fit: The blocker has 2 adjustable straps, 1 completely around the wrist and the other around the outer wrist protection. I found I didn't have to adjust the outer one at all and left it fairly loose to keep the side board as straight as possible. The strap around the wrist easily keeps my hand secure in the blocker, something my Warrior Messiah had problems doing (it always felt like it was about to fall off no matter how tight the straps). 10/10

Comfort: This blocker feels pretty big on your hands, it has a huge side board but it is lined with pillows everywhere for protection and comfort. Putting my hand in this was an absolute treat. The palm material is this extremely soft leather that was honestly the most comfortable palm material I have ever tried, and there is a big pillow of it that sits on the top of your hand adding cushioning for the blocker. Unfortunately since using the blocker for over a year now the palm is crusty and sometimes almost annoying to put on. Now sometimes I have to pour water in the glove to make it soft again. I air my equipment out after every game and never let it sit out in the damp or in my bag, I have also never had this issue with any other pair of gloves I have owned. I understand palms wear down but this is the most drastic change I have ever experienced for a comfort level.
New: 10/10, Now 5/10

Protection: The Reebok Larceny blocker is an absolute tank, the only glove I have owned that has come close was the Smith and even then the Larceny blows it away. The side board is big with large cushiony pillows between your thumb and the blocking surface, I have taken slap shots to there and haven't felt a thing and because of this I can confidently make saves with the side board without fearing an injury or pain. The finger protection along the stick is phenomenal. I haven't had a problem with stick mobility and yet I have taken very hard shots directly to it to the point where the finger protection itself has wedged the puck between itself and the stick. I didn't even know where the puck hit me, this was a problem with my old gloves (specifically the Warrior and Simmons) where pucks would ramp up the stick and either pinch my index finger or hit the protection and cause pain and numbness in my fingers. I have had problems before when diving to make saves where my fingers would get stuck under the stick and get pinched between the stick and the ice, but with this glove the outside padding on the knuckles has stopped that from happening. The outside hand protection looks fairly small, but I have taken stick jabs and shots from people shooting behind the net while I was in the paddle down position. I felt where the puck and sticks hit me, but I never felt pain or discomfort which again happened with using the Simmons and Warrior. The blocker board itself is very thick with a soft cushion on the top of the hand to deaden shots. This is the most protective blocker I have ever used. 10/10

Weight: I believe this blocker is the heaviest blocker I have ever owned, that said I have never once had a problem using it. Coming from an extremely light weight Simmons 994 with a flat blocker board made for a bit of an adjustment. But it is now my favourite blocker to date and the extra weight isn't an issue. 7/10

Durability: The only problem I have had with this glove is a very small tear on the binding where the stick is held in place. Now many blockers have a leather piece that protects against the wear of the stick and nylon binding. The Warrior and Simmons were much more worn and torn after the same amount of use, the Simmons to the point where the binding was split so much you could see the foams that made up the side board of the blocker. I wouldn't say the palm is worn out because it is crusty, while it is not as comfortable as it once was there are absolutely no wear spots on the palm what so ever. 9/10

Performance: This blocker had a little bit of an adjustment period because of its extra weight compared to my previous gloves. Once I got used to it the Larceny blocker has been perfect. Shots off the face go where you direct it and I have been able to punch pucks out to the board hashmarks or deflect them into corners. The extremely protective side board gave me a new save selection where I open up my hand to the shooter, which makes my stick take up more space towards the blocker side while keeping my hands protected. 10/10

Conclusion: This is the best blocker I have ever owned, it maybe a bit heavier but it is so protective the extra bulk is worth it. The glove is still comfortable even with the crusty palm material as the pillows padded your hand so well. I can't see me moving away from this blocker anytime soon. 9.5/10

Catcher:

Initial Thoughts: The catching glove covered considerably more surface area than my previous Warrior Messiah glove did, and about the same as the Smith (although the Smith wasn't deemed NHL legal for sizing). It has a very baseball mitt like closure and I felt like I would become a more catching style goaltender instead of just a blocking style.

