Katriona1992
Green Belt
- Joined
- Oct 31, 2010
- Messages
- 1,198
- Reaction score
- 0
Hey peeps!
How are you all? I'm having a 15 minute break from studying so I thought I'll pop onto here and write up something about the Twins HGL-3 (Red) Headguard with Cheek Protectors. Photos are coming soon.
Without further ado:
How much is it?
I got mine for $64 USD ($500 HKD) in Hong Kong and I know that most local retaliers in Australia have them listed for around $120 USD each.
Why did I choose Twins HGL-3?
Because the majority of my gym's ammy boxers use them. I go to a community centre type gym and no one could afford Cleto Reyes/Grant/Winning there. Instead, the HGL-3 is a nice middle-of-the-road heagear which also happened to be widely avaliable. Naturally, being a noob and all back then, I followed the crowd and chose to buy the exact same model when I was choosing my first headgear.
How long have I had it?
I've used it for 8 months and I've been hit by little pinweights (lol pinweight) all the way up to junior middleweights going up to 75% during sparring in my gym while wearing it.
Construction and durability 5/5
On the back of the headgear, there is a little black logo inked onto the headgear which states that the gear is handmade. Really though, even without its existence, I would have been able to tell that the HGL-3 is most definately a piece crafted with care and precision. I mean after so many months, I have yet to see ONE SINGLE loose thread or the leather being scratched. Rather, except looking just a little worn out (colour has started to fade a little and there are creases in the leather from wear and tear- however both of these signs are expected and perfectly normal), it looks almost new!
The headgear is also very easy to maintain- I only wipe it down with alcoholic wipes once a week or when blood lands on it (the blood comes off very easy btw since both the outside and inside of the headgear is made of nice smooth leather) and leave it to dry on my table after practice every night. Guess what? IT STILL HAS THAT LEATHER SMELL TO IT AND IT DOESN"T STINK AT ALL
Comfort 4/5
This piece fits on the head rather nicely and stays put even when I slip/weave under punches. The only time it ever moves is when I get hit clean and very hard by hooks to the side of my head- even then, it only budges a few centimetres and not enough to obstruct my view entirely.
At the end of the day, I guess the inner lining being leather as mentioned above is a double edged sword. It makes keeping the headgear clean an easier task but, since the inside is entirely smooth, also makes gripping the boxer's head harder and thus the headgear can/will move when struck.
Headgear doesn't make your head feel like you've stuck your head into a sauna room but isn't the coolest of headgears either. HGL-3 also has a pretty good weight- it isn't so heavy that it hurts your neck muscles, but at the same time, having a little weight on your noggin' makes you feel protected
Design/Visibility 3.5/5
Design is basic but solid. Not much else really since the only kinda of decoration on the headgear is the plastic Twins logo patch sewn onto the forehead area.
Cheek guards keep jabs/straight rights from landing on your nose flush. They are a bit too big for my taste and obstruct the view a little, but I can see a beginner or someone wanting more protection (I mean the d3o headgear I use now is almost open faced haha) liking them.
Protection 1/5
This is what caused me to go online and drop another $130 for Rival's d3o headgear (review for that one coming soon!). I know- HGL-3 is meant to be a muay thai headgear and all, but so? In my opinion, there is NO excuse for the rock hard foam that fills every part of the headgear except for the ear guards and the back of the headgear (where there is only a velcro strap so the boxer can take the headgear on and off and no padding at all).
I really don't get it. The foam forming an oval around my ear area is nice and incredibly soft. It protects my ears very well. Clearly then, Twins know how to make nice foam. THEN WHY IS IT ONLY USED EXCLUSIVELY IN ONE PLACE?
I've had headaches every time I go more than 50% in these (especially when I used to be more noobish and occassionally let my guard down) and it was horrible. I would wake up the next day with this terrible thudding in my head, my neck felt like it would snap off if I so decide to nod and even my shoulders and upper back hurt. At first I thought I haven't tightened the headgear enough. Then, I'd check that my sparring partners' gloves and find that they were indeed wearing 16ozs. I even tried to blame it on muscle soreness from doing other boxing related activities. At the end of the day, however, what has been causing all these problems was the headgear. Proof of the matter is that, as soon as I swapped over to the d3o, I still felt a little sore around the shoulders- but everything else was painless.
Overall 2.5/5
If Twins decide somewhere along the road to use the foam they use for the ear protectors to fill the other areas too then I would love to make another purchase. Up until then though, I'm staying away from their headgears like the plague.
Sure, the headgear looks nice. Sure, its constructed nicely. Sure, its comfortable to wear. But the purpose of a headgear to me is to protect- something which it has failed at. Seriously, if it wasn't for the foam, in terms of craftmanship it surpasses even Rival's d3o mass manufactered (read: made by machines) headgear and is definately worth the $64 bucks I paid. Heck, I would even argue its worth another $20 more (but maybe not $120 haha).
