Warrior Buy Decisions

[BMW11190]

Ritual G4 Senior
Ritaul GT Senior
Ritual G2 Pro

So Goaliemonkey is having a sale on C/A's. I have not bought a C/A since Fall of 2009 and it is the RBK Premier 3  Senior. I have been using it all this time and just shy of 10 years, I beleive it is time for a new one. Now the RBK Premier 3 I still have no issues with it (no stingers in the arms ever, but the only issue I had was a square shot to the heart guard which left me with a bruise once. Other than that, I cant complain). I play Beer league C/B and I am looking at getting a new C/A. Goalie monkey has the new Warrior Ritual G4 senior and GT. They both have great reviews but I cant tell the difference. Goaliemonkey also has the Ritual G2 Pro on clearance and once has the plastic arm guards and the other has the HD/LD foam. Can anyone help me out with figuring out what the difference is between the GT and G4 and if those being 'Senior' are still superior to the Ritual G2 Pro? Would the Senior Foams in the G4 be better than what the Ritual G2 has from 2015? Has anyone had issues with the plastic arms on the G2 or the regular LD/HD foam arms on the G2 pro? Any help would be appreciated on the pros and cons of these C/A's.Now I did read past reviews of the G4 and GT but I havent found a review where someone starts from the Ritual Pro 2 and compares to G4 or GT at all. So I am just trying to figure out if the Ritual Pro 2 will offer better padding and protection than the Senior G4/GT or if the G4/GT senior's being newer offer better protection than a 2-3 year old Pro 2 C/A

God bless.

[Adam Cooper]

59 minutes ago, BMW11190 said:

Ritual G4 Senior

Ritaul GT Senior

Ritual G2 Pro

So Goaliemonkey is having a sale on C/A's. I have not bought a C/A since Fall of 2009 and it is the RBK Premier 3  Senior. I have been using it all this time and just shy of 10 years, I beleive it is time for a new one. Now the RBK Premier 3 I still have no issues with it (no stingers in the arms ever, but the only issue I had was a square shot to the heart guard which left me with a bruise once. Other than that, I cant complain). I play Beer league C/B and I am looking at getting a new C/A. Goalie monkey has the new Warrior Ritual G4 senior and GT. They both have great reviews but I cant tell the difference. Goaliemonkey also has the Ritual G2 Pro on clearance and once has the plastic arm guards and the other has the HD/LD foam. Can anyone help me out with figuring out what the difference is between the GT and G4 and if those being 'Senior' are still superior to the Ritual G2 Pro? Would the Senior Foams in the G4 be better than what the Ritual G2 has from 2015? Has anyone had issues with the plastic arms on the G2 or the regular LD/HD foam arms on the G2 pro? Any help would be appreciated on the pros and cons of these C/A's.Now I did read past reviews of the G4 and GT but I havent found a review where someone starts from the Ritual Pro 2 and compares to G4 or GT at all. So I am just trying to figure out if the Ritual Pro 2 will offer better padding and protection than the Senior G4/GT or if the G4/GT senior's being newer offer better protection than a 2-3 year old Pro 2 C/A

God bless.

I'm with you on these exact same questions and look forward to what others say!  I currently have the Warrior Senior R/GT which over all is good but needs more reinforcement on the arms.  Very light weight, great size and good shoulder coverage.  Very good deals on these chesty's on goalie monkey and I'm having the same struggle of whether to buy one of those on sale or drop some more dollars on CCM Premier Pro or the CCM Eflex II Shield Pro.  If I were to go with Warrior I'd go with the Pro and reinforced plastic arms.  I have to go into a store and try it on and see if the weight is too much in the arms.  

[coopaloop1234]

The G2 Pro will be more protective and durable than either senior C/A you have listed. From what I've heard the durability of the plastics on the G2 are more than fine. Guys cna play at high levels in that thing and they have noted very few, if any, durability issues.

I'd always recommend going the Pro route for C/A's.

