Issue 016
August 2006
Twins
4 out of 5
Its never about how you kick ass- its about how good you look while you’re doing it. You could be the greatest kickboxer in the world, but if you’ve got a crappy paid of shinnies on nobody will take you seriously. Honest.
So then, how do you tackle a problem like that? Invest in some Twins of course. Offering the same degree of protection as both the Blitz and the Fairtex, theres one crucial difference. These look cooooool.
Alright you’re paying a bit more for them than the others, but if you’re about trying to impress that foxy chick who comes to your gym for Boxercise classes, you’d better be ready to stump up the cash.
They’re built with the usual Twins quality, the Velcro is good and the padding decent. The design won’t come off, its been specially printed on the leather so it doesn’t peel. You wanna look good, get a pair of Twins.
First thing you notice about these is the fact that they look really heavy and aren’t very flexible, however when you get them on they don’t feel like that at all. The padding on the foot feels just about the right amount and isn’t to stiff which can sometime be uncomfortable when training.
The leg padding was good both giving and receiving kicks at al points of the pad. The Velcro straps also have been well made, as they stay secure
The price difference between the these and the Fairtex is something which would maybe make a few people opt for the Fairtex, however the Twins feel much more comfortable and flexible when wearing them. But regardless to this out of trying these out it is worth spending that little bit extra.
On a personal note I prefer to have plain training equipment, as these reminded me a little of cowboy boots but they do come in plain colours as well.
Viper
3 out of 5
Viper shinnies have been around donkey years, and they are the armour of choice for those who compete in amateur MMA. Lightweight and secure (they have a fabric sleeve running down the back of the entire pad that slips around your leg. It’s like a giant sock, only one you can kick people with and not get hurt). The padding is slim which is good for grappling but not full contact training or sparring. More competition pads.
Blitz
£23.40
3.5 out of 5
These 100% leather shinpads are kickboxing-style protectors. Chunky but not unwieldy, they are light enough to not slow you down too much but thick and dense enough to allow you to drop a belter of a kick on your mates with nary a wince (from you, anyway).
The build quality is good, some Bllitz products get a bad rap but these are a quality item that hold up well against any of the Far Eastern imports. Great price too.
Fairtex
3.5 out of 5
Think of Muay Thai and you think of Fairtex. The two go hand in hand, much like, well, Fairtex and Muay Thai. Sort of. Anyway, these shinnies are pretty much the same as the Blitz and Twins. Hardly anything separates these, to the degree that I reckon a blindfold test would have them all scoring the same. Plus it would be funny to watch guys trying to kick stuff with a blindfold on. In fact, I may test all our equipment like that from now on. Good shinpads, nice quality but I’m not a fan of the metal buckle.
