Category: Gear (Page 23 of 25)

When I first heard about G-Form’s new line of sports protective gear, I immediately visited their website to see if they made anything for soccer players. After all, while it’s good to have some sort of protection to help reduce the chance of bone breaks, typical shin guards (at least the ones that don’t cost a pretty penny) tend to be somewhat bulky, and I was looking for a more form-fitting substitute. But while the company insists that such a product is currently in development, there haven’t been any updates in nearly a year. G-Form does make a pair of all-purpose shin pads that are designed for impact sports, however, so I decided to give them a try instead.

What makes G-Form’s products so unique is the material that they’re made from. By utilizing Reactive Protection Technology (RPT) featuring the amazing PORON XRD material, the padding absorbs over 90% of the energy from high-speed impact. This lightweight and flexible material conforms to your body and instantly firms up to form a protective shell upon contact. It sounds too good to be true, I know, so instead of just taking their word for it, I decided to do a little test of my own involving a hammer and the usually fragile underside of a CD. While the unprotected CD cracked upon the first strike as expected, when I covered it up with a G-Form shin pad, I could hit it as hard and as many times as I wanted without so much as a scuff on the material.

The pads are also really comfortable and less intrusive than your average shin guard, and the fact that you can throw them into the washer machine is a big plus. But if there’s one criticism, it’s that while they’re easy to get onto your leg, they’re a pain to get off because the padding is hard to maneuver over your ankle. Besides that minor flaw, however, G-Form’s shin pads work every bit as well as advertised. They may seem a bit pricey at $50, but once you see them in action, you’ll know that it was money well spent.