Product Reviews – Page 4

Review: Robo Bodi Arma

This is my review of the Robo Body Armour which i have found to be among the best in the world.

Earlier this season I took ownership of my first set of obo body armour. I have to be honest it was the best money I’ve ever spent. Made from 38 individual pieces of foam (many of which are dual density) this piece of kit is in my opinion among the best in the world. It’s as light as a feather, offers protection similar to that of a nuclear bunker and is as thin as the plot in a Stephen Segal movie.

i own the old model.

I own the old model. i believe the new model is largely the same.

(OBO comment; Largely the same but some key improvements – larger protection area for the sternum, refined shoulder protection and new fabric.)

Up until this I had either used some school supplied chest pad and separate arm pads or some low-to-mid range body armour, most of which were pretty poor. I settled on a set of Slazenger Phantom Body Armour which in its defence (even if I will be banned forever for saying this) has served me fantastically for the past three years. However, next season I’ll be moving up a division with my club as well as taking the first team place for my school (here’s hoping anyway) so the Slazenger gear really won’t cut the mustard. Don’t get me wrong, the protection is top notch but it’s bulky…. Really bulky!!! I was also considering “Going Dutch” but since the Slazenger gear came with stitched-on arms it was impossible.

So the Slazenger gear had to go. But what to replace it with? Well I toyed with some lower brand gear but I couldn’t find anything to fit as well as the Slazenger stuff (last time mention it I promise). This meant that any time I dived the pads would shift and I’d be left as lame as a duck. Not the metaphorical lame duck either, but a real duck that was actually lame. Maybe from standing on a nail or something.

So I decided to go for a top of the range Robo Body Armour (http://www.obo.co.nz/#Products/ROBO/Body%20Armour) and I’ve never looked back. Straight out of the box I was immediately impressed by the quality. It glistened like nose hair after a sneeze. The mesh felt strong and durable and each contour in the dual density foam felt deliberate and perfectly formed. It fit beautifully too, not like the other brands with a million different straps to secure each pad. In fact there are only 5 straps in total yet they can be adjusted to give a perfect fit. The fact that most of these straps are elastic also has a dramatic effect on the flexibility.

If anybody is considering loosing the weight of the arm pads I wholeheartedly recommend the Robo chest guard. Not only are you loosing the weight of the arm pads but the chest pad its self weighs less than any other I have found. The dual density is tough as nails offering protection in all the right places like the vital organs. With or without the removable inner soft pad it offers protection which is more than adequate all the way up to (and including) international level. The slim fit also allows you to move and react naturally without having to compensate for the pads.

It lasts forever too. Despite the wear and tear of playing on a sand based pitch the signs of this on the chest pad are minimal. Just some minor fraying edges on some of the mesh which I’ve repaired using material from an old smock (actually that’s a tip worth remembering). Such little wear after spending nearly a whole year sliding around on a sand filled pitch leads me to believe that if proper care is taken these pads could last forever.

I have been told that I play with a slightly unusual style just doing whatever feels natural to get the ball away quickly. Since I’ve been using the Robo chest pad I’ve had the option of controlling the ball on my chest at my disposal. Several times this season I’ve been in the situation where the ball has been flicked across the D and my only options were to take it on my chest or deflect it straight into the path of an oncoming forward. In the past I would have just gone with the latter and hope for the best but with this new gear I can take the ball on my chest and have it drop perfectly to clear with my kicker. Without compromising protection the thin design lets you feel the ball on your chest meaning you don’t end up with that numb feeling that comes with the spongier gear. And it no longer hurts the way your tongue hurts when you accidentally staple it to the wall. While this has only happened a hand full of times this year that’s still five or six scoring opportunities that they’ve prevented this season.

Now I know that style isn’t meant to be important to a goalie but let’s face it, all keepers like to look unique. With most of the bulkier chest guards I used to find myself limited to the single tone smocks that most manufacturers offer. While I know that OBO offer a fairly decent selection of colours but if I’m just buying the best one I can find then surely hundreds of other keepers will do the same. With the slim line nature of the ROBO chest guard, however, I have found that I can wear almost any regular t-shirt I can find over my pads. This truly offers a unique selection of styles to choose from.

When it comes to chest pads there’s a huge variety to choose from. I believe that I have sampled a decent cross section of these (including being sponsored by gryphon for a time but that never felt right for me) and can proudly say that I would recommend the Robo Body Armour or Chest Guard to any keeper who wants to perform at their personal best.

The design is simple, like my brother Phill but unlike Phill this design works. It is usable by all and from what I have heard from my fellow keepers there have been no complaints.

If you have any questions feel free to leave comments and I’ll get back to next time I’m online.

Cheers,

Cormac

ROBO Hi Rebound Kicker Review

robo kickers

My favourite piece of kit is the ROBO Hi Rebound Kicker because i have lost count of the times i have misplaced my foot and because of there size the ball deflects off the end hits the post and goes wide:) with my old cloud kickers the ball would just bounce over it. Also the ROBO kickers provide more protection as a keeper the last thing you want to be worrying about is weather or not your kit will protect you against that huge centre forward…ROBO Kickers Rule.

Review of CLOUD Hotpants

When looking for a decent pair of goalkeeping shorts the options are limited. Luckily OBO has a couple and I decided to try out the Cloud ones.

From the box (or bag, which they come in) they looked pretty good. Not bulky, padding in the parts that matter the most and they are very light. The Velcro wrap around design and the belt make for good adjustability and ensure a perfect fit. Also the way you wrap the legs of the pants around your legs make for a good fit as soon as you have done up the Velcro. Unlike some other brands where they close the other way around and you need to fiddle to get them in the right place.

A small area of concern was the mesh cloth on the inside of the pants. As I know that this can easily tear I was wondering whether if it would stand up to “normal abuse”. (I will come back to this point later on) Also the padding on the front seemed a bit on the thin side, but I would just have to see how it would face up to shots. (Again, will get back to that)

After I put them on for the first time, they immediately felt good. Hardly any restriction of movement (if any) and the open crotch design makes for a good interaction with the abdo-guard and enough ventilation. It felt very natural and needed no breaking-in time.

During the first training session I intentionally used the pants to take a few shots, where I would normally use my gloves, just to see how they held up. I don’t play at top level (that’s why I gave the Cloud a chance instead of the much more expensive Robo) but still, there a few hard-hitters in my team (senior men’s league). When the first hard hit headed for the pants I braced for impact and I’m glad I did, because although the real sting was taken out of the shot I really felt it. (“So that’s why they’re much cheaper than the Robo…”)

As said before, I intentionally let the some shots hit the pants just to try them out, which is not what you would normally do. In a normal game situation you will just get hit by the occasional deflection or short distance flick or low power hit and in those situations the Cloud stands up to the job really well. And in ladies games (no offence intended) they will probably be good enough for nearly all shots.

There isn’t a lot of padding on the side/hip area, just one pad on the hip bone, so when diving the landing can be quite hard. Also during sliding this can be somewhat of a miss. The pads did stay in the right place during the sliding and diving, so that’s a good thing.

Some years have past since I bought the Cloud hotpants and they look like a patchwork due to all the repairs that I had to make.

After about half a year the seams around the hip pad pockets started coming loose and the mesh cloth on the inside of the pants started to tear in places. The stitching was fixed easily enough and the mesh can be replaced without too much trouble. (If you save the bag the pants came in, you can use this as a replacement for the mesh.)

After about a year the corners of the leg padding pockets started to show holes on the outside due to the edge of the padding rubbing against it. Also the outside of the pants around the slide area was showing some wear even though I wear the Robo overpants over them. I do tend to slide a lot, probably more than average, so that’s probably why.

Luckily all the padding comes out really easy and the design of the pants is very simple. This means repairs can be made without a lot of hassle and if you do this in time you can extend the lifetime of the pants significantly.

Would I buy them again? To be honest: No. There are a lot of positive things: the weight, fit, movability and that they are easy to repair. But for me the negative points weigh much heavier. They wear quite fast and the padding is mediocre. But above that: for the price of the Cloud you can nowadays buy shorts that are a lot better. When I bought the pants there weren’t that many “clones” around, so I had less options to choose from. Now that almost all other brands have “stolen” the hotpant design there is choice is much more extensive.

In all fairness, my Cloud hotpants are about 3-4 years old and I don’t know if any improvements have been made to the design since then. If there are then the Cloud might give better competition to the other hotpants than the one I have.

