generally, it will be whoever sponsors them. and some olympians probably do wear cheap gear, because it's what they're used to and what they like. iirc though, the main brands to sponsor people are allstar, uhlmann, pbt and lp, with negrini mainly sponsoring the italian team (?)

Same stuff depending on what fits/sponsorship deals. A few Olympics ago there was some Adidas branded gear but that was also available to buy.

In general there is a LOT of All-star/Uhlmann and US/GB/France in LP, Italians in Negrini and traditionally Hungary in PBT.

Gloves/shoes are easily the most personal.

I can see why you'd think that, since high end gear in sports like tennis or road biking is so extreme, but it's not the case in fencing. Top epee fencers use blades and grips you can buy online. The epee someone uses in the Olympics would cost $250 or so to duplicate exactly. When I've seen elite US fencers compete they seem to be wearing off the shelf 800N uniforms, masks, gloves, etc.

I apparently underestimated the value of Blue Gauntlet. If anyone from BG is reading, sorry about that. If it’s any consolation I have bought a lot of my gear from BG.

doubt the best athletes in the world show up with a glove from Blue Gauntlet

I bumped into US Olympic foilist Race Imboden when we were both hand-selecting blades in BG's storeroom.

All star is the way and pretty much the gold standard for catchers protective gear. Samurai set is fine, but the strap under the foot for leg guards many don’t like and easily gets torn up. Rawlings in my experience doesn’t hold up as well as the all star brand with padding breaking down sooner and straps needing to be replaced. Never used or seen evo shield in use much, but nothing suggests that it’s a better choice than the all star set.

Biggest thing for your top points is fit! Get out the measuring tape and figure out what size he actually needs vs going by age brackets. Better to have almost too small than obviously too big of gear. I've found that the measurements are pretty accurate across most brands - reference their catcher specific size guide for sure!

Leg straps behind the knee are a problem - most good sets will have 1 above and 1 below the crease. You're certainly on the right path with S7 and samurai sets.

I'd try to find a set in gray or white to best match or fit in with your varied team colors - gray/charcoal is a tough look that goes with just about anything!

Just go with the Allstar s7 kit. It’s worth the money. My son if very comfortable. Gel knee pads that are adjustable for blocking.

Very adjustable all around to lock it in. It won’t adjust on the fly in the field. You’ll have to work to make changes…. But you couldn’t need to make any anyway.

Former college catcher here and I have thoughts...

IMHO, the top two considerations are mobility/weight and knee padding. You end up wearing the pads a lot and heavy pads drain your energy and make it hard to do your job. So when you say "maximum coverage", I hear "heavy" -- and until highschool, maybe even college, the toe shield and some of the extra stuff isn't necessary. Specially for kids, the weight makes a big difference. The other is soft knees, all the pads have knee pads, but the good ones distribute the pressure around the knee, not just on the kneecap, which makes a difference after wearing a long time.

Also, as an FYI, you can buy the Axis system straps on Amazon for like $30/pair.

We got gifted a set of the Easton Elite X, and its a really nice set. I like that the shoulder padding goes over the top of the should before connecting to the straps (vs just covering the chest), and side straps on the body of the protector overlap with the padding, so the metal hook can't dig into your side. Makes for a really comfy chest protector.

I'm a HS senior that'll be playing college baseball next year and I've worn various brands of gear during my time catching.

My rankings are below:

3. Rawlings Velo gear -cheaper end of gear -you get what you pay for -mask was uncomfortable -legs were thin, better for mobility but you feel everything right on your kneecap -chest protector was thin but alright, just difficult to get to fit right

4. Easton Elite Gear (the box set from Dick's) -Great color selection (same gear they use in LLWS) -Chest protector was good, but thinned out quickly -helmet was okay, didn't really have any complaints -Legs, the worst part of this gear, no support for the knee, the straps sucked, and the knee pads lasted about a season before they completely wore down

5. All star system 7 Axis (neon green padding set) -Best gear I've ever won -Comfortable, durable, protective -Patellagel knee pads make a difference when training and using gear every single day -The straps are great on the legs, didn't matter if my pants were soaked or bone dry, the thigh strap stayed still -Chest protector feels great, I can't stand the shoulder cap on my throwing arm but my friend who uses it says it works well. -I did have an issue with my mask (it legitimately shrunk on me, i think it was due to it being in my car all day). I upgraded to the new MVP mask and I can't say enough good things about it.

Unfortunately, you tend to get what you pay for. I think with an investment like this it may be best to pick a tame color like black or gray, even if he doesn't want it.

I would stay away from Evoshield until he stops growing. I've heard it's great gear but not for young kids who are still growing because you'll constantly be replacing those lower leg guards that are molded. Mizuno is probably a solid choice, all I've heard from friends is that it tends to be a bit bulky, but very protective.

Love your idea, looks like you are using a 3D printer to create your designs, but I’m happy with the coverage that I have now so I really can’t see how your product can help me but I can see that others might be interested, I am really interested in a clicker that works in sweaty palms and not so cheaply made, even the metal one they sell is god aweful

Ummm, plate shoes are specifically designed for protection. I am not putting a cage over my base shoes.

Like others I'm fine with what I have now but this is general question.

I was taught the proper mechanics to protect hangs and wrists is to stay tucked, elbows in, with your hangs just above your belt buckle. Is this still the case? I may have developed a bad habit of resting my thumbs on the buckle when I'm upright like a western.

Not to be negative but they definitely need to go back to the design drawing board.

