Safety wise...what is the opinion on the better helmets out there?
All Star/UA is supposed to be the best. Not sure about that. They are expensive though. Easton makes solid gear.,I've been anticipating the release of this helmet for a while, encouraged by the pics and info I've seen, in hopes of finding a helmet that does a better job with head impacts...and one my DD likes. It arrived today.
Thoughts and observations...
Easton got a lot of stuff right with this helmet, including improved padding materials and no forehead cage mounts. The main pads include 2 different materials - one soft, and one that squishes with some force applied to it (not rigid like EPS). In my estimation, these materials will do a good job of absorbing and dispersing impact energy. The marketing notes for the helmet mention PoronXRD padding material (good stuff!) in the crown of the helmet. I was expecting more than the two yellow strips.
Overall, my impression is that it isn't as full of safety features as the Force3 helmets (which struggles with appearance issues), but is on par with the All-Star. It's definitely a step forward for Easton, but not a huge revolution.
All Star/UA is supposed to be the best. Not sure about that. They are expensive though. Easton makes solid gear.,
We have the Prowess Adult set but we prefer the Diamond Pro IX5 gear. Also like Rawlings Velo gear. Not much changes in catchers gear. I mean really innovative stuff. Really just colors/design cosmetic stuff.
I wear the Diamond IX5 and love it. Another plus which nobody else has caught on to that I know if is the plastic clips. Much easier/faster to get shin guards on/off. My daughter has adult Prowess gear but uses my Diamond shin guards. They stay in place and easy on easy off.As you know, neither Emily or myself where big fans of Easton gear since the longevity and overall protection was lacking. As you said, It looks like a nice step up from their past offerings but still lacking IMO. I'm looking at the Schutte S3.5 or the Diamond IX5 series for her next set. She currently has the Schutte S3.2 series and quite honestly, I have yet to find a helmet I have more confidence in protection-wise than her current one since she's taken numerous hard shots that don't affect her whereas those same shots gave her a concussion with a Wilson Pro and an All-Stars helmet both. JMO
OTOH, I'm extremely glad your catcher-beast likes it!
Everybody has their favorites. I see Softball.com is pushing the Force 3 you mentioned. Slugger also made a good set in series 5 & 7. That was our 1st set.The All-Star System 7 helmet is great, and includes a lot of the features that Easton and Wilson have started to include on their latest models. For some girls, however, the fit of one or the other is a deal-breaker. For my DD, the All-Star was a no-go because of fit.
From what I can see, Diamond and Rawlings are lagging behind the others in terms of cage mounting improvements.
I would agree that catcher's gear evolves slowly. Unfortunately, some of the best designs have come and gone - Wilson FX2.0 helmet, and Wilson ProMotion chest protector. Force3 is making some big steps for increased head protection, but their form is still a little bit on the clunky side.