New leg pads

[U of M Goalie 0]

Hey guys I'm gonna be getting some new leg pads soon, RBK Premier 2's to be exact. I am coming from Vaughn Velocity 2's, 35 inch (which are a BIT to short on me). I was wondering if anyone had any opinions on the RBK Premier 2's and if anyone knew if their sizing was about the same as Vaughns. As I said my 35 V2's are a bit to small on me so I'm hoping a 36 RBK P2 would be a little bigger and fit a little better. Thanks for your help guys

[cook22 0]

i think that the rbk pads run a bit larger than the vaughn, i can fit into a 36" velocity, but even a 35" rbk is a little too big for me, thats just what i think

[Goalieman 0]

My word of advise to you is to stick with the Vaughns. Go to a V3. The RBK's are good pads, yes, but the Vaughn quality is insurmountable. I currently wear RBK Premier 1 pads and yes they are good, but they aren't very durable. The knee cradle is falling apart and the leather around the toe is wearing out. I've only had the pads for two years. Before the RBK i had a set of 6 yr. old vaughns and they had nothing wrong with them. Stick with the vaughns

[U of M Goalie 0]

Goalieman do you agree about the sizing though? Because my 35 inch V2's are a bit small on me. I dont know if you have any thoughts on the sizing differences

[Gummer12 134]

Where are they short?? Is your knee short of the cradle? or is it just the top of the thigh rise that's not where you like it? Perhaps going to a 35"+1 or so. Or just go up to a 36"? You still play for UM?

[U of M Goalie 0]

No my knee is slightly past the cradle, so the +1 thing would not help. I would say they are about an inch to short, the only problem is I've head a 36 V3 and a 36 RBK are much different as supposedly RBK's tend to run bigger I have heard. I'm living in NY for the moment and dont know of any shops around her to try em on, I was spoiled by Peranis in MI. No I graduated I'm not longer playing there.

[Gummer12 134]

So why not just stick with what you know, and stay with Vaughn, and try a 36"? Also, how about calling Ian up and see what He has to say? I'm sure he'll have a Lot more, and better info than any one of Us can give.

[vision 0]

RBKs do appear to run larger but, if my memory isn't failing me, the difference comes not from a difference in the overall length of the pad but how the inches are alloted. The RBKs have a shorter boot then Vaughn's for a given size.

::m

[cook22 0]

i bat you can email rbk and give them your AK they can tell you what size pad to get

[Goalieman 0]

The RBK pad runs a little bigger than most pads. Thats because its modeled after the KOHO 590 pad which is huge. If the Vaughn is a little small then just go to a 36. but as wex12 said it depends on where the pad is too small. If its at the knee cradle then go to a 36. but if not then get a 35 +1 or a 36+1

[Gummer12 134]

U-M...you get this figured out yet?

[U of M Goalie 0]

Ehhh I'm told by a few people that the best size for me would be RBK P2 35 inchs, because they run one size bigger and my 35 Vaughns are only slightly small on me. I am also told the RBK pads wont shrink or set as much as the Vaughn pads, so I'm thinking RBK P2 35 inches, I am going to wait till I get back to Michigan and hit up a hockey shop so I can try a set on before I have these made with all my specs and such though, just to be on the safe side.

[Goalieman 0]

alright cool. I suggest goin to the peranis in Flint, MI. Talk to Matt. he'll hook you up with watever you need. The RBk is a great choice by the way. That's what i wear and i love them

[Law Goalie 147]

The RBKs won't shrink at all - they're plank foam (and damned stiff!) rather than shred-packed like the V3s. There's an RBK P2 tear-apart on goalieboard.com that shows how the ankle break is basically locked down. There's a little more give in the P2 knee than the P1, but it's still stiff as hell.

You'll find that the RBKs play very, very differently than your previous Velos. They'll give you a very, very stable platform in the butterfly, but they won't bend and conform to your legs like the Vaughn pads. The RBKs are utterly unforgiving - they're a tool that designed to be used one way, and one way only. They're almost complete opposites in terms of design - or as opposed as you can get between two sets of leg pillows.

