c0nquistad0rian
04-16-2010, 09:02 PM
This is a review of a Stacey Composites (http://www.staceycomposites.com/) Space Tech 900 Series Custom fitted mask. It is an out of the box/first use review. I plan on updating this thread at later points with further review after more extended use.
Background
To establish a little background on masks that I’ve previously used, in the six years or so my masks have included:
A widowmaker Olie MA9900 made of injection molded nylon with a vinyl nitrile (Rubatex) liner that had a thin sponge like foam covering the entirety of the interior in lieu of a sweatband
A second hand Custom Made Mask (http://www.goaliestore.com/board/equipment-forum/33074-show-off-mask-version-43.html#post742304) by Shawn Schroeder (kicksave on this board) that was one of his personal masks. It was an all fiberglass mask sandwiching a layer of Kevlar made with an epoxy resin. I de-foamed it and only ever used it with the Maltese Skull Protection Gel Kit.
And my most recent set up consisted of two Koho 570’s (http://www.goaliestore.com/board/equipment-forum/74910-koho-570-replacement-cages-cateyes-3.html#post1372655), which are fiberglass masks sandwiching a full layer of Kevlar and made with a polyester resin. I upgraded the hardware on the masks with all stainless steel Warwick Hardware, stainless steel Protechsport cages, and they shared my Maltese gel kit (http://www.goaliestore.com/board/equipment-forum/80582-official-maltese-hockey-thread.html#post1308716), depending on which mask I was using that particular day.
Choosing the mask
Like a lot of other people, I am used to seeing the familiar shape of the Bauer/Itech 960/961 masks that are so popular in the professional ranks. But the 960/961 masks available at the retail level are fiber glass masks sandwiching one full layer of Kevlar in a non epoxy resin - basically made of the same construction as my Koho 570 masks. And the 960/961 masks personally don’t fit me very well in my experiences with them. And after doing my homework (http://www.goaliestore.com/board/equipment-forum/83537-mask-knowledge-would-others-board-like-know-more.html), I decided that my next mask would be one from a smaller custom manufacturer rather than an off-the-shelf retail mask. More specifically, I wanted a manufacturer that produces custom fitted masks using epoxy resins which are stronger and longer lasting than any non-epoxy resins used on retail masks (This was something that I sacrificed moving from the Custom Made Mask to the 570’s. But, I did that to achieve a better fit using the Maltese gel kit to which I had become accustomed.)
Around Christmas time, I saw that I could get what I was looking for at an affordable price from Stacey Composites as Stacey started advertising his version of the 960/961 shell shape in the Space Tech 900 series mask, which uses one of three different shell sizes and foam build up to achieve a custom fitted mask made using aerospace Swiss epoxy resins and only $595 for a full (97%) aramid (Kevlar) mask (with even lower price points for different combinations of fiberglass and aramid layups).
Ordering process and waiting
The ordering process was easy. Stacey and I exchanged a few emails concerning the Space Tech 900 and other custom options before I submitted the filled out .pdf order form from his site along with the head shot pictures and measurements (width over ears, height from bottom of chin to top of head) needed as indicated in the order form. In my experience, he was good at answering his emails in a timely manner – using within 24 hours, especially considering the time zone difference from his location in the Netherlands to mine on the east coast of the United States. On my part, I slowed the communication/ordering process down considerably as I was traveling and seeing family for the better part of a month during the holiday season and not paying close attention to my emails during that time (But, I was surprised that amidst our communications to find a New Years Eve e-card from Stacey.)
I have always been very appreciative of the fact that bulletin boards like this one provide us average consumers direct contact with manufacturers, something seemingly very unique to any industry and a great aspect to these boards. And though he may be viewed as harsh to some, I have always found Stacey to be a really great resource. He has been a frequent poster here and taken the time to answer any of my email curiosity questions that I've sent him over the past couple of years regardless of the fact that I was not one of his customers at the time. Given this, when I submitted my order form, despite my excitement for a new mask, we had an agreement that he needn't prioritize my order during one of his busier times of year.
