Custom Bats Cricket Forum
Equipment => Pads => Topic started by: tim2000s on January 20, 2014, 10:44:26 PM
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With the new designs shown by iconic, and a comment by pro cricketer, what is your take on softs? Are they a way of rounding off and advertising brand, or do you think the should show some innovation and try and be more than me too?
As a fan of the puma stormtrooper pads, I'm definitely in the latter camp, but I see many of the new items that we see from brands, big and small alike, showing next to nothing new. Where are the new protective technologies? Or is it that the oldest ideas just work the best, or rather sell the best?
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Big brands stick to pretty regular designs for a reason and the small guys are just using one of a couple of companies so are bound to be similar. For me they are simply rounding off a brand. Just personal opinion though
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They're there to protect your legs, they all do the same and give or take a few details they're 90% the same product. (But given their purpose is there much room for deviation style wise?)
As long as they match your bat and gloves anything goes ;)
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Is there much more to be done in the soft market? Are all avenues not been taken in terms of design.
You have sausage gloves, and non sausage(weather square or shark toothed) but there isn't much else, there all just slight design changes and diff colours. Is there a third option or a fourth?
Kook have mittens but they don't offer huge flexibility and are just a gimmick.
Pads, you have traditional and storm trooper. You have 2 strap and 3 strap. Rests is just slight tweeks on design and again colour changes.
Thir third option will be stretton fox esque batting pads. That will fit under your trousers, very light and compact.
But will the small pad be a godsend(less lbw chance) or a bad thing(bat pad gap grown and ball sneaking through)
Materials? There is leather, there is pu, there has been carbon fibre used, there has been Kevlar, there is mesh.
Is there any other materials to use on pads and gloves? I'm not sure. Myself. Does the need to be?
I suppose gloves could be lighter, more compact and more flexibly. So yeah that could be improved.
So to me softs, they are a necessity for us to buy, but merely an item that can be matched to ones bat for the manufacturers. As IMO, putting r and d into these two products is money wasted.
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I'm surprised there has been less innovation in this area. I thought that maybe someone (like Stretton Fox and Ayrtek have done with their protection) would have entered the market with something that pushed the boundaries. However when you see how badly those Aero pads did then you can understand why there are fewer brands wanting to take a chance.
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Pretty hard area to innovate in with all the manufacturing done in India, and the designs just get sent off as usually slight amends to previous designs as they're not the easiest to work with to get these things correct.
Could get a 3D product designer to innovate and send them across to India, to be made but their tooling isn't really up to it. It's still very manual. And China for softs has yet to be massively explored, except by Aero who's innovative pads flopped after investing in expensive moulding.
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But I think Aero had the right idea, and I think it needs to be applied to gloves. Judicious use of materials to deflect the ball, not just allow it to trap fingers against the handle of the bat? We have some interesting enough materials now that this must be possible, if odd looking?
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From my point of view I think softs are an essential part of a companies brand identity. I think firstly they can say a lot about your aspirations as a brand, and also can instantly tell customers a lot about your brand too. We all look at our bats as an indicator of quality, but I think the time and attention paid to softs can also give a good insight to how companies want their brand to be shown. I think not only with quality, but with regards to style. I think there is a clear divide between the original route, and the more modern look. But I think there is a good mix of this with a lot of brands too.
Well all know that softs have a job to do, but as well as being functional we all like to look good wearing them too. So I think sometimes it can be a little difficult for brands to break the mould and try something really radical. As you guys have already touched on it all costs money after all, and everyone likes different things. So I think its about finding a happy medium between providing a great quality product, and also something that can appeal to as many people as possible.
That's my view from the inside :)
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But I think Aero had the right idea, and I think it needs to be applied to gloves. Judicious use of materials to deflect the ball, not just allow it to trap fingers against the handle of the bat? We have some interesting enough materials now that this must be possible, if odd looking?
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Without doubt it's possible. But there is a case of who will spend the time innovating this whilst the current, less innovative gear sells.
Cricket companies are generally small with majority of staff focussed on the production and distribution side of the business, rather than R&D. It's a shame Adidas/Nike/Puma who would have such teams, haven't invested in this area of cricket - but I guess it's no surprise as their main aim is brand awareness. Research and design only happens in bats because the batmakers are here, and they're willing to have a play.
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Without doubt it's possible. But there is a case of who will spend the time innovating this whilst the current, less innovative gear sells.
Cricket companies are generally small with majority of staff focussed on the production and distribution side of the business, rather than R&D. It's a shame Adidas/Nike/Puma who would have such teams, haven't invested in this area of cricket - but I guess it's no surprise as their main aim is brand awareness. Research and design only happens in bats because the batmakers are here, and they're willing to have a play.
There will come a time where a company will come along, like Logitech in IT peripherals, and concentrate on producing the best softs we have ever seen... Unfortunately, Cricket is a sport not known for innovation so we might be waiting a while!
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Agree, it is normally the small companies which innovate the best.
If this did occur then the lads who need their kit and bat to match would be (No Swearing Please)! Unless SoftCo produced complimentary ranges for the bats in each bat makers range?
