Review: Fight Gear Bomber Headgear

One-Liner: Excellent headgear!

Overview:

Before we get into the review of this headgear, make sure you understand why it's a good idea to wear headgear.

Fight Gear's Bomber Headgear is a great piece of equipment. Unlike some headgear, the padding actually helps out with softening shots while still letting you know you got hit. There's an odd little multi-way velcro adjustment in the back that makes sure you can find a tight fit that won't slip around during the middle of a round.

I don't know that the "cool max" lining helps keep you that much cooler but if you sweat it up, I can tell you that it stays slimy and clammy longer than other headgear. But that's neither here nor there because the headgear is MACHINE WASHABLE! Hot damn. Toss it in the washing machine, let it air dry (it can take awhile, so let it sit out on your off-day) and you've basically got new headgear.

The Bomber's durability is great - mine's lasted a couple years and held up nearly perfectly. The only complaints are some of the stitching across the badge on the forehead is unraveling and the hole I use in the chin strap is stretching a little. These are relatively minor concerns and I expect to get a lot more use out of this thing with no problem.

One thing I was pleasantly surprised to find out (yet kind of disappointed at the same time) was that this headgear actually absorbs some of the impact of incoming punches. Unlike other headgear that generally merely protects against headbutts and cuts (and possibly turns not-entirely-flush shots into glancing shots) this headgear actually saved me in a competition - my opponent had me on the ropes and as I tried to swivel out of the way he caught me flush with a stiff cross. I immediately thought "M*therf*fuck, hands up! Waitasecond...wtf? Why am I still standing?" My opponent was apparently thinking the same thing, which gave me a second to finish moving and win the round. Thank you, Bomber head gear!

The Good:

• Machine washable! You have no idea how happy this makes your training partners.
  
  
• Unlike some "stiffer" headgear that merely takes glancing blows and turns them into nothing, this actually has a bit of padding that will take some of the sting off of flush-on punches. Not a substitute for keeping your hands up.
  
  
• Great value for price.
  
  
• Velcro adjustment on the back makes sure it will fit your deformed noggin.

The Bad:

• The chin strap holes can be hard to find on your own and can stretch after repeated use. You may need to have someone help you put it on (or have to leave the chin strap and undo the back velcro).
  
  
• Seems to randomly unravel some of the seams (especially the "badge" on the forehead), but this hasn't affected performance in the year-plus I've had mine.
  
  
• Not suitable for amateur boxing competition, so you'll need to go back to the stiff, leather stuff sometime.
  

Recommendation:

Excellent headgear that will stand up to years of use in the gym.