New Factory Mad pads arrived

[TheWall0211]

My new Factory Mad setup arrived from Dennis today.  What think you?

[cwarnar]

Dennis is really pushing the boundries with the Proto line.  Not for me (although I've always wanted to use a glove) but as Ron Swanson would say, Bully for you!

[dstew29]

Very cool set, congrats! I favorited these the moment they popped up on IG!

Very interested to see these out on the ice if you ever post an action shot.

[bunnyman666]

Dennis did not copy the GM12 hole pattern, thank G’d! Right there, this set gets a good grade from me!!!

I am a Factory fan boy from way back, getting “Mo fap fo my trap” back in 2014 and getting exhaustive advice on how to trim down excessive thigh rise from Dennis himself. Of course word travelled and everyone wants gear and mods, so you may get the stuff, but he won’t be able to hold your hand through something like that any longer, as he has NO extra time these days! Bought a glove in late 2015 and knee guards in 2016, a block in 2017 late. Will end up with another glove. Still no pads. That could change, but frankly- I like modding the hell out of my pads. I don’t think I could pay what he charges for pads (premium price for a premium product) and start cutting on them! Maybe I wouldn’t NEED to cut on them... I do enjoy making a pad MINE.

The pads look funky, but that is what super modern is supposed to look like. I like that he has gone super light weight without resorting to weird and untested skin materials. Whilst Bauer has their proprietary skin material that slides every and anywhere, they have had to kind of go back to the drawing board with later iterations as durability is of great concern.  You have a super light weight AND serviceable pad and glove set that you can STILL resell once you’re done with them. 

I knew the lack of a side roll was coming. It looks kind of weird, but so did the first pad with out knee rolls, vertical stitching, toe holes, etc. That simplification has to take out significant weight. I remember coming back to America and seeing Mercedes-Benzes with weird, round head lamps (US DOT spec), too. Eventually, we will get used to these changes to the aesthetics. 

Whilst I seriously dig the retro tan I have, Dennis did not have California Tan at the time I started buying stuff from him. I liken it to other companies who famously refused to carry certain colours or features. So it looks off to me for now. But I dig it, and it’s a cool way to match all teams you play on without going “trade me right fuckin’ now” white. You also, G’d forbid, could go buy something off the shelf if you needed to replace your blocker or glove, though the California Tan craze has died down a bit. 

The matte tan he used to exclusively carry for a retro look was not easily matched, plus it shows wear quicker than California Tan. You have to judiciously and strategically pick black for spots that can wear or stick to the ice with the old stuff, especially sliding areas; not with California Tan! You can have as much as you want of this stuff on pads and gloves and it slides the same as any other colour! The old stuff is NOTHING like Bucky, so please don’t confuse Dennis’s other Tan with Bucky. So California Tan is a MAJOR improvement. 

I’m chuffed for you! I think you will thoroughly enjoy this set! Thanks for sharing!

[Xdave90x]

Man good setup! I can't wait to one day own a FM set

[MangoRhinehart]

Gorgeous setup! We will need detailed pictures and a review!

[CJ Boiss]

28 minutes ago, MangoRhinehart said:

Gorgeous setup! We will need detailed pictures and a review!

Seconded.

I'm interested to know if the lack of an outer roll results in more pucks rolling up and over your pads.

[TheWall0211]

I was really surprised how light the whole set was.  I picked up the box the set came in with one hand.  It was amazing.  I also did a demo test of a Proto set with no rolls.  I didn’t even notice they were gone.  What I did notice was better rebound control and no funky bounces from shots hitting the rolls on the fly.  That was great.  I’ll try to post some photos of these in action as soon as I get them on the ice.  Also, Dennis was great to work with.  He delivered my pads exactly when he said he would.

