Knee Protection

[2nhockey 21]

I need a recommendation for knee protection for my son. He is playing at the PW level (travel) and I am not sure where to begin looking.

GM has a clearance deal on Koho 587's but I haven't a clue how good these are. Also, from what I can see at this point keeping the protection in place seems to be a challenge. Do some knee guards not work with garters? He is in Warrior pants that don't have a provision for attaching the guards to the pants. I very much would like to be under $100 unless that is a mistake.

Thanks!

[IPv6Freely 2092]

I would recommend Passau. They have the ability to be held up with a garter, though I have found this is not necessary. 

And yes, some retail knee pads do not have the ability to connect to a garter. 

[Axxion89 32]

Whatever stays on his leg best is the best knee pad. Its tough I went through 5 or 6 different knee pads until I found the best that worked for me (Reebok Revoke Knee Pads that came with the pads). Most others slide down or are too bulky & I did not have the patience to deal with a garter (I also never had much success with them). I would use whatever his pads came with unless they don't work

[psulion22 402]

I have gone through quite a few knee pads recently trying to find one I liked.  I can say that the two best I tried were the Passau and Warrior Ritual X Pro (or G3 Sr).  The design of both of them is the best IMO, with a thinner shin sleeve and a larger articulating clamshell/armadillo thigh guard.  I'm using the Ritual X Pro because the padding inside is thicker and more cushioned.  But the Passau was really great, but not as cushioned.  With the Maltese insert I bet they're awesome.  In terms of staying up, the Passau was far and away the best.

The trick to keeping knee guards up is to run the calf strap up and over the calf muscle rather than across it.  The Passaus are designed this way with the 2" wide elastic placed at an angle.  With the Warriors, I run it over and then connect it to the velcro at an angle.  No slipping with either.

[IPv6Freely 2092]

2 hours ago, psulion22 said:

I have gone through quite a few knee pads recently trying to find one I liked.  I can say that the two best I tried were the Passau and Warrior Ritual X Pro (or G3 Sr).  The design of both of them is the best IMO, with a thinner shin sleeve and a larger articulating clamshell/armadillo thigh guard.  I'm using the Ritual X Pro because the padding inside is thicker and more cushioned.  But the Passau was really great, but not as cushioned.  With the Maltese insert I bet they're awesome.  In terms of staying up, the Passau was far and away the best.

The trick to keeping knee guards up is to run the calf strap up and over the calf muscle rather than across it.  The Passaus are designed this way with the 2" wide elastic placed at an angle.  With the Warriors, I run it over and then connect it to the velcro at an angle.  No slipping with either.

I just bought the Maltese inserts for the Passau and used them for the first time last night. Can confirm, they're much better now. 

[EvilPepe 24]

Like Axxion said, many people go through numerous pairs in an attempt to find something that works well. Personally, I've been using the Warriors attached to a CCM garter for some time now. If he is having trouble with any knee guard sliding, you might try pulling socks over the knee guards (it seems most kids wear them on the outside). This can help keep them in place and prevent the velcro and straps from getting caught on landing gear and pad straps.

[IPv6Freely 2092]

Definitely. I went through a bunch. Reactor, Supreme, And eventually settled on Brian’s for about a year with garters. They weren’t bad but the reviews for Passau made me want to try them. Haven’t looked back.

I didn’t used to wear socks but the Passau kept getting caught on my knee cradle. Shouldn’t be an issue with my new pads, but I’ve kept doing the sock thing anyway. I also didn’t need the garter anymore since they stay up on their own. 

[2nhockey 21]

Thanks for the help. I figured fit would be a little tricky but didn't expect it to be this difficult.

He finished his tendy camp a few weeks ago, then finished skating camp about 2 weeks ago. I entered him into a tournament in Minneapolis at the end of the month so he could get a chance to keep an edge on his skills but more importantly there are several hockey shops in MPLS where we can hopefully try some on and gauge them without having to buy a bunch from GM. Because the cost of shipping back and forth  is enough  time and hassle that I  just end up keeping everything. That's why I now have to 'manage inventory'.