Knee/Thigh Guards

[benderboy30 0]

these are called Zoombang knee pads they are made by the company of zoombang. i used these this year with a pair of Bauer one80 pads. i personally loved them because they were comfortable fit to your knee and were protective. Although they don't look very protective there is a science behind the padding. When contact is made with the pads the air pockets come togather dissipating the force in a manner where you don't feel it. To the touch the padding is soft but when hard contact is made they harden.

[Law Goalie 147]

Even if you buy the Zoombang science 100%, the knee pads pictured do not have sufficient coverage for goaltending. Pucks, skates, and sticks have edges, and getting hit between those pads could be devastating. It doesn't take much to dislocate the patella, and even lesser impact can leave you hobbling for weeks, or sliced wide open.

In order for those to be reliably effective, that would need complete anterior, medial, and lateral coverage, and they would need to be extended another couple of inches up the thigh.

I'm not doubting that you've enjoyed using a low-profile knee-pad, but if that is indeed what you're wearing, you are at risk.

[benderboy30 0]

Law- for now there not too bad because i haven't taken off my thigh guards so until i can get a new pair they will do but your a very knowledgeable person what would you recommend?

[Law Goalie 147]

If your thigh-guards/boards are still in place, wearing a knee-sleeve with a bit of extra padding isn't so much of a problem: they're just backup, not stand-alone knee-pads.

My recommendations are in this thread: Brown, Reebok, Bauer, Vaughn. I'd also suggest checking out the PAW knee-pads from Protective Athletic Wear. They've custom-only, made-to-order, so you won't find them at retail, but a lot of people swear by them, and Sara has a very strong track-record as a builder.

Phil Maltese has also been working on gel knee-pads for a while new, but they're not ready yet. Those may be a real game-changer.

[willoe 0]

Not to hijack the Zoombang talk, but I did pick up a pair of Browns after reading LGs review and I must say they're fantastic so far. Great coverage, they stay relatively in place, I haven't been playing with my socks, but I'm thinking with my socks and a quick tape warp, Ill be good to go.

Thanks LG!

[retroXvertigo 4]

Where are you guys getting your Browns knee pads from?

[willoe 0]

I emailed John directly, you can get his email address off the website. http://brownhockey.com/contactus.html

[Axxion89 32]

To add to this thread, another option to look at are G-Form's knee pads. I have been using them and thigh boards to replace my Reebok P1 Knee Pads and so far have done a very good job at providing satisfactory protection and great mobility. I will be posting a review in the coming month or so but I do believe these are better than the Zoombangs mentioned earlier.

[Law Goalie 147]

Passau Hockey (who ghosted the Messiah gear for Warrior) has just released a new high-end knee-pad: it's not on their website yet (they're renovating), so I figured I'd post it here. Retail is $115, which is on the high end of the scale for knee-pads, but these look terrific.

These are actually a *four*-piece knee-pad: an upper thigh piece, a lower knee piece with medial and lateral protection, a floating plate in front of those (covering the gap), and the knee-wrap velcroed to those, sitting against the skin. To give an idea of how the floating shield sits in the butterfly, here's a five-hole shot:

My one concern is that these have an unbelievable number of straps: not only inconvenient in dressing, but quite bulky. Still, it's perhaps the most complex and comprehensively protective knee-pad design I've ever seen, and surprisingly low-profile where other knee-pads have had issues coming into contact with the pad and jamming the rotation.

[retroXvertigo 4]

My Browns will be shipping out on Monday. :-)

[Law Goalie 147]

Good call: you'll love them. The only thing the Brown knee-pads are lacking, IMO, is a slightly taller thigh so that they don't 'pop out' from under shorter pants when butterflying. This can be solved by sewing or lacing them directly into the pants, suspending them from a garter-belt, or by adding an extension on top. I hacked up a pair of Itech (now Bauer) 'Pro' knee-pads to do just that. There's also a very small exposure to shots from the side, but I was only stung there once in six years of wearing the Browns, and I wear my pads very loose at the knee, and generally without a knee-lock. The Passau knee-pads have that aspect covered, but they're also far more complicated and bulky than John's design, which is simplicity itself.

When you guys get your Brown knees, definitely put up your impressions in the Goalie Review section!

[Law Goalie 147]

In fact, I just posted a full review, to make it easier for everyone to add their impressions without starting from scratch!

[retroXvertigo 4]

I may have to put a garter loop on mine. They slip down a little.

You guys wear them under your socks or on top? Last time a tried them under with some shin tape on top. (d guy in goalie gear fix)

[Law Goalie 147]

You may also need to shorten the straps slightly; sometimes John sends them out a little long. Just fold over at the edge and sew. You can also wear a thin volleyball-style sleeve under them, if you need to take up some negative space. The bottom strap is the key one: it has to be snug and secure.