[Teezle]

I have the G4 Pro C/A and have been using it ~twice a week since April. No durability issues so far, and it is very protective. I haven't had a stinger on the arms so far, and the rib protection has also been very good. The robot arms are very flexible out of the box, and I feel like they stay squarer to the shooter. They definitely have hotter rebounds than your regular foam arm blocks. I wasn't entirely convinced about them at first, but I really like them now - one of the reasons is that the plastic on the upper arm and forearm is floated off your arm, which

1) provides an air gap between you and the pad, so there is less chance of a stinger even on a hard shot

2) helps keep you cooler

The other thing I really like about the Warrior C/As is how they do the backplate attachment to the ribs - instead of plastic buckles like most other brands, it is a large piece of elastic with the soft side of velcro on both sides of the end. This gets sandwiches in between the hook side of velcro on either side of the rib protection. So there is more substantial rib protection, as well as offering a lot of customization on how you want the placement of the back protection and the angle at which it attaches to the rest of the C/A. And they won't get randomly broken when you slide over and a shot hits you sideways.

You shoulder floaters are standard velcro adjustable, and the arms are laced-in and can be moved up ~1" if you need to without any issues.

Having gone from a rather old Brown, it is ~1.25 lb lighter, even with the robot arms. My size small weighs ~6.5 lbs. I believe that the R/GT Pro (which is basically the same, except with your standard arms) is a little lighter.

[Puckstopper]

While I haven't been overly happy with the durability on my original Warrior Ritual Pro C/A (poor quality Velcro, early fraying of straps, interior material tears easily, etc...) Warrior's customer service was second to none when I had to deal with them on a broken piece of plastic on my elbow floater.  The unit was well out of warranty when the elbow floater broke.  I emailed Warrior customer service asking if I could purchase a replacement piece.  Instead they sent one to me at no charge.  The unit broke Sunday, I emailed Monday, and had the replacement in hand Wednesday.  From what I understand the quality of materials is significantly better from the G2 on, and based on my great experience with Warrior's Customer Service team I won't hesitate to purchase from them again.

[BMW11190]

2 hours ago, coopaloop1234 said:

The G2 Pro will be more protective and durable than either senior C/A you have listed. From what I've heard the durability of the plastics on the G2 are more than fine. Guys cna play at high levels in that thing and they have noted very few, if any, durability issues.

I'd always recommend going the Pro route for C/A's.

So just to clarify. You are saying that even thought the Pro G2 is about 3 years old compared to this years Senior G4/GT C/A, the Pro G2 is still superior when it comes to protection. The foams in the Senior C/A wouldn’t be better than a pro C/A foams from 3 years ago?

[BMW11190]

1 hour ago, Teezle said:

I have the G4 Pro C/A and have been using it ~twice a week since April. No durability issues so far, and it is very protective. I haven't had a stinger on the arms so far, and the rib protection has also been very good. The robot arms are very flexible out of the box, and I feel like they stay squarer to the shooter. They definitely have hotter rebounds than your regular foam arm blocks. I wasn't entirely convinced about them at first, but I really like them now - one of the reasons is that the plastic on the upper arm and forearm is floated off your arm, which

1) provides an air gap between you and the pad, so there is less chance of a stinger even on a hard shot

2) helps keep you cooler

The other thing I really like about the Warrior C/As is how they do the backplate attachment to the ribs - instead of plastic buckles like most other brands, it is a large piece of elastic with the soft side of velcro on both sides of the end. This gets sandwiches in between the hook side of velcro on either side of the rib protection. So there is more substantial rib protection, as well as offering a lot of customization on how you want the placement of the back protection and the angle at which it attaches to the rest of the C/A. And they won't get randomly broken when you slide over and a shot hits you sideways.

You shoulder floaters are standard velcro adjustable, and the arms are laced-in and can be moved up ~1" if you need to without any issues.

Having gone from a rather old Brown, it is ~1.25 lb lighter, even with the robot arms. My size small weighs ~6.5 lbs. I believe that the R/GT Pro (which is basically the same, except with your standard arms) is a little lighter.

The only reason why I am hesitant on the plastic robot arm C/A from warrior is 

1. Sweat and plastic arms (have you had any issues)

2. Dunking it in the tub to clean, how will the plastic of the arms (mechanical hold up)

3. Durability of the plastic robot arms with pucks hitting them straight on and if they break, what parts cost/replacement. 