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Innovation is the key, very little leeway with designs as they have to be useful but I think materials and shape are the key.
Lighter and stronger is the way but they still have to look cool :D
Stretton Fox and Ayrtek have been the most recent innovators. A couple of other good ideas have been batting pads with removable shin guards and new designs of bat grips.
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I've just bought the spartan MC LE pads and gloves from Jake @ Vitas and i was sold to these by the looks of them. I'm also now considering a spartan bat because I'm a bit of a girl and like matching kit. Looks like I've been suckered into the brand somewhat so the marketing must have worked :)
Innovation with gloves and pads are more difficult due to the limited amount of factories that make them. Plus IMO there isn't much room for innovation with these products without drastically affecting the price point
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as others have mentioned, its difficult to be different in the soft market. When i did mine, i looked at the pads available and thought of what could be different. Modern pads for me are horrible, i think in general they give a cheaper look to a brand. traditional was definitely the way forward for me. Now there is only so much you can change on a traditional pad. I tried to tweak a few things to make the pads look different but you are limited on what you can do. I tweaked a couple of bits and then made sure the product was right and the quality up there with the big boys. I could have got these designs made for less but you get what you pay for and i felt the additional cost was worth it.
I think soft goods can be both a differentatior and an advert for the brand. If aall you do is stick your logo on a stock pad and glove and change a couple of colours then you are simply looking at another revenue stream and another way to get the brand name out there. if you take time to try and change things and offer something a little different then you are trying to do both. Just my take on things
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Hi john/redink.
Regarding your softs. Your bats are excellent value for money. And a great item.
I quite fancied a set for rEd ink softs to match, but the price range doesn't match the bats.
Now the l.e stuff are great stuff and worth the price don't get me wrong. I just find you placed the pyro prices to close to the l.e that it's hard to differentiate between the two. (£10difference pads, £5difference gloves)
They kind of compete withe each other. I think you'd have been better making the pyros for the more budget minded cricketer, and had them as a cheaper range so not to compete with the l.e.
Granted small branded can't have 606,808, original and original l.e as gun and more have.
But if a small brand is gunn a have two ranges, they should be aimed at 606 level and original level,
Not both aimed at original l.e standards.
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I like what M&H have done with the verticle knee roll, and bought a paid of blank bat ones similar looking!
Small innovation but nothing too radical as the Puma Stormtroopers
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Add something else
I loe sausage fingered gloves. But no matter what the brand, b3, m and h, blank bats, gm. I find they always look a little cheap, a little splayed finger wise.
Maybe someone could put real effort in to make so e awesome looking and quality sausage fingers.
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Hi john/redink.
Regarding your softs. Your bats are excellent value for money. And a great item.
I quite fancied a set for rEd ink softs to match, but the price range doesn't match the bats.
Now the l.e stuff are great stuff and worth the price don't get me wrong. I just find you placed the pyro prices to close to the l.e that it's hard to differentiate between the two. (£10difference pads, £5difference gloves)
They kind of compete withe each other. I think you'd have been better making the pyros for the more budget minded cricketer, and had them as a cheaper range so not to compete with the l.e.
Granted small branded can't have 606,808, original and original l.e as gun and more have.
But if a small brand is gunn a have two ranges, they should be aimed at 606 level and original level,
Not both aimed at original l.e standards.
the aim was to give a top of the range pad and something a little more affordable without compromising the protection. a few changes in materials enables the cost to come down a little. id say its more original and 808/909 but ill keep that in mind. feedback is always useful,. thanks
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Certainly with the stuff I'm trying to get in at the moment, I did a lot of research around my club mates and other friends, asking what they like. most of them seem to prefer the traditional styles to mor modern ones, so I've picked traditional stuff for my ranges this year. Once I get a bit more established, then I'll look to go for something a bit more out there, as that's my personal preference. However, for the time being I can't really argue with what the majority of my primary market want...
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Here's the work MCL used to put in to develop a line-up.
(http://i.imgur.com/2iNseoF.jpg)
These above drawings became the 2011/12 range.
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good illustration and shows the process involved and when the old saying "back to the drawing board" is mentioned its just that!
every design we have done has started with me scribbling in good old HB pencil before graduating to PC to add colours and edit them from there.
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That is an amazing insight guys. I never really thought about how new kit is designed!
You guys should think about putting together some guest lectures or seminars. I for one would definitely attend!
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Iv been asked to go upto guest lecture at L'boro to the Sports Equipment design students shortly as it happens, poor lads!
Prob wont help them with the hangver from the night before being bored to sleep hearing about the cricket industry haha.
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Unless they are cricket fans! I am sure you will be a star regardless.
I always found guest lecturers far more interesting than your run of mill academic type lecturer... guest lecturers have cool stories and can draw on their personal experiences instead of the theoretical dross that is normally served up!
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Eventually i'll come down to one of the CBF meets and share a few insights on what goes on, I've shared a bit on here before in a questions thread but some stuff I'd be wary of printing.