Let's Talk Elbow Pads

[clarkiestooth 235]

Important piece of gear, the elbow pad... often the first line of protection. My trusty Jofa 9144's are ready to be retired.  Is there a new pad that stands out? Unlike gloves/sticks/skates, it's hard to tell what the pros prefer. I noticed the weights on modern pads are quite low, often 200 or 300 grams per pair lighter than my 9144's. But I looked at Bauer's top Vapor 1X Lite, and was shocked by the light weight.  Unfortunately, I was also surprised at its lack of protection and poor overall construction. Thinking about the CCM Jetspeed FT1.  Any opinions on elbows pads?

[SlaterC42 51]

I’ve been using the CCM Tacks elbow pads and love them, light weight with tons of protection. Previously I had been in the Reebok KFS line, so it was an easy transition.

[althoma1 574]

I still love my Warrior Projekts (2012 blue and grey) and have a stockpile, but if I needed new pads today I'd definitely lean toward the STX Surgeon RX3 pads. I've tried on the STX Surgeon 500 and the RX3 is the new version. They're light, mobile, 3 piece pads that are also low profile. In addition, they have the arm sleeve and a 360 degree strap that locks them to your arm and helps prevent sliding. Plus, STX sells direct now; so you can get their top end gear for much less than the bigger brands (and I don't know if it's till valid, but they did have a 20% off promo code when they launched their direct sales). 

I also tried the STX HPR line; it also has the arm sleeve and 360 degree strap, but I found it bulkier than the Surgeon pads and it didn't stay in place as well in the same size. The Surgeon 500 or RX3 felt more svelt and streamlined while still offering sufficient protection. 

From the big brands, yes, I'd look at the Jetspeed FT1 pads, but definitely don't overlook the STX pads. 

[CigarScott 132]

1 hour ago, SlaterC42 said:

I’ve been using the CCM Tacks elbow pads and love them, light weight with tons of protection. Previously I had been in the Reebok KFS line, so it was an easy transition.

I would second this. I believe that the CCM Tacks are the descendants of the Jofa pads with the "JDP technology" built into them. I have a set of Tacks 7092 along with Jofa elbow pads (forget which model) and they're very similar in design and protection.

[Cavs019 708]

+1 for the 7092

[beerleaguecaptain 999]

+2 for the 7092

 

 

[malcb33 97]

Why the preference for the 7092 over top model?

[IPv6Freely 2092]

7 minutes ago, malcb33 said:

Why the preference for the 7092 over top model?

Based on what I saw in store, it’s just the sweet spot for price/protection/comfort. The top of the line aren’t worth the extra cost.

[flip12 715]

Eagle's Aero Pro looks like a no-nonsense clone of the old JDP line as well. I can't find MSRP, though.

[Cavs019 708]

57 minutes ago, malcb33 said:

Why the preference for the 7092 over top model?

Lighter and more mobile while still being a tank. 

[malcb33 97]

I just wish they were longer personally. I've been looking to replace my old Jofa's for 2 years, but nothing I've tried feels right and has the same lock. Maybe I'll give the 7092's a second look.

[VegasHockey 1280]

I am a huge fan of the STX elbow pads. Check them out. 

[gosinger 122]

12 hours ago, malcb33 said:

I just wish they were longer personally. I've been looking to replace my old Jofa's for 2 years, but nothing I've tried feels right and has the same lock. Maybe I'll give the 7092's a second look.

I went with the European Reebok 20k Pro Long, which features a plastic outer shell (as opposed to the foam construction in the US version) and the extended slash guards (think 8k Pro). Pretty decent, and I prefer them over the Ultra Tacks.

[beerleaguecaptain 999]

17 hours ago, IPv6Freely said:

Based on what I saw in store, it’s just the sweet spot for price/protection/comfort. The top of the line aren’t worth the extra cost.

I found the second tier (one level down from top) 7092 to be lighter, more flexible and more comfortable while still providing more than adequate protection.  Price was not a factor for me.  It was what I wanted.  DISCLAIMER:  I have the last model - the 6052.

 

[xstartxtodayx 343]

17 hours ago, malcb33 said:

I just wish they were longer personally. I've been looking to replace my old Jofa's for 2 years, but nothing I've tried feels right and has the same lock. Maybe I'll give the 7092's a second look.

 

4 hours ago, gosinger said:

I went with the European Reebok 20k Pro Long, which features a plastic outer shell (as opposed to the foam construction in the US version) and the extended slash guards (think 8k Pro). Pretty decent, and I prefer them over the Ultra Tacks.

I believe the Tacks come in a long version as well, maybe just the top tier but I'm almost certain I've seen a few on ebay before.

