Questions on Protective Gear

[Jarick 5]

Hey everyone, been forever since I posted and want some advice.

For the last 5+ years, I've mostly been using entry level protective gear. I play 1-2 times per week, low to mid level rec leagues, no hitting, minimal contact. The protection has been fine but my gear has been falling apart and needs to be replaced frequently. I'm about to buy my third set of pants and fifth set of shin guards in that time. My pants rip in the material connecting the lace-up/waist portion, and my shin guards all crack on the knees.

So I have two questions:

1. From a quality standpoint, is it worth spending twice as much to get the high end gear? Again, I'm not concerned about the protection as much as I am with plastics cracking and materials ripping apart. I don't want to spend $300 on new pants/shins/elbows if I have to replace it within 1-2 years again.

2. Are there any brands that are noticeably good or bad in terms of quality? I'm tried Reebok, CCM (same mfg I know), and Bauer with the same issues. Never tried Warrior.

Any other thoughts or recommendations are welcome. Thanks!

[JR Boucicaut 3759]

Jarick - been a long time!

What you've described is going to be atypical of putting too much stress on equipment that isn't designed for long-term usage.  

The middle of the road product is good on a value standpoint, and usually shares something that you find at the high end.  Now, if you went high end, I would recommend going down one tier.  That's going to be the sweet spot in terms of protection, durability and price.  CCM does extremely well at that tier - it's usually a less stiff version of their top end; Bauer usually carries over the previous-year high end and drops it into that slot.  Warrior tends to Pro it; as in making it a simpler version of their high end.

You definitely have options there; be sure to try them all.

[althoma1 574]

The higher end shins and elbows often use neoprene strapping instead of just elastic. I find this to be generally more durable as those straps don't stretch out as easily as the basic elastic straps. The higher end pants also usually use more cut and rip resistant material (although, with that said, I'd encourage anyone who hasn't tried a girdle and shell combo to at least try that on in the store. I find girdles to be more mobile and comfortable and it's easy to swap out shells for different teams ect.).

The protective lines are all on 2 year product cycles. If something really impresses me or there's an immediate necessity, then I might splurge and get it when it's a current product (although I'll still wait for some sort of sale), however; most of the time, I try on the new products, figure out which ones fit me well and then wait for them to go on clearance when their 2 year life cycle is up. You can often find high end gear for barely more than, and sometimes less than the low end gear at the new prices. Year end clearance sales and summer tent sales can be good times to find great deals, but if you look hard enough you can find them year round.

STX is selling their high end gear directly now via their website for substantially less than the major brands (plus a code, NEWMEMBER20, to save an additional 20% off), but the drawback there is you can't try the stuff on beforehand since you're ordering online. 

[JR Boucicaut 3759]

Having a bunch of old product marked down (or people waiting for the prices to drop - I'm trying to be really nice about this) hurts the industry.  It hurts stores trying to stay current with their product mix; people complain that stores don't have the new stuff; a lot of times it's because they can't move the old stuff, and if they do, they're not bringing in enough as the profit margin's dwindled to the point that they can't bring in the new stuff.  Incorrect forecasting by manufacturers also puts a lot of product out in the marketplace.

The bigger win is having current product at a great value that can move well in-store.

[STXHockey 7]

If anyone is interested in our STX gear and you do not want to sign up for the New Membership code DM me and I can get you a 10% off code.  If you are worried about trying different sizes use the discount that I am offering to offset shipping costs.  

[althoma1 574]

Yes, current product at a great value is ideal. As a consumer, I'll certainly buy a current product if I see the value (I still usually wait for a 25% or 30% off sale as I'm admittedly cheap. The Verbero Shield shoulders and my first pair of Warrior Projekt elbows and most recently a Warrior Alpha Pro Helmet are some of the times I've bought current product on sale). I just tend to gravitate toward the top of the line gear even though I realize it's not necessary for rec hockey. It tends to be priced very high at full MSRP. Gloves at $200 or more, sticks at $300 or more and skates at $900 or more come to mind. Of course, I definitely don't need that level of product for rec hockey, but I want it (skates are the only thing I could maybe justify needing high end since I'm not light and put a lot of hours on them officiating). I can see how the behaviour that I'm guilty of, waiting for closeouts, isn't great for the industry. If of course, a manufacturer offers high end performance for a mid-level price that's great.

You're definitely right about the second from the top of the line of current product often being the best value. Hell, sometimes the mid-level product is an even better value (I've been very impressed with my Mako M7 roller conversion; it's definitely exceeded my expectations for a mid-level boot). Psychologically, I have difficulty going over the $100 mark for sticks or protective and over $400 for skates. I could likely find current product for those prices that meets my needs, but I get a thrill out of grabbing a product for $100 that used to be $300 or for $400 that used to be $900 ect and that's certainly not limited to hockey gear. I likely wouldn't have considered a product like the M7 if I didn't get it for a crazy closeout price, but I'm glad I did pick it up because it's actually helped open my eyes to mid-level product. 

The direct to consumer pricing on high end gear that STX now has is definitely appealing from a value standpoint, however; that certainly has it's drawbacks since it not only hurts the retailers possibly losing some potential sales, but the consumers are being asked to take a gamble regarding sizing and fit. Not a big deal when it comes to something like a stick, but fit on protective gear is very important. 

