Custom Dillon New Image Goalie Mask Review

I originally posted this over at the GSBB but felt it would do some good to re-post it over here.

Custom Dillon Mask Review


When I first joined this board around 2002, a Dillon mask was one of the highly coveted brands. I remember first seeing pictures of Old Swiss' Dillon Mask painted by Pepe and I immediately wanted one. Back then, the idea of a custom goalie mask was not really in the realm of possibility. Years later when getting a custom mask is more in reach, I start to seriously consider the idea of getting one built. About a month ago, I saw a post that Bob Dillon was going to start building masks for us regular joes once again in partnership with New image Goalie Masks, and I decided I was going to pull the trigger. I immediately sent out an email to Ray at New Image to get some more info. The pricing seemed pretty similar to what the other custom guys charge, was told it would come with a custom embroidered bag, cat eye cage, etc. Everything sounded good and fair. I finally decided to adopt the old adage that the head is the most important part of your body. If I have been shelling out 4-figures for leg pads, I shouldn't have an issue doing so for my brain.


One of the main things that held me back in getting a custom mask about 2 years ago when I was in the market to get a new lid was me being timid about trying to get a mold of my face done properly without screwing it up and ending up with a goalie mask costing 4-figures and not fitting me right. As luck would have it, Bob Dillon works only about 2 hours from me. This was great news as the other two guys I had been considering (Pro's Choice and Cubberly) were quite a bit farther away from me. I asked about trying to get down to Bob's shop some time in December to get a mold done, explaining that I was near the Washington DC area. As luck would have it, I had contacted Bob at the perfect time; He was going to be traveling up to Washington DC to drop off Craig Anderson's new mask at the Verizon Center on December 3rd for his game vs the Capitals. Bob said he could come by my home and do my mold for me. This was excellent as it saved me a 2 hour drive down to get the mold done. With everything sounding great, I went ahead and booked the appointment and mask building. Ray at New Image also asked me to snap some photos of the mold process and to write up a review of the process once it was all done, which I was happy to do (with the assistance of my girlfriend snapping some photos of me being mummified!).


Meeting Bob Dillon was a great pleasure. He is a really funny and down to earth guy. We chatted about various things like the NHL goalies he has done work for, the politics of bigger brands paying guys to wear their masks, etc. I even got a chance to check out Craig Anderson's mask painted by John Pepe that he was delivering later that day. It was pretty cool to have a hands-on look at an NHL goalie's mask and get to check out what my future lid would look like.


Getting the mold done was an interesting process. It was pretty quick. I was surprised at how easy it seemed. Bob covered my hair with a swimmer's cap, and covered my entire face and the cap with vaseline. He then proceeded to apply plaster bandages over my face. I later learned this is only one of various molding techniques. Once my eyes and mouth were covered and I was only breathing through my nose, it did feel a little "cozy" in there. Luckily I wasn't congested at all that day and I had no breathing issues.


Here are some pics from the molding process. Some I posted earlier in the Dillon Thread.

Thanks, and the price was $1,500 US.