Vaughn SLR Pro Carbon Chest & Arm Protector Review

Vaughn SLR Pro Carbon Chest & Arm Protector Review

Made in Canada, the Ventus SLR Pro Carbon combines carbon fiber, multi-density foams, and Vaughn’s craftsmanship to make a top-notch chest protector. Its square design makes it ideal for keeping rebounds in front and easy to smother. Let’s take a closer look at the makeup of the newest Ventus chest & arm protector.

The SLR Pro Carbon is made with both ultra-high-density foam segments that cover high impact carbon fiber plates in the lower belly pad of the unit.

Arms

The bicep and forearm protection is made with molded plastic plates and high-density foam. The forearm padding is tapered, to reduce interference with your blocker and trapper.

The large arm floaters feature a tension adjustment, which allows you to adjust their width. The ‘No gap’ design means there is no spacing in the protection of the arm floater and one-piece.

The elbow pads feature a four-point adjustment, making it easy to customize the fit and positioning of the arms. Also, there is wrist padding on the backside of the arm for your protection.

The arms are made with a mesh base for an easy break-in process, also giving you a full range of motion.

Shoulders

The SLR Pro Carbon has very wide, boxy shoulders. This design is optimal for goalies who play a more technical game—staying square to the puck and relying on technique over athleticism.

I think the design of SLR is better than the Velocity for technically-sound goalies, because the shoulders don’t come up as high. The reason I think this should matter is that the technically-sound goalie won’t rely on tall shoulders to be their last line of defence; they’ll either be in position or have the puck in their glove, anyways.

Whatever style you play, I’m sure you’ll like how well you can see side-to-side in the SLR chest.

Cushion air pads are placed underneath the shoulder floaters to push them up a bit and soften impacts—if you don’t like these cushions, you can remove them. Also, there are two shoulder caps underneath the floaters to broaden shoulder width and protection.

The extra-large shoulder floater design dominates the blocking surface of the chest protector, which is good for your protection and rebound consistency. There is also a chest pad extension attached by Velcro on both sides.

The torso of the SLR Pro Carbon is where Vaughn incorporates high impact carbon fiber—the sternum and stomach, specifically.

The sternum plate is made with carbon fiber, just like Vaughn’s two Velocity chest protectors. I’ve always mentioned in my chest protector reviews that sternum protection is essential because getting the wind knocked out of you is both painful and takes your focus off the game.

The SLR Pro Carbon belly flap is made with a 6-pack of high impact carbon fiber plates, covered by ultra HD foam. The belly flap’s length can also be adjusted to your preference. The adjustability of the belly flap allows you to find that perfect fit so, whether you tuck your chest into your pants or not, you’ll be able to feel comfortable in the crease.

Final Thoughts

The Vaughn SLR Pro Carbon chest protector should be very familiar to Vaughn goalies, in terms of fit and design. The SLR Pro Carbon takes me back to the days when I wore an Epic 8800 chest protector, which makes sense because the Ventus name replaced Epic. That’s what I like about it, though. The Epic 8800 was one of my favourite chest protectors; they just made the SLR Pro Carbon a better version.

Being the kind of ‘elder’ company in the goalie world nowadays, Vaughn has done a pretty good job at balancing catering to a new era of goalies and pleasing those who are looking for something familiar.

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Vaughn SLR Pro Carbon Chest & Arm Gallery