March 2012

New robo chest and short sleeve tight fit shirt reviews

NEW ROBO BODY ARMOUR
The Protection of the new body armour is better then the older OBO armour, especially around the abdominal and clavicle area. The shoulder pads are shaped to the fit the shoulder and are far more comfortable and best of all easier to move in. I am of tall stature and feel that the ability to securely tie the armour closer to my body enables me to be more confident in making saves. Overall much better than the older armour in terms of protection and aesthetics.
Fred Whitfield L’boro Students GK
OBO GK

The new body armour offers great flexibility and increased protection to the stomach and chest areas. It has a great fit to the body when the straps are fitted tight and sits in the body better than previous body armour. Shoulder and collar bone protection is excellent and a big improvement from previous versions. Having tried which arm protectors fit best with it, I preferred to stay with the the Robo full arm protectors ( though the OBO elbow guards will also work fine.
Ali McGregor
OBO GK

Now I’m no Pamela Anderson when it comes to cup size, but if I did have ‘plastic fantastics’ to look after I would be confident that this piece of kit would look after my investments nicely. I have been using my new chest protection since August 2011 and have a zero bruise count during that time. The armour wraps around the torso giving excellent protection for the ribs. The wrap around means I can safely dive or drop for smothering saves without exposing myself. And let’s face it, no one wants to expose themselves mid game. The collar is more substantial than previous models without being obtrusive, offering improved protection of the clavicle bone. The shoulder cup seems to sit in the right place and stay there while I move around, unlike some where they seem to be after thought pads stuck on top and making some goalkeepers look like Ming the Merciless. Looks are important, let’s face it, 99.9% of hockey spectators will look at two goalkeepers and assume the one with the best looking kit is probably the better keeper. What makes good looking kit? For me it’s the gear that makes me look and feel more athletic. The first time I wore my new OBO chest protection I turned to the nearest person and asked “Do I look slim in this?” I was joking of course. Mostly. The strapping to secure the chest piece is fairly heavy duty elastic which means it will sit flat across your back and not bunch into a thin uncomfortable ridge. It’s adjustable of course and if correctly set up, will hold the chest pad down and prevent ride-up.
The only concern for me was the length of the front section. I hear this has been addressed in the latest batch to hit the market. So overall this protector gets a thumbs up from me.
Bianca Russell
Goalkeeper
New Zealand Black Sticks

NEW OBO GK TOP
At last a GK Top that actually fits me correctly and is light weight. For too long GK tops have been like wearing a flag made of mesh with no real shape to them.
The new top feels very supportive and i really like the tight fit. The elasticitiy in the top allows for full freedom of movement. Even when wet the top is still very light.
Great work OBO on another fantastic piece of GK kit.
Harry Gibson

Can I paint my poly p helmet?

qna
Question:
I would like to know if I could paint my OBO Poly P helmet, and if so, what kind of paint is the most recommended?

Answer:
As the Poly P helmet is plastic, it’s a little bit easier to paint than some of the fiberglass masks. Most of the Poly helmets already have the color blended in the plastic so it’s simply a matter of painting over them and how detailed a paint job you’re looking to do. The preparation you do will determine the longevity and durability of your paint job. Basically you’re looking for paint that is labeled For Plastics (as opposed to metals) and you can find a wide range of colors in spray cans at most hardware stores. Make sure the helmet is clean, wash it with a mild detergent, rinse it well and let it dry. If you’re looking to go big, and paint the whole helmet I’d recommend putting a primer base down, especially if you’re putting a lighter color on a dark colored helmet. If you’re only painting sections of the helmet and leaving parts of the base color then you skip the primer. Make sure you let the primer and paint dry between coats. Paint has to cure and it won’t bond to a surface if you’re just piling coat upon coat of uncured paint. Clear coat is also a good idea as a top layer to add durability to the finish. A couple of warnings, obviously hockey masks are collision type items and plastic is a somewhat flexible material, paint will chip with contact. Be patient. The amount of time you spend in preparation and execution go along way towards determining the quality of your finished product. Depending on what you’re looking for as a paint scheme, plastic decals can offer a durable solution. There are graphic companies that make them for ice hockey goalie helmets and you can read about them if you Google “Goalie Helmet Decals.”

good luck,

Jon

Helmet Cage Colour??

Recently we were asked…

Hey Guy’s,

I need to order a new cage for my OBO Helmet. I once remember someone telling me that silver was the best colour to get for some reason, but not sure why. OBO has 4 colours for sale Black, White, Silver and Yellow.

Anyone got any advice on what would be the best colour to order?

Cheers

It’s an age old question but one worth mentioning again. So we had a chat about this in the community and here were some of the responses…

Pick a retro as colour just to distract your opponent.
In all fairness I’d take the silver a sand it back then paint it rainbow colours just to really distract the enemy.
Black as it is more subtle and does not obscure vision
Black, to reduce glare and be less intrusive to my vision.
Black, no reflections.
Black Helmet- Black Grill and so on. Spending all our hard earned cash on goalkeeping products it has to look aesthetically pleasing.
Silver or like a copper but that’s for indoor because the lighting sucks.
I’d love a chrome/silver grill, look modern and very swarve!
I currently have a silver one and the glare isn’t noticeable and doesn’t get in the way of vision. so probably silver or black depending on colour of my helmet at the time.
I have a silver one and would have it again, I feel it mirrors the surroundings so its not like wearing one at all.
Yellow cos there’s no point in hiding from the ball!
Yellow, because I don’t feel I get enough attention whilst wearing bright blue pads…

Re-Strapping the OBO Robo LH glove

If you have NEVER had your Robo left hand glove blasted off when saving a rocket then you can stop reading this article now. If this has happened to you and you would like to know how to adjust the glove without any cutting, glueing or taping then read on. It will also take you less than a minute to make the change.

Below are some pics of how the OBO Robo left hand glove arrives out of the bag.

Now lets get onto the hack. Simply undo the elastic strap and pull it back through the two slits in the foam padding. Now thread each side through the slits again from the bottom so they meet in the middle. You may need to turn the buckle on the side to slide it through. It is tight, but it will slide through. Now just slip the elastic strap through the buckle and adjust for comfort.

You should now find that when you slide the glove over your left hand that the elastic will need to stretch a little to get your hand in. This is perfect as it will stop your hand slipping out easily.

The pics below should give you a good guide. If you love the change keep it and leave a comment. If you hate it you can simply change it back.

PUSH column: cold ‘keeping

Hello all. I’m writing my latest goalie column for PUSH magazine here in the UK, and I’m canvassing opinion on something that’s been pretty central to my game in the last few weeks: the weather.

I’m wondering how you guys deal with extreme weather. How do you keep warm and focussed when the opposition’s not giving you much to do and you’re losing feeling in youir toes and earlobes? Stretch? Dance? Sing?…

And when it’s hot, are you prepared to maybe ditch your arm-guards in the interests of comfort?

In either situation, what sort of breathables/thermals do you favour? Do you think existing kit is up to the job of keeping you comfortable in flag-cracking heat and bum-numbing cold?

Would love to hear your views on this, either in the comments below, by emailing me at richardsmyth100@hotmail.com or by tweeting me at @rsmythfreelance. Cheers!