hi amazing guys and gals
Simon from OBO New Zealand here. We are just staring work on a completely new model of the ROBO Hot Pants. We are very keen to get your input to help make this excellent product totally amazing .
To focus the mind can I suggest you make a list of the things you really like about the existing ROBO Hot Pants … and another list of the things you really don’t like or wish to see changed and improved.
We will keep you in the loop as we work on this project.
Thanks for your help. We really value your ideas, opinions and experiences.
Simon
Glad to help on improving this product, although I think it’s going to be a tough task.
Like
– Great padding front of legs and inner thighs
– Movability
– Easy to put on
Dislike
– Padding on the side/hip is a bit low. This can be an issue when logging, sliding and landing after a dive
– Overpriced!! I understand that you guys are a niche market company and do a lot of research which results in (some of) the best products for goalkeepers out there, but the price tag on the Robo and Cloud pants is rediculous.
Hope this helps. If you need/want more input please don’t hesitate to ask.
I also think the hip padding is not that good and schould be better formed for the slidings.
The pricing here in the netherlands is indeed totally ridicilous. The Robo hotpants are 130euro more expensive then the second most expensive pants…
The movability is great though
LIKE
-padding front of legs and inner thighs
– Movability
– Easy to put on
-Hip padding
DISLIKE
– the paddind on the top inside between the hip padding and the groin area could be more durable mine keeps bending
– Overpriced! cheapest here is around 255 euro!!
-the velcrow for the leg straps keeps slipping down and kind of in the inside of the shorts!
How about velco strips that anchor to outer slide shorts to help prevent the outer shorts riding up and damage occuring to padding during slides?
I would relay like to see a bigger rage of size.
Atm its for tall skinny people but for some of us big boned goalies its hard to find a good pair of shorts.
2nd is the £200-250 price range.
Younger less experienced goalies don’t have that kind of money.
(unless your rich)!
Also moving more towards the site i would like to see a 360 image instead of just the front.
I love mine as i no longer have thought’s inner thigh bruises any more!
a couple of improvements i would like!
larger Velcro sections so i can make the kit more of a snug fit( my thighs are big and my waist small!)
the hip cups have coursed me a few bruises when diving and move to much
stronger glue to keep the foam inserts in place when i wash my kit!
Yes they are too expensive but i’m over that it just means i where OBO till it brakes/become hi control!!!
viv x
Like all above me said the protection on the legs is excellent!
The hips region is the real problem I think – got some bad bruises falling badly (probably poor technique) going for the ball. It could be little bigger so to cover the higher side regions.
Also I would like to see little more protection on the front. I’m not using your groin guard and nearly all my front region is covered by this like half centimeter of foam. Never got hit there but I can imagine it’s not the best feeling. (talking for the front foam sections with those aquard formed pieces)
Also I got some nasty rotation on the leg panels. Inside out. I think it could be solved with a pair of velcro straps going from the central tail bone foam piece in the back between the legs and sticking somewhere near the current velcro patch in the leg foam section so to cancel some of this rotation. Which is not a big pain in the … but I could go without it…
For the price tag – If I could afford it 4-5 years ago it’s not very expensive… Just take care of them and you’re fine. I have no damage on my inner pants for this period…
For this rising overshorts post above – the old model (this with foam sliding patches) have elastic cord sewn into the lowest sewing. Tightening it will remove the rising overshorts problem.
Hi Simon,
As with most of the other guys it is hard to provide any major dislikes with this bit of OBO kit. Overall it is an excellent product and a big improvement on the previous, luminous coloured, hot pants. But as with anything there are always small areas that could be improved.
Main Issues
– Hot pants moving/ twisting around, and down, my leg during games therefore getting in the way of my leg guards at knees
– Hip protection (top padding panels of Hot Pants)
– Cleaning/ washing Hot Pant fabric requires removing all pads
Solutions
– A better/ tighter fitting mechanism than current velcro strap
– I used old pieces of padding from previous Hot Pants to solve this. Maybe OBO could provide additional pads for those who need/ want them with every pair of Hot Pants?
– not alot you can do about this but it does take ages to take them all out and put back in again!
A larger size for those of us not built like Olympic athletes would be nice.
hey simon
I think the shorts are currently really good but areas of improvement are!
In my mind the shorts loosen from the start of the training/ match and the end of the match… so the velcro needs to be stronger, maybe a strap device
I also think if you slide with good technique (old indoor style slide) with bum down, one leg dominating the slide with one hand down and the other up! there should be more protection on the bum!
and an extra small sizing, the thigh part rubs against the soft inner foam of the leg-gaurds
tommy
x
I’ve been using these pants for a while and generally I think they’re great (apart from the oft-mentioned price!).
The only things I can think of that might improve the product are:
improved coccyx protection (I find it rides up in the undershorts or skews to one side as it it not very firmly controlled in the stretchy material)
the effort required to wash them
the waist fixing could be a bit firmer
I also find that the overshorts are not very good for sliding indoors as they tend to grip/drag
Well, I seem to be the odd man out on this one as I really don’t like the Hot Pants at all. I tried both the M and the L and was right in the middle– I’m a short guy with really big quads. Settled on the M and discovered that the fit is just wrong. I find the slip and slide all around and I can never get them to settle properly. I’m a very active keeper and after a little while I have to pull them up or untwist the panels around my legs. I even tried sewing suspenders on to help– didn’t. I think the snug fit design is great but in the end, more sizing options would be good. Seems like everyone’s dislikes are just way worse for me.
