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Riddell Power 2.0


blue32
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15 minutes ago, Rulekeep said:

He went on for a lot longer than three messages and then he almost blocked me for saying something else was more beautiful.

A 40 year old bus driver from Alaska is "more beautiful" than that majesty? I think not. 

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18 hours ago, Razzer said:

I have a few rigs I alternate... but most of my plates this season I have worn the WV Gold.

My only complaint is it does trap heat. I keep telling myself to take out the padding and replace it and the cover with newer breathable materials...will get to it sometime this season. I think I could reduce the heat and the comfort...just need to find the time.

The Gold is an excellent carapace (see below). But, as is fitting to the thread we're posting here in (Riddell Power 2.0), there's a reason the Gold (and Platinum) has the Patent Numbers printed directly on the plastic – it's also why Riddell had to cease making the Power... it was too similar to the Gold, and (my guess is) Wilson found a judge somewhere that couldn't distinguish the differences enough to withhold from ruling that Riddell committed infringement. 

Litigation is perhaps the greatest handicapper of innovation, and why I bet Wilson hasn't been able to improve, change, or upgrade the Gold or Platinum in over ten years. That patent they wear like a medal (printed on the body of the unit) is actually a millstone.

18 hours ago, Stk004 said:

If you do I think there's a lot of members here that'd love to know how you did it. 

Someone paid me a mighty compliment ( @blue32 ?) regarding my tinkering skills. Back in Wisconsin, I had the shop and tools, but never the time (my time was never my own). Now here in Arizona, I have some degree of time, but no shop and minimal tools. If I had my druthers, I would seriously consider rehab'ing CPs and shinguards, using materials like wicking mesh, D3O and memory foam, and hexagonal silicone sheet. One of my fellow umpires, visiting from California, showed me his completely revamped WV Gold... with the foam jacket made of Kevlar. Ho. Lee. Crap. It was beautiful... the entire thing was a third the thickness, the pec wings were perfectly positioned, and once we fitted a RayFlex harness to it, it was one of the most protective-looking rigs I've ever seen. The umpire said the guy who performed the retrofit was former military, and the Kevlar vest work he did... was $250 alone.

Now, I told you all that to tell you this... @Razzer is that sort of artisan. Because he has the shop, tools, _and_ skills, there isn't much that he's unable to accomplish. I think he'll concur, though, what's working against him is cost.

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@MadMax, pretty sure I have paid you the same compliment after getting back my Schutt and wearing it all season (and finding myself liking it more than the Douglas I just purchased as well.)

As for this mythical beast of a one-off Gold. Please tell us you got a photo of this thing! Otherwise it will just be out there in the interwebs ether like the Yeti, Sasquatch, and Loch Ness Monster.

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1 hour ago, MadMax said:

The Gold is an excellent carapace (see below). But, as is fitting to the thread we're posting here in (Riddell Power 2.0), there's a reason the Gold (and Platinum) has the Patent Numbers printed directly on the plastic – it's also why Riddell had to cease making the Power... it was too similar to the Gold, and (my guess is) Wilson found a judge somewhere that couldn't distinguish the differences enough to withhold from ruling that Riddell committed infringement. 

Litigation is perhaps the greatest handicapper of innovation, and why I bet Wilson hasn't been able to improve, change, or upgrade the Gold or Platinum in over ten years. That patent they wear like a medal (printed on the body of the unit) is actually a millstone.

Someone paid me a mighty compliment ( @blue32 ?) regarding my tinkering skills. Back in Wisconsin, I had the shop and tools, but never the time (my time was never my own). Now here in Arizona, I have some degree of time, but no shop and minimal tools. If I had my druthers, I would seriously consider rehab'ing CPs and shinguards, using materials like wicking mesh, D3O and memory foam, and hexagonal silicone sheet. One of my fellow umpires, visiting from California, showed me his completely revamped WV Gold... with the foam jacket made of Kevlar. Ho. Lee. Crap. It was beautiful... the entire thing was a third the thickness, the pec wings were perfectly positioned, and once we fitted a RayFlex harness to it, it was one of the most protective-looking rigs I've ever seen. The umpire said the guy who performed the retrofit was former military, and the Kevlar vest work he did... was $250 alone.

Now, I told you all that to tell you this... @Razzer is that sort of artisan. Because he has the shop, tools, _and_ skills, there isn't much that he's unable to accomplish. I think he'll concur, though, what's working against him is cost.

Need to see the gold with the Kevlar!

