The Bauer Pro Straight is the visor most NHL guys are wearing right now. It's a true pro-spec piece — thicker polycarbonate than the budget options, an anti-fog coating that actually holds up through three periods of hard skating, and the cleanest sightlines of any visor on the market. If your league lets you wear a half shield, this is the one.

The visor sits a bit higher off the helmet than the older Bauer RBE models, which gives you a wider field of vision when you're scanning for outlet passes or looking for a give-and-go in the slot. The straight cut is the cleaner look — if you want the wave-cut that lets a bit more air through to your nose, Bauer makes the same model in a wave version (Pro Clip Wave).

Where this visor really earns its price is the construction. The mounting hardware is metal, not plastic, so it doesn't crack when you take a stick to the face. I've broken cheap visors in one season with regular contact — this one has lasted me two seasons of beer league plus pickup with no issues.

The CCM VR Pro is the equivalent of the Bauer Pro Straight for CCM helmet wearers. It mounts cleanly to the CCM Tacks and Super Tacks lineup with the included CCM hardware, and it has the same pro-spec polycarbonate construction at a $10 lower price point. If you wear a CCM helmet, this is the visor that's actually designed for it.

The cut sits a touch wider than the Bauer Pro — you get slightly more peripheral coverage, which is great for forwards constantly checking over their shoulder for a check coming. The trade-off is that it's a hair more visible in your peripheral when you're skating with the puck. Most players won't notice after one skate.

The CCM hardware is plastic-on-metal — not as bulletproof as the all-metal Bauer Pro, but plenty durable for a normal season of beer league. If you've never broken a visor mounting bracket, you don't need the all-metal upgrade.

The Bauer RBE I is the visor I'd hand to a beer-leaguer who needs something that works without spending top-tier money. It's been Bauer's mid-tier visor for years and it does the basic job — protects your eyes, doesn't fog up too badly, mounts to any modern Bauer or CCM helmet without much fuss. The polycarbonate is thinner than the Pro Straight, and the anti-fog coating doesn't last quite as long, but for $40 you're getting a real, certified visor.

The RBE I is the visor most rec-league players are wearing whether they realize it or not. It's been the default budget visor at every pro shop for a decade. It's not exciting, but it's reliable and it's half the price of the Pro Straight.

If you break visors regularly — whether from rough play or just from packing your helmet hard in your bag — the RBE I is also the easier replacement. Less guilt swapping a $40 visor than an $85 one.

The Bauer Concept III is the gold standard of full-face clear shields and it has been for years. If your league requires full-face protection but you don't want a wire cage staring back at you in the mirror, this is the move. Clear, anti-fog, anti-scratch polycarbonate that wraps your whole face and gives you cage-level protection with visor-level visibility.

The Concept III is what college players who don't want to wear a cage end up wearing. It's also the choice for adult rec players over 35 in most leagues that allow either a cage or full shield (Hockey Canada and USA Hockey adult leagues both accept it). Your league rule book should confirm before you commit.

The trade-off is fogging. A clear plastic shield wrapping your whole face traps more breath than a half visor or a cage. The Concept III's anti-fog coating is genuinely the best in the category — but on a cold rink with a hard skate, you'll still get some fog by the third. Crack the chin vent, breathe through your nose, you'll be fine.

The Bauer III is the top of Bauer's three-tier cage lineup (I, II, III — III is the highest spec) and it's the cleanest full cage on the market right now. Lightweight steel construction, the smallest wire profile in the lineup for the best sightlines, and Bauer's J-clip mounting system that holds tight without rattling. If you wear a cage and you've been dealing with sightline frustration, this is the upgrade.

The wire spacing is the headline feature. Bauer ran the numbers on the largest possible wire spacing that still meets HECC certification and the III is the result — you can see through this cage better than any cage I've used in 25 years of hockey. It's the closest to "no facemask" feel a cage can give you.

The trade-off is the price. $70 is real money for a cage when the FM580 budget option is $35. But if you wear a cage every game and the sightlines have been bothering you, the difference between the III and the budget cages is night-and-day worth the upgrade.

The CCM FM680 is the smart-money pick in the cage category. It splits the difference between the budget FM580 and the premium Bauer III — better sightlines and tighter mounting than the budget cage, $20 less than the Bauer III, and the construction holds up to a full season of beer league hockey. If you wear a CCM helmet and you don't want to overspend on the III but the FM580 feels too basic, this is the move.

The wire profile is a touch thicker than the Bauer III but noticeably slimmer than the FM580. Sightlines are good. The chin cup is foam-padded properly — one of the things budget cages skimp on — and the J-clip system mounts cleanly to any modern CCM helmet without rattling.

I'd put this cage on a junior or college player whose league requires a cage and who plays often enough that the cheap budget cage starts to show wear. Two seasons of regular use, no issues. Best protection-per-dollar in the cage lineup.

The CCM FM580 is the cage that's been on every minor hockey kid's helmet for the last decade. It's the entry-level CCM cage, it's $35, and it gets the job done. The wire profile is thicker than the FM680 or Bauer III, the sightlines aren't great, and the chin cup is hard plastic instead of foam-padded — but for $35, it's a real, certified, full-protection cage that will keep your face safe.

I'd put this cage on a kid who's growing fast and needs a replacement every season anyway, on a returning adult player who hasn't worn a cage since high school and isn't sure they want to commit to one, or on anyone whose league requires a cage but who only plays beer league once a week.

Don't go cheaper than this. Anything under $30 in the cage category is uncertified knock-off territory and you're risking your face. The FM580 is the realistic floor for cage purchases.