I’m not looking to buy a C/A and then have to replace it in a year or two due to parts being out dated like that on the robot arms potentially. There is a review on goalie monkey from the G2 pro with plastic robot arms and the guy states after a year or two he has had to replace parts.

[Teezle]

4 minutes ago, BMW11190 said:

The only reason why I am hesitant on the plastic robot arm C/A from warrior is 

1. Sweat and plastic arms (have you had any issues)

2. Dunking it in the tub to clean, how will the plastic of the arms (mechanical hold up)

3. Durability of the plastic robot arms with pucks hitting them straight on and if they break, what parts cost/replacement. 

I’m not looking to buy a C/A and then have to replace it in a year or two due to parts being out dated like that on the robot arms potentially. There is a review on goalie monkey from the G2 pro with plastic robot arms and the guy states after a year or two he has had to replace parts.

1) I haven't noticed any issue.

2) Haven't done this. I just spray it with Febreeze and hang it up to dry when I get home.

3) Been fine so far. I've only had it since April, so I can't comment on years and years worth of durability, but I've taken plenty of shots on the arm and nothing has happened yet.

[coopaloop1234]

18 minutes ago, BMW11190 said:

So just to clarify. You are saying that even thought the Pro G2 is about 3 years old compared to this years Senior G4/GT C/A, the Pro G2 is still superior when it comes to protection. The foams in the Senior C/A wouldn’t be better than a pro C/A foams from 3 years ago?

Absolutely. My Pro LT90 (5 years old) is better than new senior level C/A's.

[Max27]

5 minutes ago, coopaloop1234 said:

Absolutely. My Pro LT90 (5 years old) is better than new senior level C/A's.

yeah exactly older doesnt mean worse

[IStopPux]

I just recently upgraded to the Ritual G2 Classic Pro, and I'm very pleased with the performance.  When I compare it to my friend's G4 Senior, the G2 Pro padding seems more substantial.  I steered away from the hard plastic arms more out of my concern for rebound control, than for durability.  I have taken several shots on the upper arms that were hard enough to deflect up into the upper stands over the netting, with absolutely no sting at all.

[BMW11190]

Thank you all for the feed back on this issue I am having. I went ahead and bought the G2 Pro (no plastic arms). I went into Monkey Sports here in Colorado (2 hours away) and they had the G4 pro C/A with the plastic arms in a size small, the arms were a bit to long for me, however when I tried on the G4 senior small, the arms fit perfectly. I went with the G2 Pro without the plastic arms and tried it on when I received it in the mail and it fits perfectly for me. I have yet to play in it at this time however compared to my Premier III chest, it feels just as broken in as the Reebok and the foams feels harder but the overall chesty is about the same weight.

[Deltadre]

How have you been enjoying the G2 classic C/A?  How is the protection?  I have the G4 Senior so I’m curious what you thought of the arms in comparison to the G2 Pro classic. 

[BMW11190]

17 hours ago, Deltadre said:

How have you been enjoying the G2 classic C/A?  How is the protection?  I have the G4 Senior so I’m curious what you thought of the arms in comparison to the G2 Pro classic. 

I love the G2 classis C/A. When I bought if from goalie monkey, I took it in after a few games and compared it to the senior and pro G4 and GT. The G2 quality is very comparable to the G$ and GT pro. The foam upgraded in the arms and and shoulders are of higher standard than the senior models. Also you can feel the weight difference. The only issue with G2 is some of the threads are coming undone but I simply cut them and burn with a lighter and it stops that. NO issues with the chest protector at all. Took a few shots to the arms, chest, heartguard and stomach without any bruises and didnt feel much from the impact. The foam allows the puck to hit the shoulders and deflect away from the body of it the puck hits the C/A square, it just deadens right in front of you to make an easy recovery and save.

[tubby34]

I have to ask because I was in the same boat.

I went from a McKenny "650"? C/a that looked like brodeurs when I was done with it, to a TPS R4 Senior Unit that was soft as heck after two years.

