DIY visor/cage combo

[gosinger 122]

Hi,

recently I received an older bucket with a visor instead of my usual Rbk 6k + cage. While I loved the great "view" on the visor, the amount of high sticks in our games/practices has got me a little bit concerned. All the visor/cage combos I tried in the past (granted, only 2-4 models) had a "row" of cage above the visor part, which (maybe just in my head) messed with my view when I got down (too?) low. Plus the usual fogging issues.

So today after having watched a local game and a few beers I decided I could just make my own visor/cage combo, but without the annoying cage top-row. So I dug up an old Easton S9 cage (it has a little metal pad that now serves as mount-point for the visor), took a saw to it to remove a few parts of the cage, mounted the visor as high as possible and removed all the sharp edges with a rasp. It looks sturdy, the view is great (as to be expected with a visor) and my teeth are no longer in danger from high-sticks. The mounting holes are the same spacing as on the helmet, so I should be able to fit any visor on there (new Bauer already in the mail).

Now for some pics, tell me what you think - I'm so excited to try this bucket tomorrow :)

(The gap isn't as wide as it seems - puck wouldn't fit through)

Mount-closeup:

[Chadd 916]

I play in a USA Hockey sanctioned league, so something like that would not be permitted in our league. Modified gear like that is not allowed.

[interpathway 9]

$10 says that any USA Hockey referee skating my late night Tuesday games wouldn't bat an eyelash at that. Looks great, and will certainly fit the bill you were looking for.

Only downside is that you don't have any assurance against a catastrophic tragedy.

[IPv6Freely 2087]

It's honestly well done. Too bad about the bit Chadd mentioned ;)

[gosinger 122]

Over here (Austria) in a rec-league plus a few weekly training sessions I've never seen any calls for modified equipment (but I will check the rulebook, and keep a spare bucket at the rink just to be sure - thanks for the hint). I don't think the insurance is gonna be a problem, as long as they don't know about modifications in case of an accident they wouldn't find out I suppose (hockey isn't really a common sport over here, so no experts available).

Thanks for the positive input on the build

[hockeyguy1 1]

Hi,

recently I received an older bucket with a visor instead of my usual Rbk 6k + cage. While I loved the great "view" on the visor, the amount of high sticks in our games/practices has got me a little bit concerned. All the visor/cage combos I tried in the past (granted, only 2-4 models) had a "row" of cage above the visor part, which (maybe just in my head) messed with my view when I got down (too?) low. Plus the usual fogging issues.

So today after having watched a local game and a few beers I decided I could just make my own visor/cage combo, but without the annoying cage top-row. So I dug up an old Easton S9 cage (it has a little metal pad that now serves as mount-point for the visor), took a saw to it to remove a few parts of the cage, mounted the visor as high as possible and removed all the sharp edges with a rasp. It looks sturdy, the view is great (as to be expected with a visor) and my teeth are no longer in danger from high-sticks. The mounting holes are the same spacing as on the helmet, so I should be able to fit any visor on there (new Bauer already in the mail).

Now for some pics, tell me what you think - I'm so excited to try this bucket tomorrow :)

(The gap isn't as wide as it seems - puck wouldn't fit through)

Mount-closeup:

you were talking about not taking any more sticks to the teeth, curious to know if you ever wore a mouth guard?

[gosinger 122]

you were talking about not taking any more sticks to the teeth, curious to know if you ever wore a mouth guard?

Yes, when wearing the visor only I wore a boil&bite mouth-guard, but that didn't feel like sufficient protection (esp. lower teeth, jaw).

[t6lock 24]

i like the idea, but can the cage portion pivot to get a tight fit on ur chin? if it doesnt then i would assume its either really loose fitting or really hard to put on

[gosinger 122]

i like the idea, but can the cage portion pivot to get a tight fit on ur chin? if it doesnt then i would assume its either really loose fitting or really hard to put on

I hope I understand the question correctly: yes, it can pivot up/down, when the helmet is on and the cage-straps are clipped in the chin-cup sits slightly ahead of my chin and is touching the J-clips. When putting it on I can pivot it up to almost 90° (a little less than the pure cage could because I needed the tape in the middle to keep the top-clips in line with the cage as they were previously held in place by the now-removed bars - but this removes any sideways-pivoting ability/problem for the cage), so no problem putting it on even with glasses.

Practice starts in 2 hours, still excited and only a little bit scared ;)

[BraveFart 1]

I hope I understand the question correctly: yes, it can pivot up/down, when the helmet is on and the cage-straps are clipped in the chin-cup sits slightly ahead of my chin and is touching the J-clips. When putting it on I can pivot it up to almost 90° (a little less than the pure cage could because I needed the tape in the middle to keep the top-clips in line with the cage as they were previously held in place by the now-removed bars - but this removes any sideways-pivoting ability/problem for the cage), so no problem putting it on even with glasses.

Practice starts in 2 hours, still excited and only a little bit scared ;)

Looks good. But, let me ask you this - what's the price/cost of your safety?

[Steve_v3 275]

I ran into someone who had a junior cage instead of an adult that fit. The bottom of his cage broke the plate above his upper teeth. I like the look but I would go with something proven to be safe.

[Fred 0]

I don't know a cent about it, but this is a "hack" from the guy, but I saw this guy that plays for my local top league team that is playing with this setup right now:

What do you think? Refs are not complaining, and it's Italy top league..

[Neal 41]

I like the concept and everything has to be a prototype some time, right?

The only improvement I'd look to make is around the holes you have for the shield to mount to the cage. It appears that there is very little material left there. I would be concerned about that being a weak point, especially if there is any flex whatsoever. The flexing motion can add fatigue quickly.

