STX Stallion 500 Elbow pad

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STX Stallion 500 elbow pads

Any review with Elbow pads has to start here: I hate elbow pads. I’ve had the high end stuff, pro stock Jofas, and I have had the low end stuff, sherwood 5030s that sat on a shelf for 15 years. I’ve had big ones and small ones, Grafs, Eastons, bauers, I’ve tried them all. And I’ve hated them all.

The simple fact is that elbows all have the same problem. They slide down your arm, they wiggle around, and one pair liked to leave my elbow and try to flip around to “protect” the crook of my arm.

And STX knows it. They’ve put every effort into securing the elbow pad to your arm. An inner sleeve as well as a 360 degree strap are designed exclusively for the purpose of making your elbow pad stay put.

• Fit

  • The fit is very, very good. The sleeve across the forearm as well as the 360 degree strap does what it intends to do, and the elbow locks in better than any elbow pad I’ve tried. There’s still a minute amount of movement, but it’s better than most. Often you’ll find that the pad feels like it wants to move, but mostly it stays put. 8.5/10

• Comfort

  • Comfort out of the box is not incredibly high. The rubber strips inside the pad are great for helping to hold the pad in place, but they’re not friendly on skin and arm hair. Compounding that, when I wore a long sleeved shirt, the pad slid much worse than when I went with bare arms. Beyond that, the pad likes to pinch a bit, about an inch below my inner elbow, and I typically take the pad off after a skate to find a bright red line about an inch long. The pad is a bit stiff still, so I’m not sure how that will feel with more breaking in, but it’s a bit annoying for the rest of the day after a skate. I typically don’t feel it when skating though. 7.5/10

• Protection

  • Belaboring the point, a pad that stays home will be the best protection. But beyond that, I felt very confident in the Stallion 500 and the elbow cap. While compliant with the new softer foam expectations, the pad is still strong and will structured. The pad comes down to a nice point on the forearm, at just the right length and taper to fit inside the cuff of a glove without being in the way. You won’t see a downturn in protection with this pad. 10/10

• Weight

  • The foam allows the pad to be surprisingly light without sacrificing the feeling of protection. But adding to this, the pad is also very slim, an excellent low-profile elbow pad. As jerseys become slimmer (and I typically wear a Reebok Premier jersey when I play) a slimmer pad is long overdue. If you roll up your sleeves to prevent binding, this pad will help. 10/10

• Durability

  • Durability is typically tough to assess on an elbow, other than the wear of the inner pocket of stress and wear, and sweat accumulation. I haven’t seen any of that in six weeks because the inner liner is pretty robust and not too dependent on cloth that can get grimy, pill, or start to turn brown. (Granted, the pad is black so we probably wouldn’t notice that last one.) So far the stitching and contact points look to be strong, no reason for concern, and the straps don’t depend on too much typical elastic so they’re less likely to stretch out. Still, if the 360 strap starts to go, the entire effectiveness of this pad goes with it. 9/10

• Conclusion

  • While STX hasn’t fully created a pad that stays put, they’ve come the closest of anyone I’ve seen. Beyond that, they’ve created a light and strong pad that will play nice with your other equipment and your jersey. It could be a tad more comfortable, but if you can stomach little pinching and rubbing it will save you from a broken arm by staying where it’s supposed to be.

• Final Score: 9/10