Researching I went with the Warrior G2 Pro Classic with the regular arms. HOW can I break this thing in quickly and make it feel less bulky. I wear a XL to XXL Tshirt and was fitted to the medium C/A by GoalieMonkey based on size and fit. It feels super bulky around the waist and I can't tuck it in.

What should I do to get it broken in more? I've used it about 5 times already, 4 days in a row at one point. Still feels like a tank and I've adjusted every strap I could.

Anyone have any suggestions on how to tie it down?

[ThatCarGuy]

@tubby34

I have a G2 Pro C/A in Medium as well but I can tuck perfectly fine. I just upgraded to Vaughn SLR Pro pants. What pants are you using? I also don't get that bulky feeling (probably because I weigh next to nothing for my height). It could be your struggle with tucking the C/A that causes the bulky feel to them.

My G2 Pro (plastic arms) was broken in within 2-3 ice times. For me that was about a week. After that, the thing was more mobile than my Vaughn SLR C/A (probably because the Vaughn was too small. I expect the break in period on the Classic will be less due to the lack of mechanical arms.

As for lacing/tying down, I use the laces on the front of my pants through the loops located just below the shoulder floaters and tie a knot under the center plate of the C/A. I also use suspenders over the C/A, under the shoulder floaters.

One last thing. From my experience, the G2 C/A is supposed to be a tank. I was told by the reps that as long as I stay square to the puck, nothing is going to get passed me up high (boy did I prove them wrong). I have no experience with the standard arm G2 but I love the robot arms and they're pretty mobile. 

I know. I just said the same thing four different ways.

[Max27]

4 hours ago, ThatCarGuy said:

@tubby34

I have a G2 Pro C/A in Medium as well but I can tuck perfectly fine. I just upgraded to Vaughn SLR Pro pants. What pants are you using? I also don't get that bulky feeling (probably because I weigh next to nothing for my height). It could be your struggle with tucking the C/A that causes the bulky feel to them.

My G2 Pro (plastic arms) was broken in within 2-3 ice times. For me that was about a week. After that, the thing was more mobile than my Vaughn SLR C/A (probably because the Vaughn was too small. I expect the break in period on the Classic will be less due to the lack of mechanical arms.

As for lacing/tying down, I use the laces on the front of my pants through the loops located just below the shoulder floaters and tie a knot under the center plate of the C/A. I also use suspenders over the C/A, under the shoulder floaters.

One last thing. From my experience, the G2 C/A is supposed to be a tank. I was told by the reps that as long as I stay square to the puck, nothing is going to get passed me up high (boy did I prove them wrong). I have no experience with the standard arm G2 but I love the robot arms and they're pretty mobile. 

I know. I just said the same thing four different ways.

unrelated, but how tall are you? im using a Small and im 6'2 and feel like they run huge lol

[ThatCarGuy]

26 minutes ago, Max27 said:

unrelated, but how tall are you? im using a Small and im 6'2 and feel like they run huge lol

I'm 5'10" last I checked (over a year ago) and was sized for medium but pretty much everything torso-wise is cranked down. The arms are the perfect length for me.

G2 Pro C/A is also now $230 on Goalie Monkey. Absolute steal right there.

[#16]

Does anyone know how a the G2 would be in terms of mobility in the head?

[ruckus007]

Fantastic. It's got enough adjustments to ensure there won't be any issues.

[tubby34]

On 2/15/2019 at 12:31 PM, ThatCarGuy said:

@tubby34

I have a G2 Pro C/A in Medium as well but I can tuck perfectly fine. I just upgraded to Vaughn SLR Pro pants. What pants are you using? I also don't get that bulky feeling (probably because I weigh next to nothing for my height). It could be your struggle with tucking the C/A that causes the bulky feel to them.

My G2 Pro (plastic arms) was broken in within 2-3 ice times. For me that was about a week. After that, the thing was more mobile than my Vaughn SLR C/A (probably because the Vaughn was too small. I expect the break in period on the Classic will be less due to the lack of mechanical arms.