Hi-Rebound Kickers Review: Why They Don’t Stink

So I’ve had these high rebound kickers for just over a year now, and I have to say, they are probably the best piece of equipment I’ve invested in. They’re light, and best of all they look slick.

High Rebound... again...

I play quite a mixed game, running around the place a lot, staying on my feet, unless faced with a situation where I need to slide/dive. The high rebound kickers suit everything perfectly. I’d like to think I play at a relatively high level, although there’s higher, I’m happy to announce that I’ve had no major injuries at the time of talking. Sure I’ve had the odd knock, and the rare shot that’s hard enough will hurt you even through the kickers, but the average shot is barely even felt when kicking/blocking the ball.

The size and shape of it is another point that’s worthy of note. Other kickers I have tried, your shoe barely fits in with a normal hockey shoe. So you need to go for one of the football astroturf shoes, which well, offer less protection than the hockey shoes do, due to the materials used and that the soles are about 2mm thick. The shape of these fits any sort of shoe, forgetting the shoes you wear for keeping is no longer a problem, as any old pair of runners you own will do the case with these kickers. The integrated locking system is perfect too, only on the most desperate of dives and attempts have I ever experienced any sort of a problem with twisting of the legguard, and even then the twisting is minimal, and you’re still highly protected. Considering my legguards are rubbish and had to be brought into the shop to get most of it replaced, I had a TK leggaurd for the most part of a week, and even with them, they work perfectly, even if the people here may think of the TK gear as “unclean”

They come in flat pack, which obviously isn’t great. It means you need to wear then in and all, but I’ve found the advice given with the kickers, about the hair dryer to mould them to help a lot. I was originally scared when buying them, that they’d take too long to mould, and I had trials for a representative squad coming up. But I found that after about a week of wearing them in at training, I was already able to wear them perfectly, and they’d nearly taken shape, and I had no problems with the tongue. Although a small word of advice, should you have a problem with the tongue, don’t be afraid to wear a pair of shin guards underneath the kickers till they reach comfort levels. Just don’t do it too long, as the most important person on the pitch you don’t want to be looking like a sissy do you?

The rebound levels are perfect! I bought the kickers not really knowing what to expect in that regard. I stepped out onto the pitch, and immediately loved them due to the rebound off them. I don’t know how many times I’ve been able to get the ball up to my strikers, and set up a scoring opportunity, which as a keeper is always an added bonus. You don’t need to put particular attention into clearances any more either, on the quicker shots you simply need to react, and watch the ball fly! The rebound can have a drawback though, It the ball comes up off the kicker, its really comes up. A slightly raised ball coming off the kicker will go playing across the D, and has often resulted in a short corner. Not that great in that respect.

I know at this stage I’m waffling on a bit about how great these things are, and to be honest with you, I am dragging on about their greatness. But its alright, because they deserve it, or at least they deserve a longer review then one on yourself. The straps, so that I can make it a slight bit longer, are brilliant. They’re not those weird plastic things, with the whole, like a belt, that other company’s use, and that take about 8 minutes of your very valuable time to put on. Nor is the buckle to small, so it holds tight, which is great, it means its secure, and whatnot. Trust me, its a good thing. The kicker straps are good too. Durable, and they’re inside, making the kicking surface on the outside of the kicker bigger, which again, is good.

Although there’s a huge amount of pluses with the high rebound kickers, there some minor drawbacks that annoy me:

The front Strap: The front strap for the kickers needs to be brought back a good 1 to 1.5 centimetres. When sliding I often encounter the problem that I end up with that strap between the padding and my shoe, leaving the kicker pointing up towards the sky, and my toe vulnerable to anything the striker decides to throw at it. There’s that extra strap to hold them together, but it gets in the way a bit, and sort of annoys me. Bring it back as I said, and it should be all good.

