Bauer 5000 Shoulder/Shin/Elbow pads

[Dave 1]

Reviewed Products: Bauer 5000 shoulder/elbow/shin pads (2002 model)

Reviewer Specs: 6"2, 210 lbs.

I own a set of Bauer 5000 protective pads (shoulders, elbows and shins) for about two years now. I bought them in Paris, France and it did cost me a fortune (about 400 USD for all three pads).

Protection

Protection is what you’d expect from line of high-quality and massive pads: overkill.

Shoulders (9 out of 10 points for protection):

- Very good all-around protection, customizable with removable rib guards, belly-pad and biceps protector.

- I have only removed the biceps-thing and I have re-installed the rib-guards after breaking a rib without the additional rib-pad.

- Gel pads are of doubtful quality/function IMO. They started loosing some (ugly sticky) gel after a while and I feel they are rather a gimmick than a functional part (see below).

Elbows (8 out of 10 points for protection):

- Excellent forearm coverage (poly inserts), despite the crappy removable wrist-guard (I have never used it).

- Here again: the function of the gel pads is a big question-mark. It’s a very small (in diameter) gel-thing that covers only a part of the elbow-bone. IMO it’s a marketing gimmick.

Shins (8 out of 10 points for protection):

- Protected me very well from a number of big slappers I took to the shins. My only beef with it is the part just below the knee-piece (between knee and shin), which is poorly padded/constructed so that it often hurts in that spot when I fall straight on my knees.

- And again: a tiny gel-pad that is more visual than functional.

- Excellent calf-protector made of a solid (and removable) plate of polyethylene. Great feature!

Fit/Comfort

Shoulders (7 out of 10 points for fit):

- Nicely wraps the upper body because of the segmented design. Stays in place in all situations.

- Very bulky should-caps (football-style). Due to the huge caps I’ll look into another pad for next season (maybe Easton Synergy).

- Definitely on the heavy side.

- Could be better vented.

Elbows (5 out of 10 points for fit):

- Extremely bulky pads.

- Pads don’t stay in place and slide down my arms despite the inner neoprene wrap.

- Upper part (biceps protector) is poorly constructed, doesn’t wrap the arm well and restricts movement.

Shins (7 out of 10 points for fit):

- Despite their bulk those pads fit rather well and don’t restrict skating mechanics too much (compared to the protection-level they offer).

- Straps could be better placed.

Quality/Durability

As for the fabrics use for those pads I can’t say enough good things about the antibacterial liner. I don’t know if it actually prevents bacteria from growing, but I had the impression that my pads stays stink-free for quite some time. I wear my shin and elbow pads right on my skin (short sleeve top, short compression short only) and the liner was skin-friendly and looks like new (although I have washed my pads three times over the two years).

In general the whole 5000 line is well made, no breakdown and only slight (inevitable) wear and tear. So I give 5 out of 5 stars for quality.

Summary

Shoulders: 8 out of 10 points

Great pad if you need maximum protection and don’t mind the bulk of the shoulder-caps.

Elbows: 6 out of 10 points

Good protection but too many downsides (bulky, movement-restricting, won’t stay in place)

Shins: 8 out of 10 points

Pretty good protection, an awesome calf-protector and few flaws.