Fit: There are 2 different straps that cover your hand while inside the glove and both of these are lined with the super comfortable leather palm material. Usually straps on gloves bother me because of the material rubbing on my hand but these were by far the most comfortable I have ever worn. I have never felt like this glove was going to fall off while at the same time being very comfortable. 10/10

Comfort: The palm of this glove was absolutely fantastic with an extremely soft and comfortable leather...which like the blocker has since become crusty and hard. The glove itself is pretty comfortable and I have no issues with it but because of the loss of the amazing palm feeling I am giving this a low score. New 10/10, Now 5/10

Weight: This glove is pretty standard compared to other gloves I have had. My Smith was a little heavier and the Warrior Messiah was about the same. It is never cumbersome and I felt like I always had great mobility with it. 9/10

Durability: Besides the palm becoming crusty the only visible wear on this glove is the fraying of binding where a velcro strap is. Now the protection seems to have degraded over time, and that will be touched in the next category. For the glove materials itself everything has held up well. Ignoring Protection: 9/10, With Protection 5/10

Protection: I figured this glove would be just like the blocker in terms of protection, and for the first half of a year I was right. Before I get to the palm I should say the back hand of this glove has a great slash protection for the fingers and is extremely protective against random pucks and slashes. Now to the palm. When I originally got this glove I rarely felt a shot and if I did it was simply because I took a puck right to the palm. Even then the shot never stung or hurt, but I knew exactly where I got hit. A year later and I am honestly afraid to use this with certain shooters. I noticed I have started to feel shots from guys that I have never felt before. Recently I took a shot to the palm by a local university player and my hand went numb for about 5 minutes. I then decided to go and get an upgrade because of this. New: 8/10, Now 5/10. I am giving this a 5 and not lower because some people see this as a sacrifice in order to be able to squeeze the glove easily and catch pucks better.

Performance: When I first got this glove I felt like I could catch everything and that was before it was even worked in. Now as it has use to it the palm seems to have built a ridge right next to the break. This causes the gloves coverage area to decrease and the angle of the thumb to be flatter and facing the shooter more. I now have trouble catching the puck and find that anything that hits the thumb bounces out to the shooter now, when originally it would go straight into the pocket. I still find this glove better than the Warrior Messiah I had but so far my new CCM EFlex Pro and my old Smith were far better in terms of catching ability. New 9/10, Now 6/10

Conclusion: I absolutely loved this glove when I got it. In a years time I went from a goalie who just blocked shots that were near my glove, to a goalie that caught everything on that side of my body, and back to something in between those 2 extremes. Unfortunately the protection has degraded vastly and I honestly don't feel safe wearing it anymore with the stronger shooters. Which is a shame because all goalies know they want to wear matching gloves! But seriously I wanted this glove to last me a very long time as I was more comfortable with this glove than many that I had before it, but the lack of protection has made me put it on the sidelines.
New 8/10, Now 5/10

Pictures



Great sideboard protection.


Small rip along the nylon where the stick is held.


The finger protection is really good and I have never had a puck slide up my stick and hurt here.


Outer hand protection is great as well and I've never had issues with this glove when I have with previous ones.


Palm was once super soft and comfortable and now crusty and hard. Besides that there is absolutely no wear showing on the palm.


Large sideboard cushions deaden shots to the sideboard and a big soft leather pillow deadens shots taken head on.


Great closure out of the box.


The bump of the material on the palm of the glove, this started appearing after about a month of use.


What the glove looks like with the bump.

What the glove originally looked like, the palm angles towards the pocket more when the bump wasn't there, now with the bump the palm is flatter to the shooter and I find pucks bounce off it more than they used to.


Good backhand protection, soft finger slash guard.


Glove opens up quite a bit in the back.