Wearing: Although the hard wearing layer at the bottom of the kicker is brilliant, there’s some big problems with the wearing that the kicker encounters. After about 8 months the hard layer wears away at the bottom, probably even quicker if playing on older sand based or grit pitches. Ever since then the kicker has been disintegrating at a rapid rate, and although its going to last at least another season, I’d like to see the kicker last a little bit longer, as they can be a bit of a drain on the back pocket of a teenager. I’m not really sure if there’s anyway to fix this, apart from make the durable layer thicker or something

We need green! Although the orange that I have is bright and sexy, I don’t really think there’s enough of a colour option in the kicker department. We have black, blue and orange, and it just isn’t enough. I like being individual, and as everybody knows, if you look good you feel good, and you’ll play good. I want something mental to head out in, like green kickers, and white and orange legguards, You know, go for that Irish look, and if its dazzling, the opposition will have something pretty to look at as they fail to get the ball past me.

Very minor niggles there, especially the last one, which is why I’m gonna conclude in saying that anybody that doesn’t buy these things the next time they’re out to buy a set of kickers, is a fool, and deserves to rot in the world of mediocre kickers, lower leagues, and sore feet. Straight out (well not quite) 9/10 for me. They do everything they have to and more, they just need the odd adjustment and whatnot. But I apart from my 3 little points, I’m not sure where the improve the little beauties. Buy them, buy them now! And no, they do not stink! I would also like to apologize for my horrible spelling.

OGO Legguard’s Review

I have decided to write a review about my new OGO legguards (which I’m borrowing from my club), as I think many people underestimate the great aspects of ‘high control’ shaped OGO.

OGO medium legguards

OGO Medium Legguards

When I was given the leg guards I was aware that OGO was the bottom of the OBO range, so I wasn’t too excited about getting them. I expected that they wouldn’t be strong enough, or I would hurt myself, or maybe they would be awkward and uncomfortable. After just one training session I realised that I was completely wrong, and that there are in fact many great advantages with my new leg guards.

I prefer to wear less gear than most other keepers (no arm guards, neck guard, etc.), because I rely on more of an attacking sort of play, kind of like a third defender. This requires me to run around and switch directions with ease, and to achieve this I need light, comfortable leg guards which will stay facing forward and slide beautifully. I find all of these things with my new OGO’s.

While I’m on the subject of sliding, I’ll mention a reason for a lot of my past leg injuries. These injuries have always occurred during an attempt at a second save, when my pads have been swivelled around due to lying down on short corners or sliding at players. I will go for a save with my shin and then realise (usually when it’s too late) that there isn’t actually anything in between the ball and my leg. Luckily for me, this is a thing of the past with OBO’s nifty locking system (see my diagram), which has completely stopped my leg guards from twisting!

obo locking system

OBO Locking System

After getting used to my old legguards, every time I pick up my OGO’s I’m still surprised by how light they are. I’m padding up, padding down, running, stretching, victory dancing, sliding and diving faster than ever before and it has changed my game substantially …for the better of course! Unlike other brands that I have tried, the fact that they are super lightweight does not AT ALL mean they have poor protection – which of course is an extremely relevant aspect, no matter how old you are.

Yes, my OGO’s might not have the same amount of rebound as the famous ‘ROBO Hi Rebound’, but nevertheless I have still been amazed by their remarkable bounciness (apparently it’s a word). I have found the rebound of my OGO’s a very helpful aspect of goalkeeping, as it means I can make a quick, safe clearance out of the D without having to take a massive kick.

Another thing – these leg guards look so cool! You can tell me not to judge a book by its cover as much as you like but, in my opinion, appearance is a surprisingly large part of goalkeeping; looking good is feeling good, and feeling good means a whole lot of confidence. And everybody knows how important confidence is!

I’ve thought and thought, and to be completely honest I cannot think of any problem with the leg guards. I’m playing under-fifteens at the moment, and when I move up to under-eighteens I will probably invest in some more expensive leg guards and kickers (I’m thinking hi control) because my OGO’s are not specifically designed for this age group. That isn’t a fault though, that’s a given.

To conclude, the OGO leg guards have been designed beautifully and offer all of the amazing aspects that people around the world have grown to expect from OBO. I am 100% satisfied with them and can’t wait to play with OBO leg guards of a higher range.

Please feel free to leave me a feedback comment and questions.

Cheers,

Ozzie.

PS: You know how keepers like to whack their stick against their legguards? My OGO’s are so loud! A few days ago I hit my pads with my stick, and one of my defenders jumped about a foot in the air.