[Jonathon v]

I love the game retro design. Would be even more awesome if it had outer breaks  I hope that set brings you much joy 

[Max27]

1 hour ago, Jonathon v said:

I love the game retro design. Would be even more awesome if it had outer breaks  I hope that set brings you much joy 

not entirely sure how outer breaks would work with the no outer roll. the core they have is ridiculously soft as is, so there is no need to have outer breaks. Check their instagram out @Factorymad and they have a video of how much they flex

[bunnyman666]

16 hours ago, Jonathon v said:

I love the game retro design. Would be even more awesome if it had outer breaks  I hope that set brings you much joy 

@Max27 nailed it- they don’t need an outer break ‘cos they will be PLENTY flexible. Factory is on the opposite end of the spectrum and their pads flex a fair bit. That outer roll would have needed the outer break; since it is not there, no break needed. The outer roll makes quite the stiffness due to the extra material. That outer break actually makes an asymmetrical bend; the lack of outer roll most likely changes how the pad would play.

It’s the opposite of the trends of late with blockers on the legs. 

I have been thinking more and more about possibly saving the dosh for Factory pads. I am actually pretty happy with what I have at the moment, as both have been chopped, diced and julienned to where I like them at the moment. For both sets I own, I STILL don’t have the money into them like it would cost for one pair of Factory. Not saying they are over-priced; just stating the fact they cost what they do! One man, small shoppe, no regular production pieces equals expensive, and it’s TOTALLY justifiable! Just don’t know that I’d spend that type of money if I would end up modding them further! 

[TheGoalNet]

On 8/10/2019 at 6:24 AM, bunnyman666 said:

Dennis did not copy the GM12 hole pattern, thank G’d! Right there, this set gets a good grade from me!!!

I am a Factory fan boy from way back, getting “Mo fap fo my trap” back in 2014 and getting exhaustive advice on how to trim down excessive thigh rise from Dennis himself. Of course word travelled and everyone wants gear and mods, so you may get the stuff, but he won’t be able to hold your hand through something like that any longer, as he has NO extra time these days! Bought a glove in late 2015 and knee guards in 2016, a block in 2017 late. Will end up with another glove. Still no pads. That could change, but frankly- I like modding the hell out of my pads. I don’t think I could pay what he charges for pads (premium price for a premium product) and start cutting on them! Maybe I wouldn’t NEED to cut on them... I do enjoy making a pad MINE.

The pads look funky, but that is what super modern is supposed to look like. I like that he has gone super light weight without resorting to weird and untested skin materials. Whilst Bauer has their proprietary skin material that slides every and anywhere, they have had to kind of go back to the drawing board with later iterations as durability is of great concern.  You have a super light weight AND serviceable pad and glove set that you can STILL resell once you’re done with them. 

I knew the lack of a side roll was coming. It looks kind of weird, but so did the first pad with out knee rolls, vertical stitching, toe holes, etc. That simplification has to take out significant weight. I remember coming back to America and seeing Mercedes-Benzes with weird, round head lamps (US DOT spec), too. Eventually, we will get used to these changes to the aesthetics. 

Whilst I seriously dig the retro tan I have, Dennis did not have California Tan at the time I started buying stuff from him. I liken it to other companies who famously refused to carry certain colours or features. So it looks off to me for now. But I dig it, and it’s a cool way to match all teams you play on without going “trade me right fuckin’ now” white. You also, G’d forbid, could go buy something off the shelf if you needed to replace your blocker or glove, though the California Tan craze has died down a bit. 

The matte tan he used to exclusively carry for a retro look was not easily matched, plus it shows wear quicker than California Tan. You have to judiciously and strategically pick black for spots that can wear or stick to the ice with the old stuff, especially sliding areas; not with California Tan! You can have as much as you want of this stuff on pads and gloves and it slides the same as any other colour! The old stuff is NOTHING like Bucky, so please don’t confuse Dennis’s other Tan with Bucky. So California Tan is a MAJOR improvement. 

I’m chuffed for you! I think you will thoroughly enjoy this set! Thanks for sharing!

One thing overlooked with your Bauer comments... 

Factory Mad won’t slide as well or have hard rebounds. I’m not saying one is better than the other, but there is a method to Bauer’s madness that cant be overlooked when explaining why they went with exotic new materials 

[bunnyman666]

15 minutes ago, TheGoalNet said:

One thing overlooked with your Bauer comments... 

