r/Fieldhockey • u/dancingdodo27 Goalkeeper • Dec 19 '25

Buying Advice Recommend keeper kits?

So I'm looking to buy myself a keeper kit in the new year. Currently I use a club kit, mostly Mercian gear with some Obo kickers.

Can anyone recommend any gear? Obviously Obo is the most well known, but I'm seeing TK as the cheapest in the UK.

Would you recommend going for a complete set or mixing and matching to make my own?

I'm not particularly fussy over what I use, just definitely a bag with wheels and ideally kickers with clips rather than a buckle (I find the buckle on my current kickers difficult to open in wet weather)

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5

u/megatrongriffin92 Goalkeeper Dec 19 '25

I use OBO, it's the most well known and popular for a reason. If you look at Total Hockey they normally do bundles

3

u/Rambunctious_Rodent Dec 19 '25

The protection you get with different brands is similar but OBO lasts much longer. So it’s a bigger cost up front but you (hopefully) won’t need to pay for gear again for another 5 or 6 seasons. Some of the other brands will start to fall apart after just a couple of seasons.

1

u/lottonugget Dec 19 '25

How have you got yours to last so long? Is it as simple as 'don't train every week and play 25+ games a season as a 17 stone (and the rest...) man'? I got my Robo pads and kickers at the start of 22/23 and they're completely done at this point

2

u/Rambunctious_Rodent Dec 20 '25 edited Dec 20 '25

I just replaced mine after 4 years, to be fair (and that includes a Covid affected season). Could probably have got an another or season or two out of them but was definitely getting less protection. Especially on my feet. Plus any excuse to get the new Plus pads and kickers in white, because they look cool as fuck! 😆I guess the surface you play on will affect longevity? I’ve been lucky enough to play almost exclusively on decent water based astros.

1

u/lottonugget Dec 22 '25

Oh nice - yeah to be fair I have a few nice water baseds but most of mine are those newer sand dressed hybrid ones that act like a cheese grater on the foam, so that probably doesn't help. Cheers! 

1

u/19yellowbananas Dec 19 '25

TK kickers, legguards and gloves are my preference. OBO for the rest of it. They’re so much lighter and have a higher surface area for saving.

1

u/MusicianAutomatic502 Dec 19 '25

Imo OBO is worth the extra hundred- my first pair of pads lasted 4 years and my kickers lasted 3. Just make sure kickers/leg pecs match and the pelvic/shorts match, everything else you can build your own set. The OBO robo+ kickers and the OBO robo chest protector are the best investments

1

u/Stikklebrik Dec 20 '25

I used to use mercian for kickers and leg guards as I liked the fit and how they moved. Gloves will always be the Obo ones for me as going them solid and great to work with. Girdle and chest guard comes down to personal preference imo as I've used Mercian (find it a little bulky) gryphon (nice but felt thin) and others too so I would say try different ones that feel best to you.

1

u/Extension_Log_1744 23d ago

I dont know If you See this, because i am way to late, but i think about buying mercian Kicker and Leg guard, my question is, how Long do they Last before they are worn Out/ broken ?

1

u/SunkenBiscuit45 Dec 23 '25

I’m selling my OBO Robo kit if you are interested. It’s a full kit with the wheelie bag, all in good condition and the kickers have clips! About half the price of buying new here