As you may have seen from yesterday's quick post, I have managed to pick up some Kookaburra gear from a sponsored player. I was keen to find out how good his gear was and if it differed from the usual off the shelf options us humdrum players can own. I have owned Kookaburra softs for a number of years and rate them highly so I was excited to compare the Kahuna Pro softs with my very own Ricochet gear that I have used in the past.
Bat - Kookaburra Kahuna vs Kookaburra Ricochet 250
First impressions are good for the Kahuna, the bat is pretty full in comparison to the nasty concaving of old Kookaburra's. Impressed how long and wide the middle is thanks to the shape. After putting it against the Ricochet, I realised the Kahuna is a long blade (Never owned one previously). Not sure I would have noticed had I not compared it. Weight is 2'10 dead with a white GM Ripple style grip. Ping is solid across the blade with a very satisfying sweet spot. Looks like a grade 1 to me, with 10 pretty straight grains and no imperfections.
Gloves - Kahuna vs Ricochet 800 (Aussie version)
Apart from the velcro tabs, I can't find any differences. A nice snug fit and decent protection, although not as much strengthening on the fingers as my SS Super Tests.
Pads - Kahuna vs Ricochet 1000
From a first glance, the kahuna's catch the eye with the lack of logos and white piping (if only Kookaburra did this with all their pads). Also noticed that the Kahuna pads have the same number of canes, unlike the Ricochet's and most other high end Kookaburra pads. Looking at the insides, the pads look very similar except for the colour schemes and the lack of top hat mesh on the Kahuna's. Look a little deeper and the protection levels are completely different.
While the knee roll design and internal knee locator are the same, the removable white padding offers an extra dimension of protection. Furthermore, the knee roll protection is thicker meaning even more protection!
Its quite difficult to show the difference between the shins but I will give it a go. The pro issue pads make the Ricochet's look like flimsy £10 sport direct specials. The Ricochets are by no means a bad pad, infact a very good pad but the Kahuna feel nearly bulletproof compared. The Kahuna's have 3 layers of padding, starting with a hard thin plastic inserts into the soft foam padding. Behind it is the same removable white foam padding as the knee roll and then more thick padding stitched behind the vertical shin bolsters. Compared to the Ricochet's, which has the soft foam padding but no hard thin plastic inserts and some padding behind it, I'm shocked how different a top end pad is compared to what the pro receive.
Due to the additional padding and proper canes, the Kahuna's do weight more than the Ricohets at 1040g compared to 940g. While the weight isn't particularly noticeable when worn, the density of the protection of the Kahuna is easy to spot. I got the Mrs to kick and punch me as hard as she could (this is the industry test right?
) and didn't feel a thing!
So to round up, the bat feels good and, apart from the long blade, is no different the majority of grade one Kookaburra bat off the shelf. Gloves are exactly the same as my Aussie gloves while the pads are on a different planet. Well done if you got though this all, I think I need a lie down.
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Topic: Kookaburra Pro Issue Gear, What's All The Fuss About? (Read 4683 times)