This is just a short review for my RBK knee pads that I have had in use for several months. I recently switched out of thighboards last January and was using the Bauer KPR knee pads. I had thought that these would work for me and protect my knees but I was wrong. They became soft very quickly, the padding compressed and after several brutal one timers to the top of the knee as I was coming across, I had pretty much had it with them. I wasn't impressed witht the quality of them at all, quite frankly. I then tried the 2006 RBK knee pad setup from last year but found it to be very uncomfortable and while protective, it just didn't feel stable on the knee and would pinch when dropping down in a butterfly.
Enter the PKRBK Sr. Pro knee pads. I had the good fortune of seeing an early prototype model for these last year and was quite interested in them from the get go. I finally ended up purchasing a set when they became available. Needless to say, I am very, very pleased with them both for comfort and protection. This knee pad is designed to be used with a pad that has a wider leg cradle in it as they are about 25% wider at the top end of the kneepad than last years existing model. They work great with my PS-2 pads! I've taken several hard shots to the upper end of the pad and they have been super protective. In the 4 months that I have had them, there are no stitching issues or tears due to strain, etc. I'm not one to support the non-North American sewn product in goalie equipment but these seem to be very well made. I've made small modification to them to be laced into my Epic goal pants and it has worked flawlessly. I'll explain more detail below.
Here are a few pics:
I removed the plastic plates. I have found that the padding is more than adequate. I also didn't like the plates clanging around.
The lower knee area is updated for 2007 with a grip material to keep the pad from shifting up and down and sideways. It works perfectly. As well, JC designed an extra lower knee sling setup to help keep the plastic ball piece from shifting downwards. It actually provides a nice welcome bit of cushion when dropping. It's also important to note that there is a soft piece of brushed nash with a soft LD foam cushion which better supports the knee. It works great!
You can see the grip material at the top of the knee pad as well. The knee pad itself has a solid 4 strap system to keep things in place. As well, the straps are a bit loser up top so as not to constrict the leg as much.
cleaner view of the cushioning at the lower knee area.
So, here is that little modification that I was talking about. I ended up cutting off the velcro pieces at the top which held the plastic piece in and ended up looping them around. I then sewed them to the back under the binding for durability.
I then laced them loosely into my Epic goal pants. This works effectively because it keeps the pad from any potential drop down....even with grip material it can move when you get explosive in you saves...any pad will do that, regardless. This just simply keeps it nicely aligned and up. Works fantastic for me!
It's a nice setup for me now and I don't have any more bruises to share.
Linear Mode
