Well, coming off recent ankle surgery, I decided that it was time to buy some modern equipment that would take some of the stress off my body. I found some Velo 1's on sale for $900 so that was tempting. After trying on Vector 10's, RBK PS1 and PS2 and a bunch of different iterations of Velo 2's, I fell in love with the PS pros (either one). The sticker shock was giving me a serious heart attack because I wanted them so badly but then I saw a single pair of PS2 8k's (couldn't try them on) and noticed they had most of the same features, at about half the price. I was going to pull the trigger but there was a two week wait. So I ran home and ebay'd them and was able to get them for a decent price including 2-day air delivery.
By the way, all this was extensively researched on this board for the past year or so before making the purchase. Thanks everyone!
Now the important stuff:
Previous pads: Vaughn 1000, Brian's Alite (custom)
Pictures: to follow. Raycroft colours.
Time on ice: These babies have seen three sessions, about 9 hours. I only play pickup right now as I am unfamiliar with the local hockey scene. Best player is maybe former Midget Major, noone good really.
Size: As advertised on this board, definitely bigger than the 33" advertised. Pretty much the same size as 33+1" Vector Pros. I'm still getting used to the boxiness and sheer size after coming from purely traditional pads. My custom Alites were 32" but I noticed all modern pads are a hell of lot bigger. 31" Intermediates were bigger than my old Brian's. Oh and btw I am 5'8" with an ATK of 18.
Performance: Perfect butterflies are automatic. I've tried mostly loose straps but with a tight boot strap (which is how I've always worn my pads). Later I'll try with all loose straps, but in the meantime, like I said, it's freaking automatic. Great seal on the ice and the s-shape covers my not-nearly-as-wide-as-it-used-to-be-in-minor butterfly really nicely. I definitely prefer the S-shape over the straighter first gen RBK's.
The knee lifts are comfy as hell and I've never had an issue missing it yet. In fact, if anything my knee tends to shift forward a bit and land slightly nearer the top of the landing pad. I wasn't expecting this because of the sheer size of these puppies. Three hours of ice in a row used to give me sore knees. Now I don't feel a thing afterwards. If you are in old pads, do yourself and your knees a favour and either get knee lifts installed or buy new pads.
Rebounds are big. They are fat. Fortunately, they are also much easier to control with the flat face. I find I can angle anything I want wherever I want (when I am not wheezing for breath). Part of the big rebounds thing might be because I am coming from deer-hair stuffed pads that I was used to. I figure this will settle down over time, and even if it doesn't, the directional control evens it out.
Durability: They seem to be holding up just fine. Some of the nylon in the calf guard down around the skate is doing the whole nylon fraying thing, but that is to be expected. There are a couple of puck marks, but no sign of wear on the inner part of the pad. This is in stark contrast to my Alites, whose knee roll paint was wearing off at about this point.
Fit and Finish: These things are virtual copies of the PS1 and PS2 Pros. I can say this because I tried on the PS1 and PS2 Pros before seeing the 8k's. Knee lifts are the same, clarino is in all the same places including the bottom of the boot and throughout the leg channel. Same beautiful simple open Koho leg channel. Of course the PS2 Pro and 8k have more of an s-break because they made it softer in the knee area (according to the guy at thehockeyshop). There is nash in the 8k leg channel and I can't remember if this was present in the Pros.
One weird thing I noticed is that pad straps seemed to have gotten flimsier in both the 8k and PS2. After like 8 years of wear my Alite straps are thicker.
One thing I will say is this. Although our friends in China have done a great job cloning the Pro model, and it looks exactly the same, they do not feel the same. Even just on carpet, the Pros felt luxurious, like the difference between regular old polyester sheets and 200 thread count, 100% egyptian cotton sheets. I'm sure this kind of quality would transfer itself to the ice. You can see a couple of lilttle minor details with the fit and finish on the 8k's. Nothing serious, but there definitely is a reason the Pros have a market. Having said that, you get all the features and the same basic functionality for half the price.
Cons:
I didn't buy them from thehockeyshop. Those guys treated me right, but I was so excited and I couldn't wait two weeks when I knew I could have a pair to play with in two days. Hopefully I can flip them some business with my next purchase.
Stiffness. Man, these things are stiffer than Steve Carrell at the beginning of The 40-year Old Virgin. I'm not playing seven days a week anymore so the break in period has been long and harsh.
No thigh boards. I've been told that this is because all new RBK gear has pro specs. Mysteriously, I've seen 6k's on ebay that definitely have thigh boards. Maybe I got ripped off. Oh well, time to give PAW some business!
I really wish there was clarino in the bottom part of the calf wrap where it contacts the ice, since that's a major wear area.
Speaking of which, I'm used to old-style pads where your skate kind of molds into the inside of the boot. I hardly get boot/ice contact on t-pushes and such and I feel less stable because I'm so used to feeling pad there. Probably something I'll get used to.
Miscellaneous Pros:
I'm still tinkering with the strap configurations, and I haven't tried the Vaughn style yet. The adjustable strap positioning is amazing and I like the simplicity of the implementation. It's also a lot of fun to play with.
11 inch pads. Wow. Despite the extended size of the pads, I feel like I have greatly improved lateral movement. AND I also don't miss the inch of extra coverage. Pro spec just makes you feel a lot quicker and mobile.
Graphics. Honestly, these are some of my favourite visuals ever in pad, up there with the original Velocity scheme and the Heaton 10's. I wasn't really impresed with the PS1 graphics.
Conclusion:
I know some of you are reading only this. I don't blame you. I'm long winded. Anyhow, I love these damned pads. All the bells and whistles of the PS2's at half the price. Automatic butterflies, well constructed, and comfortable. What more could you ask for (besides an extra $700 of disposable income for hand made PS2s)?
Update:
Ok, I made some measurements for conquistadorian so I might as well post them here. These are listed as stock 33". The measurement from the toe bridge to the break of the boot is 9.5" along the curve and 9" if you hold the tape measure straight. From the boot break to the middle of the knee landing pad is 15" straight, 16" along the curve. From there, it is 9.5" either way to the top of the pad. This means the pad measures 33" straight and 35" total (along the curve). Just some info for you.
Also, here are the pics!
Linear Mode