As for lacing/tying down, I use the laces on the front of my pants through the loops located just below the shoulder floaters and tie a knot under the center plate of the C/A. I also use suspenders over the C/A, under the shoulder floaters.

One last thing. From my experience, the G2 C/A is supposed to be a tank. I was told by the reps that as long as I stay square to the puck, nothing is going to get passed me up high (boy did I prove them wrong). I have no experience with the standard arm G2 but I love the robot arms and they're pretty mobile. 

I know. I just said the same thing four different ways.

Thanks for that, I'm going to keep playing around with strapping. It's been a few weeks and I've used it a hand full of times.

I'm going to try to create something that locks into the loops under the floaters, liek others have used a clip or maybe create a nylon strap with buckles.

I believe I'm using CCM Eflex pants, I got those new recently and I don't remember the model. I should have just paid more for the matching warrior pants.

I'm 5'10, 235-250lbs myself. I would rather not tuck in the chest protector so I'm going to look for options. Worst case, I'll modify what I got.

[ThatCarGuy]

19 hours ago, tubby34 said:

I believe I'm using CCM Eflex pants, I got those new recently and I don't remember the model. I should have just paid more for the matching warrior pants.

 I'm 5'10, 235-250lbs myself. I would rather not tuck in the chest protector so I'm going to look for options. Worst case, I'll modify what I got.

If you're trying to avoid tuck, the Eflex pants should be perfect. I'm not sure how I feel about the Warrior pants though. I tried on a set at Monkey Sports and attempted to tuck but it didn't work at all. Who knows, maybe they'll work perfectly untucked. I'm a tuck guy so I know absolutely nothing about untucked C/A's.

As has been said many times many different way, the best way to tell if you like the way something feels is to actually try it on.

[tubby34]

7 hours ago, ThatCarGuy said:

If you're trying to avoid tuck, the Eflex pants should be perfect. I'm not sure how I feel about the Warrior pants though. I tried on a set at Monkey Sports and attempted to tuck but it didn't work at all. Who knows, maybe they'll work perfectly untucked. I'm a tuck guy so I know absolutely nothing about untucked C/A's.

As has been said many times many different way, the best way to tell if you like the way something feels is to actually try it on.

Thats true, I kinda got screwed by the retailer though. They were christmas gifts, opened em up and was missing parts of the C/A. ZThey asked I go through warrior. By the time warrior mailed everything out, the season was over and I was two days outside the return period for the retailer. Left a really sour taste in my mouth, so I'm stuck trying to make it work.

There's no great hockey shops down here. The panthers practice rink (i'm in south florida/miami) has a handful and encourages ordering stuff. All the shops have used equipment from 1999 it seems.

[ThatCarGuy]

44 minutes ago, tubby34 said:

Thats true, I kinda got screwed by the retailer though. They were christmas gifts, opened em up and was missing parts of the C/A. ZThey asked I go through warrior. By the time warrior mailed everything out, the season was over and I was two days outside the return period for the retailer. Left a really sour taste in my mouth, so I'm stuck trying to make it work.

There's no great hockey shops down here. The panthers practice rink (i'm in south florida/miami) has a handful and encourages ordering stuff. All the shops have used equipment from 1999 it seems.

I see. You are kind of in an area of hockey drought so there's not much we can do here. I suggest just order stuff through goaliemonkey.com or sidelineswap or something of the sort. Somewhere reliable, that has great selection.

Some people would love to live near shops with gear from '99. That is after all, the year the Stars won the cup (alright maybe I'm the only one here who's excited about that).

[tubby34]

On 2/25/2019 at 7:04 PM, ThatCarGuy said:

I see. You are kind of in an area of hockey drought so there's not much we can do here. I suggest just order stuff through goaliemonkey.com or sidelineswap or something of the sort. Somewhere reliable, that has great selection.

Some people would love to live near shops with gear from '99. That is after all, the year the Stars won the cup (alright maybe I'm the only one here who's excited about that).

Without naming the retailers name, I will say this... its one that's been mentioned a million times on this board and the GSBB.
The pants I got, they've already had two straps snap.

From now on, I'm sticking to used stuff. the previous owner usually has fixed it by the time I get it lol.