Mobile Elbow Pads

[bologna 0]

I've been trying to find the most mobile elbow pads while still comfy and somewhat protective. I'm in a beer league (physical contact is merely some drunk baffoon who can't stop, or the minor missed stick check). I've tried the following:

- Bauer TotalONE

- Reebok 11K

- Bauer Vapor x30

- Bauer softcap

I've heard lacrosse elbow pads were a bit more mobile, anyone tried? Any help is greatly appreciated.

-J

[Fire Walker 22]

Are you waiting long enough to break in your elbows before moving on? I found my Reeboks to be fine for mobility once broken in.

A lot of people speak highly of the Warrior Projekts.

[IPv6Freely 2097]

If you can find Projekts (especially the white 2010 model, though some say they prefer the 2012 blue model - I'm not one of those people), they are the most comfortable and mobile elbow pads I've ever worn. Many seem to agree.

They're just hard to find now that they've been discontinued.

[strosedefence34 176]

i have been wearing lacrosse elbow pads since I was a little kid. I have tried hockey elbows multiple times and let them break in and I just could never get used to them.

[yrhmblnr8r 69]

I wear Jofa 9025s. No bicep pad = free range. It's enough protection for beer league.

It's an old model so it may be hard to come by but Reebok did something similar with the 3k last year. http://www.hockeygiant.com/rbk3kkfsepadsr.html

[akravetz 29]

I wear the X30s and have no problem at all with movement. That said, I am kinda short so for me, the pads tend to be forearm, elbow and upper arm. :) When I am playing, I don't notice them at all.

Andy in Peoria

[andymac1324 1]

Warrior Projekts. 2010 white model if you can find em! They are incredibly mobile, and for beer league they are plenty protective. If price isn't an issue, you may want to try the APX2's when they come out in the spring. check out the Bauer 2014 catalogue

[althoma1 575]

As mentioned, the white Warrior Projekts are extremely comfortable and mobile. The blue and grey Projekts are almost as mobile, but I find they fit me better (narrower) so provide better arm lock and they're also more protective.

[CommodoreColt 19]

I'm sure the freedom of lacrosse pads are great until someone accidentally lays a slash across your forearm radius above the wrist. I was shopping pretty recently and I haven't seen any lax pads that wrap the forearm the way hockey pads do.

For mobility I like to look for anything that has a three-piece design as opposed to two-piece like the Jofa pads. I chose a clearance set of Warrior Franchise pads for the articulation of the elbow and forearm shells. They're hinged with two pieces, giving just enough to reduce the resistance my wrist gets when curling in. It makes a big difference for bending the arm of my top hand so that I can stickhandle on the forehand side of my body. It appears that the shell pieces are designed in a way to lock the articulation in one direction and reduce the risk of hyperextension. It's pretty well designed. From what I've seen in photos, the Projekts have the same shell design.

[Stodgy 8]

I too vote for the blue projekts over the white ones. I have had both and hurt my elbow with a direct strike to the ice with the white which did not heal for 6-8 months. Thanks again to althoma 1 for the advice to pick up the blue ones. They are a big improvement in protection in my opinion.

[IPv6Freely 2097]

The protection is a big improvement, but they fit quite differently (which was a negative for me. My elbow didn't even sit in the pocket in the blue model.) I wore them for one game before going back to the white model.

[Chadd 916]

I wear Jofa 9025s. No bicep pad = free range. It's enough protection for beer league.

It's an old model so it may be hard to come by but Reebok did something similar with the 3k last year. http://www.hockeygiant.com/rbk3kkfsepadsr.html

I think you would need to replace the straps on the 3ks, they don't use a solid nylon strap like the 8025/9025 that we use.

I do agree though, that even high end pads feel much less restrictive once the bicep pad is gone.

Slightly off topic: When I saw this topic, my first thought was "I've never seen an elbow pad move on its own"

[althoma1 575]

I too vote for the blue projekts over the white ones. I have had both and hurt my elbow with a direct strike to the ice with the white which did not heal for 6-8 months. Thanks again to althoma 1 for the advice to pick up the blue ones. They are a big improvement in protection in my opinion.

No problem. A hard fall in the white ones is also what prompted me to grab the blue and grey ones and I agree that they're much more protective. They feel a little stiffer than the white ones when you first put them on (although still more mobile than other top end pads), but I find them just as mobile in practice.

The protection is a big improvement, but they fit quite differently (which was a negative for me. My elbow didn't even sit in the pocket in the blue model.) I wore them for one game before going back to the white model.

The sizing is different between the white and the blue and grey Projekts. I went from a medium in the white Projekts to a large in the blue and grey ones (I've worn large in every other elbow pad I've worn, but had to go down to mediums to get a secure fit in the white ones). So if you used the same size in both I could see why they wouldn't fit well. Of course even when going up a size I did find the blue and grey Projekts to be a bit narrower and deeper - that was a good thing for me and locked my arm in better, but it may not work as well for everyone as each body is different.

[yrhmblnr8r 69]

I think you would need to replace the straps on the 3ks, they don't use a solid nylon strap like the 8025/9025 that we use.

I do agree though, that even high end pads feel much less restrictive once the bicep pad is gone.

Slightly off topic: When I saw this topic, my first thought was "I've never seen an elbow pad move on its own"

Agreed. The lock strap makes a big difference. I cut the bicep off a different generation of 3ks I found at goodwill to make them fit like 9025s.

OP: If one of the pads you tried fit your forearm well, consider removing or reducing the bicep padding. For a trial run, you can fold the Velcro strap back on itself so it's not wrapping your bicep, just floating within your sweater.

[IPv6Freely 2097]

I did find the blue and grey Projekts to be a bit narrower and deeper - that was a good thing for me and locked my arm in better

Yep and I'm short and fat so you can imagine a narrower and deeper pad wouldn't be so good. ;)

[MarsB 33]

My vote is for CCM CLs (soon to be RBZs). Light, mobile, protective, and really fast drying.

[Cosmic 178]

My vote is for CCM CLs (soon to be RBZs). Light, mobile, protective, and really fast drying.

I have the CLs. They run small (I am 6'2 in a Large, and they do not reach to my 15 inch gloves), but like you said, everything else is great. I would wait to grab the RBZ (Since I am in the 6'2 or over ranger, and prefer a bit more coverage) if I were looking to make a purchase and could hold out for a few months.

I alternate between my CLs (for games) and these Jofas (for practices) in my avatar. The Jofas are like tanks and I have taken a few pucks to them at high speed and felt nothing, but they are so immobile/ bulky/ clumsy/ restrictive.

[hollowicked 39]

When I was shopping for elbows I tried on just about everything they had and went with the 11k's no complaints. The nexus 1000's were nice also but at the time total hockey did not have them in my size.

[LoneStar77 25]

I would also vote for a 3-piece pad, if mobility is a must. I LOVE my Warrior Franchise elbows, they stay in place & feel much more mobile than the Jofa 8077s I had previously. I pretty much forget I have them on when I'm playing.

[gosinger 122]

Another vote for 3-piece design. I prefer my Bauer XXXX to all my other pads, be it Jofa, Easton 700, Warrior AX1, and so on, even when the others were broken in :)