I don't wear socks, only UA tights, and the knee-pads are naturally on top; NHL goalies are required by the rules to wear socks over their knee-pads, but I'd rarely encountered anyone who liked wearing knee-pads over their socks. Using clear tape is definitely a common and totally viable thing to try.

The other thing you can do, in lieu of a garter loop, is a sort of hack Armadillo knee. Sew a wide band of elastic fabric (doubled-over Spandex/Lycra is fine) or just a wide elastic strap or two into the top of the knee-pads, and then just above the thigh-guards inside the pants. As long as you're within an inch or two of the right length, they'll hold the knee-pads up easily but won't resist your movements noticeably, and shouldn't open a gap between the top of the knee-pads and the bottom of your pants' thighs. The classic Armadillo knee on goalie pants relies on *very* precisely cut static fabrics (400-600D nylon, sometimes Cordura), but the elastic gives you some wiggle room.

[jcp2 2]

I use a pair of thin volleyball pads under the Brown pads and it adds a bit of padding to the point to the knee as well as locking the Browns in place.

[IPv6Freely 2093]

Bringing this topic back from the dead.

I'm looking for knee protection primarily for landing cushion, but of course also for protection. I've bought the latest Bauer Supreme and Bauer Reactor knee pads and sent them both back. The reactors weren't bad but had no clips for a garter to hold them up. The Supremes were terribly bulky and uncomfortable.

I was looking at the ones Sara at PAW makes since people seem to think very highly of them, but after reading this thread I looked at the offerings from Brown. Looks like the 2100 and 2000 are both gone now, replaced by the 2100 and 2400. The 2100 being pretty standard, and the 2400 having what looks like quite of a bit of extra cushion:

I think I'm going to give these a shot.

[BenderHockey 127]

FYI, I have the black/yellow Bauer reactors. I whole-heartedly endorse them. They don't slip at all, but have loops at the top if you need to fasten them to something. Very comfortable as well, to me at least.

[IPv6Freely 2093]

Are they old? The current models are supreme (black/yellow) and reactors which are blue.

[BenderHockey 127]

No, they are current. Maybe they are supreme.

[IPv6Freely 2093]

No, they are current. Maybe they are supreme.

Ah yea. I have both supreme and reactor at home and sending both back. I didn't like either.

[Davetronz 109]

I picked up a pair of the Brown 2400 and ended up not liking them. The gel was still too hard on my knees and the built-in lifts made things too high for me. I cut them open and removed the lifts (just a bit of foam/PE) and sealed them back up, I like them a lot more now.

I got a pair of Custom PAW as well, and found that the material really irritated my knees. It was like I was getting friction burn, plus the padding still wasn't soft enough. Otherwise, they seemed really protective and I liked that they came up a bit higher on my thigh.

I also picked up a pair of the brand new (2014) version of the Passau's. They have a LOT going on, but seem fairly comfortable. It felt a bit like they were rotating when I used them, but they are by far the most protective.

I've also tried all the Bauer's and they haven't had enough knee padding for me. The yellow and black Supreme's seem to be the best of the bunch. I like the mobility of the Vaughn's, but again the knee protection is lacking.

At the end of the day I continue having to wear a set of volleyball knee pads under my goaltender knee pads to protect my injured, boney knees. Sigh.

[IPv6Freely 2093]

I'm guessing it's just because I'm fat, but the side of the Bauer supreme pads digs into the sides/back of my thighs when I butterfly. The reactors arE MUCH more comfortable but tend to slip down.

I'm going to try the warrior pads where the top two sections are DESIGNED to slip down over top of the knee pad, which means no bunching up causing the pad to slip down and have no tabs for a garter for some reason.

Since I'm looking more for landing cushion than actual protection, I may try the volleyball knee pad approach with a thigh wrap instead.

[IPv6Freely 2093]

Finally found something I like!!

These are the Brians SR knee pads. They are extremely comfortable and they don't move at all (especially with the garter). The bottom part with the plastic stays put, and the rest of the pad slides down over top (similar to the way the Warrior Ritual pads work). They don't interfere with my leg pads at all, either. Very happy with these!

[Davetronz 109]

Those look good! How do they feel on the actual knee cap? Are they pretty soft - can you see your knees getting banged up if you drop down fast/hard?

[IPv6Freely 2093]

Those look good! How do they feel on the actual knee cap? Are they pretty soft - can you see your knees getting banged up if you drop down fast/hard?

Feel fantastic! They're well padded with a "hole" for the knee cap. Here's a photo from HockeyMonkey: