Aegis Interceptor HD Pro

[TheGoalNet]

The NEW Aegis Interceptor HD Pro is coming in 2020. 

I’ve been fortunate enough to assist Aegis over the last year and provide feedback on trying to design the perfect neck guard. The realized design is the lightweight and flexibility of a gel collar with the impact protection of a tradition bib. This was achieved by utilizing 2 different types of D30 foam and performance fabric skin. This neck guard will also feature a BNQ certification for protection against skate cuts, full machine washability, and available via retail at a reasonable price... 

@SaveByRichter35 + @BadAngle41 + @thebigm have 1 coming in the mail and will be testing it 

[Peter36]

Exact date for when this comes out? I need one but don’t think I can wait until 2020

[creasecollector]

I'd love to be one of those testers, great looking product right here. 

[Peter36]

13 minutes ago, creasecollector said:

I'd love to be one of those testers, great looking product right here. 

Same here, I’m in the market for a neck guard and was looking at the original model of this but heard it did not offer enough protection. Would love to demo this model since I’m on the ice so much.

[creasecollector]

2 minutes ago, Peter36 said:

Same here, I’m in the market for a neck guard and was looking at the original model of this but heard it did not offer enough protection. Would love to demo this model since I’m on the ice so much.

Agreed. I've checked out the original but this seems far and above. Would love to get my hands on one! 

[Puckstopper]

Can't wait to hear feedback on these! 

[beansbats]

I wore the original for a while and felt that it was under protective, and the senior size barely fit around my neck.  I will be very willing to try the new version.

-steve

[TheGoalNet]

Release date is hopefully early 2020. Still finalizing a few things around production to build them in bulk. At the current time, this will be a standard retail product.

[SaveByRichter35]

I received mine yesterday.  Will be wearing it Friday night during my game.  I will post up my thoughts Sunday most likely as I will be busy all day Saturday with my son's 2nd birthday party.

[TheGoalNet]

20 hours ago, beansbats said:

I wore the original for a while and felt that it was under protective, and the senior size barely fit around my neck.  I will be very willing to try the new version.

-steve

The sizing has not changed and this will be a standard retail product. I am sorry if this sizing does not work for you. Maybe custom could be an additional product in the future? The retail version needs to launch first

[Lucky Pucker]

53 minutes ago, SaveByRichter35 said:

I received mine yesterday.  Will be wearing it Friday night during my game.  I will post up my thoughts Sunday most likely as I will be busy all day Saturday with my son's 2nd birthday party.

Wow, man - 2 years old! A very happy birthday to your little guy, SBR!

[cedric35]

That seems a little odd.

I bought the L/XL size and have quite a bit leeway (I have 16.5 neck).  

For me it works protection wise as I wear a dangler also. 

[beansbats]

5 minutes ago, cedric35 said:

That seems a little odd.

I bought the L/XL size and have quite a bit leeway (I have 16.5 neck).  

For me it works protection wise as I wear a dangler also. 

I'm a 17 to 17.5" neck size.  I can barely close the velcro, and once it is closed it comes loose during the game.  It just may be that the product is not for me, or I could sew an extension in, which would be easy enough to do.

-steve

[SaveByRichter35]

51 minutes ago, Lucky Pucker said:

Wow, man - 2 years old! A very happy birthday to your little guy, SBR!

Thank you, I know I cannot believe he is going to be 2 in 4 days .

[BadAngle41]

Wore mine last night and really impressed with the coverage... even compared to my Maltese. Clavicle wings go out ~8.25" from center and drop on the sternum pad from the neck line is 6" (Maltese Reiter spec is 6" and 5" respectively.) Didn't take any noteworthy impacts to the neck guard... nor did I put the BNQ cert to the test.

I will say that the stock height on the neck guard was tall for me at ~2.25". It did inhibit my ability to move my neck freely. Also, I'm trying the S/M which was tight on my 15.5" neck even when barely closed, although it did not come loose during play.

MOD: Neck Height & Collar Extension

The front facing D30 is comprised of a 3/8" grid of cells... which make for great trimming lines. To reduce the height of the neck piece I removed 1.5 cells (9/16") making the overall height about 1.75" now. I was also considering making an extension like @beansbats mentioned above... but having cut down the height on the neck foam and trying it on again... the now loose material stretches to allow for more hook & loop in contact... so perhaps no need for the extension. Plan on wearing it again tomorrow night.

[SaveByRichter35]

Will definitely have to take some height off the neck of mine as well.  I am also in the S/M size.  

[TheGoalNet]

2 hours ago, BadAngle41 said:

Wore mine last night and really impressed with the coverage... even compared to my Maltese. Clavicle wings go out ~8.25" from center and drop on the sternum pad from the neck line is 6" (Maltese Reiter spec is 6" and 5" respectively.) Didn't take any noteworthy impacts to the neck guard... nor did I put the BNQ cert to the test.

I will say that the stock height on the neck guard was tall for me at ~2.25". It did inhibit my ability to move my neck freely. Also, I'm trying the S/M which was tight on my 15.5" neck even when barely closed, although it did not come loose during play.

MOD: Neck Height & Collar Extension

The front facing D30 is comprised of a 3/8" grid of cells... which make for great trimming lines. To reduce the height of the neck piece I removed 1.5 cells (9/16") making the overall height about 1.75" now. I was also considering making an extension like @beansbats mentioned above... but having cut down the height on the neck foam and trying it on again... the now loose material stretches to allow for more hook & loop in contact... so perhaps no need for the extension. Plan on wearing it again tomorrow night.

