Sorry if this is a long review of my Vapor mask and Ron Slater paint, but I wanted to cover everything so here goes….
Before I start, I am not affiliated nor do I have any personal interests in Pro’s Choice or Ron Slater paint. This review will be impartial and completely how I honestly feel about the products I purchased, period. I always want the best, and that’s what I expect when I spend my hard earned money… If I don’t get that, I’m gonna let people know!
This is my second Vapor mask, I got my first one about 8 months ago and most of my review of the Vapor mask will be from that one.. Which is identical except that my new one has the newer croc foam. Why in the world would I need or want 2 Vapor masks? Long story, it came down to a matter of wanting 2 paintjobs, and the ability to sell some other gear to make it happen. When I added up what I had to flip, it worked out for me and it’s how I wanted to spend my money. Simple as that. I’ll get a little more into why I wanted the second paintjob, and now that I have the finished products, I’m glad I did.
My very first contact with Dom at Pro’s Choice was about 3 years ago when I inquired about getting a Khabibulin replica style mask (lightning) with some personal touches on an Itech 9601. Dom advertised that he could facilitate replica style paintjobs, and being that I had some serious overtime money coming in, I knew I wanted to move forward with the paint. Dom was very professional from the first time I talked to him, he took the time to answer all of my questions (no matter how ridiculous) and always made me feel like I was important as a customer.. Something that I think is rare now days. As busy as he must be hand making masks, he’ll still take the time to treat even a small customer like me happy. This was before I read all the reviews and positive feedback on the forums here.
I think Dom’s customer service has been well documented here, and through 3 separate transactions I’ve had with him it’s all true- Outstanding customer service, returns every phone call, and wants to make sure he makes every customer happy. At one point I needed slightly thicker foam in the cheek area of my mask, and it was over-nighted no questions asked. Through 3 separate transactions over the past 3 years in dealing with Dom and Pro’s choice, I have never been disappointed once. Absolutely an A+ rating as far as customer service goes.
Next was the pain by Ron Slater- on my first Itech 9601 that was done, I really didn’t have any dealings with Ron except for a couple of emails on a few personal touches I wanted done with the paint… The mask was absolutely amazing, and to this day I sill have people at the rink asking me about that mask because of how awesome the paint was!
When I had enough money to finally buy a Custom Vapor mask, I decided that I wanted to go with a custom paintjob that was 100% new and not a replica, something that I could say was mine. After firming up everything with Dom, he gave me Slaters phone number and we discussed the theme I wanted to go with. Ron was receptive to my ideas and we agreed that he would draw up the custom artwork by hand based on what I had described… I wanted a flaming skull design with blue flame, and Ron worked with me with getting my custom artwork together. Ron sketched several different skull designs from scratch, each time modifying the design after talking with me with what I wanted different. Ron returned every email and was always easy to get a hold of, and did an absolute smoking job on my mask. The only downside was the time it took to get my mask painted, but I insisted that there was no rush as I had my 9601 that I was using. Total time in paint - about 3 months. I must say that I was anxious to get my new Vapor and that time seemed like forever, but once I got the custom paint that was designed exactly to my specs, the wait was well worth it.
Onto the Vapor mask- The fit of the Vapor is unlike any other mask I have owned, I think this goes without saying when you consider it is built around a mold of your head. The mask is about the same weight as my 9601, but with more heft in the cage area and less mass in the shell part…. There is no doubt that Dom’s cage is absolutely bulletproof, in addition to being one of the best looking cages on the market. Once on my head, the mask fit so well that there was very little slack or movement when quickly turning your head to track the puck. The cage sits nice and close to my nose, but not too close, which gives incredible sight lines that I don’t feel I got with my 9601. After an entire game or two wearing the mask ( I sometimes play 2 games a day) I don’t feel any fatigue or aches from wearing the mask as it feels pretty natural while on.
I have faced countless slapshots off of both my 9601 and Vapor, and I must say that both hold up very well to the shots. I can honestly say that I felt comfortable in both masks facing the hardest shots anyone could send at me. The only difference I can honestly say I noticed was that the Vapor mask produces more of a ceramic “crack” type sound when getting pelted, while the sound off my 9601 was more of a “thug”. Neither one gave me any concerns about hard shots.
