Jofa 4000 shoulder pads

[Lester8 11]

Fit: These pads shift a lot and are very uncomfortable. The padding material and stiff, vertical, plastic chest and spine plates do not bend easily so the vest tends to tent instead of sitting close to the body. The bicep pad is attached directly to a protruding part of the vest (no bridging strap), so the bicep pad slides on your arm when your shoulder moves up and down. The stiffness of the padding material combined with the straight edge of the plastic shoulder caps create a “flat top†or box shape. In order to fill the negative space, the vest “rolls†forward so the front shifts down, and the back shifts up to the shoulder pad’s resting place. The configuration allows the flat-top to angle down with the body but leaves my collar bones vulnerable since the neck hole is forward. The back of the neck hole rests against the back of my neck to prevent any further rolling. Half of the chest pad becomes an abdominal pad. A gap opens up between the padding and pants on the back. I went through the bench door once and the corner of the bench scraped my back badly. The shoulder caps sit higher than other models since the gap designed into them adds to the gap between the body and vest. The caps are deep and they tend to pop up when I put out my arms. They are not far from swinging into your ears if you’re not careful. 5/10

Protection: Despite the loose fit, the pads offer outstanding protection. The stiff padding material protects from all manner of poking. These pads provide near-full coverage. I’ve slammed into people, boards, and nets yet I’ve skated away from them all. The JDP plastic shoulder caps give excellent protection to the shoulder joint. The polyethylene plates on the chest and back help these pads stand up to more abuse than anybody should take. The large bicep plates have never fallen short. 9/10

Weight: These pads are significantly heavy. Just wearing them can tire out my upper body in minutes. The majority of shoulder pads are lighter. 5/10

Durability: The materials in these pads have changed very little over the years (3 and a half). The vest has become only slightly more flexible and it resisted creasing. The downside is that the stitching is not strong enough to hold the materials together. The bicep pads fell off and the shoulder cap stitching started to unravel. A few stitches by the ends of the cap attachments solved that problem. I had to hand stitch the bicep pads back on a few times (The stiffness of the material and the size of the gap can’t be fixed with needle and thread). Other than those attachment points the pads have held up really well. Straps are in tact, Velcro is still strong, no shredding, tearing, or cracking. 8/10

Intangibles: These pads do not ventilate well. The floating plates are not fully floating since they are attached so closely to the rest of the padding. The ventilation meshing under the plates just hold the pads together more than they ventilate since the chest and back plates sit directly over them. The extensive coverage of the dense padding deflects and channels heat up through the neck hole. Altogether, the materials are quick-drying and easy to clean. 6/10

Conclusion: The padding would suit large players or those just flat across the shoulders. To reduce volume in the pads, let out some of the shoulder cap stitching to let the vest “drop.†The fit suits only a minority but the protection is outstanding. 7/10