StringKing Grizzly Mesh:
Grizzly Mesh Kit (white) on a Lime Green STX Shield:
Last Fall StringKing contacted us at Lacrosse Playground to get some testing done on their Type 2 mesh. We tested that mesh out with one of the best goalies I’ve seen play and have had the privilege to coach, Carter Kusek, of Flagler Palm Coast High School. He had just won standout player during the Wounded Warrior Veteran’s Day Tournament in Palm Coast, FL and asked if the hat he had won could be changed for a piece of StringKing goalie mesh (if they were making one). Long story short we knew Grizzly Mesh was coming back in October and StringKing was stoked to have Carter be the tester for this product. He along with several other goalies performed this review but for Carter this mesh is a game changer for any goalie.
BREAK IN TIME: 10 out of 10
The mesh is instantly broken in once the head is fully strung up with shooters and all. The pocket almost forms spontaneously as you tie the final knot on your shooters. Once adjusted this mesh feels better than any mesh that took days to break in or required tons of adjusting. The mesh was in and set in minutes and quickly became obvious that it is really on another level from other products on the market.
HOLD: 10 out of 10
The lightweight mesh has the same amount of hold that a wax mesh would have. What makes it better is its smooth release off the shooters even though it has a great amount of hold. Clearing the ball quickly becomes a dream for the goalie and a nightmare for anyone trying to ride as it isn’t going to come out till you make it. When you do decided to let it rip, its crisp and on a line making you the obvious first line of offense.
WATERPROOF: 9.8 out of 10
The mesh does resist a heavy amount of water when playing in damp environment, but all together, the shooters are a part of the mesh kit and it added a very minuscule amount of weight to the head. The clears over all as it didn’t change much when damp or soaked but it is a minor change so we felt the need to note it. (Seriously though it would be difficult to actually have this affect your game negatively).
SAVES/REBOUNDS: 10 out of 10
This mesh is amazing in this category. When I first used this god-created mesh I was astonished by the amount of rebounds there were. The number was cut in half within the first day of use. The mesh absorbs the shot from a varsity level lacrosse player like it’s not even trying. I like to compare the mesh to a vacuum for one reason only. It sucks the shot up and keeps the ball in your stick.
LOOKS: No Numerical Rating
This is a very white mesh, so after a few uses it does lose its bleach white coloring but what white doesn’t get dirty? Its mesh for a goalie so it has to get dirty to get the job done. The pocket on the other hand is very defined when fully strung. The mesh strung up better then I thought it would at first as it comes out of the package pretty soft.
OVERALL: 10 out of 10
Grizzly Mesh is just perfect as there isn’t anything bad about this mesh in any format that we could find. Carter was really one of the best players to test this as he plays for a team that for the most part is very young and very inexperienced therefore allowing him to make many more game situation saves than the average goalie. Speaking to that point, in 8 games, Carter made just over 200 saves. In his words, “This mesh doesn’t make you a great goalie, hard work does, but it certainly makes the hardest working goalies jobs much easier by removing the option of a rebound for the offense.”
Writers Note:
This review was a ton of fun we really do recommend this mesh to any goalie at any level. I had the privilege of coaching Carter for the past year and to see some of his high school games this season. He is a leader on the team and spends time working with youth players to improve their game. The above save numbers are real as he is a brick wall in net. Any coach who reads this or hears about it and would like to meet or talk to hands down one of the hardest working players and students I’ve had the opportunity to work with can contact Lacrosse Playground and we will get the contact made. Thank you StringKing for the opportunity to test out this product.