Cameron
Welcome to Grapplers Graveyard, your home for all things related to combat sports. This week we had the pleasure of connecting with the team over at Hayabusa to test out some of their gear and give it a review. We had our resident Black Belt Keirnan (who also trains Muay Thai and owns this gear already) help us test out the gear and come up with insights on the product.
I want to make a note here that when I got my hands on this product I was shocked by how well-made it was. The Hayabusa T3 Striking shin guards are the real deal and probably the best shin guards we have gotten our hands on to date. We gave this product a high rating because of the quality and how well the padding protects your shins (which it is supposed to do). The only reason this is not a 10/10 is because this product is more pricey compared to other products on the market and we have not tested out enough to say what a perfect score is. In our opinion, this is a great problem to have.
Quality comes with a price and when you are the best you can charge more.
On the Graveyard Scale, we give the Hayabusa Shin Guards a 9.3. The only reason we do not give this product a perfect 10 is that the price point is a bit higher compared to other products on the market but this shin guards quality and protection are top-tier.
Here is our review of the product!
Hayabusa Shin Guard Review
Video:
Quality (3/3)
The Hayabusa T3 Striking Shin Guards are the first pair of shin guards that I have tested and owned but you can tell that this product is made with quality in mind. From the material on the outside to the padding around the foot these shin guards are built to last you a long time.
When I first started wearing them it did take me a little bit of time to feel comfortable moving around in them but after a couple of minutes, I got used to them being on my body. This is probably something that experienced kickboxers and Muay Thai fighters won’t experience but being completely new to wearing shin guards while training may take some time.
I think my favorite part about these shin guards is going to be the non-slip material on the inside of the shin guards. On the website, I did not see this feature and it was a pleasant surprise to see the small detail that added a whole new layer to my liking of the product. We talk a bit more about the non-slip material on the inside of these guards in a paragraph below.
Protection (6.3/7)
The T3 Striking Shin Guards come with four straps on the back that really keep the padding close to your shin. Two of the straps are velcro while the other two (near the foot and ankle) are elastic. The front-facing padding on the T3 striking shin guards is incredibly tough, regardless if you are kicking an opponent or a heavy bag, you will not feel a thing. You can knock on these guards (much like you would a door) and hear an echo.
The padding on top of the foot is not as hard as the padding on the shin. It is a little bit softer and makes it very easy on the foot when sparring or kicking a heavy bag.
I think these shin guards also have a nice touch to them with the winged areas near the outside top part of your knee. Getting kicked on the outside of the knee is a very painful experience and it is nice to know that Hayabusa thought of those when crafting this product. Out of hundreds of pairs that I was looking at online (both on Amazon and other fight wear websites), only two companies have this kind of outside knee protection.
The only reason I have not given this a 7/7 at this point is because I have not tried enough of other companies’ products to give out a perfect score. Once I do, I will be happy to adjust my score on these shin guards accordingly.
As always we rate products based on our own scale that we created here at Grapplers Graveyard.
Price and Personal Preference
As you guys may know, I personally do not mind spending more money on products that I believe are superior to others on the market. It should not be a surprise that these shin guards are a little more on the expensive side due to the elevated levels of quality that I have been speaking about.
The price point for these shin guards is $149.
Pros
-
Incredible quality product
-
Real Muay Thai fighters love this product (our Black belt Coach, uses and loves these Shin Guards)
-
Looks and feels great on the body
-
Easy to move around in but may take time to feel comfortable
-
Non-slip grip on the inside of the guards
Cons
-
More expensive than most competing products ($149)
Non-Slip Shin Guards
This part of the shin guard came as a shock to me when I first opened up the package. This is a super cool add-on that these guards have that I have not seen in other pairs of shin guards.
Not only was I impressed with the quality of the product that Hayabusa sent us but so is Kiernan. Kiernan has been training Muay Thai for more than 7 years now and loves Hayabusa products so when I threw the idea of him being a product tester for this gear review he was happy to put in his input.
Final Thoughts
If you are anything like me and don’t mind spending more money on quality products, the Hayabusa T3 Striking Shin Guards are a great purchase. I genuinely love this product. From the T3 series, there are three models to choose from with a total of six different colorways. The first model is the Striking Shin Guards that only cover up to the shin, the next is the Full Back Shin Guards (that fit much like a long sock would, or the Full Leather model.
Find Hayabusa Gear at the following places:
-
Hayabusa (Website)
-
Amazon (T3 Striking Shin Guards)
-
Amazon (Full Back Shin Guards)
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you pick your sizing?
Hayabusa has a super accurate sizing guide to help you in your decision-making process for what size shin guards to buy. I used this when making my decision on what size to get and it was very accurate. The shin guards I got fit perfectly to my body.