The importance of protecting your face while playing hockey cannot be overstated. This guide is going to go over a few of the best visors and cages to choose from. After a lot of research, my top choice is the Ronin (TM) R5 Vented-Cut Hockey Visor.
Growing up playing a variety of different sports, safety was always something to keep in mind. This is especially true with hockey as there are sticks and pucks constantly flying around. All it takes is one impact to seriously injure yourself, so you should protect yourself any way you can.
The Ronin R5 is a high-quality vented visor that provides great protection for your face. It is also incredibly easy to mount, budget-friendly, and offers both anti-fog and anti-scratch to ensure you can always see where you’re going on the ice.
While this is a popular choice, it isn’t the only visor or cage out there. There are many options, and the right one for your teammate might not be right for you. Some are shaped differently, sized differently, and all in all, there are many ways to protect your face during the game.
Without a cage or visor, you are rolling the dice every time you step on the ice. Keep reading to learn more about the best hockey visors and cages to ensure your face is always protected from the puck and other players during the game.
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Top Hockey Visors and Cages
Here are my recommendations for the best hockey visors and cages, as well as a review of each of them.
1. Ronin (TM) R5 Vented-Cut Hockey Visor
- Best for: Players who want a solid overall visor.
- Protection: The Lexan polycarbonate construction will keep you safe.
- Size: A single size that is 2.75 inches tall in the middle.
- Visibility: Good optical clarity and no magnification.
This is simply a good overall hockey visor to protect your eyes. It features Hi-def optics for outstanding clarity, and with no distortion or magnification, it should barely feel like you have a visor on at all. The mounting hardware you need is also included, for easy attachment.
At 2.75 inches tall in the middle of the visor, it provides good coverage to block even the hardest of shots or ricochets. The anti-scratch and anti-fog coating will drastically reduce the blemishes on the visor, as well. Also, the fact that the visor is vented is great for even more fog reduction.
This visor is also quite durable and holds up well over time. Many players have taken a slap shot right to the visor and have reported little to no evidence leftover on the visor at all. It is versatile enough to be used in the beer leagues, or in your competitive league, as well.
The price of the visor is also affordable for many budgets. Despite this, it doesn’t feel cheap and is a solid and well-made product.
One potential downside is that, despite the anti-scratch coating, some scratches may materialize over time as you use it more. While this is normal on visors, if you are expecting to get a visor that will never ever scratch, you may want to adjust your expectations.
2. TronX S30 Straight-Cut Hockey Helmet Clear Visor
- Best for: Players who prefer a straight-cut visit.
- Protection: Good size for optimal coverage and made of polycarbonate
- Size: 3.5-inch in size that fits most certified helmets.
- Visibility: Clear optics through your entire field of view.
If you prefer a straight-cut visor as opposed to vented, this is a good choice. At a massive 3.5 inches tall in the middle, few visors offer up as much total protection as this one. Better yet, the visor is durable and will stand up to elbows, sticks, pucks, or whatever else you throw at it.
While many straight-cut visors may struggle with fog, that is not an issue thanks to the anti-fog coating that is added. An anti-scratch coating is also applied that can help keep your vision clear and unobstructed. Even after repeated hits and nicks, the visor will still look brand new.
The visor comes with all of the hardware you need to install it, and everything is CE-certified. Also, this visor will be able to be installed comfortably on many helmets.
While the sizing of this visit is great for some people, it is also a negative for others. The size offers great protection, but might be too large for people with smaller heads who need smaller helmets.
3. Tron S920 Hockey Helmet Cage & Shield Combo
- Best for: Hockey players who want a hybrid visor and cage.
- Protection: Protects the entire face thanks to visor and cage in one.
- Size: Will fit a wide range of different senior helmets.
- Visibility: Much better visibility than almost any other cage.
In many cases, people are either on team cage or team visor when it comes to protection. Cages protect more of the face, but can obstruct your vision. However, you no longer need to make the choice between the two thanks to this product.
It provides a high-impact polycarbonate visor (with anti-fog coating) up top, and a strong cage below to protect the mouth, nose, jaw, and the rest of the face. The vents are intelligently placed so fog shouldn’t be an issue.
There is also a chin cup, to help with more impact protection and to help improve the fit for better comfortability. Despite how complex the product may look when compared to other cages or visors, it can be easily installed in only a couple of minutes.
The product is very well made and is HECC approved so you can trust the protection that it offers. It also only weighs a little more than a pound so while it is quite bulky, it doesn’t add a ton of unnecessary weight.
While the included chin strap is a nice touch and may work for some, it is relatively cheap, not adjustable, and may not fit everyone correctly, which can be a little annoying at times.
==> You can also get it at Walmart.
4. Bauer Concept III Full Face Shield [Junior]
- Best for: Younger players who need full-face protection.
- Protection: Full face shield for the best protection possible.
- Size: Will fit most junior helmets without a problem.
- Visibility: Tall and wide face shield offers great visibility.
While protection is always important, this is especially true for younger players. They may not have as much control of their shots, passes, or even sticks as older people will. While they may not have a lot of power behind their slap shots, they can still do a lot of damage.
If you are looking to protect your child’s face from errant pucks or other potential hazards, this face shield is a good choice from one of the most reputable brands in the space. It has a wide and tall visor for superb optical clarity and a polycarbonate cage that is tough as nails.
The visor has been treated with both anti-fog and anti-scratch coatings to keep the shield as comfortable and long-lasting as possible for your child. It has also been certified by many organizations, giving you peace of mind. The floating chin cup helps with fit, as well.
One downside of this face shield is that it can get a little hot. While the air vents indeed help with preventing fog in many cases, the air circulation still isn’t great and it might get a little hot during a long and difficult game.
==> You can also get it on HockeyMonkey.com (USA).
Best Hockey Visors and Cages: What to Look For
If you are looking for some of the best hockey visors and cages, here are a few factors to observe and think about before you buy.
Size and Shape
The size and shape of the visor or cage is crucial to how well it can work for you. If it doesn’t fit your helmet or face well, it will be useless. Different helmets and different ages may need different accessories, so be careful and always do your research.
The shape and size can also be important for things other than how well it fits your helmet or face. The shape can have an impact on optimal clarity, as well as how well it protects you. For example, a shorter visor may not protect as much real estate as a longer one would.
Protection
Of course, you also need to make sure that the visor or cage you get offers adequate protection. Getting hit with a puck or stick up high is never a good feeling, and can lead to some pretty rough injuries if you’re not careful.
The protection option you choose should be able to completely deflect and stop these impacts from hurting you. In addition to protection, you should also look for options that are durable. The last thing you want is to spend good money on a visor only for it to crack after a few games.
Visibility
While the goal of wearing a visor or cage is to protect yourself, you don’t want that to come at the expense of your performance. As a result, it’s a good idea to ensure you can clearly see through the protection you have without issue, to ensure all your passes and shots are accurate.
Visors are generally quite clear to see through, but some can be a little distorted or look a little magnified, so be on the watch for that. They can also fog up quite easily in some cases. In terms of the cages, some players may find it hard to focus on the puck through the cage itself.
My Verdict
My choice for the best hockey visor or cage is the Ronin (TM) R5. The anti-fog and anti-scratch properties ensure you can always see what is in front of you on the ice. It is also affordable, incredibly easy to install and the vents ensure you get adequate airflow.
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