Explain the Chin Sling... #ChinSlingNation

[aircanuck]

13 hours ago, wox33 said:

Chin cups drive me crazy and always caused my chin to break out as well. 

I was always the same way as well, ended up putting some Moleskin in the cup and that fixed everything. Also, I got old. 

[seagoal]

I just ordered a gel football chin cup for my new Sportmask.  I'm pretty sure it's the same one as @jayluv54 uses. 

I was really paying a lot of attention to precisely dialing in the fit of my new mask tonight, including not using the chin cup to see what it would be like to have the chin sling. 

One thing that I noticed is that my mask sags a bit without the cup snug on my chin, making the cage sit a little too close to the tip of my nose for my liking.  

I think that is one benefit/advantage/feature of a chin cup is that is can lift the mask off your face a bit and if it's snug enough, you can actually move the mask by flexing your jaw and moving your chin.  It seems like the decision to use a sling or a cup should come into play in deciding what size mask to get or in your specs on a custom mask. 

[stackem30]

Add me to the list of people who couldn't imagine going back to a chin cup after using a sling for the last 8 years or so. Had a sling on my Hackva, and have one now on my Protechsport.

My face sits better in my masks, and I'm definitely more comfortable -- it's hard to describe, but chin cups always created some sort of mild tension in my jaw/neck, like I had to tense myself for it to work properly. I probably just never took the time to adjust my chin cup properly (or buy a decent one), but a sling felt like a sigh of relief. And granted I was much younger when I last wore a chin cup, but they didn't help with breakouts. I found them hard to clean efficiently, whereas chin slings are a breeze to wipe down (and they don't retain much sweat to begin with).

Nothing against chin cups, I could just never get them to work for me. The only mark against them is the safety factor, but so far that's more "in theory" for me -- I've been run into plenty, and I've never felt like my mask was going anywhere.

[cwarnar]

11 hours ago, seagoal said:

I just ordered a gel football chin cup for my new Sportmask.  I'm pretty sure it's the same one as @jayluv54 uses. 

I was really paying a lot of attention to precisely dialing in the fit of my new mask tonight, including not using the chin cup to see what it would be like to have the chin sling. 

One thing that I noticed is that my mask sags a bit without the cup snug on my chin, making the cage sit a little too close to the tip of my nose for my liking.  

I think that is one benefit/advantage/feature of a chin cup is that is can lift the mask off your face a bit and if it's snug enough, you can actually move the mask by flexing your jaw and moving your chin.  It seems like the decision to use a sling or a cup should come into play in deciding what size mask to get or in your specs on a custom mask. 

Let me know how you like it.  I had a sling for the past 5 years in my Stacey but went back to a cup with new Pro 3 Sportmask.

I prefer the freedom of a sling but must say my mask feels more solid and secure being back in a cup.  Time will tell, I may grab an EcoProFoam sling just to try in the Sportmask

[seagoal]

4 minutes ago, cwarnar said:

Let me know how you like it.  I had a sling for the past 5 years in my Stacey but went back to a cup with new Pro 3 Sportmask.

I prefer the freedom of a sling but must say my mask feels more solid and secure being back in a cup.  Time will tell, I may grab an EcoProFoam sling just to try in the Sportmask

Will do.  I should have it installed and used within a week. 

I'll have some much, much more exciting Sportmask news soon, too.  Stay tuned.  Not to be cryptic or anything

[cwarnar]

18 minutes ago, seagoal said:

Will do.  I should have it installed and used within a week. 

I'll have some much, much more exciting Sportmask news soon, too.  Stay tuned.  Not to be cryptic or anything

[coopaloop1234]

2 hours ago, cwarnar said:

That's not how you use that meme at all.

[cwarnar]

4 minutes ago, coopaloop1234 said:

That's not how you use that meme at all.

[coopaloop1234]

6 minutes ago, cwarnar said:

Certified dankness right there.

[itis121]

On 12/14/2018 at 7:37 PM, SaveByRichter35 said:

There are two different kinds of chin slings.  One, which I have always used, is suspended.  Its meant to cradle your chin.  Your face/chin sits right up against the sling. 

I'm confused about a suspended chin sling? Can you provide a picture for example. Most chinslings I search is coming up as ecofoam or old maltese and dont notice a difference. 

[SaveByRichter35]

6 minutes ago, itis121 said:

I'm confused about a suspended chin sling? Can you provide a picture for example. Most chinslings I search is coming up as ecofoam or old maltese and dont notice a difference. 

I sure can, however, I am working until 11pm tonight.  

[itis121]

2 minutes ago, SaveByRichter35 said:

I sure can, however, I am working until 11pm tonight.  

All good. I just wanted to know the difference. I have a mask that needs repadding and wondering what the options are.

[Hockey37]

For those who use a suspended chin sling, what have you found as the best way to anchor it?  I've been using a piece of Pad Wrap on the backside, then using the cage and strap screws on each side to go through the sling and leather.  This seems to work ok, but was just wondering if there were any other options I hadn't thought of.  

