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Douglas shins


tpatience
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4 minutes ago, tpatience said:

Anyone use the Douglas grey shins? I have a good deal on the table and just wondering how they are. Thanks 

I'd rate them above the Honigs line and the black Wilsons that came out in the late 90s. I preferred them to my S7s, but I'd say that they're a little below that for most people. 

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They're hot and large.   You'll definitely need plate pants.  Mine squeaked too when I got into my stance. 

But they are bullet-proof and cover everything.  I took the 2nd knee off of mine as they're hard to put on without a dressing room.  Dressing in parking lots, I can't not wear pants while I put on shins, so I removed the 2nd knee and they went on much easier for me.

After F3, it'd be really hard to go back to them again. 

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I think they are much better than the gray Wilson’s (these have that triple knee and feel far more robust and form fitting) and better than the black Wilson’s as they are much lighter and more comfortable.

I also like the idea of supporting a company like Douglas vs Wilson.

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On 1/23/2021 at 3:24 AM, tpatience said:

Anyone use the Douglas grey shins? I have a good deal on the table and just wondering how they are. Thanks 

Just like Wilson Golds really.  I use the original West Vest Douglas shins.  I had Jeff Cook put plastic connectors on them, so no squeek for me.  I don't find them overly hot, or overly large.  They have great coverage, and bullet-proof.

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14 minutes ago, Thunderheads said:

Just like Wilson Golds really.  I use the original West Vest Douglas shins.  I had Jeff Cook put plastic connectors on them, so no squeek for me.  I don't find them overly hot, or overly large.  They have great coverage, and bullet-proof.

I would say (alluding to my original post) that what puts them above the Golds is that they are "permanently" assembled and not held together by straps on each component. I hated that my Golds would disassemble themselves because of the Velcro.

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4 hours ago, Matt said:

I hated that my Golds would disassemble themselves because of the Velcro.

Oh, but that was the feature, Matt (and everyone else)! Wilson had just won a coup, and knocked out two of their chief rivals with Velcro tabs, so why not push even further and showcase the Velcro on everything?? 

I’ll also say, the difference in build quality – and location – between Wilson and Douglas becomes apparent in the shinguards. Because Douglas is made here in the USA, the plastic on the carapace plates can be denser and the shapes can be... curvier. By contrast, with shipping weight and box volume at a premium for Wilson’s Chinese production facilities, every weight-shaving, profit-maximizing trick was employed. The plastic is less dense, Velcro will be favored over (heavier) rivets, and the Wilson shin plates (especially on the Platinums) have this trained habit of flattening out. 

And don’t get me started on the prodigious use of upholstery foam and nylon!

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