Here's some pics of my set along with a side by side of the leg pads with my C-10's. For the record, I really enjoy the C-10's and was concerned that I would feel out of place in anything else since they are such a uniquely designed pad. Some of my favorite features are the thin profile, flexibility, and the negative boot channel. I've worn one or two other pads since getting the Sher-woods and found that the boot channels were too deep now that I've gotten used to such a shallow one. I also found that the other pads felt kind of bulky and blocky, so I kept going back to the C-10's. The one pad during this whole exercise that I felt comfortable in was a used pair of VK5's that I bought on ebay, so when the Vortek custom sets came up on ebay, it was an offer I couldn't refuse.
The new set:
A) Gloves: I'm not going to spend a lot of time here since there isn't really a whole lot to say. The blocker is light but not flimsy and the catcher is like a dream. It fits great, feels natural, and does all of the things a catcher is supposed to do. I got the pro-palm and was concerned about break in, but it has taken very little time to get it almost as flexible and easy to close as my C10 glove is, but with much better protection and a more natural feel and balance. If I lived in California, I probably wouldn't try to marry the catch, but it might have crossed my mind. It's a really nice glove.
B) Pads: This is my first new set of pads ever, so I'm pretty used to getting things already broken in. Marc and I discussed several options and I ended up going with a pretty much stock 34+2. We'd discussed the soft boot, but I don't remember specifically ordering it, so I may have rec'd the firm. I won't talk about the overall construction, since it's been discussed many times and is top notch. Right out of the box, the weight of the pads is similar to the Sher-woods. They're very light. The boot channel is wide and shallow, so it won't take long to get used to the feel of that part of the pad and I won't have to adjust my stance too much. I really like the responsiveness that the shallow boot and "Icebite" offset toe the C10 gives. It's tough to explain, but my recoveries were quicker and I felt like I could engage my edges faster and better with the Sherwoods than with previous pads. I found that it was a little different with the VK7's, but I could still get a good wide stance without slipping out and I could find the ice with my blade pretty quickly on recoveries. Flexibility wise, I would say go with every flexibility option you can. I'm not sure that anything can be as flexible as the C10's, since they're sooooooo thin, but these have a really nice flex at the shin break and the knee break is just a little less flexy. I'm assuming I have a firm boot, since it is pretty stiff, but I've never had brand new before and it could be just not broken in. The stiffness of the boot pushes the pad up a bit, which could be what makes the feel of the pad a bit taller. You can see in the photos how the C10 toe is more flat while the VK7 toe is more angled.
In trying the pads on for the first time, the "tallness" is the first thing I noticed. Even though they're both 34+2's, the VK7s just felt taller than what I was used to. I tried to show the difference by keeping the toes horizontal in the front view pic. Doing "carpetflys", my butterfly had to be just a bit wider to avoid overlaps. I think over time, as I get a good curve and get the boot broken in, they will feel less so, but right out of the box, it was a little more than I expected. If I had it to do over again, I probably would have gone a little smaller on the + so I could get a more familiar feel right off the bat. Playing in them was fun, and though they were taller than what I'm used to, they were easier to get around in than I expected. Maybe it's the 11" width??
Lastly, I opted for the thigh guards instead of the thigh boards. I had under the pant guards on the C10's and liked them. The Vortek guards are much more protective and have better, thicker strapping, though, if you get this option, make sure that you measure the circumferance of your thigh so that you can get longer straps if you've got thick legs. I would say that I've got average-to-muscular legs for a 160 lb. guy, and the straps are very snug on me. By very snug, I mean rub the hair off your legs through your socks (in my case sweatpants) snug. A bigger guy would not be able to use the pair that I have.
Overall: I'm pleased with the purchase. It will take a bit of getting used a more traditional pad coming from one that is more "gimmicky", but I think it will be less than I anticipated. I may need to do something about the thigh guards, but that's pretty minor. Oh, and did I mention that the catch glove is frickin' awesome?
If you've got specific questions about comparing features or if you'd like to see any other side-by-side photos, please let me know. I'm happy to help out!
Johnny