CamWardFan

On 2/6/2024 at 9:39 AM, IpaddyTECH said:

Thanks everyone!. Anybody have a weight on Warrior blockers? 

I don't have a scale but my new Warrior 6.1 E+ is the lightest blocker on the market, I can pretty much guarantee you.  That combined with perfect center balance makes it light as a feather.  Still has excellent protection and rebound.  If you are looking for any piece of gear they make, it will likely be the lightest in its category.

On 2/6/2024 at 9:01 AM, Puckstopper said:

This is why I'll always buy in person or order custom.  Unusually the guy building custom orders is a little more experienced than the guy building retail orders.  After all, the new guy has to learn somewhere, right?

I know you don't want to hear this, but it comes down to cost.   These are handmade products and it takes time and training to learn the craft of doing it properly. 

• Time and training cost money. 
• Retention of staff you've invested in training costs money. 
• Failing to retain those staff members and starting the cycle over costs more money.

Adding cost to a product that you already charge more for due to low volume of sales and relatively high complexity to manufacture is a non-starter.   Unfortunately, there's just no world where every glove can be 100% "pro quality" perfect.  As mentioned earlier, there's the experience of the builder, and for every glove to get the pro treatment on the break-in machine you'd either have to increase both staff and machines, or push out lead times.  Neither of these options are palatable.   Small companies like Vaughn and Brian's would be gone, and CCM/Bauer would look for cost savings by reducing the number of lines offered.   The other option would be to increase retail price further, and you're not alone in feeling like those costs are already unreasonable.

Honestly, I do think a lot of these companies lost valuable employees both in the manufacturing and management spaces during COVID.  The pro level gloves I saw on the shelf pre-COVID were really starting to show improvements in consistency and feel right out of the box.   I went to a couple stores last weekend and almost everything on the shelf felt worse than expected.  So I do feel your pain to a degree and sympathize that you got a glove from an extreme end of the bell curve.  But honestly, that's what I think happened here.  You got the worst one that came out of the factory that month and it sucks.   

I understand what you are saying, but to me that's still a poor excuse for sending out a not ready to play product.  Those costs you are talking about are inherent to any business that wants to put out a quality product.  As a business, you need to find a way, not depend on your customers to do half of your job themselves.  We as customers just have never demanded that the product we receive be finished and ready for use, and without defects like poor lacing or assembly.

The VERY LEAST they could do is make a final inspection of each glove before it leaves the factory.  We aren't talking about a massive amount of gloves, and each glove would only require a minute at most to inspect for quality.   This should NOT be too much to ask for the current price we are paying........

On 2/6/2024 at 9:24 AM, xmikex32 said:

link?

The Warrior blocker came from Perani's, the catcher came from The Hockey Shop in Vancouver. Great sale prices on 6.1 E +'s.

The Brian's gloves are pro level and all white, only used for pickup for a few months, I'm cleaning off the puck marks and will sell them either direct or through my Sideline Swap page (Steve Knickerbocker)

8 hours ago, mik said:

Not a product line, but quality? In my experience with pro return gloves and comparsion to the serial pro models pro returns were better made - materials, stitching, overall quality - with no problems CamWardFan writes about, usualy. Sometimes I found pro return glove, that is hard to close/break in even after use of pro goalie. But it was due the goalie and how he catches - Gibson comes in my mind or better - Lundqvist (sadly never had his glove). 

Can it have something to do with Canadian made product? I don´t know, but gloves form Lefebvre factory are better than standard True, even when JRZ made gloves for Bauer, that product was not comparable to stock gloves in shop. Not so much in Vaughn but still. Can´t truly say about Brians, as I have expirience with only one pro return glove, realy special. 

But yes, realy BIG downside of pro return gloves can be their customisation, can be far from stock gloves in terms of shapes, closures, palms, inner sizes, reskined models/brands etc. Often dosen´t make sense for "normal" goalie .    

 

 

The gloves the pros get are definitely closely inspected and broken in by the company before they get sent out. Why can't they just do that for all of us? They are the experts, they have the machines, so why not?   Also, according to The Goalie Glove Guy (again) many retail gloves are laced incorrectly or too tightly, or the padding or break is wrong or in the wrong place,  which is another main reason why gloves are hard to break in.  Doesn't anybody at the factory look at these gloves before they are sent out to check out these things???   Apparently not.  $300 to $700 for a glove and it's not even built right coming out of the factory?? Retail customers deserve better, that's all I'm saying.

