- Joined
- Jan 24, 2011
- Messages
- 4,269
- Reaction score
- 9
Ladies and Gents!
Sorry for the long delay on this headgear. I know a lot of you have been asking about it. But before I was going to review it, I wanted to ENSURE that this headgear would be 100% correct, and ready to go before the headgear was released, and of course later then reviewed for the FINAL version.
So jumping into it, the search for the FG-2900 option has been continuing throughout the years it seems. Now it seems with other companies releasing better and lighter headgear. This UMA version seemingly the "Ultimate" version will rival perhaps outdo the FG-2900.
So drawing a tangent here, UMA or Universal Martial arts pronounced U.M.A not ooh MA like UMA Thurman was incorrect as I have done on my video reviews. I pulled them aside and asked them for the ultimate Mexican style glove as Reyes being my favorite, was good but far from perfect.
That review is found here: http://forums.sherdog.com/forums/f67/uma-custom-16oz-ir-gloves-3089279/
Anyhow, its been many people's quest and mine as well to find a suitable headgear that goes blow for blow against the pound for pound undisputed champion. The Winning FG-2900. Now people ask, why bother... if the FG-2900 is THAT good? Well many reasons, some here at sherdog can attest to
1. Rakuten, a Winning Japan distributor is a pain to deal with.
2. See 1. If Mitani is having a bad day, which is more often than not these days, he will not reply to your emails or even confirm your order which to many is very off-putting as they drop $200+ US on a headgear.
3. See 1 and 2, his customer service (Mitanni) is one of the WORST in all of boxing gear history (Sometimes he plays dead... Seriously ask some of the guys and gals here.) God forbid, if you have an issue that ISNT your fault like some have had, the leather being ripped, or the color fading prematurely.
4. The money, the money is a major concern for many doggers out there that want a quality headgear as the FG2900 is literally heads and shoulders above its competition.
5. Lastly, the lack of customization. For those that have an issue with 4. Customization is simply out of the question. Many, like myself have an issue with synthetic and dropping that much capital on a headgear seems ridiculous for something "fake".
Anyhow, hopefully many of you are STILL reading at this point. But its those 5 points that probably have brought you here in the first place... isn’t it? So let’s get on with the review, and lets see if this takes care of 1 or all 5 points.
First of all, anyone that dealt with UMA...knows, they have grade a customer service. They answer questions as quickly as possible, and just about everyone is pleased with their product, and some are even repeat buyers in the companies short time affiliated with Sherdog.
Look:
The headgear looks breathtaking. I know many of you will roll your eyes at this comment, but no headgear I own comes close to how the Metallic blue looks. The vision is wide open with the extra padded, raised FG-2900 cheeks. The mini clip is something I had UMA revise, and this new one is AWESOME. It is far more robust than ANY mini clip to include the FG-2900. Some of the headgear Ive used (not the 2900). Will come loose when a perfect punch hits the clip and puts pressure on it. While not a game breaker, this will cause a stop in sparring action as you have to reseat the clip. This new UMA version locks in tight! No stop in the action ever. The headgear itself like the gloves are USAF inspired, so thats where the Metallic Blue, silver, and plain white come into play. Hopefully, the pictures capture the awesomeness behind it all. This headgear is NOT synthetic it is leather on leather. I believe they can change the inside though as not everyone is a leather fanatic such as myself. This will NOT change the price of the headgear.
The Metallics UMA offers are simply amazing, like I said, check out my other review of the IR gloves, and you can see a different color theme used on them. That way you can get an idea of what can be done.
All the stitching is nice, tidy, and neat. Im hoping the pcitures capture all the beautiful colors that UMA used on the headgear and the gloves.
The headgear also sports a soft extra padded forehead a little more so than the 2900. SO it will take a more slight edge off the shots. This will cause a slight increase in weight however. More on that later.
The back is a low profile backing, so those that didn’t like the FG 2900 for no foul protection, UMA will offer more padding just be wary, they aren’t wizards, the weight will go up if you chose to add that.
The UMA has similar tube laces, like the FG-2900 except they are better... They don't fray or get nearly as fuzzy as my 2900 and they dont attract the grime and dirt like my 2900 does.
Performance:
I’m partial to this headgear because I really put a lot of effort into aiding with the design and functionality of this particular headgear. It feels and looks great.
There were a few times where I wish I had changed my FG-2900 in certain areas, and UMA allowed me to sit there and grind it out with them. But the headgear is true to fit. I have found that laces on the crown and on the backside of the headgear allow for a more true fit more so than Velcro or other closure systems available.
The chin strap ships a little long, but all you need to do is fit it, then cut it, and burn the ends. The mini clip is about 30% larger than Winnings, and it feels far more secure as well. It will stay locked, and no stray punch will cause it to come unbuckled like similar headgears of the UMA R-9.
The extra padded forehead is something I have been wanting for a while. Sometimes you get caught with a straight right/left and bam you can feel it right through the 2900. In the R-9, it does take some of the edge off.
Other than those changes everything else is identical. The padding around the ears are of medium density, so when a hook connects the padding doesn’t bottom out all the way.
The vision is pretty wide open while protecting the nose, it doesnt blind you. It does a very good job of keeping you safe. Its the shots that you don’t see that hurts boxers more often than not. Many headgears have narrow vision but sport a lot of padding. Well all that padding doesnt do you any good if you cant see it coming. The R-9 ensures that you can see Most of the shots coming.
The R-9 is super protective, it easily matches and dare to say, outperforms my FG-2900. Its not a drastic improvement over the 2900 but there are things to consider, its cheaper, its full leather, and its customizable at no additional cost. All the while maintaining the gold standard in protection.
Let me also stress, the Metallics that UMA uses are field tested, meaning they should NOT wear down like other companies Metallics. That being said, you still want to wipe them down after use and take care of them, as Metallics are more sensitive than the generic colorways.
Weight:
R-9 12.3 Oz
2900 10.5 Oz (Full leather not synthetic)
Cost:
$120 US + Shipping
Overall:
Headgears across multiple companies are finally improving and narrowing the gap vs Winning. The glove market has this, now its finally time for the Headgear. I think many of you will be blown away by this headgear (There are always naysayers). I think the craftsmanship matches that of Winning Japan, and the price is a lot cheaper. Consider the 5 points I made earlier on the review, and maybe, just maybe this is the headgear you have been searching for!
Score:
A+
Contact info:
[email protected]
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