Warrior R/GT2 VS Warrior G4

[kyledjean]

I am hoping to get a new set of gear in the next year or so, and I have been looking a lot at the warrior gear. What are the differences between the R/GT2 gear and the G4 gear? What are your experiences with either? What gear did you come from? This will be my first set since 2005. I was a Mckenney boy growing up, until I got my last set for Juniors which were the Vaughn Epics.

[coopaloop1234]

11 minutes ago, kyledjean said:

I am hoping to get a new set of gear in the next year or so, and I have been looking a lot at the warrior gear. What are the differences between the R/GT2 gear and the G4 gear? What are your experiences with either? What gear did you come from? This will be my first set since 2005. I was a Mckenney boy growing up, until I got my last set for Juniors which were the Vaughn Epics.

Torsional flex mostly.

GT has more toe taper
G4 has the air slide
G4 has a slightly stiffer boot
G4 has the profile lock
 

And that's mostly it. G4 will feel boxier but both are identical in the strapping system.

[cwarnar]

The main difference will be torsional flex.  They both feature hypercomp and active drop.  The best comparisons are here:

http://blog.goaliemonkey.com/warrior-ritual-side-by-side-comparison-g3-gt/

Its for the G3 so you get the AirSlide with the G4.  Both lines are great, coming from older pads the GT line, being more traditional in build is likely to be your best bet.

[cwarnar]

2 minutes ago, coopaloop1234 said:

Torsional flex mostly.

GT has more toe taper
G4 has the air slide
G4 has a slightly stiffer boot
G4 has the profile lock
 

And that's mostly it. G4 will feel boxier but both are identical in the strapping system.

Enter the Warrior Fan Club!!!  Did we get our members only jackets yet?

[Puckstopper]

G4 is Warrior's stiffer "butterfly style pad.  It will fit looser and feel less connected.

GT2 is their hybrid pad and it definitely fits closer to the leg. I own a set of these and have about 4 hours of ice time in them at this point.  The pads are breaking in nicely in that time and I'm moving comfortably in them.  Rotation is great (better/more consistent than my old Brian's SZ3's) and the strapping system is easy to adjust on the fly if needed.   The GT2 glove is the most natural feeling glove (for me anyway) that Warrior has ever released.  By bypassing the thumb loop I was able to get it to feel enough like my previous catch glove that I took it directly into a game situation with no practice time and didn't miss a beat.  I'm not sure what if any differences exist between the G4 blocker and the GT2, but it's super light and the palm leather is buttery soft. 

The only downside to these sets is that the included knee pads tend to slip down off my thigh and around my knee.   One of my friends uses clear tape to hold his up.  I have tried using bungie cord and velcro to attach them to my pants and it helped a bit, but I didn't really like the connected feeling between knee pads and pants.  If you're used to taping your knee pads or have another set you can use while you dial these in, this should be a non issue. 

Overall I feel like Warrior pads offer a no compromise emphasis on light weight and performance and I've been more than happy with my set in the brief time I've had with them.    Based on your history you sound more like a GT2 guy, but the G4 replacements should be out by then so I'd see what G5 brings to the table before deciding.

[kyledjean]

Unless something has changed drastically from 2005 I don't see myself going back to knee pads. Wore them with McKenney's since they didn't have thigh guards, but when I went with the Epics I stopped wearing them. Also back then pads went from tons of flex to basically no flex. For example the Velocities where Huge flex and the Epics were basically no flex (at the time). Funny to see how the game has changed since then as well being that at the time you always wanted pads to deaden the puck so you could freeze it, where as now you want huge rebounds to just get it away from you. For someone who wears their pads fairly loose I am assuming I would be more at home in the G4's compared to the GT2's, is that a correct assumption? I don't really understand the point of knee guards on todays pads. What am I missing?

[cwarnar]

1 minute ago, kyledjean said:

Unless something has changed drastically from 2005 I don't see myself going back to knee pads. Wore them with McKenney's since they didn't have thigh guards, but when I went with the Epics I stopped wearing them. Also back then pads went from tons of flex to basically no flex. For example the Velocities where Huge flex and the Epics were basically no flex (at the time). Funny to see how the game has changed since then as well being that at the time you always wanted pads to deaden the puck so you could freeze it, where as now you want huge rebounds to just get it away from you. For someone who wears their pads fairly loose I am assuming I would be more at home in the G4's compared to the GT2's, is that a correct assumption? I don't really understand the point of knee guards on todays pads. What am I missing?

The back of the pads are completely the same.  Features and pad core are the only real differences in the 2 lines.  I wear my GT Pros snug in the calf on run my knee sling strap down to the calf as well.

[coopaloop1234]

1 minute ago, cwarnar said:

The back of the pads are completely the same.  Features and pad core are the only real differences in the 2 lines.  I wear my GT Pros snug in the calf on run my knee sling strap down to the calf as well.

Cwarnar is right. The back of the pads are identical and will play the same.

You'll only notice a difference in the boot area as well as how the pad flexes with you. Both can be worn tight or loose without any ill effects.

[kyledjean]

Just now, coopaloop1234 said:

Cwarnar is right. The back of the pads are identical and will play the same.

You'll only notice a difference in the boot area as well as how the pad flexes with you. Both can be worn tight or loose without any ill effects.

So If I am hearing you right its like the difference between velocity and ventus, or ccm Premier and CCM Flex correct? 

[seagoal]

2 minutes ago, kyledjean said:

So If I am hearing you right its like the difference between velocity and ventus, or ccm Premier and CCM Flex correct? 

If you look closely, all the major brand players (the ones on TV....and Warrior, too) have this same split in the perception of their 2 lines of gear.