12 hours ago, RichMan said:

So, Warrior it is then...

Yep, went out and replaced both gloves with Warrior 6.1, on super sale.  Both were ready to use out of the box. Learned my lesson.  Selling the Optik3 glove and blocker on Sideline Swap - anybody want them???

I understand what you are all saying, but that's really not my point.  I sent that glove to The Goalie Glove Guy in North Dakota, one of the best technicians of gloves in the game, and he told me this thing was the stiffest glove he could remember ever working on.  Also, believe me, I tried every single technique mentioned by all you guys up above, many more than 3 or 4 times, and it still wouldn't open or close completely.

The other thing related to The Goalie Glove Guy is the fact that every day on Instagram he posts gloves coming in to him super stiff and unplayable, from all brands except maybe Warrior, hundreds of gloves a year.  So it's not just me, it's not weak hands, it's not that we are not using all the dozens of break in techniques on YouTube, it's that these gloves are coming to us, the retail customers, in an unplayable condition -- and we are paying top dollar for the privilege!!!

All I am saying is that we should DEMAND, as customers, a product delivered to us in ready to play condition just like any other product. These companies have the means to do it, they just choose NOT TO because they know they can get away with it  -- that we are just going to take it.  So why should they spend the extra time and money to deliver a completely ready to play product????

I'm not upset with any of you who have replied, I'm just mad as hell that every company can't deliver a ready to play glove like Warrior???

On 2/2/2024 at 11:14 AM, RichMan said:

I kinda understand the frustration. It's not like breaking in a baseball glove. You can't oil it since it's not real leather and it's nothing like the Mizuno fabric/nylon gloves since goalie gloves have hard plastics, thick foams and multiple layers, all for your protection.

As mentioned, it quite varies from one brand to another, and even one model to another within the same brand. And then, what we get in stores is nothing like what the pros wear. This is very important to understand. They need something that is usable within 2-3 practices tops so they can then use it in a game. This excludes their practice gloves of course. Us retail mortals have time and flexibility on our side. I'm sure that if you order custom, you could ask the company to "break it in" for you before shipping. I assume it would be the same method as buying one in the store, throwing it in the skate oven for 5-10 minutes and then working it in and then wrapping it with string or cellophane to encourage the closure.

Then comes the topic of individual strength. Yes, it plays a factor in the process. I for instance have a normal sized palm but thin short fingers. Add to that a bad thumb, so my overall grip strength is not strongman worthy. Even if I hit the gym on a regular and lift weights, it's only relevant to my personal capabilities. You could implement hand grip strength exercises and forearm work as well if you wish.

I'm not saying you're weak. It is true that some gloves feel like trash. I can't do shit with a CCM or True on. Bauer isn't any easier. Brian's is ok depending on the model as is with Vaughn. Warrior was the easiest but even then, I had to spend the time working it in and flexing it and taking pucks to it to get a suitable closure for my hand strength and playing demands. Is it perfect? Not really, but it keeps getting better with every drop of sweat it absorbs. Of course, for the most part, when you get to the point where your glove closes as if you're wearing those lovely winter mittens your grandmother knitted for you last Christmas, chances are the palm has broken down or the plastics and/or foams inside have cracked and that's when you start feeling every single shot as if you were facing Webber in the All-Star shootout.

In the end, unless you have good connections at the top, or you've tried one of the methods suggested by myself and others here, or you found a pro-return in pristine shape already broken in, your very last option is to study Lundy videos for a while and develop his patented catching motion  

Here's a video from one of my mentors that might help out...

 

 

So guys, after experiencing the break in of a new  &500+ Brian's Optik 3 glove for the first time, I started to get a little angry.  I busted my butt trying every internet trick in the book, hours working it manually in front of the TV every night for weeks, and still the thing wouldn't open or close fully.  Then I finally sent it off to the Goalie Glove Guy (another &200 for his services and shipping) and when I got it back it was better but STILL wouldn't fully open or close. I finally just went out and bought an on sale Warrior G6.1 E+ to use while I'm STILL breaking the Optik in. (The Warrior was broken in after 2 days by the way....).   I have even contacted Brian's Customer Service- they said they would be happy to look at it but I would have to pay another $200 for 2 way shipping.

