The Best Selling Men's Soccer Shin Guards in 2018

You risk serious injury in the world of sports, if you do not have the right gear for your game. You wouldn't wear soccer cleats for baseball or ice skates for tennis. In any sport, there is critical equipment needed for either safety or performance, and one such item in soccer is the shin guard. Protecting one's shins from being kicked and other impact damage, the shin guard is an indispensable piece of gear; and when fitting for shin guards, it is important to consider a number of properties to see which guards will work best for you. Like any critical sportswear item, shin guards are available from a variety of companies with a litany of different features for enhanced comfort, protection, moisture wicking, and performance. When it comes down to the best selling men's soccer shin guards for 2018 though, this gear is in a league of their own.

When in the market for a new pair of shin guards, one must consider many factors to assure the ideal fit and function. In the sport of soccer, players wear shin guards to protect this critical area of the leg from serious injury. While the primary function of the shin guard is to protect one's leg from injury, a good shin guard must also be relatively lightweight, flexible, and comfortable to ensure maximum performance. When looking for a great mass-produced shin guard that won't break the bank, there are a number of great companies that produce quality sportswear.

From sportswear giant Adidas, the X Replique Shin Guard is meant to have a snug fit while also allowing for flexible movement. With plush but strong back-cushioning as well as anatomically correct left and right leg guards, this piece of equipment is built for maximum comfort and extra protection.

Though Adidas, Nike, and others have long been known as major forces in sportswear and equipment, they do so for a great variety of sports and athletes. Accordingly, many would prefer to invest in a product made by a company focused on soccer alone, assuring a greater attention to detail and research. For a solid performing, expertly designed shin guard, available in a variety of different color schemes at a truly great price, look no further than the Vizari Malaga shin guards. From the California-based soccer specialty brand comes a guard at a very reasonable price with a number of great features. With its foam padding, this shin guard is designed to absorb the shock and sting of players’ kicks and other potentially injurious impacts.

For a great affordable shin guard with a number of new and innovative features, consider the Adidas F50 Lesto shin guard. Though not as flashy, gaudy, or expensive as some other choices, these guards are still solidly effective and dynamic on the field. This guard, like its more expensive cousin, the X Replique, offers lightweight construction and remarkably perfect sizing for optimal performance on the field. Along with this optimal sizing, its reasonable price of $7.96 makes it one of the best selling men's soccer shin guards. With hard shell exterior and soft, but durable EVA cushion lining, the F50 allows a great deal of deflection for kicks and other blows without being too bulky to control the ball.

Like the aforementioned Adidas products, many guards created by major sports companies offer years of innovation and technological advances to put forth state-of-the-art gear, resulting in some of the best selling men's soccer shin guards. When one thinks of the major competitors to companies like Adidas, few names loom as large as Nike. Designed by another sportswear giant, the Mercurial Lite shin pads feature many unique properties and innovations that make them a great choice for the avid soccer player who is on a mission to find and unlock their greatness. Anatomically designed to fit the left and right legs snugly, these guards are also made with a densely packed foam backing to absorb as much impact as possible without being bulky and restrictive. The backing foam, made of the durable EVA material is molded in a waffle-like design for further impact protection and shock diffusion. This pair of shin guard is also noted as one of the best shin guards for indoor soccer as well.

In looking at the best soccer shin guards available, it would be foolish to ignore another of the world's largest and greatest sports firms, Puma. Like Adidas and Nike, Puma makes a variety of innovative and cutting edge products for the sport of soccer. Puma is another great company to explore when seeking your ideal shin guards. For a breathable, well-padded, low profile guard with a little weight to it, one ought to consider the Puma Power Plate shin guard. Unlike the number of previously mentioned shin guard designs, the Puma Power Plate has vents on its front to allow for better air circulation and general comfort. With these "die cut vents," the power plate guard offers superior air circulation and breathability to many of its Nike and Adidas peers.

As the name may suggest, this is a bit more sheer and modern in its design than the previous, more traditionally constructed shin guards in our list of the best selling men's soccer shin guards. From uhlsport, the Sockshield Lite 2.0 has a major difference from the above listed men’s soccer shin guards. While the previous shin guards are hard-shelled, padded guards with separate sleeves, these shin guards fit like compression sleeves. With their unique and innovative elastic, and dynamic design setup, these guards are intended to maximize lower leg movement and flexibility. With their thoughtful and artful "ventilation and flex lines," these guards are meant to breathe, fit snugly, and bend flexibly while still providing the expected amount of impact support and shock diffusion asked of a quality shin guard.

In such a dynamic game, it is common for players to seek to balance protection and flexibility when finding the right equipment for their playing styles. Like the Puma Power Plate guards, the J Guards by Nike offer front ventilation for minimal discomfort from sweat and excessive heat. With these frontal vents, the J Guards are great for especially hot playing environments, allowing for maximum air flow and minimum sweat.

Though this seems counterintuitive in terms of safety, it allows substantial protection while also restricting movement far less than traditionally-sized guards. For a great fit, the J Guards are contoured to sit well on the players' legs. The J Guards are designed to provide maximum impact protection with the least surface area coverage achievable.

For the perfect meeting of space age technology, flexible fit, comfort, and maximum strength, one needn't look further than the Zone 14 Carbon Guard 33. As the name hints, these fancy guards are made partially of carbon fiber. In fact, the 33 in the name refers to the 33 percent carbon fiber that comprises the shielding (the other 67 percent being fiberglass). Known for its light weight and incredible strength, the carbon fiber in these guards help them to provide great efficiency. There are plenty of reasons why you should wear carbon fiber shin guards, but the most notable feature is how they are intended to absorb a great deal of shock. It doesn't hurt, either, that the low profile design and impressively low weight allow for faster and less restricted movement, bringing your footwork to the next level.

While low profile, EVA foam, carbon fiber shin guards sound impressive, many people would just like a nice, reliable shin guard that won't batter their wallet. With the aforementioned materials, you will be getting a guard made to the industry standard of many of the best selling men's soccer shin guards. If you aren't looking for the next fancy, cutting edge shin guard made of space age material, you might want to look at some guards from Champion Sports. A well-reputed name in the sportswear industry, Champion Sports has some more modest, though solidly effective, shin guards that will stand up to your toughest game play. Champion's Soft Soccer Shin Guards offer a traditional plastic-reinforced shell with venting. Though not as sophisticated as the cutting edge, carbon fiber guards we have looked at, these guards are built for utility and comfort, and will get the job done just as effectively.

For another premium quality shin guard with great performance and comfort specs, built by experts dedicated to the sport of soccer alone, one can look again to the California-based Vizari Sports company. Among its many other offerings, Vizari presents the Sport Preston Shin Guard. Similar in design and fit to Vizari's cheaper Malaga shin guard model, the Preston guard offers a few additional features for comfort, function, and aesthetics. The shape and nature of the exterior shell on this model is much the same as the Malaga model, varying mostly in terms of the paint scheme and other minor aesthetic details. Though a bit more pricey than the Malaga, the Preston offers such features as a chromed face-plate, and a removable ankle guard to allow for ankle protection (which makes it one of the best shin guards with ankle protection, as well as making the pads easier to take on and off). With it's combination of first-rate performance, aesthetics, and feel, the Vizari Preston earns its place on our list of the best selling men's soccer shin guards.