Dr Dave
11-17-2008, 11:33 PM
I have been using my new Battram set for a while now, so time for a review. I have used Battram gear for a several years now and have been consistently satisfied with the design, quality and service. I have used Deceptors in the past, but my new pads are Furies. Gloves and blocker are Nexus and upper body 5000 Pro Finish.
I have become accustomed to excellent service with Scott and Tischa and that has not changed. I discussed the new models with Scott and the mods that I wanted before placing the final order. My order was placed just before training camp opened and took a week or two longer than usual before I received the gear. It still took less time for me to get custom gear with mods from Battram than ordering stock Vaughn or Bauer gear from my local dealer. The appearance of the gear and quality of workmanship are outstanding. I liked the design of my previous set and stuck with the same pattern and colors for the new gear.
I use a high thigh rise that I angle in sharply to help close the gaping 5 hole caused by my lack of hip internal rotation. Over the years I have gradually increased the height of my thigh rise to close the large gap that opens up in my butterfly. With each set of pads I have gone higher. My new 11 ½ inch rise on the Furies has finally allowed me to get some closure. Getting the pads to maintain the bend that I wanted was easy. The strapping system has adjustable positions for the thigh straps. I find that I get the best rotation when I set them at the lowest position. This is the first set of pads I have used with a sliding toe bridge. I can’t say that I see a big difference with the sliding bridge compared to a loose tie into a fixed bridge. The pads are nice and light and rebound control is good. Love the pads.
The blocker is a very comfortable. Protection is excellent. It is easy to get a good grip on the stick. No complaints here. Both the blocker and the trapper open up nicely for drying.
I did not realize that the Nexus glove does not have a standard cheater bar so I sent it back to Scott to have it added. The Nexus trapper is more protective than the 5002. Keeping my hands safe is important. One of the things that I always liked about Battram gear was the great protection. This is definitely the most protective trapper I have ever used. I was accustomed to Battram gloves breaking in very quickly, but this one was different. The Nexus has more padding in the palm, particularly at the break. As a result it is stiffer. It did not close easily the first few times on the ice, but nothing popped out of the pocket. I have been using the glove for over two months now and it still does not close completely without significant effort. The gap is not that wide, but it takes some getting used to. When I first started using it I was a bit nervous, but the puck has not come out of the pocket and I feel comfortable with the glove now. I think watching Lundqvist make glove saves with a trapper that never seems to close helped me with the psychological adjustment. If it was negatively affecting my game I would switch back to the 5002. After using it for a couple of months there is only a small gap when I close the glove. I find that the glove is just as effective as the 5002 with more protection for my hand, so I am sticking with the Nexus.
Upper body was a little stiff the first couple of times on the ice, but very comfortable after that. The first few times using it I had a tough time getting my arms up to put my mask on, but as usual break in was very fast. Great protection with no limitation of movement. Pucks hit it and die. I took a real blast on the lateral side of the clavicle last weekend - hard enough that both defensemen came back and asked if I was okay. It did hurt a bit, but only for about 20 – 30 seconds and not enough to affect my game. I don’t think there is any upper body protection that is going to do better than that with a shot to the collar bone. Other than that one shot I have not been hit by anything that hurt. The only problem I had with the CA was that the quick release buckles kept slipping off the straps. Problem solved with a little tape on the strap to prevent it from sliding through the buckles.
I remain an extremely satisfied Battram customer. Dealing with Scott is great and the quality that he delivers can’t be beat. I really can’t think of any reason that I would use anything else.
I have become accustomed to excellent service with Scott and Tischa and that has not changed. I discussed the new models with Scott and the mods that I wanted before placing the final order. My order was placed just before training camp opened and took a week or two longer than usual before I received the gear. It still took less time for me to get custom gear with mods from Battram than ordering stock Vaughn or Bauer gear from my local dealer. The appearance of the gear and quality of workmanship are outstanding. I liked the design of my previous set and stuck with the same pattern and colors for the new gear.
I use a high thigh rise that I angle in sharply to help close the gaping 5 hole caused by my lack of hip internal rotation. Over the years I have gradually increased the height of my thigh rise to close the large gap that opens up in my butterfly. With each set of pads I have gone higher. My new 11 ½ inch rise on the Furies has finally allowed me to get some closure. Getting the pads to maintain the bend that I wanted was easy. The strapping system has adjustable positions for the thigh straps. I find that I get the best rotation when I set them at the lowest position. This is the first set of pads I have used with a sliding toe bridge. I can’t say that I see a big difference with the sliding bridge compared to a loose tie into a fixed bridge. The pads are nice and light and rebound control is good. Love the pads.
The blocker is a very comfortable. Protection is excellent. It is easy to get a good grip on the stick. No complaints here. Both the blocker and the trapper open up nicely for drying.
I did not realize that the Nexus glove does not have a standard cheater bar so I sent it back to Scott to have it added. The Nexus trapper is more protective than the 5002. Keeping my hands safe is important. One of the things that I always liked about Battram gear was the great protection. This is definitely the most protective trapper I have ever used. I was accustomed to Battram gloves breaking in very quickly, but this one was different. The Nexus has more padding in the palm, particularly at the break. As a result it is stiffer. It did not close easily the first few times on the ice, but nothing popped out of the pocket. I have been using the glove for over two months now and it still does not close completely without significant effort. The gap is not that wide, but it takes some getting used to. When I first started using it I was a bit nervous, but the puck has not come out of the pocket and I feel comfortable with the glove now. I think watching Lundqvist make glove saves with a trapper that never seems to close helped me with the psychological adjustment. If it was negatively affecting my game I would switch back to the 5002. After using it for a couple of months there is only a small gap when I close the glove. I find that the glove is just as effective as the 5002 with more protection for my hand, so I am sticking with the Nexus.
Upper body was a little stiff the first couple of times on the ice, but very comfortable after that. The first few times using it I had a tough time getting my arms up to put my mask on, but as usual break in was very fast. Great protection with no limitation of movement. Pucks hit it and die. I took a real blast on the lateral side of the clavicle last weekend - hard enough that both defensemen came back and asked if I was okay. It did hurt a bit, but only for about 20 – 30 seconds and not enough to affect my game. I don’t think there is any upper body protection that is going to do better than that with a shot to the collar bone. Other than that one shot I have not been hit by anything that hurt. The only problem I had with the CA was that the quick release buckles kept slipping off the straps. Problem solved with a little tape on the strap to prevent it from sliding through the buckles.
I remain an extremely satisfied Battram customer. Dealing with Scott is great and the quality that he delivers can’t be beat. I really can’t think of any reason that I would use anything else.