Idk about the dangler...but an arguement against some neckguards is that the skate blade glances off the cut resistant material and into a an uncovered spot. Assuming the way danglers are made actually winds up directing a blade into an area you wouldn't want.
Any hard plate type protector is likely to allow the skate to slide off. In most cases thast going to be towards the shoulder/neck area. Player neck guards are an absolute joke. BNK is simply a min number of passes of a skate at a certain pressure before cut through. The small area of a player guard is scarey at best.
As for how the dangler can increase your risk of a skate cut to the neck, simple to demostrate for yourself. Put your mask on. Take you own skate and put it just about anywhere to the sides of your mask, on the dangler and press. The dangler pushes in, creating an angle that the skate will follow...drectly down into your neck...
Once we were required to wear head gear, I also tried different neck wear. I bought at least 5 or 6 of the damn things over the years and could never tolerate one for more than about 10 minutes. I would have to stop and rip the thing off before I could continue. Heat retention, that choked feeling, irritation of the skin etc etc.
I went with just the dangler for years. Then I had a dangler break from a shot. I also had a puck strike the hanger lace at my right ear. Ripped my mask sideways, some minor scapes to my face and nose and a very sore neck. So, I tried the maltese. With the Maltese slash guard or combo you actually forget you have a neck guard on.
Price point...The slash guard is MUCH less expensive than the combo. It only has gel around the collar and cloth that drapes over the shoulders. Not sure if they make it still since they changed from Defender Nylon to the current material. I would bet that if you contacted Phil, if he doesnt have an old one laying around and he has any of the nylon laying around he would make one for you.
[email protected] is the contact.
Hmmm, for those who think a puck to the unprotected throat isnt that bad....have a buddy roll one thin section of your newspaper into a tube about 1.5-2 inches on the Inside diameter. Now..let him whack you with it like a baseball bat, directly to your adams apple. With a full swing its going to be about 1/100 of the force a 40 MPH puck will strike with. A 65 MPH puck directly into the front of an unprotected throat can crush your voicebox and trachia. It could mean your DEATH.
Many of todays masks have such a large chin drop that the coverage is much better. I agree that an adult should have the choice. Youth hockey is another story all together. Adults tend to have learned that they are not immortal and can be injured when you least expect it. The little ones rarely have any concept of danger. lol