nicholus.h

Did the old U-Foam become the new speedcore? My old U+12's are getting a bit beat up, but they were so amazing after being baked and I'm really hoping they kept that around.

Product: Warrior Hustler Elbows (2010) Background: 5'11, 210lbs Use: 2.5 months Previous: Jofa 9177, Itech 455TL FIT / COMFORT Absolutely great. I came from the Jofa 9177. I know they're real popular, but I just didn't feel comfortable in them. The strap across the elbow joint just rubbed me the wrong way and they always felt like they were slipping. The Hustlers are great in both regards. The Sling Wrap system hold the elbow pad in place very nicely without getting anything up into the crook of your elbow. And unlike the Hustler shin pads, the amount of velcro and the length of the strap are appropriate for giving a very nice fit for a variety of arms. I like the bicep guard, too, because it blooms open and sort-of accepts the bicep guard on your shoulder pads. A very nice addition. Overall, very secure fit, very comfortable. 10 out of 10. PROTECTION The Jofas were tanks. These are decidedly not, but still offer a very good amount of protection. Elbow caps are nice and hard. I've had a few falls, felt nothing in these. The slash guard has molded plastic inserts and offer adequate protection. The bicep guard has no such protection, just the foam. Overall 8 out of 10. DURABILITY Definitely sub-par, here. After only about two months, some of the stitching is coming apart on the upper side of the sling wrap. About the same location in both pads. I had to sew them up myself. Very distressing. The stretch material of the sling wrap and the bicep strap feel great, but seem pretty prone to developing runs and overall just feel like they wouldn't hold up well against scratches and cuts and other sharp insults. I have the Vapor X:60 shin pads and compared to the Bauer Anchor Strap material that serves a similar purpose, the Hustler Sling Wraps feel way flimsier. I guess in the end, we'll see if they can hold up, but I wouldn't be surprised if the straps were covered in my sewing in a year or two. 5 out of 10. GENERAL / OVERALL I absolutely love these elbow pads. They have A+ fit and comfort and good-to-great protection. This is why the durability issue disappoints. I don't think they're going to fall apart and be unusable, but I expected them to hold together better since they are higher level pads. My plan is to hold on to these pads as long as possible (sewing where I need to), because aside from the durability issue they are A+. If they fall apart, will definitely look into the Vapor X:60, they seem very similar and though the Anchor Strap may not be as comfortable as Sling Wrap (not 100% sure), they seem like they'll hold up a lot better. 8 out of 10.

I really like the Hustler elbows, but the design of the shins I think is less than ideal. The fastening velcro is so small that unless you have the perfect size calves, you won't get a good fit.