I'm in Tacks right now and am very happy, all around a good fit with lots of protection and mobility.  In the past I had RBZ ad U+ which are the same line as the current Jetspeed with very minor differences, they were unbelievably comfortable and the best fitting pad I've ever had (they never moved), unfortunately they make them way too short on the forearms and, as a result, I took far too many slashes to unprotected skin and even a couple of falls where my arm hit the ice, so that's what made me make the switch to the Tacks line (I have the Super Tacks btw, would've gone with the model below but I had a 20% off ebay coupon and with the CAD to USD conversion it was a steal).

[Coldclay 53]

STX HPR

[malcb33 97]

On 10/21/2018 at 3:40 AM, Nicholas G said:

I am a huge fan of the STX elbow pads. Check them out. 

Any experience with the HPR elbows? They look decent, but how deep is the pocket and the lock?

I don't think I have weird elbows, but I swear every pad I try slides down by tugging on it, except my ancient Jofa's

[Coldclay 53]

1 hour ago, malcb33 said:

Any experience with the HPR elbows? They look decent, but how deep is the pocket and the lock?

I don't think I have weird elbows, but I swear every pad I try slides down by tugging on it, except my ancient Jofa's

STX HPR's have meshy sleeves that don't stretch too much which helps preventing slippage... IMO all elbows slip a bit, unless you get something slightly too small and cram your elbow's in them. But the STX definitely hold up decently. Good velcro straps, well made and very protective.

[althoma1 574]

14 hours ago, malcb33 said:

Any experience with the HPR elbows? They look decent, but how deep is the pocket and the lock?

I don't think I have weird elbows, but I swear every pad I try slides down by tugging on it, except my ancient Jofa's

I haven't used the HPR elbows, but have tried on both the HPR and Surgeon 500 elbows. The HPR elbows felt like they were sized larger and were a bit bulkier. The Surgeon elbows felt like they locked in my arm better in the same size and were more streamlined. That could just be the way they fit on my body and the HPRs, might work better for others, but if I was going for STX pads I'd definitely grab either the Surgeon 500's on clearance or the new RX3 pads directly through the STX website.

With that said, I won't need to search for elbow pads any time soon as I'm really happy with my 2012 Warrior Projekts (the blue and grey ones; not the 2010 mainly white ones) and have a small stockpile. I've tried a lot of elbow pads before those and even briefly tried Warrior AX1's while I had the Projekts (I sold those, good pads, but I preferred the projekts) and have tried on most new pads high end pads when they come out. I haven't found anything that has tempted me to move away from the Projekts, but if my stockpile was depleted I'd probably take a gamble on the Tron knockoffs I've linked to below and if those didn't work out I'd grab the STX Surgeon RX3 pads. The Projekts have a deep cap that and a neoprene strap that locks your arm in well, are light and a three piece pad so they're very mobile. Nic Backstrom and James Neal have used pro versions of the Projekts in the NHL as recently as last season (not sure about this year, but I have seen pictures and videos of them with the Projekts as recently as last year).

Tron does make a knockoff version that is still available called the TronX Velocity...I don't know if they're the same quality, but they look similar. Those tend to go on sale for $30US or less via their daily email specials or Saturday sale deals (and are actually currently $19 as of this post). They're probably not the same quality, but could be a cheap experiment. Finding original Projekts would of course be better, but since they've been discontinued for years they'd be hard to find in new or good condition and I'm not planning on letting any of mine go at this point.

Here are the Tron pads (actually only $19US as of this posting. Orig. $60): https://hockeytron.com/products/tron-x-velocity-senior-hockey-elbow-pads?variant=431745728528

and here are the Projekts I'm referring to: 

 

 

Edited October 23, 2018 by althoma1

[the_game 452]

Never hurts to scrounge eBay for a good ol' pair of Reebok, CCM, or Jofa elbows. I know a lot of the time sellers jack the prices up but you might get lucky and find a pair for a few bucks more than a retail pair.

[215BroadStBullies610 435]

This thread makes me dread the day I have to replace my Jofa 8025s haha...

[IPv6Freely 2092]

3 hours ago, althoma1 said:

I haven't used the HPR elbows, but have tried on both the HPR and Surgeon 500 elbows. The HPR elbows felt like they were sized larger and were a bit bulkier. The Surgeon elbows felt like they locked in my arm better in the same size and were more streamlined. That could just be the way they fit on my body and the HPRs, might work better for others, but if I was going for STX pads I'd definitely grab either the Surgeon 500's on clearance or the new RX3 pads directly through the STX website.