 I now follow The Goalie Glove Guy on Instagram (he's really a great guy, cares about his craft, and really is an expert), and his shop is FULL of brand new gloves that he has to professionally break in.  He gets literally hundreds a year of brand new gloves that can't be used until you pay someone else to get it game ready!!!

So here's my question. Why are we paying these companies $300 to $700 for a supposedly game ready product that actually is NOT anywhere near game ready?? What other product do you (at best) have to spend hours and hours on and often extra money just to be able to use it??

I KNOW that these companies don't give their contract pro and amateur goalies gloves that are stiff as a board.  They've got machines to break those gloves in.  There's no reason for the price we are paying for these gloves that they can't do that for us PAYING customers.  Don't tell me it's too expensive. Figure it out.  You're sending your customers a big money product that is not even usable........

I'm sorry, I've been in the product and customer service trade for a long time, and I would be frankly embarrassed to send out the junk they are sending us, top dollar junk too.

Opinions??

Hey guys, older goalie here (71) with artificial hips, super narrow butterfly.  I always wore Warrior but never could get close to closing the 5 hole with them no matter how hard I bent the tops.  Loved everything else about them.  Finally had to make a radical shift to Brian's Optik 3 on advice from Cam at The Hockey Shop in Vancouver. First time 5 hole close ever with

them.

Does Warrior have ANY profile that can close a narrow butterfly, or am I now a permanent Brian's guy??

I've got the middle grade F1 and it has been fantastic, great protection and no ear ringing. I play regularly against ex college players and even a pro or two with no issues....

I'm so frustrated by all the legit sites that sell real pro adidas jerseys.  All I want is a genuine adidas nhl Canes jersey in 58G+ or 60G with logos but no name and number.  I've called a dozen companies and always get the same story - they tell me adidas doesn't sell goalie jerseys to the public and no one will even try to special order me one.

WTF why not? There are literally thousands of goalies in the world that would buy one if they could get it, it just doesn't make sense.

My only option so far is to try and find a prostock on Ebay or Sideline, and IF you can find one they want $350 or $400 for it.  That's just ridiculous.......

I just hope when Fanatics takes over that they will sell some damn goalie jerseys..............

Not much reason to change. I wear both in the previous generation and they are tanks in protection, amazing amount of coverage, but still are highly mobile. Combined with the Pro + knee pads that tie in perfectly to the pants, an unbeatable combination.......never even had one stinger playing against pretty high level shots...........

The Warrior Ritual X3 Pro Senior Protective Neck Guard is on the right track but has the major flaw of having thin seams where the foam around the neck connects. I bought one and it tore apart at those neck seams after a month - got a free replacement and it did the same thing.

That said, it was very comfortable with its medium neck height, large coverage area, high quality impact foam, and a bib in the back to hold it in place. 

I'd buy it again tomorrow if they fixed the neck foam problem..............

I started this thread because all the reviews we have received the last few months on the G6 knee sliders have been from highly accomplished goalies.  I am a 70 year old beer league level goalie who has had both hips replaced and consequently limited hip mobility.  I was really looking forward to these and they finally came in.

First impressions are that they slide like magic in all ice conditions.  Mere taps with my toe blade send me sliding easily around the crease. At first, in fact, TOO easily!!

I now have 2 skates under my belt and am getting better in handling the speed and distance of the slides.  I am a ways away from mastering it, but each time I feel more confident. Slides across the crease on back door passes are like lightning, and yes I over slide some but who cares when you make that save instead of not quite getting there!!

Recovery is the thing I need to work on most.  Even though I am now a hybrid goalie, I still am very aggressive in attacking outside shooters and although most times I make the initial save, sometimes I lose a bit of control, over slide out of position, and have to scramble back on very slippery knees.  Working on staying aggressive but not flying out out to the outside of the crease so hard............ 

Overall I am VERY happy with the knee sliders.  Being able to move around the crease with just a light touch, even on slow ice, is amazing. Nothing made me feel older than not being able to get where I want to go around the crease because of limited mobility and leg strength. Now it's a breeze.

How are other beer leaguers liking these?

Sold out in half a day at GoalieParts, but they say they have more on order........