Review of Robo Hi Control RHP

During the November sale last year, I bought my own first pair of hand protectors: The Robo Hi Controls. The first time I tried them out, the difference was incredible…

robo-hi-control-rhp

The Gist

The Robo Hi Control Right Hand Protector is an amazing piece of gear. The technology incorporated is as complicated as a rocket and clearly built for both performance and comfort. The outside of the RHP is as solid as a rock. The “clunk” sound it makes when it’s being hit is very distinguishable. The high-density foam used makes it superior to other hand protectors, in my opinion. The one thing I believe is amazing, is the fact the they used a different foam and probably moulded the little lines along the bottom for when you are going into a log, slide, or dive. When I am going into a slide, I don’t notice anything when my fist hits the ground. The transition from landing on the flat side of the HP to the roll onto my side is impeccably fluid.

Injury 🙁

Previously, a problem I had had with my first RHP, is that whenever I slid, logged or dove and the ball hit my RHP, my hand – especially my thumb – would get quite rattled and a small bruise would even appear on my thumb after the game. I have never had this problem since November. I discovered this is because of the high-density foam on the outside but also a smoother, more comfortable foam on the inside and comforters that line the hand grips. The comforters provide a far more useful utility other than simply, well, comforting the hand. They absorb the water and sweat around the hand that allow me to keep a solid grip on my stick.

What’s the Diff?

Before I got my Robo RHP, the only thing between me and that solid ball was a single layer of mediocre and worn-out foam. My new RHP is made of at least three different foams. It’s hard and durable on the outside and like a feather blanket on the inside 🙂

The finger straps on my previous HP kept coming undone during my game – REALLY dangerous and annoying. This has happened a few times on my new one but every HP I have used this happened. I think it’s a never-ending problem really because my thumb always seems to be moving! The comforters are the ultimate difference I think. My hand has never felt so good being hit at 50 km/h 🙂

I seriously recommend this RHP for players who are “nuts” – a.k.a., diving all over the place like crazy. I have not tried the Hi Rebound model but from what my fellow keepers tell me, their wrist seem to always wobble when they are going into log, dive of slide. I have never had this problem with the Hi Control version.

See for your self:

Cheers,

KanuckKeeper

Read more on the ROBO Hi Control RHP at the OBO website

Custom Bike Trailor For OBO Gear

Check out this cool custom bike trailer!

The tailor is owned by Emma Griffin (age 11) and was made by her farther to enable her to transport her gear to and from training and games- great work Dad!

Emma plays her hockey in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. You may have guessed this from the classic Dutch cow print style markings.

This photo was sent in from Jan Lelieveldt who also goes by the nickname of “Ome Gerard”. Thanks!

If you liked this article you may also want to check out cool custom gear articles

If you have a cool article you want to share with the world you can add a new post,or drop us an e-mail on resources@obo.co.nz

OBO Hi-Control Legguard’s Review

hi-control-legguards

When I purchased my Hi-Control legguards (in my first ever Obo spending spree), I wasn’t sure what to expect- apart from I had heard great things about them from other keepers. I find the hi-controls easy to run in and move about in but overall I was impressed by them because rebound is very good and the ball ends up being in a perfect place away from the attackers.

In the women’s league that I play in the shots are very powerful so the rebound comes into use/effect. I am only 14 so I have to play junior hockey as well for my school, where the shots have almost no power in them, the ball just falls to the ground (off the legguard) where I can kick it away. At first I wasn’t sure about how to effectively control the ball away but over the last few months I have learn’t to control the ball away from the attacker(s). The legguards fit onto my legs and over my Hi-Rebound kickers perfectly and they don’t twist when I dive or get up from a dive. When I am landing from a dive they protect my knees and other bones well (especially compared to other brands gear. A year ago I dislocated my knee from a high, dive landing in my old kit!!)

To improve the legguards I would make them in a numerous amount of colours and I would make the part where you put your leg, about 5cm shorter because sometimes it (depending on what shorts you wear) is a tight fit to have the legguards and the shorts in the right pace because they overlap. I can’t really think of anything else to improve them because overall they fulfill my needs. I haven’t tried the Hi-rebound legguards but at the moment so I can not compare but compared to my previous legguards that I have used (such as: TK GX4, Slazenger school goalie kit, and the Grays G200) they are absolutely brilliant.

Alton Womens Goalie

OBO PE Helmet Review

I have chosen to write a review on my PE helmet.