What I do like about them is the coverage particularly along the inner thigh. I like how well they move with me when they are in the right places.
I was a real fan of the Smarty Pants and was really sad when mine finally decomposed. I’m wondering if you could incorporate some of the fit from them with the design elements of the Hot Pants.
Hiya,
Am currently thinking about changing to hot pants as my OBO smarty pants have begun falling apart (after 5 years of non stop abuse). I really liked them and would get another set had they not been discontinued.
How different are the hot pants to the smarty pants, and how much do the over shorts ride up? I play mostly on sand dressed pitches, and spend a lot of time sliding on the floor. Given how quickly the sand dressed pitches wear down my kickers, I think the hot pants could take a beating if the over shorts rode up much. Am going to try some on in the next few weeks though don’t think the shop will let me test them properly 😉
@Pasher: The Hotpants have very similar protection, but a very different fit. As has been mentioned they are made from Lycra and wrap around the legs with Velcro. This ensures a very snug fit, in contrast to the more baggy smarty pants. This fit is designed to keep the padding where it’s supposed to, although when it gets hot and sweaty they sometimes do twist or slide down, as has been mentioned.
The new overpants, like the old ones, have an elastic band on the bottom of the legs to help keep the shorts in place. But because the back of the hotpants is rather thin, it doesn’t hold all that well there and they can ride up on the back (though not a lot). The pants themselves are very sturdy and durable so you will probably be good for another 5 years at least. You will most likely need to replace the overpants somewhere before that though. (Tip: have a look at FHF for alternatives for the (overpriced) Robo overpants, although they are really good)
@Simon: Like others have mentioned, the padding in the groin area is somewhat of a miss. It keeps bending, breaking and the hard bits fall off.
And why upgrade the Robo pants, when the Cloud’s are the ones that really need it?
Hi, I really like the OBO hotpants, I’ve had mine for about 8 years now and they are still going strong.
My only issue is with the overpants – I’ve had to buy 2 pairs in that year, the second only 2 seasons ago, but they have already ripped in the middle and I’ve had to sew the sliding pad back on once already. The cost for the overpants is really high.
Perhaps with the new hotpants, you can include the overpants with them?
I also agree with other people about making it more wash-friendly…
Cheers
Nic
Hi, I live in England and I’m a positional goalie and I think you make really good stuff, but I wish you’d make some of your kit a bit bulkier, and it would be really good if you could make them with knee pads attached to the front like ice hockey pants.
I agreee with wihtr!! Dont like this sort of strippers/hotpant as i allways get the feeling they are slipping around and down, interfering with my legguards. Tested the cloud9 and the Robos and allways went back to my 20 year old cooperall icehockey-shorts. They are in the style like the old smarty pants. But missing there the protection of the inner thigh. So for playing indoors i skipped to an yahoo bored short even if this offers less protection by the foam.
In my opinion the hip protection of the hot pants is too thick and hard an coming down on them causes bruises and pain. I’ve been changing them to a thinner foam without in my opinion loosing protection. Also been removing the coxys-protection as i’m not falling on my back an never ever saw the use of this piece for an fieldhockey-keeper.
So my (personal) wish was a short (not a stripper) as i think for me they stay in place much better could say like the yahoo bored shorts with the front protecetion of the hot pants but the hip part of the yahoos
personaly i use the Grays gridel
they are just shorts and so i have no problems with the shorts sliding down, and the protection is very good there are a few spots that are alwasy left open though. but i agree that there should be some butt protection i have managed to injure my self a few times by doing indoor stly slidings out doors.
Have had 2 pairs over about the last 8 years, generally very happy, protection pretty good whilst still giving good movement, only issue with both pairs has been the stitching holding the pads in place in the shorts, and in fact a lot of the stitching in general, velcro has tended to want to come away at the edges. On both pairs after just one season they required some fairly major repairs. Good thing my younger sister is handy with a needle and thread! I appreciate lycra type material is tricky to work with but it does need to be more robust on an item that takes such a beating, and before you ask, yes i do wear overpants. Thanks, look forward to seeing/trying the new improved version. and just to add to what everyone else seems to have said….£££! competitors products seem to be about half the price. Cheers, FW, UK
Maybe something to make it smell less? The smell gets absorbed into the foam and can’t seem to get it out!
I love the pants, but I do have a few issues with them. Sometimes, the velcro would not hold when I move. That and I’m short (5’1) And the pads are too overwhelming for my size. Then again, I did get these as hand me downs from our varsity goalie, who is about 5’6. So the velcro is difficult, the pads can be too big to fit under my leggaurds comfortably, if possible I would like more sizes and it does smell alot 🙁 But other than that it’s a wonderful pant. 🙂
Thanks, Becca 🙂
Make sure the fit is right, for some reason à lot of manufacturers don’t do this. I rip à lot of protective shorts/girdles etc. While doing splits.
The hot pants overall very good ,high levels of protection but probes with the size m to small l too large maybe wider range of sizes like xs 30 waist. S 32. M 34 l 36 xl38 and xxl 40 that should more or less cover everyone.
but I would really like. Obo to re introduce the old style girdle hot pants ( the shocking orange, the pink and the shocking lime ones)best girdle goalie shorts ever guys
padding on the inside of the leg