Reebok Larceny review

I guess you could say I was a bit skeptical about the new Reebok Larceny equipment for 2011. Coming from a set of Revokes and Vaughn V4’s, I wasn’t really sure what to expect with Reeboks new lineup.

I can honestly say I was presently surprised by the new gear. When I hear Reebok goalie gear, I immediately think of the Premier/Revoke line-ups. The Larceny pads are a step away from the traditional Reeboks, but I believe in the right direction.

All Larceny gear is being made overseas, but quality wise I would put it up against any Canadian made pro gear without hesitation. The materials and stitching look just as good if not better than some companies Canadian made pads.

The customization on the Larceny gear is pretty limited. Here’s a quick break down of the custom options…
Leg Pads:
Single or Double Break
Narrow Fit or Wide Fit Leg Channel
Adjustable or Fixed Strapping
Black or White Leg Channel Color
Standard Lacing or Buckle Toe Arrangement

Catcher:
Lacing color
Standard Wrist Strap or Leather Wrist Strap

Blocker:
Palm Size

The graphics on the Larceny are hit or miss with most people. I like the new graphic; I feel it gives you a lot of ways to redesign the graphic by just going color on color. There are a total of 10 areas that can be colored, much more than any other Reebok pad.

I found the sizing to be a bit weird. I’m coming from a 34+1 Revoke and 35+1 Vaughn V4. I was lucky enough to get a 34+2 Larceny to size up this set. I never would have thought of ordering a 3” thigh rise (33”+3” is my Larceny size). If you plan to order these leg pads, I’d highly suggest finding a pair to try on first to assure sizing.

Now onto the review…
One cool feature on the leg pads are the new toe attachment system. The Larceny PRO pads will come with standard lacing and the rubber attachment pictured below.





It can either just be ran straight through the cowling, or you can have them cross. See pictures below for reference.






Here is a quick side profile of the pad, showing the adjustable strapping and thickness of the thigh rise. I haven’t found a need to mess around with my strapping too much. I was skeptical about the thickness of the thighrise, but I haven’t noticed any issues thus far. There is still plenty of flex in the upper half of the pad, which was my main concern with the thickness.





Here is a quick picture of the knee block set-up and strapping through the block. Notice the one replaceable strap.





Probably my favorite pieces of the leg pads are the double boot straps and flexible boot. I love a flexible boot and that is exactly what this pad offers. Not only is the boot much softer but the double boot strap really helps with the movement in the boot. (the cord that attaches the two outside flaps is a nice touch)




Pictured below is the inside of the narrow fit leg channel. As you can see it is a 1 piece leg channel, meaning there is no seam between the calf channel and knee landing. It gets narrower as the channel get closer to the boot. The NUBUCK antimicrobial material on the inside of the leg channel is very comfortable and soft, give me a pillow and I’ll crawl in and take a nap. This material is found inside the glove and blocker as well. Easily one of the most comfortable pads while in the butterfly position. The narrow fit leg channel offers tons of control, while not feeling restricted.





The landing or sliding gear is much wider then my revokes or V4’s. I found this offers me more control and stability when sliding in my butterfly.




Reebok went with a new thigh guard this year. If you see the pictures below, there is a portion of the thigh guard that is meant to tuck into the knee cradle. I struggled a bit with the thigh guard popping out of the knee landing and sitting atop of the knee blocks.. I contacted Reebok about my issue and they informed me a version 2 thigh guard has already been made and they are sending me a free replacemet. I will update this review with pictures of the new thigh guards when they arrive.






Now onto the catcher, this is the piece that I was most surprised by. I had seen a couple preproduction gloves that just didn’t sit right on my hand. I had gotten so accustomed to my Revoke 590 break 1 piece cuff catcher, I didn’t think Reebok could make a better glove for my style. Right out of the box the mitt had a really nice easy closure. The break feels like it’s about ½” lower on my hand then my Revoke 590 and sits very deep on my hand. The super comfortable NUBUCK material found on the inside of the leg pad channel, is covering the inside of the catcher. The only downside I found to this material was that when it got wet it was really tacky and hard to get your hand back into the glove if taken out. I was having zero issues with pop outs and the glove seals up nicely to the ice when covering the puck. The thumb tunnel has a nice contoured design that directs puts into the pocket. I was a bit disappointed with the webbing wrist strap. I had originally ordered the leather wrist strap, but because I was one of the first sets made the leather wrist strap option was not available yet.





The backhand has multiple pieces of EPE foam that offer a ton of protection without adding unwanted weight.





The glove has three straps on the inside; the webbing wrist strap, back of the hand strap, and a finger strap. I struggle with tightening that webbing wrist strap, the leather strap would eliminate these issues. It does have individual finger stalls and the tackiness of the NUBUCK material, so it really holds your hand in there. The NUBUCK material keeps your fingers from slipping and allows a quicker reaction time while closing the catcher. (A small but nice detail is how the backhand opens up completely.)






The blocker feels very well balanced. The inside deflection board offers a lot of protection while covering my 6th hole. The cuff is rather loose, so it allows ample movement in my wrist when punching the puck to the corner. I struggle with most blockers index finger protector, however the Larceny’s index protector is built into the other finger protection so I didn’t run into any interference issues. It is binding less board, so it covers a bit more then my revoke blocker. The NUBUCK palm is very soft and I like that each finger tip is double layered for durability.







Well, that’s about all I’ve got right now. I hope to have more feedback over the coming months. If there are any questions feel free to ask. If you’d like more pictures I’d be happy to take them.

Thanks for reading !
Jim Martin

i like the thickness of them, right to the top of the thighrise.....beefy like chef boyardee