Vaughn 7700 pad question

[SuperMan3 1]

How is the shrinkage in these compared to the V2s which I'm using now, the V2s have shrunk 2" and I'm worried about the 7700 having the same issues.

[Law Goalie 147]

It's basically a non-issue with newer Vaughn pads, including the 7700. The 'shrinkage' occurred because Vaughn used to build Velocity line (per Smith's final design) with HD plates (thigh, knee, shin, boot) packed in shredded foam: they called this 'Shred-Pak', presumably because dropping letters and adding hyphens is cool. As the pads broke in and the shredded foam A) settled lower in the pad, and B) started to break down, the HD plates would sink down a little; the shin plate slipping down into the ankle-break was the main culprit. This was in large part what gave the Velocity line such great flexibility; the shrinkage was the corresponding drawback. In their more recent Velocity pads, they've switched to using sheet foam almost exclusively: no more sinking, hence no shrinking. However, the 7700 no longer feels quite the same as a 'classic' Velocity pad; it's still a good deal more flexible than a Reebok pad, for example, but it's more like a simulation of the V2 with completely different materials.

[SuperMan3 1]

I opted to buy them anyway, tough to find a double break 7700 34+2, got em for 450 with a 7500 blocker, amazing 5-hole coverage, but my knee popped the first time I used them, not sure if its the pad or just bad luck.