Taco

If you want the air pocket effect, one way to get it is to wear the chest pad on the outside of the pants. Over the years, I have had to sew a loop here or there to make an anchor point, but a lot of chest protectors come with a loop already in at least one spot on the front (I have relocated loop to the inside-facing part before). I currently use an Optik 2 and i have a lace that is threaded through the pant holes going the opposite direction as expected and then I feed the string through both side openings for the front flap, wrap it around my body, and tie through the loop in the front. Essentially what I am doing is preventing the chest protector from riding upwards and moving out of place. Once you have this figured out for your chest protector, it ought to stay pinned, creating the air pocket between the neck and bottom flap that you need. Bonus is that if you run hot, it helps with airflow. Also is easier to move around in vs. having your pants stuffed with chest protector. Finally, if you feel shots at all in the front chest portion, it goes away b/c the pad is not resting directly on your skin.

I dunno what others are saying, but once you make it through the break-in period, the flexibility isn't an issue. Took about 5-10 skates to get it perfect. I removed the velcro rib padding as it wasn't needed for my application. Build quality is amazing - can confirm. Haven't felt anything since I got it. I wear it outside the pants and have a lace coming up the front of my pants that I feed through the space on the sides of that front belly flap, wrap around the body, and then tie in the loop in the front belly flap. Keeps the bottom of the unit pinned to my body and the shoulders etc. seem to move with me in just the right way.

Part of me kinda wants to see if he will recreate a new one, but I know that he nickel/dimes on any modifications or changes to his current models. I know simply cutting off the heart guard on the 2000 or whatever it is will get you mostly there, but I think I would want to put modern arms from one of the other versions on it (the elbow creases have less padding in the old style arms) and also lose the ridges etc. that come standard. Not to mention, getting rid of the white nylon accent pieces. Overall, I don't think it'd be worth the cost. Also tough, b/c I got an Optik 2 for around 300$ due to some website misprint/coupon code stack and I currently love the thing. I occasionally put on the old girl just to reminisce, but it is arm-heavy and not balanced. Oh yeah, I took off the backplate on my 553 and added inside loops to it - I know John probably wouldn't do a factory-stitched version of that without charging. I have also committed to not buying old technology for the most part b/c I do not want to be stuck in the past on something that I have to get custom made in the future. I try to stick with things that are currently available or lines that continue to be enhanced each year so it isn't as big of a change.

Came here to say that I recently converted from Warrior single shield style knee pads to Factory Mad. I suffer from bone cartilage fragments in the knee which occasionally causes extreme discomfort at random times. This, combined with two separate one timers making it through to the knee in two back to back skates, caused me to look at options. I kid you not, these knee guards have changed my game for the better. I haven’t been beaten through the five hole in the 4 or 5 games since I started wearing. My mobility actually increased bc I used to wear the pads attached to my pants and I switched to wearing these on the skin under tights with a layer of tape to hold in place. I don’t know the mechanics of why it is so much better, but I got quicker in my movement. Best thing is that there are hidden air cushions throughout the pad which have made my cartilage thing not felt at all on the ice. I think I will always have a pair of these specific ones. I have decided that if anything happens to my current pair, I will be getting a new set from Dennis ASAP. 350$ money well spent.

My favorite out of the handful I have used is probably the Brown 553, the same style that Hasek wore. Super nice without all the plates and things that are on the current models. I am in an Optik 2 right now and loving it. In time, this could be better than the Brown. I feel like it really works for me.

It takes up about 1 and a half of a normal adult-sized player bag if put on the big flat side, but it isn't as high due to the bag being like a foot tall in the one dimension. That being said, it can be stood on the long and skinny end and the U shape opened up toward you which conserves quite a bit of space. I usually do this until i have to get the pads out and then i quickly put on my stuff and wad the bag up toward the bench i am sitting on. It has never been a problem with my team and we usually skate about 10-14 in a small-medium-ish sized room.

