QWERTY

On 8/25/2021 at 1:43 PM, BadAngle41 said:

I can't add much custom spec orders than what has already been dolled out... but I can some insight on working with a graphic designer. For my 2X Pro gear I enlisted the help of Vince Arnone. What was important to me is knowing he had done a number of one off designs with Bauer (and now CCM as well) already. He is someone who already knew what will and won't pass the manufacturer's unwritten rules for things like logo size and placement, as well as color pallet, etc.

I reached out to Vince over IG DM, and he was quick to reply. From there communication was done via email. I already had somewhat of an idea of what I wanted to do, but of course had reference images in hand to pass off and let Vince do his thing. Probably went through 5 or 6 iterations of the theme before I greenlighted what was submitted to Bauer's True Design department. Of course GoalieCustomizer is a great option as well, as is Visual_Merc who has done some great sets for Dell & Lehner with Brian's.

Let me know if you want more details on the process like each of my replies to Vince w/ notes etc.

 

Yeah, more details of the process would be great! Maybe even some pictures of the different iterations of the design? I have a vague idea of what I want if I go extreme custom but I'm super picky so I want to try and nail down some sort of concept so I don't go through like 20 mock-ups of something and drive the artist crazy.

And if you don't mind me asking, how much did it cost to have Vince do the mock up? I don't want to reach out and waste his time if it'll be too expensive in the end but no pressure if you don't want to

10 hours ago, seagoal said:

Aside from any Brian's specifics, which was outlined above nicely, here are some recommendations:

-don't settle for a set size. You may very well be in-between or a half size based on your leg measurements.  Have them build you a pad size, don't order a pad size. Send them your floor-to-knee, ankle-to-knee, and your knee-to-thigh rise measurements.

Like pros, my V9 pads have no size on them which is a good indicator they were built for me and not a stock size.

That's my most universal custom pad advice. Otherwise it's just personal preferences on stiffness, breaks, strapping, etc.

For catchers, I like leather/buckle wrist straps instead of nylon slider straps. I like to lock it in and forget about it. You may order BOA, which is a good workaround too for nylon slider straps.

I got my recent blocker with extra backhand padding in the glove for a more snug fit. Again, I like a tight fit so it was a great mod to make it fit tighter and for that tightness to last longer.

I don't like loose, floppy gloves or blockers and I crank both down pretty tight, also never taking them off during play. 

Good luck and congrats on going custom. It's really fun and feels great once you get it.  Your love and geekery for your gear will skyrocket 

Thanks for the advice and the post! I was already having a lot of fun just messing around with the customizer so I'm looking forward to the actual process of sitting down and hashing out every detail. Hearing about others experiences and mods just makes it that more exciting.  

Great call on the custom pad size, my current Optik 1's are a little large for me, and was told The Hockey Shop wouldn't have a stock set in till November so was a little worried, but the measurements'll take out a lot of the guesswork. 

1 hour ago, keeperton said:

Hi, I've ordered two sets of Brian's stuff custom (relatively) recently; I ordered Gnetik3 pads with Optik 1 gloves, then a Gnetik4 complete set (Optik blocker over Gnetik though). Here is what I can offer:

• Order from an outlet you like and work with them to get what you want.
  • I ordered through Cam at The Hockey Shop (THS) in Surrey and he was helpful in getting quotes and what Brian's can/cannot do.
• You will need to at least give Brian's the code from the customizer via whichever retailer you use
  • This includes even if you go the entirely custom route, they'll need it as a base for what to attach to your order
    • This is explained in their Extreme Custom portal, which is new, but has been the case all along.
  • Brian's is really good at dealing with the customization being from a "napkin" drawing, and will give you a mock-up when this is the case.
    • My first set was me describing what I wanted and them getting back to me (via the retailer) with a mock-up.
    • My second set I did entirely in GIMP (software) and submitted to THS, no mock-up needed.
  • If you want something embroidered, provide a high quality image of it if possible so they have no guess work.
• If you want something specifically done, BE SPECIFIC!
  • You want embroidery in a certain location? Ask for it to be there or they will pick a default for you.
    • I have my name embroidered on the outside of the vertical roll.

Brian's specific things I would do or that I can offer my experience on:

• Get more of the underside of the boot covered with primo instead of only where your boot sits in neutral position to mitigate wear on the nylon (this is in my review on this forum).
• Request a second set of the elastic toe-ties. I've found it kind of hard to get replacements after market from Brian's for whatever reason and these wore for me a little quickly (quickly being after like a year and a half of skating 4 times a week).
• They will do custom boot angles if you want it, and other such things.
• Get primo on the underside of the nose of the blocker (like the V9 blocker). This will be an upcharge, but should increase durability.
• If you are getting a single T catcher, consider an anchor T. I've been a huge fan of these since the original DX2.
• White nash on the palm of the glove will get marked up really quick, I got black nash for this reason.

Ask any questions if you got 'em and I'll answer what I can. Hopefully others chime in too.

I'm actually looking to order a GnetikV set and am going to send a feeler out to Cam to see about some of my other desires I have with the set. I'll keep you posted on whatever I learn, but that will likely be later this week or next depending on how motivated I feel.

 

This is awesome! Thank you for going into such detail. I was actually planning on ordering form Cam too so we can compare notes haha. For sure second some of the mods you suggested like covering the boot with primo and the anchor T, love it on my current SubZero 3 glove. I would've never thought of other stuff like primo on the underside of the nose of the blocker, which in hindsight is super smart. 

For the palm, would you recommend nash over regular jenpro? I've never had a nash palm so I'm a little wary that it'll wear faster. 

And to maybe offer some advice back, I'm currently in TGN spec ProLaces Armor Hybrid that I love, but any ProLaces armor which wear down way slower than most standard toe ties that pads come with nowadays, (maybe @TheGoalNet can drop a promo code and you can try them out if you haven't already?) but I'll definitely give the Brian's version a try. 

Finally decided to pull the trigger on a fully custom set of gear after years of seeing all the amazing sets others had and was wondering if anyone had any anything they'd learned/do differently/want to share about their experiences after ordering. 

Also stuff like mods people got and reasoning behind them. I know a lot of things are personal preference, but it's nice to learn about what people get and why they prefer it. 

And if anyone has any info about commissioning someone to create a design for their sets like the cost and time of the project. or even the process of handing a napkin drawing over directly to the company I'd love to hear about it. I'm still debating on whether or not to go extreme custom cause artists like goaliecustomizer and thevincenzoarone on Instagram have helped make some fantastic sets, but not sure I can take the extra cost. Planning on getting a Brian's GNetik 5 set so some things are Brian's specific, but experiences from different brands is also great.