Bottom line: I regret spending so many time trying to figure out why I had headaches and, as much as I love everything else about this headgear, don't buy it if you're doing boxing.
How are you all? I'm having a 15 minute break from studying so I thought I'll pop onto here and write up something about the Twins HGL-3 (Red) Headguard with Cheek Protectors. Photos are coming soon.
Without further ado:
How much is it?
I got mine for $64 USD ($500 HKD) in Hong Kong and I know that most local retaliers in Australia have them listed for around $120 USD each.
Why did I choose Twins HGL-3?
Because the majority of my gym's ammy boxers use them. I go to a community centre type gym and no one could afford Cleto Reyes/Grant/Winning there. Instead, the HGL-3 is a nice middle-of-the-road heagear which also happened to be widely avaliable. Naturally, being a noob and all back then, I followed the crowd and chose to buy the exact same model when I was choosing my first headgear.
How long have I had it?
I've used it for 8 months and I've been hit by little pinweights (lol pinweight) all the way up to junior middleweights going up to 75% during sparring in my gym while wearing it.
Construction and durability 5/5
On the back of the headgear, there is a little black logo inked onto the headgear which states that the gear is handmade. Really though, even without its existence, I would have been able to tell that the HGL-3 is most definately a piece crafted with care and precision. I mean after so many months, I have yet to see ONE SINGLE loose thread or the leather being scratched. Rather, except looking just a little worn out (colour has started to fade a little and there are creases in the leather from wear and tear- however both of these signs are expected and perfectly normal), it looks almost new!
The headgear is also very easy to maintain- I only wipe it down with alcoholic wipes once a week or when blood lands on it (the blood comes off very easy btw since both the outside and inside of the headgear is made of nice smooth leather) and leave it to dry on my table after practice every night. Guess what? IT STILL HAS THAT LEATHER SMELL TO IT AND IT DOESN"T STINK AT ALL
Comfort 4/5
This piece fits on the head rather nicely and stays put even when I slip/weave under punches. The only time it ever moves is when I get hit clean and very hard by hooks to the side of my head- even then, it only budges a few centimetres and not enough to obstruct my view entirely.
At the end of the day, I guess the inner lining being leather as mentioned above is a double edged sword. It makes keeping the headgear clean an easier task but, since the inside is entirely smooth, also makes gripping the boxer's head harder and thus the headgear can/will move when struck.
Headgear doesn't make your head feel like you've stuck your head into a sauna room but isn't the coolest of headgears either. HGL-3 also has a pretty good weight- it isn't so heavy that it hurts your neck muscles, but at the same time, having a little weight on your noggin' makes you feel protected
Design/Visibility 3.5/5
Design is basic but solid. Not much else really since the only kinda of decoration on the headgear is the plastic Twins logo patch sewn onto the forehead area.
Cheek guards keep jabs/straight rights from landing on your nose flush. They are a bit too big for my taste and obstruct the view a little, but I can see a beginner or someone wanting more protection (I mean the d3o headgear I use now is almost open faced haha) liking them.
Protection 1/5
This is what caused me to go online and drop another $130 for Rival's d3o headgear (review for that one coming soon!). I know- HGL-3 is meant to be a muay thai headgear and all, but so? In my opinion, there is NO excuse for the rock hard foam that fills every part of the headgear except for the ear guards and the back of the headgear (where there is only a velcro strap so the boxer can take the headgear on and off and no padding at all).
I really don't get it. The foam forming an oval around my ear area is nice and incredibly soft. It protects my ears very well. Clearly then, Twins know how to make nice foam. THEN WHY IS IT ONLY USED EXCLUSIVELY IN ONE PLACE?
I've had headaches every time I go more than 50% in these (especially when I used to be more noobish and occassionally let my guard down) and it was horrible. I would wake up the next day with this terrible thudding in my head, my neck felt like it would snap off if I so decide to nod and even my shoulders and upper back hurt. At first I thought I haven't tightened the headgear enough. Then, I'd check that my sparring partners' gloves and find that they were indeed wearing 16ozs. I even tried to blame it on muscle soreness from doing other boxing related activities. At the end of the day, however, what has been causing all these problems was the headgear. Proof of the matter is that, as soon as I swapped over to the d3o, I still felt a little sore around the shoulders- but everything else was painless.
Overall 2.5/5
If Twins decide somewhere along the road to use the foam they use for the ear protectors to fill the other areas too then I would love to make another purchase. Up until then though, I'm staying away from their headgears like the plague.
Sure, the headgear looks nice. Sure, its constructed nicely. Sure, its comfortable to wear. But the purpose of a headgear to me is to protect- something which it has failed at. Seriously, if it wasn't for the foam, in terms of craftmanship it surpasses even Rival's d3o mass manufactered (read: made by machines) headgear and is definately worth the $64 bucks I paid. Heck, I would even argue its worth another $20 more (but maybe not $120 haha).
Bottom line: I regret spending so many time trying to figure out why I had headaches and, as much as I love everything else about this headgear, don't buy it if you're doing boxing.