Factory Mad won’t slide as well or have hard rebounds. I’m not saying one is better than the other, but there is a method to Bauer’s madness that cant be overlooked when explaining why they went with exotic new materials 

Certainly.

Dennis doesn’t believe in hard rebounds, and from the last conversation we’ve had awhile back when I was mulling over pads, that isn’t going to change. 

I believe that slide enhancing jenpro-ish material will make it to retail in the not too distant future.

I recognise you’re not saying one over the other. I like the 3-5th generation of new technology as it’s got all of the wrinkles ironed out. I will be the first to admit that the newish Bauer stuff IS groundbreaking. I even own a 1S glove, after all...

[TitanG]

6 hours ago, TheGoalNet said:

One thing overlooked with your Bauer comments... 

Factory Mad won’t slide as well or have hard rebounds. I’m not saying one is better than the other, but there is a method to Bauer’s madness that cant be overlooked when explaining why they went with exotic new materials 

The one piece sliding surface on the FM Protos may also help with power transfer and thus slide easier, though it may only be a marginal difference that would be much improved with a material like Primo.

[cwarnar]

13 minutes ago, TitanG said:

The one piece sliding surface on the FM Protos may also help with power transfer and thus slide easier, though it may only be a marginal difference that would be much improved with a material like Primo.

Blockades were so ahead of their time...

[TheWall0211]

3 hours ago, TitanG said:

The one piece sliding surface on the FM Protos may also help with power transfer and thus slide easier, though it may only be a marginal difference that would be much improved with a material like Primo.

Talked to Dennis a fair bit about sliding.  He uses a certain material to help with that.  Also, the single sliding surface helps with efficient use of power.  When I used his demo pads, I get like I could slide much better than with my Brian’s.  

[TheWall0211]

11 hours ago, bunnyman666 said:

@Max27 nailed it- they don’t need an outer break ‘cos they will be PLENTY flexible. Factory is on the opposite end of the spectrum and their pads flex a fair bit. That outer roll would have needed the outer break; since it is not there, no break needed. The outer roll makes quite the stiffness due to the extra material. That outer break actually makes an asymmetrical bend; the lack of outer roll most likely changes how the pad would play.

It’s the opposite of the trends of late with blockers on the legs. 

I have been thinking more and more about possibly saving the dosh for Factory pads. I am actually pretty happy with what I have at the moment, as both have been chopped, diced and julienned to where I like them at the moment. For both sets I own, I STILL don’t have the money into them like it would cost for one pair of Factory. Not saying they are over-priced; just stating the fact they cost what they do! One man, small shoppe, no regular production pieces equals expensive, and it’s TOTALLY justifiable! Just don’t know that I’d spend that type of money if I would end up modding them further! 

When I compared pricing, I didn’t think Dennis charged too much.  I got 100% custom pads for about 10% more than a nice set of Brian’s pads right off the showroom floor.  To me, that’s a good value.

[TheWall0211]

3 hours ago, cwarnar said:

Blockades were so ahead of their time...

Minus the stitching, which causes friction.

[bunnyman666]

3 minutes ago, TheWall0211 said:

When I compared pricing, I didn’t think Dennis charged too much.  I got 100% custom pads for about 10% more than a nice set of Brian’s pads right off the showroom floor.  To me, that’s a good value.

I always said “premium pricing for a premium product”;  I NEVER said “too much for what it is”...

Dennis is MORE than FAIR in his pricing.

[moore00]

Joined the FMad team... 

Can honestly say his glove and pads are just a huge level above anything else I've tried.  

[bunnyman666]

13 hours ago, moore00 said:

Joined the FMad team... 

Can honestly say his glove and pads are just a huge level above anything else I've tried.  

You will find as the stuff ages, it just plays better. 

[moore00]

I am still not 100% on the one piece sliding area, did you come around on that? 

[bunnyman666]

18 hours ago, moore00 said:

I am still not 100% on the one piece sliding area, did you come around on that? 

Love mine.