I don’t think it’s quite there yet, but I do appreciate seeing someone who works to enhance safety. Especially for kids and young adults playing sports. Good work and keep grinding

all top grade(highest quality)

dior gravity leather briefcase- 450 lv clash sunglasses- 85 lv slender (8slot) wallet- 125 LV Keepall orange bag: 650

we send photos and videos before shipping

sup I can help you we sell those stuff.

heres a catalog of some stuff we carry. Let me know what you want. Some sruff sre too brand new like the vibrant colorways but hope in a couple of months we can get them.

https://jgg5678.x.yupoo.com/albums
for high quality bag

https://ghxy.x.yupoo.com/albums
for shoes

https://407131796.x.yupoo.com/
for clothing and so on

https://run1299817365.x.yupoo.com/albums 777879
for bag

http://tyjp.x.yupoo.com
sunglasses passcode 778899

Not enough love for Mizuno on here. Great choice :)

I have this one in the older colourway:

https://preview.redd.it/qitompri846f1.jpeg?width=2048&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8f484e5153a5b84191d3621e3b20a3706dff34bd

Beautiful glove.

That’s a really clean looking glove! Great choice! I got a first base by mistake but it’s still my best broken in glove!

https://preview.redd.it/ikysgaww606f1.jpeg?width=2268&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=722c0401869b1dade66d4658f40389db671290ff

Beautiful glove! Enjoy

If anyone needs gloves, he/she should get to me, price is very cheap and shipping is free

Yes!! The flagship!! That glove is insane!! Congrats

https://preview.redd.it/vfjdrbbtakze1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9b8597e28b6ca300f718b01d621964d06d7983e7

Did you sit in the chair ?

I need to go there! Thats dope. How much US$?

That’s amazing.

Holy I wish it was here

Clean!! Love that old Mizuno patch!

I’m genuinely interested in what you consider “professional?” What kind of skiing? Seems like a weird thing to post. Like I’m a casual skier but use a Arcteryx jacket and high end goggles that are popular with many pro skiers. Doesn’t mean it’s a waste. Also the skis that are likely considered “professional.” The only thing I see here that would be an actual stupid purchase and be a hinderance is if your boots are too stiff.

My professional ski boots were so uncomfortable that i carried them in a bag and only wore them for races and training and wore comfortable boots the rest of the time.

Good advice. This applies to virtually ever hobby that has tools. You can buy the best guitar ever made but I know someone who can play a shoebox with elastics better. If you practise enough it’ll become clear when the gear is holding you back.

Looking at skis in the next year or two and will have to keep this in mind. Also will have to keep it in mind in general for all my random hobbies.

I wore my players shin and elbow pads. A bit bulky but I don’t think they got in the way.

https://www.hockeymonkey.com/bauer-hockey-referee-shin-guards-1000.html

These are what I have. They’re really slim in my opinion. My only complaint in the above knee strap slides down into the knee well and there isn’t a slash guard in the back. I’ve taken a couple slappers to the back of the leg off of a face off that I think it would’ve helped me.

The ones you got are the ones I’m looking to get, but maybe I’ll wait until I can see them in person somewhere. I would take them with you to a hockey store and compare them to players’ shins and see if you still think they’re too bulky or if you just had the impression the gear would be slimmer than what you got. I hope you can find something that works for you!

Is it the new line that they have? Can you link it so I know, because they also offer player stuff which you might’ve accidentally ordered. The new Bauer ref shin pads look great imo and I can’t wait to replace my old ones with them. I use Brine lacrosse elbow pads that look really similar to the new Bauer officials’ line. They’re good for lower stuff and falls, but once you hit the higher levels getting a puck to them hurt. I’m thinking about getting a slimmer player set for the upper leagues now, especially since it’s useful to cover your lower face when players rip shots around.

Really though it’s all personal preference. I know a lot of people who use player stuff over ref stuff.

This has been a complaint of ours for quite some time and we usually try to talk people out of the CCM elbow pads if they call and ask. The older Bauer OEP1000 were a great, light-weight elbow pad, but Bauer decided to nix them in favor of their current style. The newer ones are not bad (certainly not as bad as the CCM style). There are rumors CCM may be redesigning their elbow pads in the near future, but I wouldn't hold my breath on that. It is a conversation I've had with our rep many, many times, though - something needs to change. For elbow pads, you wouldn't be alone if you went to Dicks or some other sporting goods store and found either volleyball or lacross elbow pads. They are typically thinner and lighter.

Since you ask about street hockey gear, we have the CCM DEK hockey shin guards (which are a close copy to Bauer's older OSG850) - found at http://www.refcloset.com/CCM-DBH-Soft-Shin-Guards_p_100.html They are smaller / lighter weight pads than what the typical referee pads are (and you will have to cut off the bottom stirup), and while we haven't sold a ton of them, they do have a decent following from our customers. We have a LOT of people going for the CCM SG90 shinguards as well. (www.refcloset.com/sg90.html ) They are much smaller than the other hard-shell guards on the market (although, the current Bauer OSG pads are an improvement from their older hard-shell pads). The only catch with the SG 90's are if you have larger calves, the SG90 won't fit great as the plastic shin molding is on the narrow side. The Stevens shinpads (www.refcloset.com/dvs100.html) are expensive, but well worth the money - honestly, the best shinguard on the market.

If you really want to go down the road of street hockey equipment, I would throw out one bit of caution, though. Street hockey pucks/balls are usually lighter than hockey pucks (3.9 oz compared to 6 oz) which is a large reason why street hockey gear is lighter weight than ice hockey gear. Just remember that the ice hockey gear is designed to be hit by a larger (greater mass) object and will provide better protection.

If there is anything else we can do or if you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to ask.

They look like basketball shoes to me for some reason.

Hmm might have to give these a try. The aerus z2s have been absolutely killing my feet