Maverik Shift EKG Goalie Chest Protector Gear Review
By Coach Damon
Last updated: January 14, 2024
In 2019 Maverik lacrosse released their Maverik Max EKG lacrosse goalie chest protector.
While that chest pad had some promising features it also lacked in many areas as I discussed in the full review linked above.
Recently, Maverik lacrosse released the latest version of their lacrosse goalie chest protector. An upgraded model called the Maverik Shift EKG.
In this post we’ll do a full gear review of the Maverik Shift EKG chest pad so you can determine if this baby can have the honor of protecting your chest while in net.
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Maverik Shift EKG – Protection
The main criteria when evaluating a goalie chest protector is – does it protect my goalie chest?
First things first, the Maverik Shift EKG is NOCSAE certified so its legal for goalie use at all levels.
The main chest plate which is called the External Kardiac Guard (EKG) in the new Maverik Shift does receive a bit of an upgrade over the previous model.
The Maverik Max EKG had a “3-point” deflection system. The product engineers said to themselves, you know what’s better than a 3-point deflection system?
A 4-point deflection system!
The main chest protection piece is hollow, leaving space between where the ball impacts the chest protector and the goalie’s chest.
Why does this matter? Well in other chest protectors that are NOCSAE-certified, just because they have a thick chest piece to protect against high-impact shots, doesn’t mean that it still doesn’t hurt to take a high-velocity shot square to the chest.
This is because the force travels through the solid chest piece, and slams the inside of the chest protector into your chest. This is not dangerous, but it’s not pleasant either.
On the other side of the hollow area beneath the hard chest piece, is a thin piece of fabric.
So when you do take a hard shot into the chest piece, the hollow area combined with the soft fabric on the other side results in little to no force being felt against your chest as the 4-point deflection system disperse the impact like rain hitting the roof of a house, it runs off the side rather than pooling on the top.
The main part of the chest pad is also larger when compared to the previous model and given that this is the most protective part of the pad, that’s a good thing.
Improvements in protection that I noticed from the last Maverik chest protector are primarily in the rib/underarm area.
The former model had a relatively large area of space left unprotected in this region, presumably to improve mobility of the arms. If you took a shot here, however, it was painful and sometimes resulted in serious injury as the outer ribs were left unprotected. In the Maverik Shift chest protector, this lack of protection has been fixed.
My only concern with the protection of the Maverick Shift chestie is in the abdominal area.
The lower abdomen of the chest protector is very thin, presumably to improve mobility again, and minimize weight. However, for older goalies who face increasingly harder shots, I could see a high-velocity shot to the stomach area feeling like a punch to the gut. Again, nothing serious, but not exactly enjoyable either.
Maverik Shift – Comfort and Durability
The comfort of the Maverik Shift was something that I was blown away by.
This chest protector is incredibly lightweight, and has a new “2-piece construction” which Maverik says is supposed to help with “bunching” during dynamic movements. The lightweight and new 2-piece design makes it feel at times like you aren’t even wearing a chest protector, which is pretty crazy.
The 2-piece construction allows the abdominal portion of the chest protector to slide underneath the above chest area of the chest protector when getting down for low shots. This is a great update to the previous Maverik chest protector which had the abdomen and chest portion of the chest protector stitched together, which in my experience hindered how quickly and fluidly you could move to low shots.
I haven’t been using the Shift long enough to comment on it’s durability however, I foresee it being a durable product.
The Shift has, in my opinion, a minimalistic design. Less areas of connection, less stitching, less buckles, less things to break. The Shift also sports very little velcro, which typically wears out over time.
Maverik Shift – Look and Fit
The look of the Shift is so clean. All white, with a touch of grey, and icy blue.
If you’re a believer in “look good, feel good, play good” this chest protector fits the bill. Obviously, in a game, the look of the chest protector won’t matter, but if you are a “no pinny” goalie when practicing or getting shots, it matches everything.
To me, fit falls hand-in-hand with comfort. And as I mentioned, the comfort of the Shift is what really blew me away. The same can be said for the fit.
The shift has 3 adjustable dimensions. Your typical around the torso straps. Then there is an adjustable strap from the torso straps up to the shoulder portion of the chest protector.
And finally, the shoulder straps are adjustable themselves.
Most chest protectors have one or two adjustable dimensions, but the Shift has 3.
I imagine this allows you to customize the fit of the chest protector to almost any body.
Another benefit of this maximized adjustability is that there is only two sizes for this chest protector, small/medium and large/x-large. This is great for any goalie who is in the middle of two sizes and doesn’t know which size to buy, or for younger goalies who will grow a lot while they own this piece of equipment.
Maverik Shift – Price
There’s no way to sugar coat this, lacrosse goalie chest protectors are pretty pricey.
The price tag of the Maverik Shift EKG is however at the bottom end of the range of chest pads at $149.99 USD on LacrosseMonkey.
Considering the previous model sells for $169.99 its cool that Maverik was able to reduce the price of the upgraded version by $20.
Here are the going prices for comparison:
Note that Maverik also offers a youth chest protector called the Maverik MX at a lower price point of $99.
You can pickup the new Maverik Shift EKG chest pad here on LacrosseMonkey.
Over the years, I’ve purchased an insane amount of goalie gear from LacrosseMonkey and have only had great experiences.
Video Review of the Maverik EKG Shift Chest Pad
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Maverik Shift EKG lacrosse goalie chest protector is an exciting new product.
The chest pad is realistically the only piece of equipment lacrosse goalies need to worry about comfort with, and the only piece of equipment that can actually result in more goals going in by interfering with our movements.
Lacrosse goalie is a game of centimeters and milliseconds and you don’t want a chest protector that causes you to waste either of these.
The Maverik EKG Shift looks great, it will match any other gear or clothing your are wearing with its white, grey, and icy blue finish.
The customizable fit of the Shift enables you to personalize the fit of the chest protector to your body dimensions, and makes it easier to buy the right size. The adjustability of the chest protector will also allow young goalies to use it for longer, regardless of growth spurtz.
I am a huge fan of my Unequal chest protector, and I wasn’t a fan of the last Maverik chest protector, but the Shift has won my appreciation.
I often choose to wear the Shift over my unequal chest protector, even now that I am done reviewing the product.
I think this is a great product for goalies of all ages, and I hope this review helps anyone who is struggling to pick what their next chest protector will be!
Anyone out there tried out the Maverik EKG Shift chest pad? Let me know in the comments below!
