The AB4800 is a very low-end chest protector. This was the first chest protector that I bought mistakenly thinking that one was as good as another. This is most certainly not true. The AB4800 simply does not stack up to any serious chest protector on the market.

Protection
There simply isn’t enough bulk in the AB4800 to keep major bruises and injuries from occurring.
While using this model chest protector at a novice level I had two broken ribs (one incident) and a broken shoulder. The ribs were the result of a butt end from a big falling player. The shoulder came from a shot. Neither of these accidents should have happened to a goalie wearing a protector. If you cannot take a shot without a broken bone, the chest protector simply isn’t doing its job.

The padding is very thin, about half the thickness of the Vaughn Chest protector that I switched to using. The padding squares are also too big and have larger than normal gaps between them, giving bigger voids in coverage. The shoulder pads are insufficient as well, with all too thin plastic and not enough padding inside of the cups.

There is no chest strap on the AB4800 so there was often a nasty (and inviting to the puck) gap between the chest protector and pants. When not yielding broken bones, I took a lot of nasty and unnecessary bruises to the belly.

Quality and Durability
The construction and features of the AB4800 are pretty poor. I had both arms fall off in the approximate seven months that I used mine. They were stitched on in a rather strange place and literally hanging by a thread. Good chest protectors generally use a thick lace and eyelets to secure the arms in a fashion that gives better freedom of movement. Laces also ensure adjustability and durability.

Most of the straps held up all right through half a year, although the Velcro on the wrists straps was just about shot. I cannot give that a huge low mark since the Velcro on every piece of gear I’ve owned has died a quick death.

The only good thing about this chest protector is that it is dirt-cheap. I think I paid $65 for mine brand new. Unfortunately for me, that’s another indication of the quality we are talking about here. A decent goalie chest protector runs well over $200.

Final Recommendation
The bottom line is that the AB4800 is very skimpy. When I sold it on ebay I was able to roll it up and put it into a box that previously held ten pound of coffee (that’s a really small box and a really thin chest protector).Heaton rates this as an ice hockey chest protector. I’m not sure what planet they were playing ice hockey on.

I would recommend that this chest protector never be used for ice hockey. It might be acceptable for inline, but that depends on what kind of puck you are using. Certainly it would work for ball hockey. In fact it is lightweight enough that you could probably use one for lacrosse goalies as well.

However with the lack of overall quality, I would avoid this product altogether. There are substantially better chest protectors available for a few dollars more.

© Scott Noble – Unauthorized use prohibited

More stuff to steer clear of:
Itech Goalie Jock
CCM GF6 Pro

Also See:
Fitting Goalie Gear

Battram Custom Goalie Equipment

© 2005 Scott Noble – All rights reserved. Unauthorized use prohibited.

Recommended: No