Perhaps you could look at thickening the shield at that point by using an appropriate adhesive to secure an additonal layer of shield material. Or you could take advantage of the existing slots to mount the extra material with short bolts and nuts.

[jsykes 35]

Or, you could just get a Bauer 920 deluxe cage/visor combo. And its fully certified.

[Chadd 916]

What do you think? Refs are not complaining, and it's Italy top league..

Most pro leagues only allow full facial protection for guys that are injured, and the stuff they use is often heavily modified. I don't know the specific rules for the Italian pro league.

[gosinger 122]

First practice with the new cage/visor over, and it went without a problem. Loads of questions in the dressing room, plus a few offers of visors that ppl have shelved somewhere cos they don't want to risk wearing them at our level of play No fogging, no shifting, and the visor didn't move when being checked into the glass or in pushing contests at the boards. So far I'm satisfied.

The only improvement I'd look to make is around the holes you have for the shield to mount to the cage. It appears that there is very little material left there. I would be concerned about that being a weak point, especially if there is any flex whatsoever. The flexing motion can add fatigue quickly.

Perhaps you could look at thickening the shield at that point by using an appropriate adhesive to secure an additonal layer of shield material. Or you could take advantage of the existing slots to mount the extra material with short bolts and nuts.

Good ideal with the additional layer, I'll ask a metalworker friend what he thinks is the best method. The plate is pretty tough metal, but just 1mm thick, so yeah, anything that adds additional support sounds like a good idea. Maybe I'll create a plastic spacer in the meantime that fits in the crevice between the plate and the connected care-bars to reduce flexing?

Or, you could just get a Bauer 920 deluxe cage/visor combo. And its fully certified.

I did take a look at that one, but also a row of bars (even if they are clear plastic) on top above the visor part :( But there was a suggestion in the locker-room today that I should add additional padding on the top of the head for the helmet so it sits higher on my forehead so I wouldn't notice them as-much - might try that when shopping for a new bucket, cos the 6k just fits my head perfectly as-is, and that would probably be ruined by adding additional padding that lifts the front.

Most pro leagues only allow full facial protection for guys that are injured, and the stuff they use is often heavily modified. I don't know the specific rules for the Italian pro league.

Really? Didn't know about that one, another day another important detail learned :) It's tough being a motivated hockey player but not following the sport (or any team) at all - still looking forward to a ref-training in a few months so I get the details about which rules are actually enforced in our league.

[IPv6Freely 2087]

Yea, I really don't think that that player is going to be wearing that full-time. It's most likely being worn to protect a broken jaw.

See Teemu:

And this is what Roenick wore when he had a broken jaw:

So yeah, I really don't think its a fashion statement or a new style of cage or anything. It's a medical thing.

I'm also truly shocked that you even notice the bars at the top of the cage. Do you not skate with your head up? (that's not to sound condescending, I just really can't imagine how it could be a problem)

[Fred 0]

Most pro leagues only allow full facial protection for guys that are injured, and the stuff they use is often heavily modified. I don't know the specific rules for the Italian pro league.

Yeah i was wondering because that one the guy is wearing looks some kind of a "mod" homemade by our equipment guy

The guy actually was injured some weeks ago, even if was just teeth and not jaw..

About rules, they apply all IIHF rules (that I have to admit, don't know)..

[gosinger 122]

I'm also truly shocked that you even notice the bars at the top of the cage. Do you not skate with your head up? (that's not to sound condescending, I just really can't imagine how it could be a problem)

Head positioning keeps getting better (butt out, back straight), but I still sometimes have pucks in my feet or similar when I have to look down, and then the additional "focuspoints" on the bars annoy me when looking up. Plus taking a faceoff when watching the opposing stick + refs hand I had major issues with the combo cages that featured a top-row of bars. Most helmets front corner sit about a finger above my eyebrows, maybe it's a problem with head-shape that they sit lower for me than other people who don't notice it as much because of that?

[IPv6Freely 2087]

Head positioning keeps getting better (butt out, back straight), but I still sometimes have pucks in my feet or similar when I have to look down, and then the additional "focuspoints" on the bars annoy me when looking up. Plus taking a faceoff when watching the opposing stick + refs hand I had major issues with the combo cages that featured a top-row of bars. Most helmets front corner sit about a finger above my eyebrows, maybe it's a problem with head-shape that they sit lower for me than other people who don't notice it as much because of that?

Maybe try a Boulder shield? The visor part of it seems to extend upwards more than most:

[gosinger 122]

Thanks for the hint Reim, I already contacted them for shipping quotes - lets see if I can get a few others on board as-well to do cimbined shipping, customs, and so on.

[Neal 41]

Good ideal with the additional layer, I'll ask a metalworker friend what he thinks is the best method. The plate is pretty tough metal, but just 1mm thick, so yeah, anything that adds additional support sounds like a good idea. Maybe I'll create a plastic spacer in the meantime that fits in the crevice between the plate and the connected care-bars to reduce flexing?

I'm actually less concerned about the metal than the half shield. It looks like you've drilled new holes behind the stock slots and it seems like that will have weakened the shield.

[gosinger 122]

I'm actually less concerned about the metal than the half shield. It looks like you've drilled new holes behind the stock slots and it seems like that will have weakened the shield.

Ah, ok - nah, the half-shield was an old damaged one I salvaged from a cheap ebay helmet - the back support of the shield was busted. This is how it looks with the new visor that i received today:

Using the mounting holes/slots provided by the visor

A little smaller than the previous visor: