Ultra Tacks shins vs Super Tacks

[Dangles83 24]

Was curious to know if anyone who came from the Ultra Tacks shins has tried the Super Tacks, and what their opinion was.

[stick9 888]

I did a LTR on the Super Tacks shins when they came out. I believe one other memeber did too. You can find them here.

http://modsquadhockey.com/forums/forum/69-msh-long-term-reviews/

I’ve never worn the Ultra Tacks. Maybe your experience with them coupled with some of the info you gain from the reviews can help.

[Dangles83 24]

Hey @stick9, I had read your thorough review and that’s why I was looking to see if there was anyone who had experience with both ST and UT. I love my UT (just looking to shave some gear weight) and never had an issue with the knee; trying to find out if that’s due to a new design or if knee is actually the same. Didn’t see another review, must have missed. 

[Cavs019 708]

They play very similar to me, difference being that I think the straps on the newer model are significantly more comfortable.

That said, I ended up ditching the ST for the 7092 to save a bit of weight while keeping the same fit and base features and couldn’t be happier. 

[Dangles83 24]

@Cavs019 how was the weight difference? @stick9had mentioned that the knee protection wasn't good; assuming you didn't notice anything here?

[Cavs019 708]

Knees seem fine to me- I’ve been wearing this shape of shinpad going all the way back to the Jofa 8040.

The only time I’ve ever run into knee issues is when I don’t strap+clear tape securely enough and my shins end up sliding down or twisting. This can be attributed to user error and not the fault of the pad design.  

Weight difference between the UT and ST is immaterial. Dropping down to the 7092 I’ve definitely noticed a difference. 

[beerleaguecaptain 999]

I dropped down from he UT to the 6052 (that was 2nd tier then) and shaved lots of weight and have gotten great performance.  Very happy with them.  Try the 7092!!

 

[FlyChicaga 21]

I have the Ultra Tacks Pro, and purchased (but never used on ice) Super Tacks Pro (both pro stock models of top-end shins). I like the Ultra Tacks a lot better. They are wider at the base in my opinion, and sit better on my shin. I wear my shins over tongue, and the Super Tacks I had pushed away from my shin, leaving a gap.

I have had two pairs of pro stock Ultra Tacks, and I have stood in front of a LOT of shots with them. Never had an issue at all. Probably the best shin pads I've ever used. I ended up selling the Super Tacks before ever using them on the ice.

One other thing of note: The Super Tacks pro stock shins I bought had the hole in the knee, just like the retail version. My Ultra Tacks pro shins do not, and have felt covering the knee. I find that much more comfortable, since my knee wasn't hitting the D3O foam directly.

[yipperzz 28]

15 hours ago, Cavs019 said:

Knees seem fine to me- I’ve been wearing this shape of shinpad going all the way back to the Jofa 8040.

The only time I’ve ever run into knee issues is when I don’t strap+clear tape securely enough and my shins end up sliding down or twisting. This can be attributed to user error and not the fault of the pad design.  

Weight difference between the UT and ST is immaterial. Dropping down to the 7092 I’ve definitely noticed a difference. 

I picked up the 7092’s recently and have about 10 games in them. I came from some RBK/Jofas and these felt pretty comfy. When strapping them on they feel great but I notice by the end of the games they’ve slid down and left myself unprotected. I was trying to use only the straps and progressively went tighter each game with no luck. Last game I tried clear tape on the lower part of the shins and they stayed up the whole game. I hope I figured it out because they feel great when I’m sitting on the bench before I start skating.

[Jason 65]

I have the Super Tacks shins. I did not try the UT before, but I think the ST are the best shins going for me. I had Vapor 1X's before and I always felt like I wasn't protected enough. I got hurt a couple times and decided to get the most protective shins I could find at the retail level. I couldn't be happier. The ST's are not the lightest, but considering their high level of protection, they are still light enough I think.

[Dangles83 24]

@FlyChicagaany weight difference between pro stock UT and retail?

[YesLanges 127]

21 hours ago, Jason said:

I got hurt a couple times and decided to get the most protective shins I could find at the retail level.

I'm amazed by this and even more so by the photo posted recently by [Edit] Dangles in the Jetspeed thread [Edit]: he got a huge welt from blocking a shot that caught his pad flush right on the middle of his shin, which should be the easiest part of the leg to fully protect. I can't believe this still happens at all when they've been testing and developing these things for more than 50 years and selling new models with "innovations" and "improvements" in protection almost every season during that time. These things can be stress tested to measure how much force it takes to break the plastic or deform it enough under a load for the shin to be injured by a puck moving at whatever velocity they choose to test. We're not even talking about secondary areas like calves or articulating areas (like right under the bottom of the knee cap on some designs) that can't provide complete coverage under rigid plastic. 

I don't know whether that's a deficiency in only one manufacturer or when it is that pad technology peaked in some equipment lines, but something's wrong when some 10 or 15-year-old pads that weren't even top-of-the-line retail stuff when they were sold are more protective than some of the newest stuff out there. (I feel the same way about some modern gloves whose segmented fingers expose you to injuries like Marc Methot's, courtesy of Crosby last year; but at least that's strictly a function-vs-protection design-trade-off issue and not a materials issue.) My Jofa 5500s have blocked a few rockets that I never felt at all; and they're described as "entry-level," which means anything up from that level made 10+ years later should be at least that protective. 

[Dangles83 24]

@YesLangesit was my post in the shin reviews for jetspeeds; I was shocked at the lack of protection!

 

[YesLanges 127]

1 minute ago, Dangles83 said:

@YesLangesit was my post in the shin reviews for jetspeeds; I was shocked at the lack of protection!

You're too fast: I just found the thread and came back to edit it. 

[FlyChicaga 21]

22 hours ago, Dangles83 said:

@FlyChicagaany weight difference between pro stock UT and retail?

Nothing noticeable