I was recently at a large college showcase and they had a Schutt booth. They had the latest and greatest gear out including catcher's gear. I got to look at, and DD got to try on/out their new line, the S3.5 series which will be coming out in Octoberish or so. I have to say, I was very impressed.
Leg guards...they have gotten rid of the excess plastic on the shin portion so that the padding can now form-fit better to the calves of the catchers. This will allow the padding to fit more catchers of various sizes. By the same token, they haven't given up structural strength since they still have the main support up the middle/center of the leg guard along the shin bone to maintain it. It is also of the 3 piece design which gives exceptional protection above the knee. On top of that, they have added extra patellar padding which can be moved up or down according to the needs of the "tweeners." In other words, they are only going to offer them in 1" increments but the patellar padding can be adjusted to fit them whether they are still growing or not. I feel that this a much needed improvement by any manufacturer since it will allow those with catchers that are still growing to buy a larger size and let them "grow into" them. It'll save money in the long run.
The chest protectors offer a new level of comfort. They have incorporated the old Airmax ventilation into their new line of chest protectors. This allows the catchers to stay cool. As well, they have incorporated an interesting "look" to them.
As for the helmets, they have utilized their football helmet impact data into the padding of their catcher's helmets. The padding is the typical gel/foam padding but they have distributed the impact via a series of cones or teats for lack of better words to distribute the impact. That means that the impact of a foul ball to the facemask will be seriously reduced, probably more so than the my favorite helmet, the Wilson FX Shock 2.0. The only caveat I have is that the mask narrows down quickly towards the chin aspect of the helmet. That said, it's a little more elongated which allows total protection of the neck and high collar bone area on a drop and block scenario. A bonus is that the helmet adjusts really well for various sized heads so once again. your catcher can grow into them.
Best of all, everything is supposed to be customizable as far as colors and different patterns go
.
Overall, I was very impressed with their new series and it will probably be DD's next set of gear come Fall when she's due. I would say that this set is a serious contender to rival anything out there to date if not surpass it.
Leg guards...they have gotten rid of the excess plastic on the shin portion so that the padding can now form-fit better to the calves of the catchers. This will allow the padding to fit more catchers of various sizes. By the same token, they haven't given up structural strength since they still have the main support up the middle/center of the leg guard along the shin bone to maintain it. It is also of the 3 piece design which gives exceptional protection above the knee. On top of that, they have added extra patellar padding which can be moved up or down according to the needs of the "tweeners." In other words, they are only going to offer them in 1" increments but the patellar padding can be adjusted to fit them whether they are still growing or not. I feel that this a much needed improvement by any manufacturer since it will allow those with catchers that are still growing to buy a larger size and let them "grow into" them. It'll save money in the long run.
The chest protectors offer a new level of comfort. They have incorporated the old Airmax ventilation into their new line of chest protectors. This allows the catchers to stay cool. As well, they have incorporated an interesting "look" to them.
As for the helmets, they have utilized their football helmet impact data into the padding of their catcher's helmets. The padding is the typical gel/foam padding but they have distributed the impact via a series of cones or teats for lack of better words to distribute the impact. That means that the impact of a foul ball to the facemask will be seriously reduced, probably more so than the my favorite helmet, the Wilson FX Shock 2.0. The only caveat I have is that the mask narrows down quickly towards the chin aspect of the helmet. That said, it's a little more elongated which allows total protection of the neck and high collar bone area on a drop and block scenario. A bonus is that the helmet adjusts really well for various sized heads so once again. your catcher can grow into them.
Best of all, everything is supposed to be customizable as far as colors and different patterns go
.
Overall, I was very impressed with their new series and it will probably be DD's next set of gear come Fall when she's due. I would say that this set is a serious contender to rival anything out there to date if not surpass it.
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