Over the following weeks, Stacey took care of a few administrative details, emailing me from time to time to confirm some custom options that I had requested on the order form, a dedication to detail that I certainly appreciated.
In the end, looking back at my emails and eliminating the slack time that I facilitated, the build time for the mask was about 4-6 weeks, which is roughly the same time frame that you would be waiting for any other custom mask manufacturer.
Shipping
The cost of shipping was included in the price and the shipping time was unbelievably fast considering the international order. Stacey sent an email with a .pdf copy of the post receipt, including a tracking number. The mask shipped via TNT post on Tuesday, April 6th. Through the online tracking, I saw that it made it to the US on Friday, April 9th, and released from customs that same day. To my surprise, it was delivered to my door via USPS on Monday, April 12th.
Fit
Right out of the box and onto my head, the fit of my new Space Tech 900 was unreal. It did in fact feel like it was fitted to my head and to use the popular analogy it just fit like a glove. One thing in particular about the fit that I talked to Stacey about was that I wanted the mask to fit so that when looking at my profile when wearing the mask, the front to back depth was such that there is no significant overlap of the mask and the back plate (nor is there a gap exposing the skull). I sent in an extra measurement of the depth of my head from my forehead to the back of my head for this request. And man did Stacey deliver:
[EDIT: I changed this profile picture for a better one. The previous one was taken by my roommate who is about 6" shorter than me and the picture was also slightly off angle so that you could see into the back of the mask, making the back plate integration look off. This picture is more of a true profile shot, which shows how the mask and back plate fit perfectly with one another on my head.]
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f218/c0nquistad0rian/Equipment%20pics/profile-wearing.jpg
My reason for this request was basically to fulfill an aesthetic ideal that I have in my mind whereby a gap between the back plate and mask which exposes the goalie’s skull is an indicator of an ill fitting mask and a “deep” mask, where the back plate is seemingly sunken into the mask is just “wasted” mask and a fit that could be achieved with any off the shelf mask. To me, no significant overlap of the mask and back plate is just an indicator of a good fitting mask for that goalie from a front to back perspective.
Another unique feature that I requested with this mask has to do with the strapping. Stacey offers “hidden” strap system in which five individual straps are sewn onto chafe tabs and loops that are screwed into the back plate. The lower two straps are attached to the mask via normal snap on plastic clips while with the upper three you have the option of having “floating” clips (which are just tri-glides with teeth) that anchor the straps through strap slots in the mask. I first became familiar with this type of set up when reading a review of a Chakal mask (http://www.goaliestore.com/board/equipment-reviews/82482-chakal-5-1-4-mask.html) (by Stacey).
Where my custom request came in regarding the strapping was that I wanted to reverse the upper three harness straps so they screw into the mask and the floating buckles are on the back plate.
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f218/c0nquistad0rian/Equipment%20pics/100_2646.jpg
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f218/c0nquistad0rian/Equipment%20pics/backplate-hiddenstraps.jpg
The reason for this request on my part was two fold. First, is that I think a buckle is much less likely to get hit and potentially break if it’s on the back plate rather than on the shell of the mask itself. And my second reason was an aesthetic one again: Having the screws on the mask rather than the buckles exposes more of the shell which gives you more of a paintable area on what is obviously where the main artwork will go. (And how many times have you seen part of a cool paintjob covered up by those buckles?) And the floating buckles on the back plate are on the upper perimeter with the vent holes in between. So, the main portion of the back plate is still open for artwork as well.
Double backing the straps through the floating clips and through the strap slots in the back plate puts the extra length of strap on the inside of the mask.
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f218/c0nquistad0rian/Equipment%20pics/interior-straps.jpg
I had originally intended on cutting of the extra length of each strap once I had worn the mask for a while and was comfortable with its fit. But wearing the mask, I haven’t noticed or felt the straps inside of the mask. And I noticed that these straps can easily be tightened by taking off the mask and giving each of the straps a tug.
