- Joined
- Jan 24, 2011
- Messages
- 4,269
- Reaction score
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Hi Guys and Gals!
I know for years people have been searching for a Headgear that is very comfortable, light weight, and super protective. The answer everyone's echoed is, "Get the Winning FG-2900." But sometimes the Budget doesn't allow for this, so a lot of you become frustrated on what the closest second is...only to find out there really is none that even remotely comes close. Lately, however, there have been some very viable options and in this next review, I hope to highlight the next great budget headgear that should accommodate MOST budgets.
Ring to Cage has been on the up and up, and I know some of you have shunned it because of its name or because you associate with with MMA. Some Boxers wont even give something a chance unless it says Everlast or some other well known brand. But hopefully you'll give this company another look, and maybe, just maybe it might become one of the brands you trust.
In this next piece of gear which was tried, tested, and put thru numerous prototypes. I believe many of you will be very happy if you so desire to purchase this next piece. Now, I want to clear a few things up before I move onto the review. I am NOT a gear maker, nor am I affiliated with ANY company. For some companies I do extensive testing and do give a thumbs up or down, and present ideas on which padding might be more ideal, etc. etc..
Warning:
For those that are tired of seeing Ring to cage reviews, or simply hate the company stop here, exit the review, and find something else to read. There IS life outside of trolling Sherdog. For all others continue with the review!
Fit/Sizing/1st Impressions:
The headgear will be available in two sizes: Small/Medium and Large/XL. These headgears should fit the vast majority of users. The headgear itself is the classic Ring to Cage leather, its semi-flat colored, with a very soft broken in like texture. It isn't as vibrant as other leathers but it indeed is very high quality. When it comes to leathers, take it from me you do not want a boxy, non broken in feel like my old Cleto Reyes headgear. You end up become uncomfortable and have to re-adjust in between rounds which becomes frustrating, and annoying.
The headgear has a lace closure system for the crown and the back of the head. It may take some fine adjusting here and there. But once you have it custom sized using the laces, it will literally fit perfectly much like the FG-2900. The vision is amazing. It is a MAJOR increase over the old Mexican style v.3.0 Ring to cage gear. This one like the FG-2900 allows you to see MOST of the shots incoming. The cheek protectors are beefy yet light so it doesn't feel like your head is throbbing like some of the cheaper headgears on the market. The all leather construction feels cool to the touch, and it doesn't feel like your wearing a plastic bag over your head like some of the synthetic headgears on the market. Keep in mind this is ALL Leather, NOT synthetic.
The headgear comes equipped with a mini clip closure. It is different than the Winning FG-2900. At first, I thought due to its flatter nature it might become un-clipped, but so far it hasn't. The FG-2900 has a more curved clipped which the images will show. Its a very minor difference and I haven't noticed any degradation.
Moving my head side to side, the headgear is Extremely light yet protective. Like I said, it went thru different versions, and rounds, and even WORN by different people in testing to ensure this was literally done right the 1st time when released for retail/wholesale.
The Feel:
Again, the headgear has a broken in feel to it. The mini clip has the true fit design so the chin strap isnt slightly too long or too short, and you dont need to poke extra holes in it to get the right fight like the traditional buckle design.
The weight comes in at 11.5 ounce. My all leather Winning weighed in at 10.5 ounce. BTW, here is a link to my FG-2900 review in case you want to a do a side by side comparison.
http://forums.sherdog.com/forums/f67/fg-2900-review-2588823/
So how well does it do in sparring? It does an amazing job. On the outsiders that did try both headgears, to be honest there was a lot of guessing on which headgear they were wearing. If there are differences, they were so minor that they couldn't tell.
The padding is absorbent, light, and ultra protective. Having a lower profile headgear like the FG-2900 or Ring to cage helps avoid any unnecessary damage to the brain. Some of these other companies create something that looks like a football helmet and call it the most protective headgear out there. But if its so large wouldn't avoiding the shot be far more protective than 10000 layers of padding? Hmm, something to consider.
Personally, I see absolutely no difference in the field of vision between either headgear. I know this is probably the biggest gripe and complaint when selecting the proper headgear, is most dont allow a good field of vision so you are either left guessing or left blind. Neither are good to do in sparring.
Protection:
If you are looking for a headgear that rivals the FG-2900, this is it. Its lightweight, takes the edge off shots, has the best field of view, true-fitting.
Like the FG-2900 the no foul protection (back of head) is very minimal. Its kind of a double edged sword because in order to keep the weight down you have to sacrifice padding somewhere. Its not that there isn't padding back there, its just very minimal. Anyone familiar with the FG-2900 will know, and the photos will show as well.
The raised cheeks will mitigate most nose shots, but not all. If you are seeking the best nose protection you will need to look into a Face-saver.
The headgear looks like a piece of armor fully enveloping your face protecting you from all bruises, cuts and other nasty injuries.
The ear protection imo is a bit better in the ring to cage version as the padding is a little more firm and doesn't collapse as much as my FG-2900.
Liner:
Like my FG-2900 this is a liner-less design, so its a leather interior, makes it easy to wipe down, and doesnt get gross after 100s of rounds logged.
Cost:
This part im not too sure about as the headgear will not be available until the 1st week of September. I believe it will cost $99.99
Other thoughts:
I believe you should protect your face and head just as much as your hands. A Lot of us invest tons of cash into our hands but settle for cheap crap when it comes to headgear. If you want one of the BEST headgears on the market and you've been eyeing the FG-2900 for awhile. Look no further, Ring to cage brings you yet another product thats tried and true.
