Twins GPS-1 Steel Thai Cup Review

Twins GPS-1 Steel Thai Groin Guard Review

Brand

Twins Special is one of the largest Thai manufacturers, and despite only being a registered company since 1992, they’ve been producing top level Thai boxing gear and equipment for 60 years. They export their equipment all over the world, and have become well known as a very reliable and well-made brand, with their boxing gloves growing in popularity with western boxers as well as Nak Muay.

About the gloves

The GPS-1 is a traditional steel Thai cup, the same style that fighters in Thailand have been using for years. The cup is held in place with two straps, one tied around the waist and one that goes between your legs.

Visuals

Visuals don’t really get considered when it comes to groin guards, they spend all their time tucked into your shorts, so Twins have kept the GPS-1 simple. Black, with a Twins Special logo on the front and leather padding around the edges. The cup is available in black, red and blue.

Materials/Craftsmanship

Like the name suggests, the ‘steel thai cup’ is made of steel, so there’s no real surprises when it comes to materials. The only addition is leather padding around the rim, so that it sits comfortably against your groin and offers some protection to the muscles if you get hit. The craftsmanship is utilitarian, its built to serve a purpose, but it’s still a well made product. One clear drawback is because it uses traditional materials and design it doesn’t benefit from the innovation you see in more modern designs – like the lightweight Lo-bloo products, or the highly protective Diamond MMA cup.

Comfort/use

For us this is where the GPS-1 falls down. As we already said the traditional design doesn’t benefit from the innovation other brands have included in their products. In the GPS-1’s case its the straps that position the groin guard. They’re a challenge to tie correctly on yourself, and unless you’re used to training in a thong they don’t always feel comfortable. Because of this, it’s also difficult to get the cup to sit comfortably and stay in position, so we’ve found you end up needing to adjust it regularly and worse, it can move and stop offering the protection you brought it for. That being said we know that a lot of people swear by a steel thai cup, so if you can get around the fit problems they clearly offer plenty of protection and comfort.

Cost

You can find the Twins Special GPS-1’s online for £29.99. If you ask us, this is not the best value for money. You can buy more modern groin guards for less money that don’t have the same issues with comfort, and we’d suggest exploring these options – unless you’re sure you want the traditional style cup and are happy to figure out how to make it comfortable for yourself.