We’ve made an all-new line of coaching protection, but it wasn’t easy. The question was, should we make a set that looks just like everyone else or should we instead make the best set possible, even at the expense of conventionality and risk offending the more conservative element?

In typical TCA fashion, we supported the engineers over the stylists and created a pretty radical looking outfit–but one which is without question the most durable in the world. You’ll notice these changes:

• Cow leather looks nice, and it’s traditional, but it isn’t nearly as durable as water buffalo hide. We used water buffalo.
• Shiny finish buffalo hide lasts about twice as long as suede finish. Our set shines like Fonzie’s motorcycle jacket.
• We use dense foam padding instead of traditional batting. Foam is lighter but denser, so it spreads out the force of the hit over a larger area, thereby reducing the likelihood of bruising without being bulky.