Gilbert Ireland Flag Mouthguard Review

GILBERT Ireland Flag Mouthguard Review

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GILBERT Ireland Flag:

Price: $4.96 + 7.11(shipping) Buy Now

amazon.com

Manufacturer Product Info:

Maintain your match energy safe in the knowledge that you are shielded against the toughest of rivals. Designed for the courageous players wanting to go that one step further, the Flag Mouthguard offers a pre-contoured shield with extra wall thickness in order to minimise trauma to the jaw and skull, whilst supporting your chosen country. The boil and bite method provides a quick and easy technique for tailoring the mouthguard to the individuals teeth, so players have no excuse for taking the field without it. The sizes available are senior and junior so all players can try out this quality product at an insane price. Get the Flag Mouthguard for France or Ireland for a fun alternative that provides optimum performance, the Flag Mouthguard is perfect for you.

Recommended Sports: All Sports

Available Sizes: Junior and Senior

Country of Origin: China

Review:

The GILBERT Flag mouthguard comes in two different color-country representations, the Ireland flag (which I reviewed) and the France flag colors. On the Amazon website they refer to the France mouthguard as the USA flag mouthguard but on the GILBERT website they refer the red, white and blue color scheme as the France flag mouthguard. You can purchase the France or USA colored mouthguard here, Buy Now

The fitting process that was recommended by GILBERT seemed a little odd as it indicated that you place the mouthguard in hot tap water for about 15 seconds to soften the material before fitting the mouthguard to your teeth. as I suspected, this technique didn't work at all.

The temperature of tap water can vary from house to house because every home has a temperature gauge. some people set theirs hotter than other people. My temperature gauge is set very high, so I thought it may work but it didn't.

Since the mouthguard didn't mold to my teeth using the manufacturers directions, I decided to heat the material by placing the mouthguard in boiling water. This worked way better but still provided a fit that was less than great. In fact, its wasn't very good at all. Because of this, I wouldn't recommend this mouthguard to anyone.

Also, after going through the boil-n-bite technique, I noticed that the materials of the different colors were completely different (check out the "after fitting" photo). The green material is soft, smooth and formed to my teeth. The orange part of the mouthguard became very rough and didn't form to my teeth at all.

This mouthguard was very disappointing because the GILBERT Virtuo Dual Density is such an awesome mouthguard. Check out my review here

The price is very reasonable but you have to pay for shipping from Rugby Imports through Amazon. The flag mouthguard also comes with a decent carrying case but it doesnt have a clip or carabiner to attach it to your athletic bag.

Pros + :

• Cool flag design

• Comes with a carrying case but doesn't have a clip or carabiner

Cons - :

• Manufacturer fitting process doesn't work

• The fit wasn't very good at all

• Price is reasonable but you have to pay for shipping

Amazon Customer Reviews: 4.8 out of 5 stars

Amazon Rank in Sports Mouthguards: #650

The Mouthguard Review rating systems below rates mouthguards from 1.0 star (being the worst) to 5.0 stars (being the best) I only recommend mouthguards that are ranked 4.0 and above.

HOW I (The Author) TEST MOUTHGUARDS & WHY I CAN BE TRUSTED

My name is Ken Mitchell. I Have been fabricating custom mouthguards for more than 15 years and have been a dental technician for over 20 years. I also, have owned my own dental laboratory for over 20 years.

Besides having work experience with mouthguards, I know first hand the importance of mouthguards in the sports world. I have played several sports throughout my life at the hight school level, including basketball, football, baseball and beach volleyball. I am also a father to two sons and a daughter who have played Soccer, Football, Basketball, Volleyball, Lacrosse and Baseball ever since they were in the first grade. From time to time I have used my children to test mouthguards to get a first-hand, real-world experience with custom mouthguards and store bought mouthguards.

I search for every mouthguard on the market. Then, I purchase (with my own funds) every mouthguard I review through places like Amazon, eBay or directly from the manufacturer, just like you would, then evaluate every mouthguard based on my expert opinion. I also comb the internet to find other reviews on durability to develop a better understanding of specific mouthguards pros and cons over an extended period of time.

Every mouthguard I review, is fitted and examined by me. The only time a mouthguard is fitted by another person besides me, would be my son, who plays college football. I use him mainly to fit and use mouthguards for weight training and football.

When I review a mouthguard it must pass certain criteria to rank in my top 10.

• FIT- I believe this is the most important factor in evaluating a mouthguard, because without a tight fit, all of the other criteria can be thrown out the window. When wearing a mouthguard you shouldn't have to clench your teeth to stop the mouthguard from falling out. It should fit as tight as possible.

• Comfort- Comfort goes hand in hand with the fit, if the the mouthguard is comfortable you wont get distracted by focusing on your mouthguard, instead you will be focused on the game and perform at your highest level.

• Protection/Tooth Coverage- With advancement in materials, mouthguards that are thick, aren't necessarily more protective than thinner mouthguards. Brands like SISU and Game On, provide thinner mouthguards that are 40-100% stronger than EVA (ethylene vinyl acetate) that is used by most mouthguard manufacturers. A proper fitting mouthguard should cover at least your first molars to provide adequate protection. A mouthguard shouldn't extend past your second molar because it could trigger the gag reflex. Also, your mouthguard should cover your gums or the roots of your teeth.

• Sport- Almost every mouthguard on the market is made for use in multiple sports but there are a few mouthguards that are designed for weight training or exercising. I will break down which sport each mouthguard is better for.

• Design- I examine the color variations available and the overall design of the mouthguard, the bells and whistles if you will.

• Fitting process- Most boil-n-bite mouthguards are fitted with the same process, although some fitting processes are more uncomfortable than others.

Remember to always take into consideration that every mouthguard may not suit your specific requirements. Each person is different and everyone's mouth is unique to that person. The Mouthguard Review can only evaluate the initial fit of a mouthguard and only "real world" use can show long term durability and other design flaws.

*The Mouthguard Review has no connection to any mouthguard manufacturer and has no financial incentive to rate any brand over another. All of the reviews are written and performed by one person and are 100% unbiased.

THE MATERIALS AND INFORMATION IN THIS ARTICLE HAVE BEEN PREPARED OR ASSEMBLED BY THE MOUTHGUARD REVIEW AND ARE INTENDED FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND ARE NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR ADVICE FROM A LICENSED HEALTH-CAR PROFESSIONAL. YOU SHOULD NOT RELY SOLELY ON THIS CONTENT, AND THE MOUTHGUARD REVIEW ASSUMES NO LIABILITY FOR INACCURACIES. ALWAYS READ LABELS AND DIRECTIONS BEFORE USING A PRODUCT. SOME OF THE INFORMATION MAY BE DATED AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE MOST CURRENT EVENTS. I WROTE THIS ARTICLE MYSELF AND IT EXPRESSES MY OWN OPINIONS.