Background
To establish a little background on masks that I’ve previously used, in the six years or so my masks have included:
A widowmaker Olie MA9900 made of injection molded nylon with a vinyl nitrile (Rubatex) liner that had a thin sponge like foam covering the entirety of the interior in lieu of a sweatband
A second hand Custom Made Mask (http://www.goaliestore.com/board/equipment-forum/33074-show-off-mask-version-43.html#post742304) by Shawn Schroeder (kicksave on this board) that was one of his personal masks. It was an all fiberglass mask sandwiching a layer of Kevlar made with an epoxy resin. I de-foamed it and only ever used it with the Maltese Skull Protection Gel Kit.
And my most recent set up consisted of two Koho 570’s (http://www.goaliestore.com/board/equipment-forum/74910-koho-570-replacement-cages-cateyes-3.html#post1372655), which are fiberglass masks sandwiching a full layer of Kevlar and made with a polyester resin. I upgraded the hardware on the masks with all stainless steel Warwick Hardware, stainless steel Protechsport cages, and they shared my Maltese gel kit (http://www.goaliestore.com/board/equipment-forum/80582-official-maltese-hockey-thread.html#post1308716), depending on which mask I was using that particular day.
Choosing the mask
Like a lot of other people, I am used to seeing the familiar shape of the Bauer/Itech 960/961 masks that are so popular in the professional ranks. But the 960/961 masks available at the retail level are fiber glass masks sandwiching one full layer of Kevlar in a non epoxy resin - basically made of the same construction as my Koho 570 masks. And the 960/961 masks personally don’t fit me very well in my experiences with them. And after doing my homework (http://www.goaliestore.com/board/equipment-forum/83537-mask-knowledge-would-others-board-like-know-more.html), I decided that my next mask would be one from a smaller custom manufacturer rather than an off-the-shelf retail mask. More specifically, I wanted a manufacturer that produces custom fitted masks using epoxy resins which are stronger and longer lasting than any non-epoxy resins used on retail masks (This was something that I sacrificed moving from the Custom Made Mask to the 570’s. But, I did that to achieve a better fit using the Maltese gel kit to which I had become accustomed.)
Around Christmas time, I saw that I could get what I was looking for at an affordable price from Stacey Composites as Stacey started advertising his version of the 960/961 shell shape in the Space Tech 900 series mask, which uses one of three different shell sizes and foam build up to achieve a custom fitted mask made using aerospace Swiss epoxy resins and only $595 for a full (97%) aramid (Kevlar) mask (with even lower price points for different combinations of fiberglass and aramid layups).
Ordering process and waiting
The ordering process was easy. Stacey and I exchanged a few emails concerning the Space Tech 900 and other custom options before I submitted the filled out .pdf order form from his site along with the head shot pictures and measurements (width over ears, height from bottom of chin to top of head) needed as indicated in the order form. In my experience, he was good at answering his emails in a timely manner – using within 24 hours, especially considering the time zone difference from his location in the Netherlands to mine on the east coast of the United States. On my part, I slowed the communication/ordering process down considerably as I was traveling and seeing family for the better part of a month during the holiday season and not paying close attention to my emails during that time (But, I was surprised that amidst our communications to find a New Years Eve e-card from Stacey.)
I have always been very appreciative of the fact that bulletin boards like this one provide us average consumers direct contact with manufacturers, something seemingly very unique to any industry and a great aspect to these boards. And though he may be viewed as harsh to some, I have always found Stacey to be a really great resource. He has been a frequent poster here and taken the time to answer any of my email curiosity questions that I've sent him over the past couple of years regardless of the fact that I was not one of his customers at the time. Given this, when I submitted my order form, despite my excitement for a new mask, we had an agreement that he needn't prioritize my order during one of his busier times of year.
