Mission Motion 300 Trapper: Can Mission go 3 for 3 in goalie gear?
Written: Jun 02 '04 (Updated Dec 13 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Excellent quality of material and craftmanship, good size, shape and design
Cons: Doesn't come in hot pink (If that's a real con, you better switch sports)
The Bottom Line: You won't find a better trapper under $300. This one will cost half that.
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| puckmugger's Full Review: Mission Motion 300 Goalie Glove |
Nothing is quite as fun as snatching the puck from midair in a seemingly impossible move that leaves a player with his arms up and mouth agape as his premature celebration is cut short. One such glove save can spark a team to play harder. Two in a game might result in players breaking sticks and swearing loud enough to garner an unsportsmanlike conduct from overzealous referees. Three in a game and the other team will stop shooting, waiting for the perfect chance to pass that might never come. As a goalie it’s true: Glove makes the world go ‘round.
▪ Features in a good glove
Size matters. I admit it, my glove would get me penalties in leagues where they measure them. It’s about the size of a trashcan lid compared to most off the shelf models. I don’t play in any leagues where they have rules about goalie gear sizes so I take what advantages they give old men. Players shy away from my glove side seeing the gaping black hole that will absorb their shots. The Mission 300 probably doesn’t exceed any limits, but it is still a very nice sized glove. Big enough to get a few lucky ones for certain.
Weight You could have a glove the size of Jay Leno’s head (I’m pretty sure that’s bigger than a trash can lid) and it wouldn’t do you much good if you couldn’t move it to cover the net. Weight is one of the biggest factors differentiating good gloves from bad ones. To compound the issue of weight, it might get heavier throughout the game as it absorbs water from the goalie’s sweat as well as from the ice surface. Again the Mission Motion 300 performs admirably. It utilizes quality materials that are not only light, but will have minimal absorption qualities allowing it to remain light during play.
Break in of the glove is very important. Unlike a baseball glove, you should never use artificial means (like parking the car on it) to break in a goalie trapper. If you cannot close the glove on the puck, you might as well have a trapper on each hand. Within the last few years, gloves have been sold with a game ready break in off the shelf. The level of break in varies drastically and is often a good indication of quality. Cheap gloves have little or no flexibility. Mission is above average in this aspect with their 300 trapper. It is good to go, but it will get a bit better with use. The double T web ensures tight closing of the glove and easy, consistent hinging action.
Pocket Shape is one of the most variable things about goalie glove models. The sizing rules don’t stipulate anything about the shape of the glove, only about the perimeter measurement. Thus, some gloves are short on the fingers and have a very high vertical pocket, others have a bit longer reach with a shallow small pocket. The Mission 300 has a pretty well rounded shape. It is deep enough to funnel most shots into the pocket and high enough to make stick handling reasonably simple. Of the glove shapes on the market, this is the one that I find the most appealing. While somewhat smaller than my own, it is almost exactly the same shape.
Protection No one wants to get stung every time they catch a puck. It more or less offsets the reward for keeping people from scoring. Gloves that make you say owch will not get used for long or will become ineffective as the goalie, conditioned by repeated pain, will move his glove out of the way in a Pavlovian response. The Mission 300 claims pro level protection. A slight exaggeration? Perhaps. Still the gloves will prove more than enough to keep all but the best of recreational players from giving goalie’s stingers. Even in my $300+ custom trapper there are a couple guys who ding me once in a while.
Materials lead to performance comfort and durability. The synthetic materials that Mission utilizes in the Motion 300 are top-notch. The synthetic leather catching face will last for years. The inner lining of the glove is Clarino, simply the best and most comfortable material for hockey gloves in the known universe.
Appearance matters as well. Admit it, if the best glove in the world only came in hot pink, you would probably settle for the next best (I know that I would). Although I did substitute for a team called the One-eyed Ferocious Pigs who had pink jerseys. It was one of the only times that a team had a jersey for me as goalie to wear. I wasn’t very appreciative . . . back to the point though, the Motion 300 comes in several varieties of colors schemes, each of which is created through the use of the new technoweave materials. You won’t find a nicer looking trapper without custom graphics.
▪ What else?
The cheater bar is a nice addition that you don’t often find on low priced gear. This simply is a small piece that gives additional coverage between the wrist pad and thumb. As nice as it is to have shots stop in the glove, I much prefer them to do anything but stop in the back of my net. The cheater adds a little blocking space to ensure that less pucks go by.
Mission missed a small detail on their 300 blocker with the odd lack of an angled heel. Interestingly, they are one of the first brands that I’ve noticed to have an angled heel on the Catch glove’s wrist pad. This is a nice bonus that will help to protect the goalie’s wrist by deflecting pucks that roll up the blocker away from the arm and into the body. It might be good for the occasional bonus save as well.
▪ Final Thoughts
The Motion Line is advertised as inline hockey gear. Nonetheless it has been among the most popular line currently on the market for ice hockey players. This is for a good reason. The Motion 300 line is likely the best value on the market right now. While the blocker and the leg pads have some minor flaws, the catch glove is nearly perfect.
I highly recommend this glove to recreational players of all levels. The price is low enough that even those just taking up the sport will be able to afford it. It makes good sense to buy gear that you won’t need to replace as your ability level increases. The Mission 300 glove will last many years and progress through any level of recreational hockey.
A few of my other reviews that you might find helpful:
Fitting Goalie Gear
Mission Motion 300 Blocker
Mission Motion 300 Goal Pads
Itech 4.8 X Factor Trapper
Battram Custom Goalie Equipment
© 2005 Scott Noble – All rights reserved. Unauthorized use prohibited.
Thanks to openroad for adding this item so I could review it.
Recommended:
Yes
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puckmugger
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