|
|
|
Comment |
Sorted by
Date Written |
Re: thanks again, sir! (Reply to this comment)
by puckmugger
Glad to be of assistance!
Scott
|
Aug 24, 2006
8:31 am PDT
|
|
Re: Not Exactly "bullet-proof" (Reply to this comment)
by puckmugger
Yes, Lexan shields will sometimes break and the material in most of these models is a little thinner than that of the model my friend was testing. While I don't doubt your claim, I've only ever seen one Lexan shield break. When I called to return it, the company rep sounded genuinely surprised asking me, "It cracked?!" Again, I do not recommend shooting them regardless.
Scott
|
Aug 24, 2006
8:31 am PDT
|
|
thanks again, sir! (Reply to this comment)
by anthonyjta
I'm seriously considering a full-face shield. I have an Oakley straight cut visor, and I've gotten a few bumps on the chin...
thank you for your help!
|
Aug 22, 2006
6:54 am PDT
|
|
Not Exactly "bullet-proof" (Reply to this comment)
by palmettohodag
I liked your review PuckMugger but I think your friend was pulling your leg about a Lexan shield being bullet-proof. I have owned an Itech FX-50 combo mask for 2 years and have broken (not just scratched) 2 shields. One cracked at the place where it fits into the mounting bracket slot . . . so I attributed it to possibly a freak twisting of the shield or something. Then, I collided with an opposing defensemen who instinctively put up his forearm catching me across the shield. It broke in half! Strangely enough each half remained in its mounting bracket but it had broken in an "S" shape across the middle. I am no longer as confident in this shield as before and that, coupled with the fogging and sweating, has me considering returning to a wire cage.
I take excellent care of the shields and keep my helmet/mask in a helmet bag. The first broken shield had a small scratch in the middle when the tab cracked but was otherwise in good shape. The shield that broke in half was like brand new.
|
May 16, 2006
6:36 pm PDT
|
|
Re: Minor Issues with a Great Visor (Reply to this comment)
by puckmugger
cpugeek,
Thanks for sharing. Other experiences always help to add value to any review. I appreciate the comment and am glad that you are only having minor issues with the visor you bought based on my advice.
Scott
|
Jun 9, 2005
8:17 am PDT
|
|
Minor Issues with a Great Visor (Reply to this comment)
by cpugeek
I picked up my FX-50 completely on the advice of this review and have been using it for 5 months and noticed a few things I thought I would share. In the last month or so I noticed that my visor started to fog up a lot more when on the ice after a hard workout, all my huffin and puffin was making it difficult to see. I imagine that the warmer temperatures on the ice also might have had something too do with it. I picked up some Oakley Visor cleaner and gave the thing a once over and my problems went away.
The other problem I have come into is that my hinge has started to break and is in need of replacement. The right side got caught once and bent out once and from then on I couldn't raise the visor without it catching. I trimmed off the bent piece, but then noticed that the other side has started bending too. All in all these are minor problems, but I thought I would mention them.
|
Jun 8, 2005
1:25 pm PDT
|
|
Re: Hooked the FX-50 to my Jofa 690 (Reply to this comment)
by puckmugger
I have yet to see a mask that doesn't fog on the bench. The real problem is the mask that fogs when you are on the ice.
I'm glad that you found the review helpful and are enjoying the FX50.
Scott
|
May 19, 2005
10:00 am PDT
|
|
Re: Thank god for your reviews, puckmugger! (Reply to this comment)
by puckmugger
Hmm,
Sorry I never replied here. I didn't get any notification of your comment in my email like I normally would.
Hopefully you've covered all the minor adjustments on your FX50 by now. The J-clips issue is simply a matter of bending the top of the mask to fit the shape of the helmet. As far as it tilting down on your face, that sounds like your helmet is actually too loose. I've never experienced that unless my helmet needed an adjustment.
Thanks for the comment and kudos and my apologies again for the very late reply.
Scott
|
May 19, 2005
9:59 am PDT
|
|
Hooked the FX-50 to my Jofa 690 (Reply to this comment)
by thekingsingh
Just to add to your great review (which was a major factor in my decision process), I purchased and installed the FX-50 to my Jofa 690 helmet with no trouble at all.
