If there’s a good fit for carbon fiber, it’s the world of contact sports. The material is stronger than steel yet still incredibly light, a great combination for any activity where speed and range of motion are as important as protection. In recent years, carbon fiber has been used in golf-club shafts, batting helmets, lacrosse pads, bicycle frames, football cleats, Formula 1 race cars, and---of course---Oregon football helmets.
Russell Athletic's new carbon-fiber shoulder pads also happen to be the company’s first pair of shoulder pads, period. The exoskeleton of the CarbonTek pads is a shell of aeronautical-grade carbon fiber, but that component only represents half of the system. In fact, the system’s other important piece---a breathable, protective compression vest---was developed first.
That vest is packed with a network of golf-ball-sized, rubbery-foam bubbles, and it’s noticeably heavier than the carbon-fiber shell that slips over it. Combined with the carbon-fiber exoskeleton, the compression vest is designed to disperse impact throughout the torso, supposedly making big hits feel less sharp at the point of impact. It’s also designed to be used for base protection without the exoskeleton during non-contact drills.
Together, Russell Athletic says the exoskeleton and the compression vest weigh 10 percent less than your average ABS-plastic and EVA-foam shoulder-pad system; at the pro level, many pairs of shoulder pads weight less than four pounds. Although they’ve just been announced, the CarbonTek pads also have a running start in real-world use cases: Players at Auburn University and the University of Cincinnati wore the pads in games last season.
These pads are geared toward pros and NCAA Division I players (no youth sizes are available), where the highest-end models from Riddell, Rawlings, and Schutt go for around $200 to $300. These CarbonTek pads may be lighter, but they’ll leave you lighter in the wallet too. It’ll cost $500 for the two-piece system, and they’re available now.
