GK Equipment Questions

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[NicfromSweden]

Folmer since i now have been helping the guy who sells mercian in Belgium and most of the mercian equipment you see in holland have been shipped to belgium in bulk to the wearhouse here and then shipped in smaller amounts to holland i have had a chance to have a close look to the equipment mercian offers and i can say that the junior kit is actually pretty good and considering the price very very good, the hps are in high desity foam so basicly no rebound but then again does a 7-10 year old keeper need any rebound from his/her gloves? so the problem with the tear on the inside will not occur, the foam is a higher density then the obo ogo gloves and it uses basicly the same design

btw i have not seen the monarchs so i can not comment on them but i think the mercian stuff is good

i think the biggest problem you see with junior equipment is that its not taken care of properly and often some straps are missing etc and a lot of buckles are not very good so the straps opens etc

[Garry]

Any of you use OBO Cloud BA?? I'm planing to get one, but asking opinions first 

[crazy-goalie]

cloud ba is great never been bruised or broken although winded once or twice from sticks in the chest from slides arms are good to but the neoprene on the inner elbow rips quite easily and  also theres no protection there. also the shoulders are tbh kinda shite but with a quick mod with elastic around it they stay down. other than that great value.

[CormacDc]

Tbh i'd go for the Robo if you can afford it. i love it and i've never had a problem. Or you could go for the mercian extreme with some decent elbow pads. it costs about £100 mand is by all accounts brilliant. just do a search

[Dave30]

haven't played for a couple of years and need to get a new kit, has much changed in terms of which are the good brands?

[Jonty]

I think opinion here is largely the same - mainly OBO or TK (but with more switching to TK Soft).

BA use has changed a little, with the new(ish) Mercian stuff now considered on a par or superior to OBO's.

What did you use before and like? Anything you can rule out due to location (i.e. Mazon easier to pick up than Mercian)?

[Dave30]

used mostly robo and SP pads before.

thinking of getting this package if all the stuff fits and feels comfortable

•TK 1.0 Leg and Kicker COMBO
•TK 1.0 Hand Protectors
•TK 1.0 Shorts
•TK 1.3 Bodiarmour
•TK Wheelie Bag
•OBO Mesh Classic Goalie Top
•OBO ABS Helmet and Mask
•OBO ROBO Groin Guard
•TK G1 Stick
ALL THIS FOR $1349

[animal]

Sounds like a great start. At a slightly later date maybe you could top up the kit with OBO as the need arises, but a great kit to come back with.

ANIMAL

[Dave30]

What things would you change to OBO Mr Animal?

[animal]

This is purely a matter personal preferance. It depends on your tastes and style, but I would swap the gloves and bag fairly promptly, then maybe upgrade the helmet and shorts, finally at the end of a season or in November switch to Hi-Rebound pads and kickers.

The TK stuff is fine and comes a close second to OBO in my opinion. Tk stuff twists a bit too much for my liking but has reasonable rebound/durability however there is a small weight  penalty with OBO. Hate the TK gloves (Just not my style). If the TK bag is the red one its too light duty for my taste the dark blue TK is great though. I use a TK3 keepa stick and love it again the TK 1 is a bit light for me. Tk Shorts rival the robo shorts. The TK 1.3 Body armour is interesting but I wonder how much of a pain it would be to use without a fabric cover. Guess I'll have to get some to find out.

ANIMAL

[Dave30]

well i still have my old kit but it's not in great shape

OBO SP pads and hi-control kickers (both about 4 or 5 seasons old) kickers no rebound and pads have huge cracks in them
obo shorts but all the material on the hips are worn away from sliding
Gryphon body armour (7 or 8 seasons and just smells putrid)
ROBO gloves that are still pretty good (4 or 5 seasons)
My helmet got taken out of my bag when i gave it back to the club 2 weeks ago (not happy)
OBO fatboy stick that i loooooooooooooooooooove
RBK ice hockey elbow pads
mazon bag

[Jonty]

It is a preference thing, but I much prefer the TK HPs to their OBO equivalents. Miles better rebound too.

The TK shorts are great and much cheaper than Robos (in Europe at least). Don't waste your money on overshorts, just get massive basketball shorts. Same with the smock.

LGs and kickers are a matter of preference, but Animal's right when he says that compared to OBO, straps and twisting is a bit rubbish on everything else.

TK stick is good, but then so is the Fatboy. I probably prefer the latter.

The chest pad is used by full internationals so must be good, just check you're happy with the shoulder protection in the shoulders as purely going by pictures it seems coverage isn't amazing. Pair with your old elbows and you're set.

The helmet and groin gaurd are meant to be really good.

Just my thoughts on your list!

[Dave30]

thanks for the help lads

[Dave30]

ended up getting mazon pro force kit (mate got me a deal which means i can upgrade when november sale comes around)

[Inselaffen]

used the Z-force legguards for part of last season. hated them and switched to TK's