@BadAngle41 Great post

This has touched on a couple of the other key features.

All the padding is removable.

-This makes the skin fully washable between skates without ruining the integrity of the foams

-The neck is tall by design, but it's a "Trim to Fit" design. This is supposed to be most bullet proof product on the market. However, each goalie has a different height and has a different opinion on how tall the neck should come up. So with the removable padding and grid structure, it's very easy to tailor the neck insert to your desired height. @thebigm took 1 row of padding out and created a drop neck with his

Other note? Am finding that goalies over 6' like the tall neck and how well it covers. Goalies under 6' have been trimming it. This highlights the beauty of this design. One product can fit both markets without a custom order. I am personally 6'2" and felt the traditional stock retail neck guards always left me a bit exposed.

[TitanG]

I'm really liking the ability to custom tailor the height of the neck guard. Often I see neckguards that do not cover the Adam's apple, which is an important area to protect, so have such a tall guard with the ability to easily trim it down looks great.

[BadAngle41]

Played a double header last night and wore the Aegis Interceptor HD Pro in both games. As I hung it up atop my C/A (notice the nice patina coming in) I really noticed how wide the clavicle protection is... so I decided to throw it and my Maltese on for comparison. Again the Aegis clavicle wings go out ~8.25" from center and drop on the sternum pad from the neck line is 6" (Maltese Reiter spec is 6" and 5" respectively.) I'm 5'10" and last weight in had me at 152lbs... so I'm not a big guy... 

   

Protection: I'll be honest... given the Passau Pro Pack I'm wearing I'm not sure how much of a difference I'll be feeling on shots to the clavicle or sternum. I mean I'm starting with a tank to begin with, and when combined with my go to Maltese I stopped wearing padded shirts entirely. If I still had my old Premier or Vaugh C/A I'd give them a try but sadly I passed them along. I can say that I feel more than comfortable wearing the Aegis in place of the Maltese though. 

Heat Retention: Given the extended coverage and lack of vent holes in the D30 Lite foam I was curious how much heat retention I'd notice compared to the Maltese (which does have vent hole in the foam.) Result: Couldn't tell a difference at all. Of course it's completely based on feel and no actual measures... but isn't that what matters anyway?

 Weight: For all you weight conscious geeks out there... the Aegis laminate of D30 "grid" to solid D30 Lite is thicker than Maltese foam. It also has a larger surface area it's covering... so you might expect it to be slightly heavier... but surprisingly it's not. Between the lighter weight and a lack of foam wrapping completely around the neck (like Maltese,) maybe that's part of why it doesn't retain as much heat. Not sure... but interesting on the weight nonetheless. Images from the scale are below... but with similar neck heights (Aegis with 9/16" removed from stock) the weights are as follow:

Aegis: 8.1oz (230g)

Maltese: 9.6oz (273g)

  

  

[bunnyman666]

But will you get a custom one, @BadAngle41, that has your name on it? That is the best feature of your Maltese, BY FAR!!!!

[BadAngle41]

6 minutes ago, bunnyman666 said:

But will you get a custom one, @BadAngle41, that has your name on it? That is the best feature of your Maltese, BY FAR!!!!

Ha... agreed. One point I do want to expand on in time is the wear of the material. I do wash my Maltese once a month or so, and have noticed some wear at the corners. Not sure to attribute it more to general use or washing... but either way it's wearing. Between the ability to remove the padding when washing and with the curves of the Aegis (vs. hard corners of the Maltese) I certainly don't expect to see this...

[Lucky Pucker]

19 hours ago, BadAngle41 said:

Ha... agreed. One point I do want to expand on in time is the wear of the material. I do wash my Maltese once a month or so, and have noticed some wear at the corners. Not sure to attribute it more to general use or washing... but either way it's wearing. Between the ability to remove the padding when washing and with the curves of the Aegis (vs. hard corners of the Maltese) I certainly don't expect to see this...

I have the older/original/non-pro Interceptor, and have used it my entire career (about a year, according to my O-Pee-Chee card - lol!) I love it - though I acknowledge that it hasn’t been put to the test, per se, and might be lacking for impact protection at the throat. I’ll likely buy this new one when it becomes available. I’m already used to removing and replacing the innards every skate, so the only change for me will be better protection.

I can, however, support your theory about wear. I wash mine after EVERY skate, no exceptions. Trying to do some quick math, I must have washed this thing at least 75 times - and there is no wear to be seen! Also, the panels where the D30 goes in have remained taught, and still hold everything in place (i.e the material has not stretched to the detriment of the item’s performance).

tried to take a few pics of the areas you’d expect to show wearing, but it’s hard to show something that isn’t there. Happy to take more if anyone wants.

[TheGoalNet]

@Lucky Pucker thanks for that! 

A few testers have been concerned with the mesh and durability. Aegis is owned by an apparel company, so it seems like their material knowledge paid off with their mesh 

[Big2]

TGN - so this is the unit you pm’d me on, interesting look forward to seeing one

[Lucky Pucker]

On 7/13/2019 at 12:10 PM, TheGoalNet said:

@Lucky Pucker thanks for that! 

A few testers have been concerned with the mesh and durability. Aegis is owned by an apparel company, so it seems like their material knowledge paid off with their mesh 

Wow - that's interesting, and certainly makes sense based on what I've experienced and observed.

For testers concerned about the mesh, I did a close visual inspection of the mesh panels on mine, and could not find any breakdown, or snag or tear. Plus, the new Pro model appears to have smaller mesh panels than mine does. The pics don't tell the whole story, because again I'm trying to show something that isn't there - but for what it's worth: