Review: Sherwood AB9970 c/a

[Vice]

I know that a review was done on this a while ago, but the reviewer was under suspicion of working for Sherwood, so I guess I'll post my own review.

I need to preface the review by saying that I've only ever owned 3 different c/a's. My first one was cheap Viper (lots of bruises), my second was a Bauer Reactor 5 (no bruises), and my latest one is the Sherwood 9970.

I wanted to upgrade from my Bauer because I wanted to make the transition from ball/inline hockey to ice as 'painless' as possible (pun intended). The guy at the store recommended the Sherwood. I tried it on and realized I was crazy to be using the Bauer; it offered such little protection in comparison to the Sherwood. The Sherwood padding seemed thicker, and it hugged my upper body (the R5 is a little more square, and the side flaps tend to fold inward from time to time), clavicle protection was fantastic, the floaters were bigger than I was used to, double shoulder caps, reinforced sternum, etc. I thought, "Gee, great." So I traded in my Bauer for the Sherwood.

Then I played ball hockey tonight, and I ended up disappointed.

The thing was heavy after sweating in it for awhile. There is absolutely no ventilation. It had a tendency to ride up and make a gap between my shoulders and the top of the c/a, and the throat shield would push into my upper neck. And when I was standing still, it would simply fall back on to my shoulders...after a minute or two! I was also disappointed because I went into the game thinking I wouldn't feel a thing, but I did on a couple of occasions. There was even one occasion when a blast from the point hit me on the arm under the double shoulder caps where there isn't a lot of protection. It stung for a second.

Needless to say, I want my R5 back.

This is my first review, and I hope it helps someone thinking about getting a Sherwood 9970 c/a.

[bedris]

Vice- I don't have expirience with that particular C/A, but I just want to tell you that C/A's, for a good portion of the time, have ride up in the front and back and not conforming to your body problems at first. But after they're broken in, they get MUCH more comfy.

I guess what I'm saying is give this one some more time. I've had similar problems.

:: bedris

[Vice]

Ok. I'll give it some time. But its just hard to swallow when you use borrowed money for something you think is a step up, but it disappoints you. Hopefully it won't be so bad.

[goalieguy]

I think that was a pretty good first review, Vice. Maybe since it only has one back strap, the ride-up would be a little more than if it had two. I was sorta interested in this unit, but you might be my saving grace. Thanks.

Patrick

Oh yeah, have you ever tried on an R6? Mine was so bulky but the protection was great. I wonder if the R5 fits any better....

[THE GATEKEEPER]

Hummmmm.....

You got stung playing ball hockey ?

BALLHOCKEY ?


THE GATEKEEPER

[Vice]

Patrick, the R5 was only bulky in the shoulders. The shoulder caps simply refused to sit on my shoulders. I'd be very open to owning an R6 later when I recoop my losses. It's funny, but I didn't realize how great the CoolMax lining in the Bauer c/a's were until I got this Sherwood unit.

[Vice]

Gatekeeper: We use the Z Balls. But my point was that I was disappointed to find a weakness in the 9970. I hope there aren't any more. If only stores would let goalies use or rent gear for one or two games, then we could surmise how great the protection is regardless of how great the salesperson says it protects....

[THE GATEKEEPER]

Hi Vince ,

I am not sure what a Z BALL is but I was the guy who posted my findings on this site . I agree it does absorb sweat but other than that I love everything about it.( I still don't work for Sherwood ). Protection is great for ice hockey. I have taken a few zoomers to the chest without a problem , I don't understsnd how you got hurt period, let alone with a Z BALL. Break in time is about 10 games and I hope you find it better then than you to today. I still have not found any major weakness in the 9970 . We all have different likes and dis-likes in products and I wish you good luck as for the companies offering to let us try the products out first , I was told Vaughn has such a policy ... you could e-mail them in London,On .

Best of Luck,

THE GATEKEEPER

[Vice]

Here is my 2 1/2 year update.

Modifications: I modified the arm length by tying them closer to the spine pad. This solved the problem of the arms pushing my gloves off.

Pros: After 2 1/2 years of use, I'm fairly satisfied with the unit. It has held up quite well and is showing very few signs of wear, apart from the velcro tabs around the wrists.

Cons: I'm still not thrilled about how heavy it gets and how much sweat it retains. Also, over the years, I've "felt" that there are a couple of weak spots (other than the arms).

Most noticeable is the lack of protection in the upper rib area. I finally took a puck there one day and realized that in that particular area, there is no padding. The situation has been rectified on more recent models of the 9970; Sherwood has added an extra pad in that area.

Also noticeable is the belly pad. I'd always suspected it to be one of the weaker sections of the armour, and yesterday my suspicions were confirmed. I played with a guy who had one of the fastest slapshots shots I've ever faced (I won't even try to estimate its speed). One slapshot hit me in the belly pad, and it actually stung for a few seconds. In contrast, his shots that hit me in other parts of the c/a didn't sting; they merely knocked the wind out of me.


Overall, it still provides decent protection at a competitive price.