I have tried a cage and i hated it. I have since gone with nothing and love it for the airflow and no obstruction in my vision. I have thought about getting just a shield but wanted to get some feedback from people who have worn one before and how it feels.
Sheild vs No Shield
Started by HateFilledHeart, Dec 27 2014 04:33 PM
28 replies to this topic
#2
Posted 27 December 2014 - 06:21 PM
Shield over no shield just from a safety perspective. I won't play without a cage just because I have to pay to replace my teeth if anything happens. I play in a D mens league so sticks tend to fly a little more frequently. I have watched better level hockey and the players seem so much more disciplined. The puck gets shot that much harder too though. Obviously you have the best vision without anything you just have to weigh out the benefits with the possibilities.Just my .02
#3
Posted 27 December 2014 - 07:09 PM
just curious but what cage(s) have you tried? imo, they're NOT all created equally. for me my eyes and teeth are too valuable to go without full protection but I've never played with anything else.
where do you play in Alabama? I have several friends in the Hunstville adut league.
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#4
Posted 27 December 2014 - 07:21 PM
Just a bauer full cage. And i play in Pelham in the Adult B league
#5
Posted 27 December 2014 - 07:31 PM
The Bauer 7500 flattens the vertical bars up around the eyes and is like a pewter color. Only cage I can stand but is better than the alternative in my opinion.
#6
Posted 27 December 2014 - 07:49 PM
Just go concept II, full protection, nothing in your way
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#7
Posted 27 December 2014 - 09:11 PM
I like the Bauer Re-Akt cage myself. don't even notice it's there.
always looking for non Reebok L & XL shells......
#8
Posted 27 December 2014 - 09:28 PM
i go bauer visor but i would never go without anything. i'm not that brave. I will have to say that i'm a big advocate of the visor. the first day i wore it i was playing pick up with friends and someone rifled a low pass and i was looking down hoping to intercept it. it went off my skate and straight up into my face and the visor stopped it. Another time i was skating infront of the net and someone went to deflect the puck off a shot and it caught me in the visor. I vowed to never ever skate without one. it's saved me a couple other instances as well.
but i guess it's the luck of the draw, my one other buddy doesnt wear anything except for a mouthguard and he's played tons of league and he's never had an incident yet.
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#9
Posted 28 December 2014 - 06:30 PM
I like the Bauer Re-Akt cage myself. don't even notice it's there.
+1. Its great and very light.
Depends what level your competition is though. In C league or below, people dont control their sticks and I personally wont play without a cage. In B or above people are very aware of their sticks and I think you are much less likely to catch one in the face.
I play with some people (as I am sure most people do) that don't even wear visors. I think they are crazy. I have a good job with good insurance, but I cant take that chance. Even a visor is iffy for me sometimes, dental work is not cheap.
#10
Posted 28 December 2014 - 06:55 PM
anyone playing rec hockey not wearing a full cage / bowl is asking for it.
they don't call it an accident for no reason, and it's not necessarily the plugs in E division who are careless with their sticks. i nearly lost my front teeth at a pick up skate with all guys who play/played hockey. as much as you can control your stick, you cannot control bounces and deflections.
i ref as well and would wear a full cage doing that if i could.
get used to the cage, or wear a fishbowl.
even risky for professional players. you can replace all the teeth you want, but what good are your millions when you lose an eye? shouldn't even be a question for rec hockey.
**please delete bottom post**
#12
Posted 30 December 2014 - 03:45 PM
Honestly half shield is the way to go. Once you remove the cage/shield/visor it's really hard to go back to to anything. I'm a diesel mechanic and I could probably work with only one eye but I'd rather have both. Teeth I could really care less about, I have pretty good dental plan through my job and women in Philly aren't that picky about their men lol.
#13
Posted 30 December 2014 - 10:14 PM
+1 for the Bauer Re-Akt cage. I nearly broke my nose from a hit while wearing a half shield, tried various bowls and cages after that incident, but the Re-Akt is the closest to wearing nothing that I've found.
#14
Posted 04 January 2015 - 08:58 AM
Shield over nothing, full cage or bowl over shield. Like others have said you don't know if you're playing with guys who dont know how to control their sticks. I was wearing a shield until my friend got clipped and it costed him 4 teeth and 5k in dental work.
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#15
Posted 04 January 2015 - 03:33 PM
Like others have said you don't know if you're playing with guys who dont know how to control their sticks.
its not always a stick. they don't call it an accident for no reason.
#16
Posted 04 January 2015 - 09:18 PM
No shield for me but I will wear one when I play in tournaments.
always looking for Sabres gear
#17
Posted 05 January 2015 - 12:02 PM
Gotta admit my shield saved me the hassle from going to the ER for some stitches in my game last night. Caught a deflection and the puck came right up my stick, just barely caught my visor. The puck still managed to split me open at the bridge of my nose. With out it would of been way worse.
#18
Posted 05 January 2015 - 12:30 PM
Just a bauer full cage. And i play in Pelham in the Adult B league
ive played in that BASH (Birmingham area selct hockey) league before - i bet out there youd be safe with a visor
once you take that cage off you can never go back in my experience
#19
MapleSyrup
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Posted 05 January 2015 - 02:58 PM
I, myself, used to just wear a visor. Then in one week I saw one of my teammates take a full on clapper to the jaw (tipped off a stick), tons of stitches, wired the jaw shut for a long while and he is still waiting for it to heal enough for reconstructive. One game after that I still did not put a cage back on and got two sticks to the mouth and a puck, from then on the cage has been on. I figure, that way theres never any damage to the face, and thats a good thing.
So for cage choices I had always used the 7500, and it was fine. But I recently bought one of the new model white bauer cages and they are great. The chin cup sits very comfortably and is made out of a great material, feels nice. The white cage actually makes me not notice it that much more and with that comes a confident play style. I probably will not go back to anything else to be honest. As I am now remembering the model of the cage, its a white Bauer Profile II.
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#20
Posted 06 January 2015 - 04:08 PM
Gotta admit my shield saved me the hassle from going to the ER for some stitches in my game last night. Caught a deflection and the puck came right up my stick, just barely caught my visor. The puck still managed to split me open at the bridge of my nose. With out it would of been way worse.
and that still doesn't make you put on the cage? lol damn
few weeks ago my teammate got a full out clapper to the face. the puck dented his cage...
