ITS CHRISTMAS!
I ordered the UL5's while on brake this summer but after using my 993s again I realized there's nothing that bothers me with the type of pad. Last Thursday I changed my UltraLight 5 order to 994's and of course the day before the pads arrive I play some of the best hockey of my life with the 993's.
Sorry about the picture quality I just picked up the camera and too quick shots.
Here they are all bagged up ready to taste freedom.
At 6'1" I'm using the 34+2" size, it looks like the knee stack sits a tiny bit higher with the 994 than in the 993 so it works out prefect for me.
Here they are sitting next to the 993's, after slightly over a year of use the 993's havent shrunk any and only appear shorter because they're broken in.
Front to back. The big difference here is the new NHL legal thigh boards and material in the leg channel. Thigh boards annoy the hell out of me and I've never had an issue taking one to the knee with the 993's so I'll probably remove these ones as well.
Open wide
Top to top. No width shrinkage
Here they are side by side, you can see the difference in width on the top quite clear. When first using the 993s the thigh rises were annoying to me but I'm guessing that was growing pains after moving from a thigh riseless pad.
close up of top.
The leg channels on both of the pads.
Close up of the knee area. The knee stacks are softer than the 993s (something they changed in the 993s later)
Overall the little changes are appreciated since they fixed any issue I had with the 993. I got itchy with my stimulus check and figured what the hell. So far my only complaint is that the leather straps aren't white which makes them much easier to mark once you found the prefect adjustment. The 993's are great pads and honestly I didn't need to buy 994s but if you're looking to upgrade old pads I'd highly recommend either the 993/994. If yo I'll write up a post skate report once I get a chance to get them on the ice.