The eagle-eyed among you will already have spotted a few pieces of lacrosse gear being field tested. Instagram is always a great place to see new product, I've lost count of the number of stringers who have posted photos of the upcoming Lakota 4, I say upcoming but you might be waiting until November to actually buy one.
Another head that has been seen on social media over the past couple of months is the STX Magnet 2K, precision-crafted to grab up ground balls effortlessly and keep the game airborne, the STX Magnet 2K was designed for defensive players and LSMs who know that ground balls and possessions win games. Featuring a maximal Speed Scoop™ profile that channels the ball into the pocket with ease, as well as a stiff, responsive frame, the Magnet serves as an enduring and powerful weapon for players who have mastered transition.
As the Final 4 is fast approaching I wonder if you might see a new helmet drop from Cascade. It feels about time but having said that what they really need is a sensibility priced helmet to fill the void left but the CPXR, a helmet that was high performance without the higher price tag.
One product that sees overdue is a new goalie chest pad, surely STX must have one in the works as the Shield line seems a little tired now. It doesn't feel that long ago that there was a flood of goalie heads hit the market but then the poor goalies hit a dry spell where they get forgotten about again.
It's highly unlikely we'll see another face off head soon, thank God! The past 6 to 8 months has been head after head after head, stiff, flex. There are too many options and yet they all like very much like the Stringking 2F, no doubt about it...still the best option if you ask most face off guys. If and when you see a a new FO head not doubt it will be the 3F, I'd put money on Stringking already having it way under development but not keen to bring it to the table too soon, not while players still favour the 2F. Having said all that, sure I remember seeing what could be a Nike CEO 4 used by a Syracuse FO guy earlier this year.
As the PLL season is starting you will see new lacrosse products being used by some of the Worlds best lacrosse players. Only this past week we've seen a new glove by Maverik, are they the new Max? They do look pretty sweet and the fact kids see their PLL hero wear them makes them all the more desirable.
ECD must be dropping the Mirage 3.0 soon, again thanks to social media a fair few images have been spotted over the past month or so. Now this is a head that I'm sure will do really well, the Mirage 2.0 has without doubt been on the most popular heads over the past 2 years. I really hope we'll see a graphene edition again.
A theme we've seen from most of the big brands in the past few seasons is limited edition colorways of there top selling lines. This will undoubtably continue for years to come, it's a great way to squeeze every last penny out of the molds when it comes to heads, funny thing is that it happens more with men's lacrosse than it does with women's lacrosse equipment.
Our recent years there has a number of small brands pop up, some of which have specialized on specific products have excelled in the market. A great example of this is Armor Mesh, their Valkyrie pocket can be spotted in women's lacrosse sticks across the globe. Handle companies on the other hand are two a penny and it can be tough to go head to head with some of the games leading brands and grab the attention of consumers, having been involved in lacrosse for 35 years I can tell you now that they'll always be people looking to make an easy buck who will learn the hard way that the market just isn't big enough to support the number of companies out there.