With that said, I won't need to search for elbow pads any time soon as I'm really happy with my 2012 Warrior Projekts (the blue and grey ones; not the 2010 mainly white ones) and have a small stockpile. I've tried a lot of elbow pads before those and even briefly tried Warrior AX1's while I had the Projekts (I sold those, good pads, but I preferred the projekts) and have tried on most new pads high end pads when they come out. I haven't found anything that has tempted me to move away from the Projekts, but if my stockpile was depleted I'd probably take a gamble on the Tron knockoffs I've linked to below and if those didn't work out I'd grab the STX Surgeon RX3 pads. The Projekts have a deep cap that and a neoprene strap that locks your arm in well, are light and a three piece pad so they're very mobile. Nic Backstrom and James Neal have used pro versions of the Projekts in the NHL as recently as last season (not sure about this year, but I have seen pictures and videos of them with the Projekts as recently as last year).

Tron does make a knockoff version that is still available called the TronX Velocity...I don't know if they're the same quality, but they look similar. Those tend to go on sale for $30US or less via their daily email specials or Saturday sale deals (and are actually currently $19 as of this post). They're probably not the same quality, but could be a cheap experiment. Finding original Projekts would of course be better, but since they've been discontinued for years they'd be hard to find in new or good condition and I'm not planning on letting any of mine go at this point.

Here are the Tron pads (actually only $19US as of this posting. Orig. $60): https://hockeytron.com/products/tron-x-velocity-senior-hockey-elbow-pads?variant=431745728528

and here are the Projekts I'm referring to: 

 

 

I still have my stockpile of the white Projekts. I liked them better, though that may be because they seemed to run with different sizing than the blue ones (which meant the same size blue ones didn't feel right). 

I did see that Trons actually look really similar, but I just don't know if I can stomach giving them my money. With their HQ being about 5 minutes from the rink I play at I guess I could stop in and see if they're actually similar enough, if you want.

53 minutes ago, 215BroadStBullies610 said:

This thread makes me dread the day I have to replace my Jofa 8025s haha...

I feel the same way about my Projekts. I haven't found anything that's even close to as comfortable 😞 

[althoma1 574]

10 minutes ago, IPv6Freely said:

I still have my stockpile of the white Projekts. I liked them better, though that may be because they seemed to run with different sizing than the blue ones (which meant the same size blue ones didn't feel right). 

I did see that Trons actually look really similar, but I just don't know if I can stomach giving them my money. With their HQ being about 5 minutes from the rink I play at I guess I could stop in and see if they're actually similar enough, if you want.

Yes, you definitely have to go up one size from the white to the blue and grey projekts. The same size would definitely feel small. The tron knockoffs look like the blue and grey 2012 versions. So again, I think you'd want to go up one size in those vs. your old white projekts. I know you've had issues with tron in the past, but $19US would be quite a steal if they're even close to the old blue and white Projekts (of course their pricing fluctuates a lot so that price probably won't last). 

I have enough original 2012 Projekts that I won't need to buy the Tron versions myself anytime soon, but if you get a chance to check out the Tron versions in person I'd be interested to here your feedback and I'm sure others would as well. 

[Larry54 243]

4 hours ago, althoma1 said:

Yes, you definitely have to go up one size from the white to the blue and grey projekts. The same size would definitely feel small. The tron knockoffs look like the blue and grey 2012 versions. So again, I think you'd want to go up one size in those vs. your old white projekts. I know you've had issues with tron in the past, but $19US would be quite a steal if they're even close to the old blue and white Projekts (of course their pricing fluctuates a lot so that price probably won't last). 

I have enough original 2012 Projekts that I won't need to buy the Tron versions myself anytime soon, but if you get a chance to check out the Tron versions in person I'd be interested to here your feedback and I'm sure others would as well. 

$19US plus $79.99US for shipping to Canada. LOL what a steal!

[althoma1 574]

Just now, Larry54 said:

$19US plus $79.99US for shipping to Canada. LOL what a steal!

Ha! A couple weeks ago I put in my Canadian address and the system out to see how much shipping would be on an item, it said they don't ship to my address. I do recall years back they did ship to my address, but it was around $35. The last time I ordered anything from there it was part of a group buy with some local players in an inline league I play in - they were clearing out roller pants and a bunch of players wanted them. One player had an Aunt in the US that was visiting Toronto in a few weeks so we all ordered pants, he ordered some wheels, we shipped it all to her and she brought it up with her.

$79US shipping is crazy and I don't think anyone will pay that. Using a border shipping service, having a nice American friend or relative or shipping it to the hotel you're staying at while in the US would be the only reasonable options for Canadians.