Shin pads are often hugely overlooked when a player is thinking about new equipment to buy. I myself have been searching around for a quality pair of pads that are perfect for me, and I may well have found them in the C6 Agility shin pads. Made from 100% Carbon Fibre, the C6 Agility shin pads offer unbelievable protection for such a moderately sized product, and were interesting to use throughout testing.
The claims:
- 100% Carbon Fibre Shell
- Ergonomic. ultra lightweight, low profile and high strength
- 1.8oz – the lightest on the market
For review, I used a size medium. For people who are interested, I am 175cm tall and have pretty small calves that measure in at 13 inches in diameter. I recommend ordering your normal size if you like your shin guards to be minimal. Ordering your normal size will covers large area of your shin, and it offers excellent protection.
Fit/comfort
I’d like to start with how to wear these shin pads.. As I previously mentioned in my ‘Just Arrived‘ post, the backing of the shin pads is this smooth, almost suede like material that is surprisingly padded for such a thin guard. Now the downside to this smooth backing is that it doesn’t stay up of its own accord. Instead, tape is a necessity when wearing the C6 Agility shin pads, and I completely recommend you try the ‘cut the foot off the sock’ technique (video below) for games.
The fit of the shin pad itself is quite unique, the top part isn’t even, and instead one side veers away and kind of bulges out. It’s designed to fit around your shin and it does its job quite well. Even without any ‘L’ or ‘R’ stamps on them telling you which is which, it’s pretty clear which one is supposed to fit on which leg. The shin pad can kind of clip onto your leg, and it’s clear a lot of thought has gone into the design process.
As with lots of lightweight shin pads these days, you don’t realise you are actually wearing the C6 Agility shin pads throughout wear. The claim is that these are the lightest shin pads in the world, and my size medium weighs in at 50g/1.7 ounces which is incredible. I genuinely don’t think I’ll be able to go back to another pair of shin pads, and comment positively on how lightweight they are after using these, and that is a true testament to their quality. The lightweight, fitted nature of the C6 Agility shin pads makes them an absolutely joy to wear comfort wise.
Protection
Now, the crucial part of any shin pad. Do the C6 Agility shin pads actually offer decent protection? When you hold them in your hands, they feel flimsy.. They bend easily and it’s like, surely these won’t protect you from heavy tackles? But the Carbon Fibre is unbelievably sturdy, and the padding behind it makes it absorb huge amounts of the impact when you get kicked.
The C6 Agility are 2mm thick. The Adidas Techfit shin pads are 5mm thick. From reading this, you’d think the Adidas shin pads have the advantage right? But throughout testing the C6 Agility shin pads didn’t let me down once, and as an attacker, that is an absolute god send. As previously mentioned however, I ordered a size medium, which is my normal size. They cover a decent area of my shin, and I’d imagine a size large would cover the vast majority of my shin.
All in all, I can’t really knock the C6 Agility shin pads in terms of protection, which is fantastic considering how thin and lightweight they are. Once again, top marks to C6 for that!
Style
Sleek, sophisticated, stylish.. The C6 Agility shin pads look fantastic when held in your hands. While of course, a shin pads primary aim isn’t to look good, you are paying a lot of money for a product which many people would deem ‘unnecessary’. I believe I’ve already used this phrase before, but the C6 Agility shin pads really are the Lamborghini of the shin pad world. It looks thoroughly professional, a professional product.
Throughout testing, I’ve shown the pads to friends, team mates and so on.. And every single person said ‘They look good’. I personally believe that is testament to the quality of this product, and it’s always a good thing being told something you own looks good right? So something to bear in mind when purchasing this product, is not only are you getting the goods in terms of performance.. But you’re getting a product that looks terrific. You don’t often come upon products like that in the football world nowadays.
Positives:
- Super lightweight!
- Offers fantastic protection
- Look sleek and stylish
Negatives:
- Very expensive
To conclude.. Would I recommend these shin pads? Absolutely. Many people will probably baulk at the price of them ($150), but you have to remember that these are an investment. I’d full expect them to last you at least 5 years. That’s quite a bold statement, but it’s testament to the quality of them. If you think about it, if they lasted you 5 years that’d be $30 a year. Not bad at all really. If you’d like to purchase them, they are available on C6s official website.
About Jon Nicholson
150$? i payed 9$ for my nike ones and i’m really happy with them haha! i’ll save that kind of money for boots!
