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Gear Review: King IV Arm Guards by Brine Lacrosse

[rwp-review id=”1″]

Company: Brine Lacrosse
Product: King IV Arm Guards
Price: $99.99

As a defenseman, I always hated guys who wore big arm guards. It made it so hard to find a decent place to land a chop check! Of course now that I play attack, and forward in box lacrosse, I love big arm guards, and I’m always looking for the most protective, and functional, pair I can find.

It’s time to take a look at the King IV Arm Guards by Brine Lacrosse!

Box is a great way to review lacrosse products!

Appearance… +7.5

The King IVs look good, but they certainly don’t blow you away with their appearance. I actually like this. Lacrosse gear has gotten to flashy for my taste, and the King line is definitely a step forward, just in a different direction. Two colors, simple design, and a big fat King head right on the elbow cap. Overall, they look good.

Comfort… +10.0

And here is where we get to the stuff that matters… the true function of the pads. These arm guards are three piece at first glance, but five piece when you look closer. This leads to lots of flex, and instant comfort. As I’ve worn the pads more, they’ve become more comfortable as well. It’s been a pretty quick break in period. One week of playing and these pads will seem like you’ve had them for a couple months.

For a larger, longer, arm pad, the King IV is remarkably comfortable, and never feels unwieldy or overly bulky. It stays in place (even on my chicken arms), and the inside material is comfortable and soft.

Protection… +10.0

I have taken a serious beating in these pads, and I’m still going strong. The slashes, crosschecks, etc just bounce off, and I haven’t gotten a good forearm bruise since I’ve started wearing them. I also got crosschecked in a box game (totally legal) and fell on my elbow. We play on concrete. I now have a bone chip in my elbow (but that’s healing up!), but would have straight up BROKEN my arm if I hadn’t been wearing these arm guards. THANK YOU, Brine, for that!

Durability… +5

The pads are holding up pretty well, but there are some flyways starting to pop up from the stitching. The material takes abuse and didn’t give out, even when I fell on concrete. The pads are more comfortable than they were, but no less protective. However, the stretchy material that holds the elbow cap in place did give out recently, as I’ve even let other players wear them during clinics and pick up games. They’ve taken a beating, but do show some wear and tear. It’s easy enough to sew the pads back together, but after only a couple months of use, one really shouldn’t have to do that.

Value… +7.5

At almost $100, the King IVs are a bit on the expensive side, but they are also a really solid product, so it makes some sense. They are more protective than the Rabil Arm Guards, and ten dollars less, so I like them for high school players and above. Especially if you take a beating for your team.

Overall Score:  7.8/10

Overall, the King IV arm Guards are an extremely strong piece of equipment. After a short break in period, the pads will protect you to the fullest, without getting in the way of your game. The price is a bit high, but relative to a lot of other pads out there, they are close to being in line.

If you’re a fan of Brine’s older arm pads, you should love the King IVs. They deliver in all the right places, just make sure you know the basics of sewing so you can keep them together if they stitching starts to come loose.

Got some gear you wish we would review? Hit us up and let us know what you think we should review next.