I believe it will only be released in Black with white as pictured here for the initial release.
Score:
A+
I know for years people have been searching for a Headgear that is very comfortable, light weight, and super protective. The answer everyone's echoed is, "Get the Winning FG-2900." But sometimes the Budget doesn't allow for this, so a lot of you become frustrated on what the closest second is...only to find out there really is none that even remotely comes close. Lately, however, there have been some very viable options and in this next review, I hope to highlight the next great budget headgear that should accommodate MOST budgets.
Ring to Cage has been on the up and up, and I know some of you have shunned it because of its name or because you associate with with MMA. Some Boxers wont even give something a chance unless it says Everlast or some other well known brand. But hopefully you'll give this company another look, and maybe, just maybe it might become one of the brands you trust.
In this next piece of gear which was tried, tested, and put thru numerous prototypes. I believe many of you will be very happy if you so desire to purchase this next piece. Now, I want to clear a few things up before I move onto the review. I am NOT a gear maker, nor am I affiliated with ANY company. For some companies I do extensive testing and do give a thumbs up or down, and present ideas on which padding might be more ideal, etc. etc..
Warning:
For those that are tired of seeing Ring to cage reviews, or simply hate the company stop here, exit the review, and find something else to read. There IS life outside of trolling Sherdog. For all others continue with the review!
Fit/Sizing/1st Impressions:
The headgear will be available in two sizes: Small/Medium and Large/XL. These headgears should fit the vast majority of users. The headgear itself is the classic Ring to Cage leather, its semi-flat colored, with a very soft broken in like texture. It isn't as vibrant as other leathers but it indeed is very high quality. When it comes to leathers, take it from me you do not want a boxy, non broken in feel like my old Cleto Reyes headgear. You end up become uncomfortable and have to re-adjust in between rounds which becomes frustrating, and annoying.
The headgear has a lace closure system for the crown and the back of the head. It may take some fine adjusting here and there. But once you have it custom sized using the laces, it will literally fit perfectly much like the FG-2900. The vision is amazing. It is a MAJOR increase over the old Mexican style v.3.0 Ring to cage gear. This one like the FG-2900 allows you to see MOST of the shots incoming. The cheek protectors are beefy yet light so it doesn't feel like your head is throbbing like some of the cheaper headgears on the market. The all leather construction feels cool to the touch, and it doesn't feel like your wearing a plastic bag over your head like some of the synthetic headgears on the market. Keep in mind this is ALL Leather, NOT synthetic.
The headgear comes equipped with a mini clip closure. It is different than the Winning FG-2900. At first, I thought due to its flatter nature it might become un-clipped, but so far it hasn't. The FG-2900 has a more curved clipped which the images will show. Its a very minor difference and I haven't noticed any degradation.
Moving my head side to side, the headgear is Extremely light yet protective. Like I said, it went thru different versions, and rounds, and even WORN by different people in testing to ensure this was literally done right the 1st time when released for retail/wholesale.
The Feel:
Again, the headgear has a broken in feel to it. The mini clip has the true fit design so the chin strap isnt slightly too long or too short, and you dont need to poke extra holes in it to get the right fight like the traditional buckle design.
The weight comes in at 11.5 ounce. My all leather Winning weighed in at 10.5 ounce. BTW, here is a link to my FG-2900 review in case you want to a do a side by side comparison.
http://forums.sherdog.com/forums/f67/fg-2900-review-2588823/
So how well does it do in sparring? It does an amazing job. On the outsiders that did try both headgears, to be honest there was a lot of guessing on which headgear they were wearing. If there are differences, they were so minor that they couldn't tell.
The padding is absorbent, light, and ultra protective. Having a lower profile headgear like the FG-2900 or Ring to cage helps avoid any unnecessary damage to the brain. Some of these other companies create something that looks like a football helmet and call it the most protective headgear out there. But if its so large wouldn't avoiding the shot be far more protective than 10000 layers of padding? Hmm, something to consider.
Personally, I see absolutely no difference in the field of vision between either headgear. I know this is probably the biggest gripe and complaint when selecting the proper headgear, is most dont allow a good field of vision so you are either left guessing or left blind. Neither are good to do in sparring.
Protection:
If you are looking for a headgear that rivals the FG-2900, this is it. Its lightweight, takes the edge off shots, has the best field of view, true-fitting.
Like the FG-2900 the no foul protection (back of head) is very minimal. Its kind of a double edged sword because in order to keep the weight down you have to sacrifice padding somewhere. Its not that there isn't padding back there, its just very minimal. Anyone familiar with the FG-2900 will know, and the photos will show as well.
The raised cheeks will mitigate most nose shots, but not all. If you are seeking the best nose protection you will need to look into a Face-saver.
The headgear looks like a piece of armor fully enveloping your face protecting you from all bruises, cuts and other nasty injuries.
The ear protection imo is a bit better in the ring to cage version as the padding is a little more firm and doesn't collapse as much as my FG-2900.
Liner:
Like my FG-2900 this is a liner-less design, so its a leather interior, makes it easy to wipe down, and doesnt get gross after 100s of rounds logged.
Cost:
This part im not too sure about as the headgear will not be available until the 1st week of September. I believe it will cost $99.99
Other thoughts:
I believe you should protect your face and head just as much as your hands. A Lot of us invest tons of cash into our hands but settle for cheap crap when it comes to headgear. If you want one of the BEST headgears on the market and you've been eyeing the FG-2900 for awhile. Look no further, Ring to cage brings you yet another product thats tried and true.
I believe it will only be released in Black with white as pictured here for the initial release.
Score:
A+
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