On 9/30/2022 at 3:25 PM, dean42mvg said:

is this considered Anterior ? This is what my Doc is reccomending

 

This sounds really good too. I had mine done 20 years ago, the tech has prob improved since then.  As long as no muscles are cut I think you are good!!!

Just saw this on Facebook and ordered immediately - The senior and intermediate slide plates are AVAILABLE AT GOALIEPARTS.COM !!!!!

This is an excellent and reliable company.  They have the plates IN STOCK NOW !!! Don't know how many or how long they will last but I just wanted to let everyone know!!!

Steve

1 hour ago, coopaloop1234 said:

I'm about 90% sure the removable glove liner for the G5 and G6 are compatible. Just as the G3 and G4 were. They changed from G4->G5. 

Blocker palms and straps are compatible  for G3, GT1, G4, GT2, G5, G6. 

I'm on the look for a G5 75 degree liner myself, doesn't seem to be kicking around. I know there have been some large production issues with Warrior and some shipping issues as well. 

From what I understand, we're nearing the end of the problem for gear to start showing up, but obviously shit is still absent. 

 

Thanks for the feedback!! I'd be happy with the G6 items, I agree they will likely work. I thought that this forum was maybe monitored by someone from Warrior who might give us a timeline on what to expect, but maybe not. Seeing the G6 Pro + stock items today at GoalieMonkey got me hopeful..............

1 hour ago, RichMan said:

Honestly Steve, with the new line-ups, I don't see Warrior mass producing anymore of the old accessories, unless they are of course compliant with the G6 line. Wishing you luck man.

I totally agree and just looking for compatible G6 items. I'm assuming the mask cage will not change as I've had to switch back to the certified one I got with the mask originally from the cat eye which I prefer.  My  ophthalmologist is happy anyways, he hated my cat eye :). Thanks for the feedback!!

I'm a dedicated Warrior guy head to toe, from my F1 Helmet to my G5 Pro Custom setup. I need some accessories, and everybody knows that the accessories have dried up everywhere in the world. Currently I need replacement liners for both gloves, senior strap kits, a Fit 1 replacement cat eye cage for my F1, and of course waiting for polycarbonate knee sliders ..........

Does anyone out there have any inside info as to WHEN Warrior accessories will be back in the stores???? Goalie Monkey just got in G6 Pro + stock pads and gloves, maybe that's a good sign but I'm getting desperate!!!

Steve

Had both mine done when I was in my 50's, still playing today at 70 with zero pain or problems.

I do recommend having the Anterior Approach Surgery rather than the old school from the back. With the anterior, no muscles are cut- device is implanted from the front of the hip by just prying the muscles apart, NO CUTTING. Recovery is MUCH faster and less painful.  

Good luck!!!

I've got a system that works really well too. 

First I lightly spray everything with Extra Strength Febreeze, thoroughly dry it in my Panda Clothing Dryer (found online, exact same as Rocket Dryer except much less expensive), and then store it in my laundry room with a nice metal closet organizer I bought from Amazon.

Takes 2 shifts with the Panda for all the goalie equipment because of the size and amount, but all gear comes out crispy dry and smelling fresh. Bacteria cannot form if you dry it thoroughly after every skate which not only leaves no bad odors, but also makes your gear last much longer. I keep the dryer in the garage.

The rack is metal and is quite narrow and easily fits in my small laundry room.  It has large hanging spaces for the chesty, pants, and jerseys, and smaller spaces for the other gear. The leg pads fit easily on top.  Since there is no smell, there's no issues with keeping the rack inside the house.

On 7/14/2022 at 1:35 PM, insertnamehere said:

The incessant scouring of online hockey stores will continue for me in that case. 

That's what I've been doing. Also been bugging Warrior Goalie on Insta for weeks now on when they are shipping. I also have G5's

On 7/12/2022 at 2:17 PM, RichMan said:

In case it hasn't been posted yet. One of ours on here?

 

That slide is so incredible, i just can't wait.  I'm 70 years old with both hips replaced and those things will be a miracle prayer answered for me !!!

5 hours ago, chile57 said:

... but what lid are you pairing with that sweet setup (I see a tease to the right)?

 

I'm an all Warrior guy, so you know it has to be an F1  I know, I just use a few stickers which some guys prob think is lame, but I'm old school and not a huge fan of all the elaborate helmet painting.............