The Mesh Dynasty 10 Diamond Mesh Review

By Coach Damon

Back when I suited up for Cal in 2000, the dominate goalie setup was a 17 diamond mesh with the open sidewalls.

Nowadays the setup that you see most lax goalies sport is the 12 diamond mesh. But that doesn’t mean 12 diamond is your only option when it comes to mesh.

There’s 20 diamond, 17 diamond, 14 diamond, 12 diamond and the topic of this mesh review: 10 diamond!

When you think about it the mesh of the stick is one of the most important pieces of equipment we use. It’s how we typically make a save or how we make an outlet pass. So, as goalies, it’s important that we take into consideration the type of mesh we’re using and if it is going to match the style of game we play.

This fall the Mesh Dynasty changed up the game and re-introduced 10 Diamond Goalie Mesh to the world.

What is 10 Diamond mesh you may ask? Will it help my game? Keep reading our review below and find out more.

10 Diamond Mesh: Product Features

In the fall of 2021, The Mesh Dynasty launched the 10 Diamond Goalie Mesh product under their Disciple line of goalie mesh.

Since I am by no means a stringing expert, we brought in friend of the program and professional stringer Tommy Bruno AKA Mr. WANDerful to help us review this product.

The 10 Diamond mesh is exactly how its sounds – 10 Diamonds of mesh across each row. Well, alternating rows of 10 and 11 diamonds to be specific.

The main function of 10 Diamond mesh for goalies is increased rebound control. Why is that you might ask?

10 Diamond Mesh provides you with much more give, and elasticity compared to a 20 Diamond mesh as there aren’t as many weaving holes on the mesh (10 diamonds vs. 20).

This provides you with a larger surface area to absorb the impact of the ball making it easier for you to control rebounds. A 20-diamond mesh with double the number of diamonds doesn’t provide as much give unless you really bag it out (i.e. put a large pocket, deep pocket in there) and even then, it’s still not going to absorb the ball the same way 10 Diamond mesh will.

You can really feel this when using the mesh whether it be when making saves or just playing catch. The larger diamonds do a great job at gripping onto the ball and keeping that ball in your stick.

With good technique, you should have no problem absorbing those tough rebounds. But even if you’re not into popping the ball up at all times when making saves and instead would prefer to use soft hands to eat up rebounds this mesh would be a really good way to elevate your game.

One important thing to keep in mind with the 10 Diamond mesh though is how the ball releases out of the pocket.

As mentioned earlier the larger holes in the 10 Diamond mesh really do a great job at absorbing the ball and this also comes into play when passing with this mesh as well. With 10 Diamond mesh, you’re going to have a bit more drag or hold on your pocket.

Think of it this way, the more you increase the number of diamonds usually the smoother of a release you would get with your pocket as you pass. If you’re playing with a 20-diamond piece of mesh, there are a lot more holes in the pocket for the ball to move around on meaning the smoother it will get from the pocket to out of the stick.

If you were to go and take say a fishing net, where the diamonds are huge the ball is more likely to hug on the mesh as the ball comes out of the stick. While the 10 Diamond mesh is certainly no fishing net, it does hold onto the ball significantly more than a 20 Diamond mesh would.

With that being said it’s really important that your head is strung correctly when using this mesh.

There’s no mesh that you will lose a channel in faster than 10 Diamond. Make sure you have tension in all areas and have the bottom string and the shooters set up the right way. You really want to make sure you string the top string nice and tight, really go over the pocket and break it in as you go.

With the 10-diamond mesh, you don’t have to have a bag of a pocket. As a matter of fact, you probably won’t be able to throw with a bag of a pocket using 10 diamond mesh.

You want a nice shallow 1 ½ to 2 balls deep pocket when using 10 diamonds because there’s going to be so much give upon impact when using this mesh. When you stretch out the mesh with a ball you should really be able to get it to 3 ½ to 4 balls deep because of how the mesh absorbs the ball. Rolled shooter will also help create a nice gradual smooth release too.

An important rule of thumb when starting to string that Tommy goes by is “a good stick has to be strung twice”. String it up, break in the pocket, account for all of the errors in the pocket, and go over it again to correct all of the errors. If strung correctly the 10 Diamond Mesh can really be an outstanding mesh product to use.

This mesh comes in two types, Rhombus (single stitch between each diamond of mesh) and Hexagonal (double stitch between each diamond of mesh creating a hexagonal shape).

Rhombus Mesh

Hexagonal Mesh

I’m currently using the rhombus mesh in my stick right now.

It is a bit of a skinnier type of mesh, which is always going to have a bit more variability as it breaks in. However, I am a bit concerned about the durability of the rhombus style of mesh.

When strung up the holes are pretty stretched out putting them under a ton of tension and with that comes stress. Over time, especially when you’re seeing high-level shots this mesh may not last that long.

The hexagonal mesh has a second stitch in between the holes of mesh giving is the more hexagonal shape and also makes me feel more comfortable with that mesh lasting longer over time. If you’re going to go with a mesh type I would definitely go with the hexagonal mesh as it’s a bit thicker and provides a lot more structural integrity than the rhombus mesh.

10 Diamond Mesh Price

The Mesh Dynasty has such an amazing line of products when it comes to mesh. Their mesh has so many more pros than cons.

You can pick this mesh up today for $25 by visiting their website (stringing kits sold separately). As of right now, the 10D mesh is only sold in white however we will be seeing different colorways of the 10D mesh available very soon.

If you’re not an experienced stringer or are looking to get this mesh strung up by a professional, you can reach out to Mr. WANDerful on Instagram or through email ([email protected]). Tell him Lax Goalie Rat sent you!

Summary – Who is 10 Diamond mesh for?

We would recommend this mesh to high-level, high school goalies and college goalies of any level.

I wouldn’t recommend the 10 Diamond to younger kids who are just getting started as it requires you to possess stronger stick skills that you might not have at a youth level where many goalies are used to snapping their wrists and the ball coming out of their stick. The release of the 10D is a little trickier and requires some experience in my opinion.

This mesh does have a great deal of hold on the ball so it’s important that you have good stick skills before trying this mesh out.

If you’re already playing with a bag of a pocket right now and you’re looking to try something new – maybe you want to reduce the amount of the bag but still have the same amount of control this mesh might work for you.

This mesh would also be great for goalies who like to utilize toe-drags and prefer a ton of ball control when cradling.

Finally any goalie looking for that last piece of the rebound control puzzle, need look no further than Mesh Dynasty 10 Diamond mesh product.