IpaddyTECH

(edited because I originally believed this glove to be a 580 based on the seller's description) Hello all! This is my first review/thread here on thegoalnet, I'm re-emerging on the online world of goalie forums after being a somewhat engaging member on the old Goalie Store bulletin board when I was a teen. Took some time off hockey and glad to be back at it in my early 30's here again. Mostly I play beer league, C and B levels. Thanks for reading and cheers! Today I'm giving a mini review of a pro stock (Carr) True L12.2 590 break (60 degree) glove with practice palm (not my top choice). I'm calling it a mini review because I have decided to return it, and won't be able to review its' in-game or post break-in performance. But I hope my thoughts are still helpful to those debating the 590, or those with small hands like myself. For knowledge and quantification sake, the base of my palm to tip of middle finger measurement is 7 inches exactly. I think that technically qualifies as a senior small size. The trouble with my hands is they are not particularly beefy hands either, meaning grip strength is probably not off the charts, despite training forearms and hands directly. Keep all that in mind as you read my thoughts on the glove. Enough monologuing, onto the glove! As expected, the True Canadian build quality is phenomenal, with not a stitch out of place. It is beautiful to hold, look at, and even smell (gotta love jenpro). I could easily see this glove lasting years of regular play if maintained well. Do not hesitate to get this glove for any reasons there. I knew the practice palm would be stiff, and I also knew there was a strong likelihood of having to return the glove. Another struggle is I live in a less populated area, so while there is still some hockey, there are no goalie gear shops nearby. So anyway, yes this thing is stiffer than a (insert dirty middle school boy joke here), and I could not actually close the glove fully without help from my other hand. No surprises or complaints here, but just info. I'm sure with breaking it in properly, it would be a firm yet functional closure with bullet proof protection. Because I'm not frequently facing minor league slap shots, I'm going to be only looking for game-ready breaks from now on. My goal is to find a glove so easy to close that I don't think about it while playing. That I believe is the gold standard of equipment that fits and plays well. Onto the feel of the glove. My theory for wanting to get the 580 glove was to get that supposed "fingers only" closure you hear about. I was hoping that by eliminating the weak single finger of the thumb, I would instead be able to harness to full strength of my other fingers and forearm muscles to close the glove against the palm alone, instead of against the thumb. Well, after some handy detective work of other members here, I realized this is indeed not a 580, but the 590. With the 590, obviously the thumb was still a limiting factor, but I could feel a strong finger driven aspect. I realize I could be happy with a 590 and could make it work in a less beefy glove. The thumb actually angles forward at nearly 45 degrees so it was very comfortable and about %40-50 responsible for the closure by my feel. It did have a fingertips to thumb closure, but it was surprisingly not as flat and baseball mitt feeling as I would have expected from descriptions of the 590 break. Here are some pics of what the hand position felt like to me, notice "can in my hand shape", and the forward angle of the thumb from the side (nearly 45 degrees). (Leaving this next line in from my first supposed 580 review just for a laugh: "My conclusion from trying on just this one single 580 break glove is that the 90 angle isn't as radically different from a 60 degree break as you might think." Haha yes Paddy, this is because it is in fact a 60 degree break. I guess that old saying applies here, if it walks like a duck, talks like a duck... back to the review now.) So here is the biggest problem I think I face, and maybe other small handed individuals face. There's only so far your hand can fit into the glove before the space between finger and thumb is stopped by the glove itself, thus anchoring the hand and limiting the reach of the fingers into the glove. This True 590 glove definitely has the "curved palm" rather than the pancake flat palm closure. It feels like holding and squeezing a can (like a can of vegetables, not a soda can). honestly it's a nice feel and creates a beautiful seal of the glove when closed, but it does lessen my strength to close it ; it's simply physics. The shortest distance between two points is always a straight line, and with my fingers not reaching as far into the glove (because of having to take this curved approach) I have less power and torque in closing the glove. While I appreciate the curved feel, I'm realizing if I want the strongest and snapiest closure possible, I might be a pancake glove guy. Does anyone think I'm way off or missing something here? Any pancake glove fanatics feeling very validated right now? The rest of the glove is really amazing. The strapping is nothing radically innovative, but doesn't need to be, it's completely effective. Easy to open up to air out. Here's a big win, even with my small hands I was able to crank the straps down hard and tight with room to spare, so it's very adjustable. I love the soft gray nash which goes all through the inside of the glove wherever your hand touches. It's comfy, pretty grippy, and it seems thicker like it would absorb sweat well to insure grip through a game, and it seems durable. The pocket is decently deep and the T is super thick and strong yet closes perfectly. Open enough cuff to not get in the way and the glove presents really well. Thanks for reading again!