To start off, before purchasing this helmet I used to play in a very mediocre lid, Not going to name names : )

I purchased this helmet at the start of this season and from the moment I took it out of the box I loved it. When I first picked it up I was surprised at the weight of it! sooo light compared to my other lid.

First things first, once opening the box I couldn’t wait to try it on, From box to head was almost a perfect fit without adjusting a thing! I tinkered with the straps a little to get it to the right tightness which took no time at all! This was the first time I’d had a helmet fit perfectly directly from the box without a lot of tinkerage.

Next thing to do was add the stickers, I may be 18 but stickers are always fun to play with whatever your age. OBO provide just the right amount of stickers for the lid and even give you a little template to follow if you don’t have an idea on where to stick them. I spent a while customizing until I was happy with the look, here are a few pictures of it : )

photo0384w

Once all the tightening and stickering was done I tried the helmet on with my body armour, My previous helmet used to catch on my body armour when lowering my head a little… Not a problem at all with this helmet.. I was soo chuffed as it was soo damn annoying with the previous helmet!

Next thing to note is the vision! Referring to my old helmet first, the vision was unbelievably poor, the bars of the grill were in the totally wrong place and I had to wear the helmet in the un-correct way to be able to get a good line of sight! The new helmet tho.. what an improvement! No wearing the helmet in a way it isn’t supposed to be worn, no adjusting of the grill.. just a perfect line of vision.. the first time for a few seasons.

Next The comfort of the helmet. The thickness of the foam could be improved (made a little thicker) But apart from that it was the most comfortable helmet I’d tried on. The velcro tabs that hold the sweat band on are a good idea but after a few uses (and a lot of sweat) the velcro lost its stickiness and fell off. Not really an issue to me as I was considering changing it from two squares of velcro to one long strip anyway. Previous helmets have given me really bad headaches as they were too tight in certain places, such as the temple. This is not an issue with the PE helmet, its really comfortable.

Protection.

I have taken many hits to this helmet, a few to the temple and a few to the front of the grill and not felt a thing.. the only thing I would say is be prepared for the ringing in your ears when you get hit as it makes a really loud noise, I think this is due to the materials used. In the previous helmet I was scared to chase down shots where I knew an undercut could be possible as the helmet didn’t fit properly, when I ran out because of the way I had to wear it, it used to slide down and my vision was severely impaired, I used to close my eyes and turn my head when a ball was coming towards me at head height as I was afraid I would get injured. Since I bought this helmet, the eye closing and head turning problem has ceased and I now try an actively charge down shots without worry.

On the protection issue, 6 games before the end of the season at a training session a ball was undercut from 6-8 foot away from me and hit me square on the left side of my face ( where the grill attaches to the helmet ) I did fall to the ground as the shot took me by surprise and I did feel the shot thru the helmet. Saying this if I hadn’t of been wearing the helmet I would have a very mashed face, the helmet did a brilliant job of protecting me and where the ball made contact with my cheek/grill it left a nasty dent but I am going to say that’s what the helmet is designed to do? it kind of reminded me of crumple zones in a car.

All in all OBO have done a great job in designing this helmet and I would totally recommend it to any player (whatever your level) and personally would buy another one tommorow!

Review Your Kit Competition

Guys and Gals,

its time for the Keepers Resources 2.0 site to host its first competition.

The Review Your Kit competition!

We want you to create a new post / article reviewing 1 item of kit for the world to see.

So tell us straight what you think – tell us what you love about your piece of kit (and also any improvements you would like to see us make – we listen!)

You can enter as many reviews as you want on as many pieces of kit as you like – but each article must only review 1 product. Be creative on how you tell us – you can write text, add pictures and embed youtube videos.

Deadline is 5pm Friday 5th June 2009.

So what’s the prize for the winners?

The top 5 reviews will have a choice between a set of our new ROBO Elbow Guards or CLOUD Knees up knee protectors delivered to your doorstep!

Elbow Guard

Knees Up Knee Protector

How to add your review

Make sure you have registered with the site or logged in.

Next go to your dashboard to add a new post. Quick link to it here: add a new post.

You may want to check out this demo on “How to add a new post/ article”

If you have any questions please e-mail resources@obo.co.nz