"Official" Itech thread

[35turco]

I just bought a pair of Nabby pro return Xwings from goalie savings for $838 and the awsome thing is they are brand new. Ill post pics as soon as i get them.

[influenza]

got them from ebay huh? I saw those.. are the signed?

[AVictor35]

Are the 960/9600/961/9601 masks made out of Kevlar because Itech doesn't say that in their description...

[dreadlockgoalie]

Originally Posted by AVictor35

Are the 960/9600/961/9601 masks made out of Kevlar because Itech doesn't say that in their description...

I'm pretty sure Kevlar is, in essence, just a particular kind of fibreglass. All those masks are made with top-notch materials, even if it's not explicitly called kevlar. I don't believe Sportmask refers to any of there materials as kevlar either but they are still obviously just as protective, as I'm sure many other mask makers do. There have been massive threads of "discussion" about mask components, but digging through them might take a lifetime. Besides, all those Itech masks have reputations that tend to speak for themselves.

[p0ngp1ng]

Just wondering if anyone out there has a 9600 helmet out there and what their thoughts were on it? any thoughts on the 960 helmet would be good too? I have looked through the envy 7 threads and it really seems like I should spend the extra cash because a lot of those helmets are falling apart and i don't want to go through the hassle/risk of getting a bad one. any comments are appreciated. i did a search for a review on the 960 helmet but nothing came up, could have been my bad though.

[AVictor35]

Originally Posted by dreadlockgoalie

I'm pretty sure Kevlar is, in essence, just a particular kind of fibreglass. All those masks are made with top-notch materials, even if it's not explicitly called kevlar. I don't believe Sportmask refers to any of there materials as kevlar either but they are still obviously just as protective, as I'm sure many other mask makers do. There have been massive threads of "discussion" about mask components, but digging through them might take a lifetime. Besides, all those Itech masks have reputations that tend to speak for themselves.

That's a very good point, just because it doesn't specifically mention kevlar in the materials doesn't mean that its not just as good or if not better... seeing that almost every goalie in the nhl is in one

But DonSims has it listed as "full kevlar"

[35turco]

Originally Posted by influenza

got them from ebay huh? I saw those.. are the signed?

no i got the brand new pair from goalie savings and they have a brodur like open toe bridge and i only paid $838 for them

[shutout_9999]

What kinda cage could I put on a Itech 4600?? I want something that isnt as cluttered as the Itech cage...but something that is legal for high school hoceky.....could i rig a envy 7 cage to fit it?

[snooz]

i am the proud new owner of a white itech 961

got it in the mail yesterday from goalie monkey.

mine was made feb. 11th/08. today i had it at my friend's house, comparing it to his 961 which was made in 2001. the bars on his cage seem to be thicker but we thought that might be due to the paint on his cage. i know there was some mention of the 08 model's being a little bit wider, we decided this is probably true. as far as we could see, it was a little wider. his also appeared to be a little longer, top to bottom.

the difference in width was so minor, though. i dont think it would really be noticeable by someone who has one from.. say 05, to getting one made this year. it could also be toward the back only. we really just noticed it seems to flare out more at the back around the ears.

[35turco]

anyone know if NYink got his Dipetro like RX9s yet?

[c0nquistad0rian]

Originally Posted by dreadlockgoalie

I'm pretty sure Kevlar is, in essence, just a particular kind of fibreglass. All those masks are made with top-notch materials, even if it's not explicitly called kevlar. I don't believe Sportmask refers to any of there materials as kevlar either but they are still obviously just as protective, as I'm sure many other mask makers do. There have been massive threads of "discussion" about mask components, but digging through them might take a lifetime. Besides, all those Itech masks have reputations that tend to speak for themselves.

Well said. Also keep in mind that Kevlar is a brand name made by Dupont. The actual name of the material is Aramind, I believe. (It's like saying Kleenex instead of tissue.)

[influenza]

Originally Posted by 35turco

no i got the brand new pair from goalie savings and they have a brodur like open toe bridge and i only paid $838 for them

they had them on ebay..

still a good deal.

[steele3311]

Originally Posted by 35turco

anyone know if NYink got his Dipetro like RX9s yet?

He said he was picking them up yesterday, so i'm gonna asume he got them but just hasn't put any pics on the board yet.

[Rayzilla]

Originally Posted by influenza

got them from ebay huh? I saw those.. are the signed?

I think I saw the pair that was signed too. I think those were at The Goalie Crease. I even thought about them myself, but I never tried on the X-Wings yet so I didn't want to take a chance.

[Psychopomp]

Originally Posted by dreadlockgoalie

I'm pretty sure Kevlar is, in essence, just a particular kind of fibreglass. All those masks are made with top-notch materials, even if it's not explicitly called kevlar. I don't believe Sportmask refers to any of there materials as kevlar either but they are still obviously just as protective, as I'm sure many other mask makers do. There have been massive threads of "discussion" about mask components, but digging through them might take a lifetime. Besides, all those Itech masks have reputations that tend to speak for themselves.

I just wanted to point out that Kevlar is a very very different material than fiberglass. The two shouldn't be confused in any way.

Fiberglass is simply what it's called... it's glass that's drawn into long fibers. It's molecular structure consists of chains of silicon and oxygen atoms bonded together in various arrangements. Drawing the glass into a fiber aligns these molecular chains giving the glass fibers improved strength.

Kevlar on the other hand, is the trade name for an "aramid" fiber made by DuPont. Aramid fibers are long-chain polymers with a molecular structure consisting of chains of aromatic hydrocarbon rings joined by nitrogen atoms and cross-linked to other chains by hydrogen bonding. Thus the name "ar" for the aromatic rings and "amid" for the nitrogen- hydrogen bonds... "aramid". The extremely long polymer chains combined with the aromatic rings and hydrogen bonding make aramids very very strong and resilient fibers that are also known for their heat-resistant properties. Aramids are significantly stronger than fiberglass, more expensive and more difficult to work with. Other materials you may have heard of that are also in the aramid family are Nomex, Twaron, and Technora. There are also different grades of these materials for different applications.

For what it's worth, I'm pretty sure (not 100% positive) that Itech uses a layer of aramid in the 96x series masks. It's probably not clear what kind or what grade of material though.