Over the following weeks, Stacey took care of a few administrative details, emailing me from time to time to confirm some custom options that I had requested on the order form, a dedication to detail that I certainly appreciated.
In the end, looking back at my emails and eliminating the slack time that I facilitated, the build time for the mask was about 4-6 weeks, which is roughly the same time frame that you would be waiting for any other custom mask manufacturer.
Shipping
The cost of shipping was included in the price and the shipping time was unbelievably fast considering the international order. Stacey sent an email with a .pdf copy of the post receipt, including a tracking number. The mask shipped via TNT post on Tuesday, April 6th. Through the online tracking, I saw that it made it to the US on Friday, April 9th, and released from customs that same day. To my surprise, it was delivered to my door via USPS on Monday, April 12th.
Fit
Right out of the box and onto my head, the fit of my new Space Tech 900 was unreal. It did in fact feel like it was fitted to my head and to use the popular analogy it just fit like a glove. One thing in particular about the fit that I talked to Stacey about was that I wanted the mask to fit so that when looking at my profile when wearing the mask, the front to back depth was such that there is no significant overlap of the mask and the back plate (nor is there a gap exposing the skull). I sent in an extra measurement of the depth of my head from my forehead to the back of my head for this request. And man did Stacey deliver:
[EDIT: I changed this profile picture for a better one. The previous one was taken by my roommate who is about 6" shorter than me and the picture was also slightly off angle so that you could see into the back of the mask, making the back plate integration look off. This picture is more of a true profile shot, which shows how the mask and back plate fit perfectly with one another on my head.]
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f218/c0nquistad0rian/Equipment%20pics/profile-wearing.jpg
My reason for this request was basically to fulfill an aesthetic ideal that I have in my mind whereby a gap between the back plate and mask which exposes the goalie’s skull is an indicator of an ill fitting mask and a “deep” mask, where the back plate is seemingly sunken into the mask is just “wasted” mask and a fit that could be achieved with any off the shelf mask. To me, no significant overlap of the mask and back plate is just an indicator of a good fitting mask for that goalie from a front to back perspective.
Another unique feature that I requested with this mask has to do with the strapping. Stacey offers “hidden” strap system in which five individual straps are sewn onto chafe tabs and loops that are screwed into the back plate. The lower two straps are attached to the mask via normal snap on plastic clips while with the upper three you have the option of having “floating” clips (which are just tri-glides with teeth) that anchor the straps through strap slots in the mask. I first became familiar with this type of set up when reading a review of a Chakal mask (http://www.goaliestore.com/board/equipment-reviews/82482-chakal-5-1-4-mask.html) (by Stacey).
Where my custom request came in regarding the strapping was that I wanted to reverse the upper three harness straps so they screw into the mask and the floating buckles are on the back plate.
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f218/c0nquistad0rian/Equipment%20pics/100_2646.jpg
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f218/c0nquistad0rian/Equipment%20pics/backplate-hiddenstraps.jpg
The reason for this request on my part was two fold. First, is that I think a buckle is much less likely to get hit and potentially break if it’s on the back plate rather than on the shell of the mask itself. And my second reason was an aesthetic one again: Having the screws on the mask rather than the buckles exposes more of the shell which gives you more of a paintable area on what is obviously where the main artwork will go. (And how many times have you seen part of a cool paintjob covered up by those buckles?) And the floating buckles on the back plate are on the upper perimeter with the vent holes in between. So, the main portion of the back plate is still open for artwork as well.
Double backing the straps through the floating clips and through the strap slots in the back plate puts the extra length of strap on the inside of the mask.
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f218/c0nquistad0rian/Equipment%20pics/interior-straps.jpg
I had originally intended on cutting of the extra length of each strap once I had worn the mask for a while and was comfortable with its fit. But wearing the mask, I haven’t noticed or felt the straps inside of the mask. And I noticed that these straps can easily be tightened by taking off the mask and giving each of the straps a tug.