1 "soft, hybrid, athletic" line

1 "stiff, butterfly, blocking" line

There's not a lot of originality across brands, it's just differences in the little things.

[coopaloop1234]

Just now, kyledjean said:

So If I am hearing you right its like the difference between velocity and ventus, or ccm Premier and CCM Flex correct? 

Basically yea. There are a few more differences between the CCM/Vaughn pad options than the Warrior ones though.

Example: CCM premier has a stiff boot, but the boot break also sits higher up and off the foot while the eflex is more of a 90 degree break and has a more connected feel to your leg.

Warrior pads blend a lot more of the differences between them, so there are less drastic differences between the two pads.

[cwarnar]

1 minute ago, kyledjean said:

So If I am hearing you right its like the difference between velocity and ventus, or ccm Premier and CCM Flex correct? 

Yup.  There were bigger differences between the G3/GT but they've been changed on the G4/GT2 (knee block size).  Stiffer thigh and soft boot on the GT line

[kyledjean]

When did gear start getting so fing light? My bag is like 30 lbs without my pads even in them. Kids today will never know what is like to carry +100lbs of wet gear after a hard practice like kids of yesteryear. I remember coming back from GDI with Ian Clark in Minnesota and having to put my wet under armor in my carry on because my back was to heavy for the flight.

[kyledjean]

So Soft/Hybrid, does this allow you to get those epicly wide stances we see now? 

21 minutes ago, seagoal said:

If you look closely, all the major brand players (the ones on TV....and Warrior, too) have this same split in the perception of their 2 lines of gear.

1 "soft, hybrid, athletic" line

1 "stiff, butterfly, blocking" line

There's not a lot of originality across brands, it's just differences in the little things.

[cwarnar]

1 minute ago, kyledjean said:

So Soft/Hybrid, does this allow you to get those epicly wide stances we see now? 

That's based on your athletic ability and skates.  The GT line does have a more tapered boot, which allows for a wider stance

[Puckstopper]

I play out of a super deep stance on in tight plays and I was a little worried about the softer, deeper boot on my new GT2's inhibiting that a little bit compared to may last pads that sat right on top of my skates.  With the elastic strapping it's not an issue.   Cowlingless skates and +2mm steel make deep stances a breeze! 

[seagoal]

30 minutes ago, kyledjean said:

So Soft/Hybrid, does this allow you to get those epicly wide stances we see now? 

No.  That's mostly good ole genetics. 

Pads won't allow you to do things your body can not normally do, but pads can offer some minor advantages when doing certain things...as @cwarnar and @Puckstopper just alluded to.

[seagoal]

37 minutes ago, kyledjean said:

When did gear start getting so fing light? My bag is like 30 lbs without my pads even in them. Kids today will never know what is like to carry +100lbs of wet gear after a hard practice like kids of yesteryear. I remember coming back from GDI with Ian Clark in Minnesota and having to put my wet under armor in my carry on because my back was to heavy for the flight.

Both of my VE8 pads weigh less than 1 V6...and that's just 2 generations apart. It's crazy.

[kyledjean]

10 minutes ago, seagoal said:

No.  That's mostly good ole genetics. 

Pads won't allow you to do things your body can not normally do, but pads can offer some minor advantages when doing certain things...as @cwarnar and @Puckstopper just alluded to.

well let me tell you there was no way to get the mckenney xlites from 2003 to get that wide of a stance without the pad slipping because the toe was sooooo big and definitely not offset. Mind you this is just before the velocity had even came out. Very very different pad styles back then. 

[seagoal]

4 minutes ago, kyledjean said:

well let me tell you there was no way to get the mckenney xlites from 2003 to get that wide of a stance without the pad slipping because the toe was sooooo big and definitely not offset. Mind you this is just before the velocity had even came out. Very very different pad styles back then. 

Ah, yes.  I imagine they were quite heavy too.

[kyledjean]

Just now, seagoal said:

Ah, yes.  I imagine they were quite heavy too.

to put it mildly. This was when pads still sucked up water. Going form the xlite to epics was mindblowing. Literally got 3 extra feet in a single sliding push comparatively, very little water retention from ice, much stiffer and flatter, and back then crazy weight reduction. Goalies back in the day used to have huge legs like Richter, after seeing todays pros legs, they look like twigs. 

[Max27]

2 hours ago, seagoal said:

Both of my VE8 pads weigh less than 1 V6...and that's just 2 generations apart. It's crazy.

how much do your v8s weigh or how much do v6s weigh holy shit 

[Puckstopper]

3 hours ago, seagoal said:

No.  That's mostly good ole genetics. 

Pads won't allow you to do things your body can not normally do, but pads can offer some minor advantages when doing certain things...as @cwarnar and @Puckstopper just alluded to. 

Anyone can get a nice deep stance, that's just tall steel.  It's being able to do anything with that stance that requires a little flexibility.

[seagoal]

57 minutes ago, Puckstopper said:

Anyone can get a nice deep stance, that's just tall steel.  It's being able to do anything with that stance that requires a little flexibility.

Noted, that's true. 

The genetics (not GNetiks) come into play more with butterfly flares on the knees and having the tops of pads touching in the butterfly.

Good catch.

@Max27  I'll retake the weights when I can.  I don't remember the exact #s right now.  VE8s are crazy light relative to V6s, for sure.  My V6s were all leather straps, too.

[kyledjean]

Do you guys find the active response straps loosen up after a while. I tried a pair on and those straps just seem so tight. I was able to find out, awesomely, that today’s sizing is a lot different then it used to be. My 36” epics are actually almost the same size as 33” warriors. And since I am not growing anymore I can actually go down one more size which brings me into a 32” which is intermediate which is nice since it’s a significant price break.