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CCM AB18 vs AB500 vs Abpro - what's the difference?


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CCM AB18 is only available to pros. Built to actual pro-level protection. Original design is based off the RBK Premier 1, but has been changed quite a bit. Torso is really similar, but arms and shoulders have been beefed up. Sternum has D3O reinforcement. These are NHL-legal in terms of sizing. @Chenner29can fill you in as he has had multiple units.

CCM AB500 is the retail SR version of the retail CCM ABPro. The Reebok/CCM Premier 1 and ABPro have carbon fiber in the shoulder wings and sternum protection. Never wore the CCM AB500/ABPro myself, but I did have the Reebok Premier 1 for a bit. I believe the ABPro weren't as beefy as the pro stock units. Some retailers (TGC and Monkey come to mind) had limited stock of Reebok Premier 1 chest protectors at one point (left over pro-stock?) before CCM came out with these at retail.

There's also an AB22Pro which is coming to retail in Spring 2024. Some pics have been posted somewhere on here already...

Edited by ZeroGravitas
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AB18 Pro - this is the new 'unicorn' imo.
1/2" plastic reinforcement in the arms, like wearing shinpads over them.
They can be ordered in 4 different fit profiles (1-2-3-4) with 3 arm lengths (-1, Reg, +1) - I may have seen a +2 arm length before but can't recall for sure.

CCM AB22 on the right. Shares much of the same design, but belly blocks, front facing shoulder floater, and heart guard have seen some changes.

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CCM AB500 vs ABPro; these are from the Eflex 1 era?

Note the carbon fiber in the shoulder and heart guard in the Pro; they used weave to get the same look on the AB500.  They had a pro-only model that ended production right before the AB18Pro which had D30 where the carbon fiber was.

image.png.6cc97063e87fbbc5b5fffed2c61fea3e.png   image.png.c8a39ad924f5fb9fc61949c8228510bb.png

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The ABPro/500 are basically copies of the then popular Koho 590 that became the Premier or P1 that was a longtime favorite and the occasional pro-return beefed-up unicorn. Kenesky jumped in with their first available to the market legal sized version. 

The 18 and 22 are beasts!

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57 minutes ago, Chenner29 said:

They can be ordered in 4 different fit profiles (1-2-3-4) with 3 arm lengths (-1, Reg, +1) - I may have seen a +2 arm length before but can't recall for sure.

Do you know the differences in the fit numbers? Length, size, both? There was a brand new AB18pro on sideline earlier this week that was a fit 2 with regular arms. Passed on it because I am in a fit 4 with +1 arms, thinking fit 2 would be too small. 

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1 hour ago, Wake42 said:

Do you know the differences in the fit numbers? Length, size, both? There was a brand new AB18pro on sideline earlier this week that was a fit 2 with regular arms. Passed on it because I am in a fit 4 with +1 arms, thinking fit 2 would be too small. 

Fit.thumb.png.0a5aa6cd9f426713494e1d3caa5c97bb.png

The 2024 catalog has a fit chart for the AB22Pro

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5 hours ago, RichMan said:

The ABPro/500 are basically copies of the then popular Koho 590 that became the Premier or P1 that was a longtime favorite and the occasional pro-return beefed-up unicorn. Kenesky jumped in with their first available to the market legal sized version. 

The 18 and 22 are beasts!

Can confirm, have the CCM ABPro. Still going strong after 5 years! 

CCMABPROCAUnit.thumb.jpeg.c33c50dd5321532664d9e1e8f2b4545d.jpeg

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The main reason I asked is because I have a small AB Pro and the arms are great, but the body feels too small, so I've been hunting for a medium to mix with.  There's a few large AB 500s dirt cheap on sideline and I was wondering if there was a chance they'd fit me and if the protection would be noticeably different from the pro.  Appreciate all the answers and clarification.

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2 hours ago, dreadlocked1 said:

The main reason I asked is because I have a small AB Pro and the arms are great, but the body feels too small, so I've been hunting for a medium to mix with.  There's a few large AB 500s dirt cheap on sideline and I was wondering if there was a chance they'd fit me and if the protection would be noticeably different from the pro.  Appreciate all the answers and clarification.

You'd see the difference in terms of thickness and quality, but sizing remains the same. If you're a medium then a large might bother you in your ready stance.

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1 hour ago, RichMan said:

You'd see the difference in terms of thickness and quality, but sizing remains the same. If you're a medium then a large might bother you in your ready stance.

I am hoping that the large senior version 500 would be slightly smaller than a large pro.  Between these photos of the small pro and large 500, it looks like there's an additional row of belly blocks and I think that'd be perfect for me because the small feels too open on the bottom for me.  I don't tuck but internally attach but the small pro is just a tad small on me.  More so probably because I'm fat but I'm also 5'6" and it would probably fit well enough if I weighed 160 lbs instead of 210.

Screenshot_20231229-121029.thumb.png.9512c83e860abc89dfa816f46f7ef6dc.pngScreenshot_20231229-120910.thumb.png.8003550aa6bf2fb76126c074db226002.png

I figure I will put the small pro arms on the 500 body and if needed could even swap the floaters and heart guard if I wanted to get nuts.  Just bought it so we'll see how it goes.  May end up having to resell but if I can put these two together for $150 with shipping total from sideline that would be a win.

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Me being 180cm (almost 6ft?) the medium AB PRO is too short for me on the body. Actually it is shorter than Eflex2 size S. Large AB PRO would fit me pretty well, but the medium arms are spot on.

The AB PRO excels mostly on the arms over the AB500. Maybe AB500 body is a bit thinner but not much. For the carbon on heart guard and floaters, don't mind about them. Heart guard would be just fine with plastic sheet instead of carbon and inside the floaters there is only just more carbon than you can see in the "windows". The same way that you can see the shadowed shape of the plastic inside the AB500 floaters on the picture above. AB PRO floaters are bigger and a bit thicker too.

Edited by ArdeFIN
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13 hours ago, dreadlocked1 said:

@ArdeFIN I saw you did some surgery with a com unit.  Looking forward to rereading that thread for the work on the arms you did.  The short arms on mine are nice but I have a gap near the forearms I'm looking to possibly add a piece of knee guard or something to fill the gap.  

Near forearms? Not saying it isn't possible but from what I experienced with my unit I had more trouble with the bicep area being open and the elbow floater hanging a bit low too so that the forearms were well protected. And actually that made some problem with my gloves too.

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I currently still use the ABPro and hate it that those triangles move around inside. What was the point in making a window like that and then not securing them so they wont move around 🙄 .

 

I like it though took a fairly hard shot off the right floater the other night and didnt feel a thing. Actually I was surprised how far the puck kicked back out off of it. 

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5 hours ago, Scythe said:

I currently still use the ABPro and hate it that those triangles move around inside. What was the point in making a window like that and then not securing them so they wont move around 🙄 .

 

I like it though took a fairly hard shot off the right floater the other night and didnt feel a thing. Actually I was surprised how far the puck kicked back out off of it. 

I agree, I hate that they move around haha.

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I got my ccm ab500 today.  Turns out it's an intermediate large and not a senior large as I had hoped.  I did tell the seller I was looking for a senior and it was listed as unknown.  Debating whether to debate it on sideline or just keep and take the loss.  Either donate to a kid that's got a crappy chest protector and likes to play or pull it apart for the floaters and beef up the pro body I hopefully will eventually find?    My armless senior small ABPro on the right vs the intermediate AB500 on the left.  If I lost 40 lbs. I bet the small senior would be perfect lol.20240104_193819.thumb.jpg.89906f9690efe1f66a375cb002fde58e.jpg

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