After having my Vapor for a few months, I really was starting to miss my Khabibulin style paint… While Ron had done a hell of a job making my personal dreams of having original paint a reality, I just felt that the khabbi paint which I had used for so long was more of what I really wanted- not to mention all of the good luck and games I won with that style of paint, I almost felt it was a superstition for me. After the years of having the habby style paint, it just seemed odd not having my old style paint and figured a good compromise would be to have both paint styles. I contemplated the cost, and after adding up what I could get ebaying some old stuff I had laying around, I could do it.
I called Dom to see if he had kept my Mold and what it would take to get another mask done, and low and behold he had my Mold stored and could make another one with no problems!! Sure I’m not an NHL goalie, but Dom had held onto it and made it easy for me to get another one done, and done fast!! Dom had my mask done and ready for paint in about 2 weeks! Dom discussed any changes that I might want with the new mask, but I wanted it exactly like the first one as it fits like a glove… and the second one is just as good.
Contacting Ron Slater for my Khabibulin style paint was a no brainer for me- Ron has painted for Habby in the past and his last Blackhawks mask he painted was absolutely one of the best paint jobs I’ve ever seen on a mask in my opinion. Habby wore his mask for a while when he first got to Chicago, but switched to a mask painted by Bishop which I didn’t think was as nice of a paint job. With all the crazy stories I’ve heard on here about people having to sue Bishop to get their masks back and such, I never even considered him. Ron was easy to get a hold of, and when I told him of what I wanted to do he was very receptive and excited to do the work.
I decided to go with a gargoyle breaking through the front chin area of the wall instead of a name (or “Bulin wall” as on Habbys), and wanted the St. Pete Times Forum (where the lightning play) as the building on the front instead of the Russian building with the clock tower. Instead of the clock, I decided to go with a Forum landmark, a yellow lightning structure that sits out front of the forum (see pic). On the backplate I did my team logo, my jersey numbers as they appear on my jersey, and my name in foil lettering.
I sent Ron pics of the forum and some other pics and remained in contact while Ron worked on my mask. I must say that Ron again was easy to get a hold of either by phone or email when I wanted to discuss the mask and changes in paint ideas on the fly. Ron has always been very professional with dealing with me and took the time to discuss everything in detail and never rushed me off the phone. I was sent some progress photos also to help tide me over during the process also to help ease the anticipation
The final product from Ron is absolutely amazing!! The pictures really do not do this paintjob justice! Ron started by using a “chromatic” blue paint as a base, which I as told is time consuming 5 step process to achieve, and it really looks like blue chrome.. Well worth the work IMO. Ron took my ideas and nailed everything I wanted done and created an artistic masterpiece. There is an amazing amount of fine detail to this mask, the foil wall is amazing, foil eyes in the gargoyle, foil eyes in the eagles eyes, and foil eyes on my “No Fear” and Name lettering on the backplate of the mask. The “St. Pete Times Forum” lettering is also in foil lettering. I can honestly say that I could not be happier with the paintjob on this mask! Ron really went above and beyond with the detail on this mask and far exceeded my expectations.
Overall - Pros’s choice Masks- Recommend. High quality product, superior fit and finish, excellent customer service, and a lifetime guarantee on the mask. Just like buying a Mercedes, it cost a little more but the product and customer service matches the extra price tag.
Overall - Ron Slater Paint - Recommend. Very professional to deal with, easy to get a hold of, made my custom designs easy to turn from ideas into actual paint and did an incredible job with the finished products. I’ve used Ron 3 times, and every time he’s delivered. The finished product on all of my paintjobs have been outstanding, if not I wouldn’t have continued to use him. The only small gripe I would have to say is turnover time, I had high anticipation for all of my masks and it did take a few months to get each mask done. I will say that the wait was well worth the finished product, however. In Ron’s defense, my skull mask was the longest one to get done and that required a lot of custom art and all original work, and a VERY detailed backplate. While I was getting it done I couldn’t wait to get it finished, but once it was here the wait didn’t seem that bad because the paint looked so good!
The good news is that Ron will be up front with you on progress and you’ll always know a time frame.
Well enough of my writeup, here’s the references to Pros Choice and Ron Slater pain and the pics :
Pro’s Choice Goalie Masks -
Welcome To Pro's Choice
Ron Slater Paint -
index.html
Picture of the forum with the lightning bolts :
Ron's Khabibulin mask :
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