[RichMan]

I'm using a Weezle chin sling. Been over 5 years now or so. Wondering why chin slings aren't the norm in SR masks?

[Telfo]

I have tried a chin sling a few times and just never been able to get used to it.  I like the security of a chin cup.  Mask always feels too loose and floppy with a sling.  Probably just an issue with how I am installing it.

[itis121]

4 hours ago, RichMan said:

I'm using a Weezle chin sling. Been over 5 years now or so. Wondering why chin slings aren't the norm in SR masks?

Maybe to cut cost on manufacturing. And keeping parts the same for csa approval 

[SaveByRichter35]

Shit.  I forgot to take a picture last night 

[SaveByRichter35]

7 hours ago, Hockey37 said:

For those who use a suspended chin sling, what have you found as the best way to anchor it?  I've been using a piece of Pad Wrap on the backside, then using the cage and strap screws on each side to go through the sling and leather.  This seems to work ok, but was just wondering if there were any other options I hadn't thought of.  

Both of mine are backed with jenpro and are screwed into the same spot where a chin cup would be screwed in.

[chile57]

Count me in as a chin sling enthusiast - I have it in three of my lids and would never go back.

For those asking think of it like this - it kind of acts like a cup but without the cumbersomeness (in my opinion) of rolling underneath your chin. I've been using a chin sling for over 12 years (first foray was with my custom Pro's Choice Vapor) and have never had any protection or losing my lid issues (and at one point I was playing four nights a week). A tight fit if done properly is a nonissue. Keep in mind these are all custom lids so the fit is dialed in to begin with. My slings aren't of the Maltese variety (think attached directly to the chin drop) they are suspended away from the chin drop with a slight gap between the padding and the mask itself (much the same as a chin cup would be). Echoing what Richter said above on the application.

[GoalieJohn]

I have a love/hate relationship with the Maltese chin sling. It does not help hold the mask on, but is way more comfortable. HOWEVER, a good hard shot has ripped my lip a few times because I cut the padding to fit, and the edges weren't rounded. So that actually caused the cut. Other times, since it sits closer to your face, I've had a few fat lips because of the helmet pushing back into my face, but nothing major. I hate any sort of chin strap so I will stick with it for now. 

Note - the adhesive tape is useless once you sweat a few hundred times. I had to bolt mine in with the side bolts. Using a neoprene washer to make sure it doesn't rip thru the material is a good idea but you might want to get a longer bolt. 

[goalie]

41 minutes ago, GoalieJohn said:

I have a love/hate relationship with the Maltese chin sling. It does not help hold the mask on, but is way more comfortable. HOWEVER, a good hard shot has ripped my lip a few times because I cut the padding to fit, and the edges weren't rounded. So that actually caused the cut. Other times, since it sits closer to your face, I've had a few fat lips because of the helmet pushing back into my face, but nothing major. I hate any sort of chin strap so I will stick with it for now. 

Note - the adhesive tape is useless once you sweat a few hundred times. I had to bolt mine in with the side bolts. Using a neoprene washer to make sure it doesn't rip thru the material is a good idea but you might want to get a longer bolt. 

 

 

Have you tried a Nash version? It bolts in and has a jenpro backing that doesn't rip

[Chenner29]

5 hours ago, GoalieJohn said:

I have a love/hate relationship with the Maltese chin sling. It does not help hold the mask on, but is way more comfortable. HOWEVER, a good hard shot has ripped my lip a few times because I cut the padding to fit, and the edges weren't rounded. So that actually caused the cut. Other times, since it sits closer to your face, I've had a few fat lips because of the helmet pushing back into my face, but nothing major. I hate any sort of chin strap so I will stick with it for now. 

Note - the adhesive tape is useless once you sweat a few hundred times. I had to bolt mine in with the side bolts. Using a neoprene washer to make sure it doesn't rip thru the material is a good idea but you might want to get a longer bolt.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but your first statement sounds like you had it installed as a layer of padding on the chin...that's not a chin sling, that's just chin padding, and was a very common mistake.  The injuries you experienced were likely pressure cuts.

Here is an actual chin sling setup so we can confirm we are talking about the same thing.  Note it the sling is suspended off the chin.

To combat the issue of the padding pulling out from the hardware, you can back the sling with some jenpro or Padskinz. If you want to take it a step further, you can sandwich a rubber washer in between the padding and the Jenpro/Padskinz layer before bonding everything together with some adhesive. 

Note the gel padding was backed with adhesive tape, that stuff is only temporary to test fit.  Once you were happy with the fit, it was recommended you glue the padding in with either contact cement, or the included 3M adhesive to create a more permanent bond.

(source: former Maltese sales rep)
 

[RichMan]

Still sporting a chin sling. Got me a Eco foam one couple months ago replacing the Wzlhed one. I like the feel but I do agree that it can make for a loose fitting mask.

I might want to experiment with chin cups again for comparison. Any new and innovating models out there these past few years?