Mylec Senior Pro Blocker – Mylec perfects the art of exaggeration
Written: May 05 '05 (Updated Dec 13 '05)
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Pros: Good for ball hockey, very low price
Cons: Not at all a pro level item
The Bottom Line: If you are looking for budget ice hockey gear, skip the Mylec. Anything heavier than an inline ball has the potential to cause wearers serious injury
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| puckmugger's Full Review: Mylec Hockey Senior Pro Blocker 530A |
Mylec
Soon I will be done picking on Mylec and move on. However, I already reviewed their so-called Pro catch glove. I figured not reviewing the blocker would be too much like doing half the job.
Let’s get one thing straight right off the bat. Mylec does not make Pro level gear of any sort. They make toys. I will grant them this - they make great toys. However labeling a toy with the name, “Pro” only serves to confuse issues. Perhaps if their packaging read, This is a toy it would be a little easier to swallow. However, with the exception of their helmets, it does not.
Go on
Hey, I’m on a roll so I will go on. Let’s start with blockers in general. Basically any old blocker will do to stop the puck from hurting you if you play perfectly. By this I mean as long as the puck hits the front of the blocker when you are making a save. Hey, if you’re that good then you are beyond a pro. You would be a super-human, king of all goalies.
You see, the puck isn’t all that predictable when someone else is trying to shoot it past you. Sometime goalies are falling or flailing about while to try to get in the way. Pucks don’t always hit the front of the blocker. That’s where the main failing in the Mylec Pro will be found.
The thumb on the Mylec Pro is lightly reinforced. This is an improvement over some toy models which essentially are a glove sewn on the back of a blocker pad. This one does actually have some semblance of protection with finger end protectors and the protected thumb. However in comparing it to a real ice hockey glove it is obviously lacking.
Real gloves have more than just a reinforced thumb. They include a large pad that covered the entire finger and thumb area on the inside of the hand. Finger protection is generally more substantial on an ice glove as well.
The simple truth is that a puck riding up the goal stick and hitting you in the hand while you were wearing this would hurt. It would hurt a lot. There simply isn’t enough padding or protection in the Mylec to take a puck.
Let me put this into perspective. I use a pro level blocker that would retail for at least 4 times the $40 MSRP on the Mylec. I once took a shot that rode up my stick and struck my finger so hard that it split open . . . to the bone. Needless to say it hurt. I had to stop playing and put a band-aid on it so I didn’t get blood all over my blocker.
Had I been wearing Mylec blocker I would have had to stop playing so that I could go to the ER and have my finger surgically repaired. I am certain that it would have caused a compound dislocation or horrible fracture. That was one of my favorite fingers (top ten for certain) so I am pleased that I wasn’t wearing the Mylec for that event.
Construction and Materials
The Mylec Pro Blocker has a rather inexpensive looking low-quality synthetic cover. This material encompassed most of the construction of this product. While most true pro level blockers are made from synthetic leather, it is a much thicker and more durable material than what Mylec offers in this one.
The glove is actually nice cowhide leather in some versions of this model. I’m not certain if it is the older or newer ones. The gloves in the other version are a rather crappy synthetic of some sort. If you are set on one of these and have a choice, definitely pick up the one with the tan glove, that’s the real leather version. Many top-notch blockers still use cowhide even though materials like Clarino and Nash are more durable and comfortable.
Once the glove wears out in the Mylec it’s time to buy a new one. Repalming a goalie blocker costs about twice as much as this product does new. The one downfall of the leather glove on these would be comfort. If you were playing outdoors all the time in hot weather, the leather version would get a little sticky. The synthetic version of the glove does have vented gussets and would be a little breezier.
Appearance
Mylec has made this glove for almost as long as I can remember. It hasn’t had a face lift for that long either. The glove is pretty bland as far as styling goes. It looks like a cheap glove. (That might have something to do with the fact that it is a cheap glove).
The only graphics on the glove are a blatant advertisement for Mylec. It might as well just say glove on it. The text is sublimated directly to the vinyl.
One thing that is correct is the size of the blocker. It is a full 15 by 9 size. This is the same size as a typical pro level blocker. I did see a pro return blocker that was 18 by 5 once. I’m not sure what the goalie was thinking when he ordered it. I do understand why he didn’t like it though. It looked stupid.
Parting thoughts
As I said, Mylec makes pretty good toys. If you are purchasing one of these with that in mind, it won’t disappoint. However the by labeling it a pro item, I feel that there is a great chance for confusion. It simply isn’t good enough to use at any level of competition on the ice.
For ball hockey or hollow pucks the Mylec Pro is a workable product. I think it would be just about perfect for a father who wanted to play a little street hockey with his kids. If you are looking to get on the ice and save a little money, you will be better off getting a used item. I would also suggest looking into Mission’s Motion Lite or Itech’s 4.8 blockers if you don’t mind spending a little more to get something passable for ice hockey.
A few of my other reviews that you might find helpful:
Fitting Goalie Gear
Itech 4.8 X Factor Blocker
Mission Motion 300 Trapper (note this is a step up from the Motion Lite)
Battram Custom Goalie Equipment
© 2005 Scott Noble – All rights reserved. Unauthorized use prohibited.
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