I agree Nick, it’s a lot of money to spend on shin pads! If I didn’t work for Soccer Reviews I’d never have had the opportunity to wear these as i certainly wouldn’t be spending $150 on them. But thanks to C6, I’ve had the opportunity to test them and they are the best out there! I absolutely love them and I 100% recommend them to each and every single one of you out there.
Well, I’m glad you rate them highly. Mine lasted 5 games. After 2 games the paper thin foam had torn and the resin has chipped away on both. The fit wasn’t great, so I wear the left pad on my right leg, and the right pad on my left leg. Not ideal but it gave a slightly better fit. After replacing the foam myself for something better I discovered that they have 1 layer of carbon fibre, and then 2 additional pieces applied in a ‘T’ shape. Not worth the price, I’m back to the mercurial blades (which are also over-rated).
Sorry to hear about that Matt. Did you give them any particularly rough treatment? Or was it just poor in terms of how it’s made? I’ve had absolutely no problems so far so I’m surprised to hear this!
No rough treatment at all. To start, the foam wasn’t glued properly to the shell of the pad and after wearing them with friends for a game of 5 a side the first section of foam tore along the entire outside of them. I think I’ve had one shinpad to shinpad clash in a tackle, but the resin seems to be peeling/chipping away after each wear. The 5 times I’ve worn them were 2 5 a side kick abouts with friends, one 7 a side training with team, 1 9 a side competitive game and one 11 a side pre season friendly. The weight is great, but seeing how quickly they are deteriorating makes me think they wouldn’t protect me for a season, let alone 5 years. I appreciate that I could of had a ‘duff’ pair, but for the price I paid and the added customs charge to receive them, I don’t think I’ll get another pair to find out…
just exchange it for another one…
Hi everyone, this is Larry from C6 Agility. I just wanted to give our side of this story for those that are interested. Matt received a free (aside from the import duties) pair of prototype shin guards for evaluation and feedback back in January. Each of his complaints were also identified by other testers and fixed shortly thereafter even though we never received any of the negative feedback that he has identified here. We have worked really hard to make sure that our customers are happy with our product and went through a lengthy prototype phase to make sure that they are the highest performing shin guards on the market. If anyone were to have any issues with our guards we would work very closely with our customers to rectify the issue and because we are a small company we can implement changes very quickly. If you have any questions or concerns about our product please feel contact us at any time at [email protected]. Thanks for your interest!
Larry
I think people need to get the lightweight is better mentality out of their heads too. The best pads I’ve ever worn were Campari’s and they were heavy in comparison to anything else I’ve seen or tried. Still, I felt that they were not as good as they could of been and they were 3000 euro’s. Carbon fibre is expensive, but for one layer the cost is greatly exagerrated – I may make a YouTube video of the unboxing of my C6′s and pictures after each game…
Correct me if I’m wrong Matt – but did you run a blackout/mixed sole conversion business for a while?
Nike lightspeed is still the lightest shinpad and it’s only 30 bucks.
$150 and they don’t even come with a strap or ankle padding. My $10 lotto ones have both. U MAD GULLIBLE CONSUMER?
They were designed to fit well without a strap.
I saw a brand new pair on ebay for $100. No need to pay full price.
I understand the cost dilemma that most of you are having with shin guards. I have been wearing Diadora Gamma carbonio for 4 years now (still in great condition) but have just ordered a pair of these C6 Agility. We are from Uruguay and we are very well known for rough play and I can assure you that 150 or 200 are a small cost to pay for avoiding a broken leg, and believe me I have been in more than my fair share of situations that I could of have broken my leg. I just think between 200 for a pair of shoes that you’ll change in 6 months to a Year and 200 for a pair of shin guards that will last you a few years (and possibly save you from a broken leg) I’ll spend my money on shinguards and wait on cleats.
No they are not the lightest ones. And there is nothing inventive with them. Check out Bdes-ShinS
No they are not the lightest ones.
Check out BdeS-ShinS
@D Bergmann- I think you need to check your math. Bdes-ShinS are 80 grams (per the website), which is 2.8 oz. The heaviest (large, tall) C6 Agility are 2.0 oz.
CJ
I have checked my math. They say MAX 80 gram/pair!
I means the weight should be less than 1.4 OZ per piece!!