KALIAAER SHOK-LOCK GOALKEEPER GLOVES

A few weeks back we looked at the brand new Kaliaaer Touch / Feel goalkeeper gloves, and speculated whether the future really is orange (and blue or pink and yellow).

Bury FC’s Wayne Brown is one goalkeeper who clearly thinks so, and the Gigg Lane press room has reportedly been inundated with confused questions about the bright gloves Brown has been wearing in recent games. Kaliaaer, the guilty party, is unrepentant, and believed to be continuing their development of pioneering goalkeeper glove designs on their mission to fundamentally alter the goalkeeping equipment world.

In any case, neither Wayne Brown nor Bury fans have anything complain about: at time of writing the club sits in 2nd place of the League 2 table, and Brown has been in fine form for the early part of the season.

But in spite of all the focus on the dazzling Touch / Feel goalkeeper gloves, we wanted to take a look at Kaliaaer’s milder side, and examine their top of the range flagship hand protecting Shok-Lock goalkeeper glove release.

With no luminous colours in sight, the Shok-Lock is clearly a glove that aspires to the ‘classic’ goalkeeper glove genre. The ‘wedding day white’ look of the glove aligns it in spirit with legendary gloves like the Selsport Wrappa Classic, the Sells Adhesion Ultra Aqua, and the Reusch Serie A goalkeeper gloves. But at the same time, Kaliaaer have done something commendable, and managed to stay far enough away from many of the all-too-imitated features of those gloves.

For a start, the Shok-Lock gloves seem to have been inspired by the idea of a bolt of lighting. The whole foam backhand of the glove is innovatively moulded with jagged zigzag patterning throughout, mirroring the look of the famous ‘Kaliaaer Bird’ logo in the centre of the backhand. In a really nice detail, the Shok Lock wrist strap is also cut into a jagged zigzag shape.

Kaliaaer have their own unique range of latex foams, and the Shok-Lock gloves incorporate the 4.2mm Kaliaaer aerGRIP Foam. A bit of the technology spiel on the foam palms:

“The “aerGRIP” micro fibre structure of the foam enables the glove to absorb and release sweat through the palm surface, giving superb gripping qualities in all weather conditions. It also incorporates “Reflex” foam retention technology, giving maximum shock absorption while retaining shape.”

Big claims perhaps, but on early form there may well be more to the Shok-Lock gloves than just hype – the gloves have already been extremely popular, with great reviews from the first batch of Kaliaaer keepers.

A word on the hand protecting features of the Shok-Lock gloves. Of course, they feature the mandatory flexible spines in the backhand of the gloves – four ‘Kaliaaer Carbon-Tec’ spines in the backs of the fingers in this case, removable too – but what will no doubt give keepers added comfort is the overall sturdiness of the Shok-Lock model. The gloves feel thoroughly strong and well constructed, with thick 4mm foam palms and padding throughout the glove, particularly in the backhand.

We’re waiting for the luminous lime green Christmas release, rather like the one’s above perhaps?