I do seem to have an issue with fogging at the bench, especially when I come off the ice for the first time. However, once I get out on the ice again, the fog clears (on the lens, anyway).
With the mask installed, the helmet does become heavier and less ventilated (I seem to sweat more now), but, after a game you don't notice it, and it's a small compromise to make for such great visibility - it really has improved my game.
Thanks as always for the great advice.
|
May 18, 2005
10:50 am PDT
|
|
Thank god for your reviews, puckmugger! (Reply to this comment)
by night-timer
Puckmugger, you have contributed hugely to my hockey equipment education!
I also own the Itech FX-50. I'm new to hockey (and to skating, for that matter) and I used a shield-less helmet, the Bauer 5000, for my first two or three practice games until my FX-50 arrived by mail order.
The visor arrived just in time, because I went face first in to the boards the first time I used it! Would've been nasty without it, me thinks!
I didn't feel a thing, although the plastic visor now has a two-inch scratch that I have never been able to wipe away.
All of my hockey gear, from the skates all the way up to the helmet, is basically new. It is slowly wearing in. The gloves were too stiff at first, and the helmet was too tight and gave me a headache for the first three or four times - even though it felt okay in the store.
It no longer gives me a headache, but one thing I noticed is that the helmet, when adjusted to my head size without a visor (ie, the first few uses) suddenly became too big once the FX-50 was fitted.
It seems the FX-50 pulls the helmet forward and downward. Your jaw wants to drop down all the time. It's then more of an effort keeping your eyes and face forward. The neck wants to bow all the time.
This seems to be a sizing issue or, more likey, a weight issue. The helmet when used alone is much lighter than it is when used in combination with the FX-50.
There are alaso a few other issues for me on the FX-50, although I am happy with it overall....
Firstly, the promised "ten second" swap over on visros always seems to take longer. Clicking the visor into place is never as simple as it should be, especially when I have cold hands that aren't feeling very nimble.
In fact, I have played once or twice with the face shield and no plastic visor because the other guys were already on the ice and I had to get out there myself. (At which point the FX-50 suspiciously resembles a baseball catcher's helmet!)
Furthermore, the J-clips on the side of the helmet (near the temple) are not wide enough to hold the helmet's metal in. The metal is too wide and sits outside the J-clips.
I tried some thick nylon spacers to push the J-clips further out from the helmet, but it didn't work and seemingly will not, no matter what you try. (Any tips, anyone?)
The visor has also been know to fog up, although it seems to be sweat droplets more than fog. If you've ever plated a Sunday morning practice game with a hangover and quickly found that you sweat more than usual on these gruelling occasions, you may get some sweat on the inside of your visor, too. Or perhaps it's just me.
Cleaning the visor can also be an issue as well, especially for someone who is fairly new to this sport.
It seems the anti-fog coating applied to visors only goes on the inside of the visor. Hence the inside feels different to the outside. You can easily run a soft cloth over the outisde of the visor to clean it up, but the inside doesn't glide so well. In fact, I wonder if wiping or cleaning the visors inside may actually deteriorate the anti-fog stuff?
The clip that holds the face mask onto the helmet masy also one day become loose and worn out from repeated pull-on/pull-off changes. I also do spped-skating lessons where we wear our helmet (but no face shield) and one those occasions I pull the face mask off. Other players can probably leave the shield permanently attached to the helmet.
I have been lucky enough to get top line equipment from the beginning of my game. Bauer 7000 skates, Bauer 5000 helmet, etc.
I also got Koho 4460 pads (shin, chest, elbow) which I am happy with even, though I notice that some masil order places won't stock it. (One said the price of the gear - $49 for 4460 shin pads - made them poor value.
At my own level of play they seem okay, but I'm still on a learning curve with all this stuff. I figure, buy good stuff, look after it and it'll last a long time. I'm almost 40, so I think it's safe to say I've stopped growing.
I look forward to leaving further comments on my findings with hockey gear. Puckmugger is the authority here, however!
|
Aug 8, 2004
5:45 pm PDT
|
|
|
|
