Passau Gen 2 Knee Guards

Hills · October 12, 2016

Personal Details
Male
6’3”
220 lbs
Butterfly
A-C level hockey
Knee Guard History: Vaughn V3, Bauer Supreme, Reebok P2, Warrior G2 Pro, Bauer Supreme 1S OD1N, Passau Gen 2
Price: $140 (including shipping in Canada)

Preface: I’ve been on the lookout for a good knee guard that is protective enough without modifications and didn’t completely break the bank. My last two knee guard reviews should be pretty evident of why I ended up buying these. I opted to not get the Maltese inserts because I didn’t want to spend an extra $60 on an addition that doesn’t increase protection and just makes the landing wing softer. I ended up measuring my leg according to the Passau website and fit into a Large/XL sizing.

Fit: These are a big knee pad and are easily the biggest I’ve ever worn. While you can mold them onto your leg more they will still be bigger than my previous knee guards. Since there is multiple sizes hopefully a pair of these will fit your legs and you won’t have to rely on a one size fits all retail knee guard. One of the awesome features of these Passau Gen 2 knee pads is that they are essentially a two piece knee pad. The piece part being the longer and soft padded base layer and the second piece being the outer top shells and extra padded part for the top of the knee. The softer lower piece has a velcro attachment that joins the upper shell pieces with the padded lower layer. This velcro attachment allows you to customize how high or low the knee guard sits on your knee and shin and does a good job of making the knee guard comfortable for you. I found that for the first time putting them on leave the two pieces separated, strap up the bottom piece and then place the top piece on the velcro and link the two pieces together. For me this method made the knee guards fit well and comfortable from the get go. The Passau Gen 2 knee guards have four elastic straps to hold them in place with the bottom shin strap being much thicker and the outer shell straps being double layered to help with longevity of the straps.

Comfort: While I didn’t pay for the $60 Maltese landing wing option for more comfort I found the bottom layer to be well padded throughout and uses a nice soft grey nash like material that helps with grip and comfort. The inner knee wing is fairly thick and soft enough to be the most comfortable knee pad I have worn out of the box. I can’t feel any connection points like I could in the Bauer Supreme 1S OD1N and every part of these knee guards are comfortable on my knees. The thick shin strap is infinitely more comfortable than the Anchor Strap on the Bauer 1S.

Protection: While I haven’t used these on the ice yet, they are passing my tests of me smashing my fist onto the knee pad better than my two previous knee guards. Even without the big outer plastic shell the Passau Gen 2 knee guards protect my knee from the force better than my previous knee guards. I’ve tried to find gaps in protection and the only place that could be hit is the outside of the knee, which is still protected but seems to be not designed to take impacts (and understandably so as this area is always a bit of an afterthought on knee guards). The outer top shell seems to be made of a layer of foam and plastic which works well with the padded under layers to protect your knee and thigh. So far I am very impressed with the protection on these knee guards.

Weight: The Passau Gen 2 knee guards are heavier than the Warrior G2 Pro knee guards, but I never noticed them wearing them on ice in terms of weight and I'll happily take the extra weight for the improved protection. 486 grams

Durability: I cannot comment on this area at the time.

Intangibles: Since Passau is a custom equipment company you can get custom options for their knee pads and that includes two different sizes, colour, option to get your name on them, and option for extra comfort in the form of Maltese in inside of the knee wing. While I appreciate the custom options I think $60 is a bit ridiculous for custom colours, but the multiple sizes and giving you options is more than most knee guards on the market.

Check back here for updates and the final review.