ULTIMA (DRY) Comming Soon to Battram

[Scott Battram]

Our shipment arrived!!

Ultima, or UltimaDry as some call it will soon be put into the production of goal pads and possibly gloves at Battram!

Ultima is a fabric similar to Nash and Suregrip with the main difference being its breathability and more traditional look in the TAN colour, this fabric makes for a nice lining material.

Also, in the upcomming weeks we will be testing a retro material on a set of gear to see how well it works and how it is to work with. If it works well, this material will prove to be the most retro of all materials!

[Alec M]

Sounds like exciting news Scott, and just in time, my gear is getting.....uh......hmmmm.......worn out! Yeah, that's right, it's totally worn out and almost useless :p

[snaz1]

Keep us posted, I'm thinking about getting a some retro pads.Or mabe all white.



Mike

[Jim**]

Scott, your really up on the materials.. very cool.. I love the neoprine used in my combo.. the best material for a neckguard.!!

[rpringle]

Scott, I liked the look of the Ultima on the Nexus pads. Question that came to mind: what is the durability like? In what other kinds of applications (i.e., non-goalie gear) is it used, how long has it been around and what kind of durability does it show?

[Scott Battram]

Many skate liners are made from this material. Usually the skate liners will use a thinner material this is the 1000. The material is relatively new but has been around for a couple years now and has been known to me for a year, I just couldnt find a source because I was calling it by the incorrect name.

I dont think it is as nice as the Suregrip material we also have in terms of a tactile feel to the fabric, but the downfall of the suregrip is that its roughly twice the weight of ultima. Ultima comes out of the USA from Majalite, they may be a little tougher to deal with then Ennis but we shall see how it goes, of course if there ever was a problem with it, I will stop using it right away and go back to the Suregrip, however I dont suspect that to happen.

I noticed that RBK is using it in their blocker palms. I still prefer the BS-2100 in the blocker hand though as it sews really nice and has a heavy more rugged feel to it. We are also using Ultima in the catcher palms now as well. I really like the colour of the Majalite it has a nice traditional look to it. I can also get it in Blue and Grey but will be sticking to the tan for now.

[Law Goalie]

While we're on the subject of leather-like palm materials...

The one thing I've always been craving was a blocker with a goatskin palm and mesh finger gussets. The only one that ever retailed (IIRC) was the CCM Gatekeeper, though I believe Eagle did use them for a while too.

Do you have any idea whether you could get one of these palms?

[Sprawl]

the Sherwood blocker i have uses this. it feels quite nice and is easy to use.

however i find when it's wet, it gets kinda slippery.

[Scott Battram]

Since we now make our own palms, if you can find a source for the material, I can make it out of alligator skin if you like! haha

Might be the worlds first 200.00 blocker palm... but it could be done!

[Law Goalie]

Hahaha

Good to know about the palms, Scott. I'm going to get me some zebra-hide...

Out of curiosity, Sprawl, which model of Sherwood blocker do you have with the goatskin palm? If I spot one cheap on eBay, I might just pick it up and rip the palm off.

[Sprawl]

sherwood 9960's.

It's not bad, However the glove portion is fairly large. I find it way too big for my hand. And the blocker itself is MASSIVE

I maybe selling my 9960 set very soon. Catcher and Blocker as they're just not suitable for my game. hopefully i'll have enough money set aside for a set of Battram gloves soon

[KMcDermott]

FWIW, I have what I think to be the same or a similar material lining the channel of my Gatekeepers, and honestly, I'm not a big fan. I've gotten around my issues with this mod (http://www.goaliestore.com/board/equipment-forum/38672-how-mods-repairs-thread-22.html#post1003794), (hope it's OK to link to another BB) and have since stopped wearing hockey socks (another issue entirely with RBK knee pads), but just one person's opinion.

My previous pads were 585's that I loved having nothing in the channel but what I can only assume was clarino. The Simmons UL's before that I think had a cordura/nylon channel that was also very forgiving. The GK's were a bit "sticky" (?) but I got over it.

Again, just 1 opinion.

[Law Goalie]

I noticed a huge improvement in the feel and function of my Bauers when I cut all the Nash out of the leg channel and knee-lock. However, I still think that hydrophobic gripping materials can be used in 'control point' areas to great effect. I might not line the whole knee-lock with it, but I would definitely want Ultima on the inside (upward-facing) face of the knee-block, and I'd play around with adding some to the inside of the calf-wing as well, and maybe a couple more spots.


Then again, with a material like this, it's all about the feel of the pad and personal preference. Some guys (especially if they like Koho) hate the very idea of a leg channel; a Vaughn guy loves it.

[Scott Battram]

This is one of the reasons I only like to use Suregrip, Nash, Ultima etc... up the center channel only and was nylon on the knee and calf wings!