Dainese Hector Wristguard 13 Review

This review of the Dainese Hector Wristguard 13 was carried out my Mark Barber, in the Three Valleys during spring conditions.

So, why review the Dainese Hector Wristguard 13?  Anyone who has ever had a go at snowboarding will know the virtues of wrist guards.  After all, the most common injuries sustained whilst snowboarding are wrist injuries.

Having said that, there has always been a stigma that wrist guards are only for beginners.  I certainly haven’t worn one in a few years.

It is true that beginner and intermediate snowboarders will fall more times than they can remember, but even experts can catch an edge or have a bad slam when hitting a kicker or perfecting a new trick.

My problem with wristguards in the past is that I have found them all to be really uncomfortable and bit of a faff.

The Dainese Hector Wristguard 13 is different. Once on and snowboarding, it was so comfortable that I forgot that I was wearing it.

This is probably because the rigid polypropylene anti-shock, anti-sprain plates are on top of the wrist, unlike other wristguards where the protection is always on the underside of the wrist.

The main protection plate can easily be slid and adjusted to be in position over the wrist.  Although I did not take any bad slams, a couple of times I hit the deck on purpose and could feel that my wrists were being prevented from bending too far over.  Obviously, I was very cautious with this experiment!

The Dainese Hector Wristguard 13 is held snugly in position by three velcro straps.  Once in place it is very secure.

If I am being honest I still found it a bit of a faff putting gloves on and off.  I had the large size wrist guards and also large size Dainese ski gloves; but unfortunately the wrist guards did not fit under the gloves!  Luckily I had a pair of snowboard mitten and the Dainese wrist guards fitted perfectly under these.  Taking this in consideration, you may want to choose oversized gloves or mittens for the wrist guards!

Overall, I was really impressed with the comfort of these Neoprene wrist guards.  My only gripe is that they are not compatible with Dainese gloves of the same size.

I think they are a must for beginners and intermediate riders.  For me, I probably wouldn’t wear them for lazy cruising days, but would strap them on when lapping the park.

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