Battram 2000 Custom Leg Pad Review

[CKeelty]

Well I've had these for a while (since late August) but have only recently resumed playing after a long layoff. So after perhaps 10 sessions in them, I'm ready to give a review. I have an older review that talks about my impressions taking them out of the box, so search the archives if you want that kind of stuff.

First off, these pads are spectacular in general. Very well manufactured, nicely flexible, protective, comfortable, and very performance-oriented. There are very few things I might change, and they are all minor nit-picks. I would lower the ankle strap so that it lies on top of the ankle break, rather than an inch or so up. I find this gives the pad better flexibility in the ankle, which translates to more agility on my part. I would enlarge the outer roll slightly, making it perhaps a half-inch wider and thicker. I would also move it out a bit, since some of the side panel is past it, and shots can occassionally skip over that.

I have no real complaints after game-use. The pads are breaking in nicely after about 25 hours on ice, though they aren't completely broken in yet. The boot is long and wide enough that it rolls over the toe of my skate, which I like because it covers ice when I make a save standing up. The pads have no 5-hole rolls, they are 12" wide without them, and flat on the inner leg. They are shaped pretty much the way a pad with double 5-hole rolls would be, but without the rolls. I do think there is a slight loss of stability in the butterfly, but as a stand-up goalie it benefits me, because they are easier to roll off when I am down and trying to get up quickly.

Bottom line? If you're looking for a great set of pads for very little money (relatively!) these are perfect. Remember that they are designed more for stand-up netminders, which means they are more square, but they do have a slight thigh angle cut and boot cut, to accomodate hybrids. They have very few bells and whistles, just the bare minimum plus a knee cradle, but you absolutely won't be disapointed, and they should last a good long time. I give them 4.95 stars out of 5.

[fourqts]

Hey C... You may want to mention which series you ordered and what mods... My 3500's (2 yrs old) are very tapered at the top and bottom (conducive to b-fly style) and have the double fiver rolls..

he did in the topic, the 2000 series

[az]

I believe the 2000 series model is the "third" in Scott Battram's line of pads, after the Millenium series and the regular Bold series.

I think Badger has a set of 2000s. (Where's he been lately?)

[fourqts]

Sorry thought the 2000 was for the model year.... didn't click about the 2000 series pad... DOH!

[MrMikeEMike]

I've just got to ask it, since I've seen it as a pretty hot point of discussion here:

how long did you wait for these pads after you ordered them?

[CKeelty]

Sorry, that was one of the things I mentioned in the first message I posted, when these pads arrived. I waited six months almost to the day, after Scott told me 6-8 weeks. Mind you, this was during the period when Scott got married and relocated his facilities. And I was well aware of how long Battram equipment took when I ordered, so I was prepared. It was part of my decision making-process when I ordered.

But yeah, they take a long time.

[Squealagig]

And how much discount did you get for them being so hidiously late? 1% off per day? so how much did Scott pay you to take them off his hands

Sorry but there is absolutly no way that 6 months is an acceptable wait when you're told 6 to 8 weeks.

[CKeelty]

Look, I got a set of professional-level ice hockey pads brand new, with the exact customizations I wanted (and there were a lot of them), fit perfectly to my legs, in the colors I want, with a custom graphic. They'll probably last me longer than any other manufacturer's pads, except for Vaughn or Miller. And they cost me less than $600 US. There is no other way on earth that I could have done that. Not ebay, not Play it Again Sports, not Miller.

The ONLY drawback is that I had to wait what seems like an excessively long time to most of us, six months.

If your opinion is that you should have everything you want with minimum wait, then I say great, go for immediate gratification. Even if you're more rational, and your beef is that Scott said 6-8 weeks when he meant 24 weeks, I say fine, maybe he's a poor businessman. But right now I have a set of pads that are superior for my needs to any other set of pads in existence, and all I had to do was wait six months.

If you're thinking about buying pads, you can draw your own conclusion.

[This message has been edited by CKeelty (edited December 14, 2000).]

[az]

Hear! Hear!

My gloves and c/a from Scott are absolutely fantastic and everything broke in perfectly. The only thing I really had to do was start wearing a batting glove underneath the catcher since it is just a tiny hair too big for my hand (which is REALLY odd since almost everyone else noted that Scott's catchers run a little tight to the hand).

However, the point is that I can't imagine how I ever played goal before I got this equipment. The protection and rebound control (even with my c/a) is unreal. One of my goalie friends took a look at my glove after I said I had it custom made. He said it must have been at least $300 (us) for a glove like that. I told him I paid around $230 with tax and shipping included. His jaw just dropped.

It's a long wait, no doubt. IMHO, it's totally worth the wait.

[This message has been edited by az (edited December 14, 2000).]