I'm down to either the rival or gorilla headgear. I know that the rival has a more open face, other than that which offers more protection/impact absorption and comfort?
Rival d3o head gear:
RHG10-d3o INTELLI-SHOCK Headgear - Headgears - Rival Boxing Gear Inc.
Gorilla silverback head gear:
Silverback Training Headgear
Thanks :icon_chee
Have yet to see/try the Gorilla Silverback Headgear for real, but I got my d3o a couple of weeks back and although pricey is almost DEFINATELY worth it. Quick rundown:
Pros:
- D3o: the orange goo looked gimmicky at first but IT WORKS. I am not a scientist and I don't claim to know about all about the "intelligient molecules" and whatnot, but there IS a VERY noticeable difference of being clocked in the head with my new headgear and my old Twins Headgear w/Cheeks. Sure, I can still tell I am getting hit and it sure stings a little, but I am no longer getting headaches after heavy (we're talking about 75%+) sparring.
- Material and craftmanship: leather is thick and the headgear is sewn together nicely. Although I read that it was machine made, I still can't help but think that Rival constantly checked up on the gear they are making cos the construction is awesome.
- Stability: I am a girl and I have mid length hair which usually means after I get hit my headgear will shift and my hair will move in front of my face and block my own vision! However, Rival has prevented this problem as THIS HEADGEAR DOES NOT BUDGE AT ALL. With five adjustment straps (four velcro and one leather) and the nice inner lining, one can ensure the headgear is glued to your head from start till finish.
- Overall comfort.
Cons:
- Hard to put on: unless you have a coach or a friend willing to buckle your chin strap up for you, then you pretty much need to take off your gloves and do it yourself (since the holes are kinda tiny and the leather strap is thin). Kinda annoying- especially if those gloves of yours happen to be lace ups.
- Visibility problems: not much, mind you. only a little. however, there are still blindspots with the cheek protectors and, when you look up, you can see your own forehead protector and nothing else. Again, compared to the other cheek protector headgears I've used, its already very good.
- Design: I don't like flashy stuff and the future robotic look it gives off just does not do it for me.
- Lack of protection for the chin/eyes/nose: not a biggie for me since I have a pretty tight guard (even if I say so myself :redface
but I can see nosebleeds happening cos there is a large gap between the cheekguards. Also, there is nothing to protect your chin either which I find actually find makes the headgear more comfortable to wear but yeah...look out for those uppercuts!
Overall, I think this is a VERY comfortable headgear and where the headgear has padding to protect, it does extremely well (especially the d3o). Impact absorbtion is definately top notch and I would recommend it even though its priced at $129.
