Product Review: Itech 11.8 Goal Pads

[Crossroads*]

Just got a set of these- I got my last set four amazed) years ago and played with the same set for the last two years of junior 'A'.

They're the senior version. . . 34" with the red, blue, white design.

On to the review:

They are easily one of the best pair of pads I've ever worn and I've come to this conclusion after only one full practice with them on. I was in a full Canadian university hockey level practice (mostly ex-junior, major-junior, and NCAA Div. III players).

The pads are really light-weight, both weighing roughly five and a half pounds. I wore them really tight to avoid any over-rotating issues when dropping into the butterfly and they felt great (even though I wore them tighter than normal on the upper straps, the pads still allowed for average rotation). If you're a goaltender that relies on speed to play the pick or to get from side to side, these pads will definitely help. The leg channel feels great and allows for the proper movement when needed. Note: The top straps can cause difficulty if not done up enough. When dropping the strap touchs the portion on the side and causes you to occasionally slip- not good when you have to be in position a split second later to stop a rebound.

These pads are excellent at deafening a shot. When in proper position and a puck is fired at you and hits you in the pads, you will find that the puck almost instantly drops in front of you or directs a rebound in the direction you'd like it to at an unintimidating and workable speed for the defensemen (you, of course, are in control of this).

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WORKMANSHIP - 10/10

So far I have no issues with the construction of the Itech's. I'll update this score once I go through more intensive practices.

FIT / FEEL - 9/10

Could be improved on the over-rotation issues that I experienced today near the end of the two hour practice. Other than that, no problems occured.

PERFORMANCE - 10/10

The score says it all. Wonderfully easy to drop into the butter-fly, skating isn't made difficult in any way, and rebound control on these beauties is spectacular.

OVERALL - 9.5/10

Wonderful pads after two hours on the ice. I'll update these scores as I play in these puppies some more.

Click to read more...

 

[Brad*]

How much did you pay? (If you don't mind answering. If not, that's fine)

These were on my short list of pads that I was interested in, and there were nice pads, but I think I will ultimately go with Brian's Beast again.

 

[badtakemachine]

Let's hope they don't fall apart as easily as the other Itech's.

 

[Crossroads*]

How much did you pay? (If you don't mind answering. If not, that's fine)

These were on my short list of pads that I was interested in, and there were nice pads, but I think I will ultimately go with Brian's Beast again.

I paid roughly $1300 for the pads, $380 for the glove, and $290 for the blocker.

So around $2000 all together.

Brian's is a good company. . .although I've never owned a pair of their pads, they've always gotten great reviews from the goaltenders I've talked to that have. What size would you get them in??

Let's hope they don't fall apart as easily as the other Itech's.

To be honest, I was actually worried about that and it's still in the back of my mind but they felt great in the store and great on the ice, so I'm holding my breath .

 

[Brad*]

The last set I had was in 34" and they seemed to fit well. I could probably go a little bigger, but I've never been a fan of wearing the absolute biggest pads you can for your height; I just want them comfortable.

 

[Crossroads*]

Brad:

Am I the only one disappointed by the TPS/Louisville product line? They used to make top of the line stuff. . . I'm not impressed after checking out their latest the other day. I feel they've replaced Itech in the 'cheap' category for pads.

 

[Kirk- NEHJ]

Brian's is a good company. . .although I've never owned a pair of their pads, they've always gotten great reviews from the goaltenders I've talked to that have.

I used to be a Brian's guy- mainly because a buddy of mine was a distributor, and he got me wholesale deals on the gear.

But- I'll be honest- the durability of the pads I owned (Altramaxx) was not great. They wore out pretty quickly- busted straps, frayed toe bridges laces and even more alarming, the toe bridge housing itself separated from the pad after about 2 seasons of use. Granted- this was in 1999, so they might have fixed that with the Beast product line.

I switched to Eagle in 2001 and have used them ever since.

 

[Crossroads*]

I used to be a Brian's guy- mainly because a buddy of mine was a distributor, and he got me wholesale deals on the gear.

But- I'll be honest- the durability of the pads I owned (Altramaxx) was not great. They wore out pretty quickly- busted straps, frayed toe bridges laces and even more alarming, the toe bridge housing itself separated from the pad after about 2 seasons of use. Granted- this was in 1999, so they might have fixed that with the Beast product line.

I switched to Eagle in 2001 and have used them ever since.

I was considering Eagle- I've heard they're one of the best out there in terms of quality and rotation. How have they been for you?

 

[Brad*]

Brad:

Am I the only one disappointed by the TPS/Louisville product line? They used to make top of the line stuff. . . I'm not impressed after checking out their latest the other day. I feel they've replaced Itech in the 'cheap' category for pads.

Which model did you try out?

My brother had a pair of Louisville Xhale's that were probably from 200 (can't be sure) and they were pretty decent. They didn't rotate all that great, nor did the five hole close exceptionally well, but they protected very well and were built like a rock. I think some of the reason why people are disappointed with Louisville may stem from the fact they're very much a "hybrid" pad. If you're a pure butterfly guy, there is much better stuff out there. If you're just looking for something that protects well and will last, and can function in different styles, and I don't think they're too bad.

I used to be a Brian's guy- mainly because a buddy of mine was a distributor, and he got me wholesale deals on the gear.

But- I'll be honest- the durability of the pads I owned (Altramaxx) was not great. They wore out pretty quickly- busted straps, frayed toe bridges laces and even more alarming, the toe bridge housing itself separated from the pad after about 2 seasons of use. Granted- this was in 1999, so they might have fixed that with the Beast product line.

I switched to Eagle in 2001 and have used them ever since.

I get wholesale deals on them as well, but I wear them because I really like them. The new pads I'm getting will be my second set of Beast equipment (actually, I'll probably keep the beast glove/blocker I have now and take my brother's Vaughan gloves so I'll have two pairs) and I've never had any real problems with them, though I've never tried the Altramaxx line. From what I've tried, I personally feel the Beast is the best all-around pad, at least for the way I play.

Eagle is really good, and stating to get a big following. I tried out Eagle Fusion's that looked identical to the model Robert Esche uses, and I was completely astounded by why he would even use them. They slide really well, rotate good, and close up the five hole very nicely, but they're very hard. For a goalie like Esche who has poor rebound control, these are the absolute worst pads he could wear. They'll give up some fat rebounds if that is a part of your game that you struggle with.

 

[Crossroads*]

Which model did you try out?

My brother had a pair of Louisville Xhale's that were probably from 200 (can't be sure) and they were pretty decent. They didn't rotate all that great, nor did the five hole close exceptionally well, but they protected very well and were built like a rock. I think some of the reason why people are disappointed with Louisville may stem from the fact they're very much a "hybrid" pad. If you're a pure butterfly guy, there is much better stuff out there. If you're just looking for something that protects well and will last, and can function in different styles, and I don't think they're too bad.

I tried out the Xceed and the Xlite's.

I totally agree with you on your point about TPS/Louisville making a hybrid pad. They just didn't fit my style. The thing that surprised me the most, were the Xceed's that I tried out. They're being marketed as TPS/Louisville's top-of-the-line pad but they just did not feel like it. The workmanship on the lower half of the pad was brutal and looked like they'd fall apart after a full season of use. I didn't like the straps either.

For some reason, they just remind me of the product Itech put out ~5 years ago. They would be great for a kid 13-16 years old but once you get into a more high level of hockey, these pads would be brutal.

 

[Brad*]

Never tried the Xceeds or Xlites, but it's too bad if they have quality problems. They seem to have so many different models though, it'd be hard to tell what their top of the line model actually is.

Could have tried RBK's.