At around 25 years of playing, I have used several bags, including a Vaughn wheeled bag, the Brian's sterling bag, and others. Without a doubt, the best bag I have used (by far) is the Brown 2200. If you carry your bag and want to put your pads in the bag, this is the one for you. Do not be fooled by the dimensions, the bag takes the shape of a skinny rectangle. It has one long strap and one short strap and is designed to be carried through regular sized doors which is the most useful and notable feature. It also has a U shaped opening, better constructed zippers than what I am used to seeing on bags, and a waterproof material that is textured and thicker than the other types of sterling material that you see on bags like Brian's, Eagle, JRZ, etc. I wear 33 +2 Brian's and they fit in the bag without an issue. The only thing I can really nit pick is that there are large grommet holes in the perimeter - I have managed to bend a few grommets here and there in the 9 or so years that I have had this bag. All I do is put it on a hard surface and hammer the grommet back to the original shape. I have had my bag stepped on many times and it has been drug, dropped, pulled, etc. and nothing has ripped or cut on it. My Brian's sterling bag started getting cuts in it eventually. I think I paid around 150 US for the bag when I got it which was not the most expensive at the time. I believe John will do red or blue colored bags by request. I am also a fan of the Brown stick bag. I have 4 dogs and hair getting on the tape is not ideal. Also, it saves your back windows from getting glue residue in the summer time if you have a small car and your sticks are pressed against the window.

Optik 2 is really, really nice. I was a huge fan of the Vaughn Ventus and I think I like this even more. Stock arms are definitely more beefed up than the regular Vaughn arms. Haven't had any stingers or anything anywhere. Honestly, unless you are like Pro level and just getting pounded on in practice, you probably don't need to add padding to this thing. I beer league at a medium/high level once or twice a week and this will be great for years to come, I can already tell. Oozes quality as does all the Brian's product line. It did take like a month's worth of hockey for the arms to break in just right. I do not tuck and I did not end up having to modify this in any way like I usually do (adding straps/loops etc to tie to on the inside of the chest protector). I simply use a 120" lace and have that coming out of the front laces of the pants. I then loop it through the slit opening on the front flap (there is elastic there) and then wrap around my waist and tie in the front. Keeps the chest pad from rising up and keeps it perfectly placed. I also got some velcro loop the same width as the exposed velcro hook end on the collarbone protector and covered the exposed spot so that my jersey doesn't snag.

Lefebvre has been producing pads with the sizing running an inch or two bigger than the other companies since the Koho days. Someone there should make it official and start circulating that as a reminder on all of the affiliated sites

Oh yeah! I almost mentioned him. He was definitely guilty. Lol. Dude is doing a great job as the CBJ goalie coach Sean Burke and Trevor Kidd both wore like 40” pads, so tall that they brought back the fourth knee roll. They were on the taller end of the spectrum for goalies though.

Snow and Giguere we’re likely the candidates when it came to chest protection, but I always think of Skudra when it came to pads. That guy wore some of the tallest sets ever made.

I always go full Kevlar bc of the 6 month wait time, the exchange rate, and the lesser ringing than full fiberglass properties. All his masks are solid and awesome. Best value in the biz, might as well go all out. Mask is made to last and I wore my first one like 500x before replacing. I could still wear it if I wanted.

Goalie monkey has a good deal on the optik 2 chest pad if you are a small or large. I used a clearance coupon code. They sent it out, so I’ll update this if they bait and switch it on me. Ended up getting quite a bit off!

The way it used to be, and I imagine still is the way today, is that the skates are about a half size larger than whatever you are in a CCM or Bauer skate. I wear an 8.5 in those but have always worn a 9 in Graf. The width follows whatever rules there are normally for any skate. they made it a point to say vaughn still uses original graf Canada machines and they have a guy from those days that runs the operation.

Never really saw the mask fly off of Roy’s head (he had a strap). Many other users of the sling in NHL lost their helmets here and there and I never noticed an additional strap. Yes, keeping the harness tight is key, but you can have it be a little loose and more comfortable if you rock the chinstrap too. I have owned two Protechsport masks with sling, one Roy and one Potvin. I haven’t felt comfortable with going with just a tight harness - looking down at my feet was enough to shift the mask when I didn’t have a strap attached. You must be a god