Tour stuff is cheap, but is it a good buy?
Written: Jun 19 '04 (Updated Jun 19 '04)
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Pros: Cheap, does it's job well, surprisingly comfortable
Cons: Protection isn't that great once you get by the blocker.
The Bottom Line: If you play roller or street hockey, snatch this up. Otherwise, keep looking.
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| penguinman's Full Review: Tour GTL Mens Goalie Blocker G303A |
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.
For a blocker, I decided that anything would be better than the 25 year old waffle I used for street hockey for years. I also didn't want to spend a lot of money on the whole deal, so I went to the local store to try on blockers. After looking at the $100 price tags on the ice goalie blockers, and the flimsy padding on the $40 street hockey blockers, I decided to try the internet to find an intermediate. The Tour blocker fit this need perfectly.
The blocker surface is the way i like it, with a nice angle at the end (Mission and another manufacturer have been making concave blockers but I don't care for the shape). It has plenty of padding, and it seems padded enough to stop a puck without leaving a stinger, although I admit I haven't tested it.
Since this will be used for roller, my requirements for protection are significantly less than an ice goalie. the finger pad flaps are plenty protective for a ball, but an ice puck is going to leave a bruise at the knuckle if you are unfortunate enough to let one slide underneath the blocker. Same with the padding on the thumb. Curiously, the inside wrist padding has the plastic inner that actually protects, which annoys me a bit: for another dollar or so that plastic could have been in the finder and thumb pads. Then again, this is a cheap glove, so I should not be complaining.
The glove itself is made of leather, which is double layered in the palm. The fit of the glove is actually pretty decent, bordering on good. The wrist wrap holds the blocker in place very well, and the fingers are only a bit big for my hand. However, I suspect that this glove is going to get drenched with sweat and stay that way due to the leather and lack of proper ventilation. Having used it once so far, the moisture wasn't too bad but I could see it being a problem on those 90 degree, 3 hour game days we sometimes have.
All in all, this blocker is the perfect cheap blocker for roller hockey, but I would not recommend it for use on the ice.
Addendum: I went out and played for a hour today and the glove actually vented quite well. My whole body was soaked but the glove stayed pretty dry.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
penguinman
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Reviews written: 20
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