I'd highly reccommend that you take the RBKs for a test drive or two before you buy: a good 2-hour skate at least. The shop should have a demo pair, or at least a used pair of P1s they can loan you for a day.

[U of M Goalie 0]

Ok so now I'm undecided again I have heard good things about the V3 and people keep telling me that I have used Vaughns for such a big part of my career that changing to RBK would be both difficult and bad because they are such different pads are pointed out before. If I did get the V3's I would get several modifications done to them of course though as Vaughn tends to go overboard with their "features"

[Law Goalie 147]

My only advice in custom-ordering V3s would be to ask them to add the full set of retail features, but to make everything easily removable and replaceable with lacing, rather than being directly stitched in. This way, if you do decide that you miss a calf-wedge, for example, you can always re-add it.

I'd also ask for an RBK-style knee-block (one-piece, with the straps running through it) rather than a series of stacks. That is principally what makes the RBKs a more stable pad, and as long as you know roughly what height you need, you'll be much happier.

(My own personal preference would be for a completely stripped-down V3 with RBK-style knee-blocks and 3D calf-wraps, all quick-release straps (except for the boot), and a single colour with only the 'devil tails' in weave. That said, I'd probably go with Smith before Vaughn. :) )

[Gummer12 134]

Well JB, I've always been a firm believer of Wear What's Comfortable. If wearing the RBK's is always going to be in the back of your mind if they're performing or not, then that's gonna hinder your performance. You got to have confidence in not only yourself, but in your gear, knowing that they'll perform to your needs, and feel comfortable to your specs. You obviously know what you need out of your Vaughns to perform at a competitive level. That said, I'm not saying you can't experiment with something new. Like you said, come back to MI, and hit a LHS that you know and trust, and I wouldn't even be afraid to stop in to Yost and see what Ian and the boys have to say about this issue. I'm sure they'll be more than willing to lend you a hand, and will have a lot more expert guidance than I can ever offer. There might even be an option you might not have thought about, or a custom option that they can get, and no one else can. It never hurts to ask. And it never hurts to bring em a case of beer ;)

[U of M Goalie 0]

Yeah exactly, if I DID get the Vaughns I would know the exact sizing because my V2 are 35 and are a bit to small for me. SO I'd get either a 36 or 36 1/2, and a few custom mods. For the V3 I'd get one large knee block as said before, no thigh flap on the thig rise, no graphics on the calf wedge. The V3's are all +1 anyway so that's about all i would get done. But of course I would like to try on both pads before I make a decision.

[Goalieman 0]

Go with the vaughns. I finally got a chance to try on the new V3's and they are unbelieveable. They roll perfectly and they are by far the most comfortable pad i've ever put on.

[U of M Goalie 0]

Yeah ya nkow after some thinking about it I am going to go with the Vaughn V3's. I have heard nothing but good things about em from amateaurs as well as pro's and I have used Vaughn my whole career for the most part. I will for sure get some custimization done though such as removing that flap on the thigh rise. But I just dont like the RBK sizing and I dont know that I'd be able to adapt to them as well as I had the Vaughns.

[cook22 0]

why not try smith

[FleuryJr29 0]

if you like to wear your pads loose (like me)id go with the the p2. if you like to wear your pads tight then id go with the v3. I have the p2 and i love them a close friend of mine has the v3 and they are also a very good pad.But he likes my pads more. just throwing that in there

[U of M Goalie 0]

See I wear my pads snug, not tight or loose but snug. The only part I leave loose is the boot area, I have the tie toes loose with a good amount of movement and I do the boot strap semi-loose. But I cant play with completely loose straps I have tried it and the results were not good lol. For now I am going with the V3's and I will be back in MI soon so I will be able to get a demo pair and really try em out.

[Alex20 0]

Im going from perfect fitting 35 v2's to 34+2 tiny bit big in knee 34+2 p2s. try a 34 my atk is 17.5 nd dont forget vaughns shrink like crazzzzzzyyyyy