Tour stuff is cheap, but is it a good buy?
Written: Jun 19 '04
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Pros: Cheap, protective for roller hockey, butterfly is possible but not out of the box.
Cons: durability can't be that great, don't even think about ice hockey.
The Bottom Line: If you play street or roller hockey, this is pretty much the best option.
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| penguinman's Full Review: Tour GTL Goalie Leg Pads |
As a guy who plays a lot of hockey, I know firsthand how annoying it is to play posts or shoot for tops of nets because there is no goalie. At school, having no goalie at the two weekend roller hockey pickup games had become the norm, and I was really getting tired of it. With that in mind, I decided to take the plunge and buy some goalie gear.
The first thing I decided to do was figure out my sizing. I'm 6'1, and I found that 34" pads were the minimum size that was the right length for my lower leg. 35" and 36" pads also fit me fine, but because I was trying to buy a pad that was inexpensive, I decided to go with the 34" pads.
After looking on Ebay for used pads, I decided to just buy a new pair of these pads. At $90 shipped, one might say the price is scandalously low for a good pair of goalie pads. Well, it is, but for a reason that I think some people have missed: this is a roller and street hockey pad through and through. Tour, seeing sales in a category I think they never dreamed they would sell in, hasn't been completely truthful in their advertising, and as such, this pad gets included in the "Ice hockey" goalie categories on websites and stores. I would not use this pad at the ice rink.
The pads sport 4 leather straps and two straps of the snap variety. They all seem to work pretty well, although the leather straps seem to stretch a lot, making me wonder how long they will hold up. There is a kind of halfhearted attempt at a knee cradle and a thigh protector, but at this price range, you cant really expect those things. To the cradle's credit, it does keep my knee locked, provided I'm playing standup. The thigh board is attached with velcro and does stop some stingers. That said, butterfly is not treated well with either. There also is side and back of the leg padding to protect butterfly goalies. The entire back of the leg is made of ballistic nylon.
The blocking surface is a synthetic leather which actually looks pretty good. The graphics are printed, so I'll expect to lose them in a short while, but these pads certainly look the part. The padding is perfect for absorbing blows and balls, although I think the padding at points is too thin to be able to take slapshots well.
In terms of flex, the knee padding flexes very well after a couple of uses, but since I am more of a butterfly goalie, I don't really need the knee flex. What I discovered after a while is that even without a knee cradle, one can actually fashion a similar thing that both protects the knee and also makes the pad pop up about 100% of the time like a good fly pad should. By rotating the thigh board 90 degrees inward, you essentially extend the cradle to the side of the knee where it needs to be. Now, when I drop, the combination of thigh board and cradle both keep my knees suspended and pop the pads right up. Not bad for a cheap pad.
I must say I like these pads as an introductory sort of thing. If I found myself playing more and more often, I might have to spring for a set of real ice pads (my school sells off the old varsity equipment for absurd prices like $75 for a pair of Vaughns). That said, on a price/performance ratio, these things are hard to beat.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
penguinman
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Reviews written: 20
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