Really well said! I really appreciated your take on summer hockey too. Taking advantage to practice no caring about the score and working on techniques is something I'll be doing more of now.

You should definitely write some kind of post on who the pads play, there are no decent reviews on the optik 3s.

Yes let us know how they play differently. I have a true 580 in the mail, but might return it if it's not everything True fanatics promised it is.

Great honest post, I really appreciate it. I'm a goalie first and foremost, but I'm also a counselor. I remember being lit up about 8-9 goals in during a tournament one time and being glad I had a mask on to hide some tears. All I can say is for me, it's all in how I approach the game mentally. For me personally, if I'm constantly looking at the scoreboard and hoping we win, I'm not gonna play well or have fun. I normally play C level beer league also and had a decent season last winter but plenty of really disappointing games (by my judgement, lots of "soft goals", whatever that means.). I just played a pick-up game the other night with some A-B guys and just totally shut them down like it was easier than the C guys. That pick up game really cemented something for me. I've been realizing to play my best, I can't worry about getting scored on, or the score, or even the win (easier to do in a pick up game). I need to get into the moment, watch the puck like a laser, and seriously have fun throwing myself at it to see if I come up with a save. If I don't make the stop, that's part of the game, the offense has talent and a job to do also so it's going to happen. But when I throw everything I have at it without worrying about the W, I almost always have way more fun, and come up with some awesome saves I wouldn't have if I was anxious about losing the game. It's hockey. There will always be 1 winner and 1 loser, 50/50. If you make the game about the %50 (ish) times you win, you're spoiling half the pleasure and privilege it is to be in goal. Hockey is so weird, we're playing on a giant sheet of heavily refrigerated water. Super impractical if you think about it, but enough people, beer leaguers and all, love this game so much that we can keep the lights on, all just for a shot at the fun and glory of having a few good moments in a game. Seek those moments, not the W, and hockey comes alive again. Also yeah, a break can help, but a new mindset will carry you further. I listen to goaltending podcasts on mental game and find those helpful for what that is worth. Good luck brother, and cheers to you for strapping on the pads. P.S. As a counselor I have to say, don't be afraid to seek out some professional help if you ever feel like life just isn't all it could be. Counseling is for everyone, probably especially goalies haha.

Thanks Keeperton! I'm new to this forum, back from a long hiatus from hockey in my 20's. Thus the 1st generation ritual gear that's basically new. I used to roam the original GSBB back in the day haha. That makes sense. You're saying it is easy to close, especially if your thumb is okay being upright in that position. But to you it didn't close any better than any other break to your hands? I'm also picking up that modern glove manufacturing is just better and most gloves will have a decent game ready feel regardless of brand. If I had to order now, I'd get an Optik 3 (all black of course) with intermediate palm. I did learn some EXCITING news though. I just emailed a rep at Brian's about a custom glove order, and he hinted that they have something in development along the lines of a 90 degree/580 break glove which they hope will be produced in 2024! Anybody else have feedback on the 90 degree bracing against your wrist theory?

Ah dang, too big for me. I'm 18.5. Thanks! Great looking set.

What's your FTK?

Can anyone speak to how a 580/90 Degree break feels to close? I have smaller hands and and to me, a fingers to palm closure would seem easier, IF the counter to the fingers is the palm braced against the wrist, creating a sort of hand curling motion rather than a pinching motion between fingers and thumb. Fingers to a braced palm > fingers to a thumb (which is not braced and can fatigue easily); does is that sound accurate to you 90 degree users? I'm toying with getting a cheaper or used one just to try, since it seems it would be easier to close. I think guys with bigger (or just normal) hands take for granted how having longer fingers gives you more torque or leverage in closing the glove, thus requiring even less strength to close it. Imagine trying to close an extra large glove, or holding a dumbell with fatter grip, it would require more muscle to do the same thing. That said, I'm really drawn to Brian's gloves because I'm constantly re-tightening my glove (Warrior Ritual G1) during games and BAO smart dial seems like a fix for that. And I've heard they are notoriously easy to close even for smaller hands.