CCM Vector 4.0 Shin guards—are you in the right league?
Written: Nov 14 '07 (Updated Nov 14 '07)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Affordable full protection, removable liner
Cons: Straps (as always), not for higher levels of play
The Bottom Line: The Vector 4.0 is a great for novice and intermediates. I don't recommend it for serious competitive play.
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| puckmugger's Full Review: Ccm Vector 4.0 Shin Guards White/Black Junior |
Completely random intro
Nurture versus Nature, Vector versus Vapor, it sounds like a catchy beginning to a song and at first I thought it might be an interesting review. But that would mean that I’d have to review some Vapor shin guards, right? Well, I’m not in the mood, so suck it up and read about the Vector 4.0. Perhaps some other day I’ll write a sonnet about some Vapor shin guards. Then again, maybe I won’t.
Thanks for the worthless intro, how about something worthwhile?
Certainly! Let’s start with just what part of the market niche the 4.0 line fills. Frankly I think the fact that CCM makes about 412 models of shin guards this season could be a bit daunting in itself. I mean you can walk into the shop and scream, “Hey, I want some CCM shin guards and I don’t want to spend more than $XX for them!” However, it might be more productive to know what shin guards best fit your level of play. Further walking in the shop yelling is unproductive, will not likely get you the best customer service, and could get you arrested in some states . . . well, states of mind anyway.
The Vector 4.0 is a step above the entry level 2.0 shin guards. They offer decent protection for most recreational players. They will be a little light for higher-level recreational players, but novices through intermediates will be fine in the Vector 4.0. Players with excellent skills at not blocking shots will find these sufficient as well.
The Vector 4.0 sells for about $40 a pair which is a middle of the road price. I wouldn’t recommend spending much less than that on a pair of shin guards unless you find an excellent deal or only want them as part of a Halloween costume. Certainly you could spend $20 on a pair of shin guards, maybe even less. But in the long run, you’re going to either end up bleeding and wish you had spent $40, or someone is going to hurt your feelings by making fun of your really cheap shin guards . . . most likely though, you will upgrade to a better pair pretty quickly. Pucks aren’t sharp, but pieces of shattered shin guards can be.
The design
Uniqueness wasn’t something that CCM went out on a limb with when they designed the Vector 4.0 shin guards. They are a typical two-piece plastic outer shell with a separate knee and shin section. The shin has a fair amount of ventilation. Perhaps the only unique addition is the vents in the plastic kneecap on the Vector 4.0. Those players (all three of them) who suffer from excessive knee sweat will thank the heavens for this innovation.
The inner lining of the shin guard is floating, which is nice. A little separation between the plastic outer shell and the liner helps to lessen impacts and reduces the likelihood of players blocking a shot then yelling, “Owch!” RBK (who owns CCM) uses a similar system in their shin guards in which two straps keep the player’s shin floating above the padding.
However, I think the Vector’s system is actually superior in terms of durability. The straps in my RBK shins broke quite quickly. Perhaps it is the fearless stupidity that reigns supreme within me, but I do block a considerable number of shots which may heave lead to this demise. Nonetheless, the Vectors have an entire floating liner sewn along the entire shin portion. It will almost certainly outlast two straps.
The kneecap has a rather copious amount of supple padding. It is both deep enough and soft enough to ward off some pretty nasty blows. The knee does not bend forward which will offer some small amount of knee sprain protection. Further, like the shin section the knee padding floats slightly above the shell allowing a nice cushion of air to protect players from pucks flung hard in the direction of their knees.
Removable liners are pretty standard in shin guards these days. Well, in fact all of them are removable—some are just easier to put back in place. The Vector 4.0 shin guards fall in the later category being held in place by a decent amount of Velcro. The liner itself is has a nylon shell not unlike the material that you’d find in a typical hockey jersey. In all the padding in the liner is somewhat thin and its main purpose is to allow the materials to dry, rather than add a substantial layer of protection. However it does feature a couple of secondary pads in strategic locations that will upgrade the protection somewhat.
Protection
This is really what it’s all about in a shin guard. If they don’t protection, you might as well wad up last week’s Times and stuff them in your socks. Fortunately most shin guards are both more durable and comfortable than newspaper. The Vector 4.0 has a pretty decent amount of protection for the price as well.
The kneecap has three wings rather than the normal top wing. These will offer additional protection to the sides of the player’s knees. It’s a good thing too, because if you come in on my goalie like that one more time, that’s where I’m going to try to slash you.
The shin section features a full wrapping calf. Now this is one of the areas that this shin guard isn’t quite as fancy as some higher priced models. The calf wrap is definitely not going to be easy to replace if you remove it. It isn’t really designed to come out and you would need a knife or scissors to do so. If you don’t like a wrapping calf, this isn’t the pair for you. If you like a rapping calf, you have odd taste in music.
The overall protection of these is pretty solid both front and back. Again it isn’t the best product for players at higher levels, but if these are used among their intended audience of lower and mid-level recreational players, the protection is certainly very good.
Comfort and fit
The lining material on the inside of the wraps and wings is pretty comfortable. It’s a terrycloth-like synthetic material. The overall comfort of these is really quite good. They run pretty true to size as well. I’m looking at a 15-inch pair thinking they are too short and realizing that I normally wear 16-inch shins. Compared to my older pair, which is 14-inches, they are perfect.
The calf protection is a bit short on my legs. However, your legs are much skinnier than mine. If my legs were arms, I think the term to describe them would be guns. However, they are legs, so I have no idea what the term is. Let’s put this into a more scientific perspective. I’m trying on 15-inch pads and my calf is 20-inches (OK, I’m flexing—it’s 19-inches). It seems like they would be fine at about 17 inches for wrapping.
The Vector 4.0 comes in junior sizes 11, 12 and 13-inches. Senior size Vector shin guards area available in 14, 15 and 16-inches. The shin guards are identical in design for juniors and seniors. The Senior versions of the pads retail for about $50.
The shin guards feature 2 straps. These both go through the shin guard. CCM did a decent job on the strapping system with these They utilize a square ring on either end which gives a little more freedom to customize the fit. However, the elastic on the straps is typical, low-grade stuff. I cannot really knock these shins too hard for that since I haven’t seen a pair of shins with decent straps in my lifetime . . . or in the short portion I can remember anyway. But don’t expect the straps to last more than a year or two before they are no longer springy.
As long as we are on the straps, I’m not all that fond of the location of them. They are both down on the calf. The top strap is a little too low for me. I prefer to have one strap right at knee level. Even with the straps on these, I’d end up taping my socks.
In all these are comfortable shin guards. The calf protector might be a bit small for some players and the straps aren’t that great. In the $40 range, they are above average though.
Bottom Line
The Vector 4.0 is a good recreational pad for beginner through mid-level players. Higher level players that don’t block shots might be alright in them as well. They offer decent all around protection and a pretty comfortable. I wouldn’t recommend them to most high level players since you never know when your defenseman with the 90 mile an hour slapper is going to pop you in the knees in front of the opposing net. They aren’t quite up to snuff for that. But for a $40 pair of shin guards, the Vector 4.0 is a good buy.
© 2007 Scott Noble – All rights reserved. Unauthorized use prohibited.
You might also enjoy my book on hockey, Hockey for Weekend Warriors. Click here to read the reviews.
A few of my other reviews that you might find helpful:
Bauer 6000 Shin Pads
Jofa 9040 Shin Pads
Koho 4460 Shin Pads
Mission Warp Sub Zero Shin Pads
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 35
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