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Spot on Max

Plan is to work on a cp here by using my pals who are building hockey gear. Once I have the rig I want it will be sent to one of my many contacts in China where I will have 20-30 samples made. Test those samples and make any changes and do a limited run of 200 units to test the water. It ca be done and I believe I can find a price point that works for the end user.

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1 hour ago, Razzer said:

Spot on Max

Plan is to work on a cp here by using my pals who are building hockey gear. Once I have the rig I want it will be sent to one of my many contacts in China where I will have 20-30 samples made. Test those samples and make any changes and do a limited run of 200 units to test the water. It ca be done and I believe I can find a price point that works for the end user.

Are you willing to give  an idea of the price point of the UL cp?

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3 hours ago, MadMax said:

The Gold is an excellent carapace (see below). But, as is fitting to the thread we're posting here in (Riddell Power 2.0), there's a reason the Gold (and Platinum) has the Patent Numbers printed directly on the plastic – it's also why Riddell had to cease making the Power... it was too similar to the Gold, and (my guess is) Wilson found a judge somewhere that couldn't distinguish the differences enough to withhold from ruling that Riddell committed infringement. 

Litigation is perhaps the greatest handicapper of innovation, and why I bet Wilson hasn't been able to improve, change, or upgrade the Gold or Platinum in over ten years. That patent they wear like a medal (printed on the body of the unit) is actually a millstone.

Someone paid me a mighty compliment ( @blue32 ?) regarding my tinkering skills. Back in Wisconsin, I had the shop and tools, but never the time (my time was never my own). Now here in Arizona, I have some degree of time, but no shop and minimal tools. If I had my druthers, I would seriously consider rehab'ing CPs and shinguards, using materials like wicking mesh, D3O and memory foam, and hexagonal silicone sheet. One of my fellow umpires, visiting from California, showed me his completely revamped WV Gold... with the foam jacket made of Kevlar. Ho. Lee. Crap. It was beautiful... the entire thing was a third the thickness, the pec wings were perfectly positioned, and once we fitted a RayFlex harness to it, it was one of the most protective-looking rigs I've ever seen. The umpire said the guy who performed the retrofit was former military, and the Kevlar vest work he did... was $250 alone.

Now, I told you all that to tell you this... @Razzer is that sort of artisan. Because he has the shop, tools, _and_ skills, there isn't much that he's unable to accomplish. I think he'll concur, though, what's working against him is cost.

A CP made with Kevlar. ...  sounds. ... heavy.   

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5 hours ago, BrianC14 said:

A CP made with Kevlar. ...  sounds. ... heavy.   

Force 3 has never been afraid of heavy..... even though their shin guards are remarkably light (shameless plug). 

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4 hours ago, kylejt said:

I would think the one hitch in producing protective gear would be liability insurance.

Gee, ya think? Insurance is one of the primary ethereal costs that drive prices on many products and services through to near-unaffordable levels. It often stifles creativity and great ideas.

14 hours ago, BT_Blue said:

As for this mythical beast of a one-off Gold. Please tell us you got a photo of this thing! Otherwise it will just be out there in the interwebs ether like the Yeti, Sasquatch, and Loch Ness Monster.

 

13 hours ago, mbkcoach said:

Need to see the gold with the Kevlar!

 

11 hours ago, BrianC14 said:

A CP made with Kevlar. ...  sounds. ... heavy.   

I posted the photos of this Kevlar-retrofitted Gold here:

 

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4 hours ago, mbkcoach said:

The kevlar retrofitted gold looks like a Team Wendy to me.

Me too, and that tag looks just like the one they put on the TW retrofit pad, in the same location as well. Hmm.

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7 hours ago, mbkcoach said:

The kevlar retrofitted gold looks like a Team Wendy to me.

 

3 hours ago, blue32 said:

Me too, and that tag looks just like the one they put on the TW retrofit pad, in the same location as well. Hmm.

Guys, I have to believe my colleague on this one... I felt it, and it doesn't feel like Zorbium. He's former military, and the guy who did this conversion was one of his compatriots. He stated that it was $250 or so to convert it to Kevlar. This thing had that Kevlar heft to it, too, like a Force3 UnEqual.

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I get it, max, and I am not questioning you at all. You are going off of what a friend was telling you, but you gotta admit....the tag, the fabric, everything about how this looks screams Team Wendy. Maybe he thought it had kevlar because of their work with military helmets and such? Or maybe it is a TW and he has a connection there being former military himself, and he had them add it? (Not sure why you would need kevlar under a hard shell, unless you occasionally work the Baghdad summer wood bat league.)

As far as the heft, I have not owned one, but I thought I read that the TW retrofit does add significant weight to the vest. Those that have them can chime in.

 

 

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