[Jarick 5]

Thanks for the responses! And JR, glad to see the website is still doing great!

I've definitely shifted away from the higher end stuff the last several years. Most of the time I try and find either discounted clearance stuff or just use the price point gear. My son's been playing for a few years now and I'm sinking a fair amount into his leagues!

The STX stuff looks very interesting, especially for the price. It looks like, before discounts, the high end pants are at $100 which is about the third tier for most other brands. Is it comparable to at least the second tier (around $140) price point for the others? If there's free shipping, I may take a flier. 

Is the quality up to snuff though? I bought a pair of clearance Stallion 300 gloves this past season and blew out one of the palms in about six months, which is crazy fast. Usually I get a full year or more out of them. They were good while they lasted though. Also have a few of the Surgeon 500 sticks from a couple years ago, great weight and kick although the blades get chewed up quickly.

I also would probably end up ordering gear one way or another...I'm kind of in a no man's land for good shops right now. It's about a 20-30 minute drive to get to one of the Pure Hockey locations where I live now.

Edited October 24, 2018 by Jarick

[stick9 881]

For me it’s more about value than it is overall price. I’m ok spending a little more if I know I am getting a quality piece. I agree with JR. CCM is really good at offering a quality piece at a decent price. Personally, I’ve had very good luck with CCM proctective. The Ultra Tacks elbows and Super Tacks shins have held up well. Granted, these are top tier pieces but I see many of the same features in the next model down.

I recently looked at pants. I really loved the Tacks 7092 pant. They had everything I was looking for and fit and the feel was excellent. Had they been a bit longer I would taken them over much higher priced pants.

When it comes to gloves Warriors Covert Pro glove offer some decent bang for the buck. I like some of the Bauer offerings just not sure the value is there. I mean they are nice gloves, but you pay a premium for them.

 

[althoma1 574]

3 hours ago, Jarick said:

Thanks for the responses! And JR, glad to see the website is still doing great!

I've definitely shifted away from the higher end stuff the last several years. Most of the time I try and find either discounted clearance stuff or just use the price point gear. My son's been playing for a few years now and I'm sinking a fair amount into his leagues!

The STX stuff looks very interesting, especially for the price. It looks like, before discounts, the high end pants are at $100 which is about the third tier for most other brands. Is it comparable to at least the second tier (around $140) price point for the others? If there's free shipping, I may take a flier. 

Is the quality up to snuff though? I bought a pair of clearance Stallion 300 gloves this past season and blew out one of the palms in about six months, which is crazy fast. Usually I get a full year or more out of them. They were good while they lasted though. Also have a few of the Surgeon 500 sticks from a couple years ago, great weight and kick although the blades get chewed up quickly.

I also would probably end up ordering gear one way or another...I'm kind of in a no man's land for good shops right now. It's about a 20-30 minute drive to get to one of the Pure Hockey locations where I live now.

I bought the STX Surgeon 500 gloves on clearance in August of 2017 and use them about twice a week and they're holding up great. The palms show hardly any wear, but I do use Tacki Mac (Kane) grips on my sticks.They're my favourite gloves. I also have Warrior Projekts and Easton HSX gloves, but my go to gloves are definitely the Surgeons. I liked them so much I recently picked up another Pro Stock pair of Surgeons off eBay. 

I've also tried on the STX Surgeon 500 elbows and if I didn't already love and have a stockpile of Warrior Projekt elbows, I'd definitely seriously consider picking up the new RX3 elbows. I tried on the HPR elbows as well (Stallions) and personally prefer the snugger and more streamlined fit of the Surgeon line (RX3). The Surgeon RX3 line is more form fitting and the Stallion HPR line has more volume and bulk.

I can't comment on the pants as I don't have any experience with those, but based on their other products I believe they'd be on par with the other brands top of the line gear. I'd still recommend considering a girdle, but that's just my personal preference. The CCM 7092 girdle is a good value. I'd also consider the Warrior QRE girdle, but girdle vs. pants is a personal preference. If you know you want pants then the STX does look like a great value. 

 

Edited October 25, 2018 by althoma1

[shoot_the_goalie 277]

Hey Jarick.  Good to see you back on the boards!

Something I don't think mentioned here, is how well do you maintain your equipment?  Do you dry it out immediately after every use?  Do you let it dry completely before using it again?  I ask, cause I'm anal about my gear (probably to a fault) and make sure it's very well maintained, and my gear is still going strong for 5 years now, playing 2-3 times a week.

Some things I do, that may be excessive, but it works certainly well for my experience with gear longevity:

Gloves: I always pull the interior padding/back of hand stuff out when drying.  Also use Tacki Macs on all my sticks and palms are still in great shape.

Protective: I always strap the velcro back into place and then hang all the pieces up on a rack to keep the general natural shape.  Also pack my gear with velcro in place too.  It's amazing how much damage loose velcro hooks can do to other equipment when moving around in your bag, catching on threads, whatnot. 

Skates:  I always pull the insoles out and take the skates out of guards til the blades are completely dry

I also do all this immediately when I get home and I dry my gear in room temperature, typically in an area with lower humidity.  And if I detect a little bit of wear on say a thread or stitch on my gear, that looks like it could snowball into a bigger problem, I'll put some not aggressive epoxy on it to give it some strength and an added protective "coating".

Again, might be too much effort, but for me it works.