Olie 9900 Goalie Mask: A Bargain Brainbucket
Written: Aug 17 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Inexpensive, comfortable, moderately protective
Cons: Not for higher levels, original finish is garbage.
The Bottom Line: Buy this helmet if you play roller or are just starting out. By the time you face better shooters the helmet will need replacing anyway.
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| penguinman's Full Review: Olie 9900 Goalie Mask |
I was in the market for a good goaliemask for roller hockey and the occassional game of ice hockey when someone at the local store suggested I try Olie masks. I looked them up and found a ridiculous deal for a mask for $90 shipped with a dangler and padded bag. Immediately I was extremely concerned about the quality, but it turns out my fears were (somewhat) unfounded.
Mask Construction
The mask is made of a 5mm thick ABS/Nylon mix which is very similar to the material found in skate holders. It has a bit of give, which, counterintuitively, means it protects better than the same volume of rigid ABS plastic. The plastic requires energy to bend, which means less total energy is passed to the other parts of the helmet and head. This mechanism is different from the mechanism of fiberglass/kevlar/carbon fiber, which is rigid but able to transfer the impact around the entire helmet better than ABS. A standard ABS backplate complete with semi-stretchy nylon straps and clips attaches the helmet firmly to the user's head. The mask covers a pretty significant amount of throat, to the point where the dangler is hardly needed. The visual aperture is gaping, as large or larger than the competing ITECH 1201 and ITECH 2500 series. The cage itself is a chrome Cats-Eye, which prevents this instance mask from being HECC/CSA certified (but allows a huge unimpaired sight line). This isn't a problem in the leagues in which I play, but check with your league first to see if it is legal.
Comfort
The inside of the mask is lined with vinyl nitrite padding covered with extremely comfertable felt. It placed a bit of pressure on my squarish jaw before the padding broke in, but nothing unbearable. The helmet is quite comfy, with the only flaw being the glaring absence of a headband. After playing my first game in a sweatstorm, I now don a skullcap both for keeping dry and for looking stylish. Sweat problem solved.
Durability
The entire mask looks rather good, with a semigloss red finish and assorted Olie logos. The logos are poorly painted, but I sanded the whole thing and vinyl dyed it anyway so the durability of the finish is unknown to me. The cats-eye cage is pretty beefy and made of chrome plated stainless steel, so it should last me quite a bit.
Safety
Admittedly, I have yet to take an ice puck off the noggin in this bucket, but street balls are barely felt. The one street puck I took in the lower jaw sounded loud but the impact was very minor.
Overall
I personally am pretty convinced of the safety of the mask. I've seen a fellow player in an Itech 1200 (same construction and materials) take a slapshot blast off the forehead that cracked the helmet, but he was fine. In that vein, I would think that this helmet is perfect for beer leaguers and lower level rec goalies. Higher level goalies will probably want to move up to the Olie MA2000, a fiberglass/kevlar blend helmet that is a better and cheaper helmet than the best Itech can offer.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
penguinman
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Reviews written: 20
Trusted by: 0 members
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