Never wore knee guards lol till I bought 3x vapor pads my knees became more visible due to the straighter style. My previous pads were P2 35 +2 pre curved. Took a deflected puck off a skate into my knee and played through it and couldn't bend my knees properly for 4 days. Bought the ccm pro knee guards , the were bulky took a few weeks to get used to them. About a week later coming across the ice pushing into a bitterfly a player took a clapper to my knee and when it went off my knee was worried from just finishing recovering from my knee injury and didn't feel a thing. I realized right then those were worth the money and they don't fall down now with the Velcro attachment to the jock. These are the first knee guards that I've liked and don't move around and are protective for anyone else that wanted to know !
Good Review! - I tried the Bauer Pros and was in major pain going down with them just in my living room the way the plastic seemed to be digging into my knee. I have Paws with Gel and so far no injuries have been wearing these for over a year or more now. (knock on wood). I saw the Ccm ones and thought they were too bulky. I never saw the Warrior ones you are showing in person. My issue with the plastic shells is that they are uncomfortable on the landing gear. I can't seem to get a good fit.
For most companies with the plastic shells, you aren't supposed to land on them. Bauer, Warrior, Vaughn, and Brians the shell is to sit in front of the knee when dropping down.
Worst shot off the knee for me happened long ago when a lot of guys still weren't wearing knee pads and pads still came with thigh boards which we always removed. Took a shot off the knee cap that had me on the ice in agony for a few minutes but I was able to get up and continue playing. However, the next day everything turned black and blue and swelled up pretty bad and I was hobbling for at least a week... This is what made me invest in my first set of knee pads which were the Reebok ones with the hard shell, these were almost as bad as getting shots in the knee lol. I'm now wearing the Warrior RX4 E+ and love them. I'm not a big fan of wearing garter belts etc. or anything extra for that matter so I ended up putting soft Velcro on the inside of the knee pad, just under the leather tab with the lace holes which I then connect to the velcro on my base layer that is intended for socks and they stay in place perfectly now. I ended up doing that because my CCM F9 pants did not have a good attachment point but it works better than when I had them tied into my old Bauer pants
I purchased Factory MAD for my son, he absolutely loves how comfortable and protective they are. They are a very unique two piece design, with the lower portion completely cupping your knee when strapped, the top portion is very padded with air gap behind the layers to add a compression zone to reduce the energy from the shot. He doesn’t find them bulky and really loves them. We had them built with Velcro straps to tie them into loops in his goalie breezers (RYR) and his previous JB Customs. They are very pricey, but they aren’t throw away like big box brands. All sections can be replaced by removing laced in or Velcro areas. I also am a fan of supporting a small North American business. Dennis doesn’t spare any expense in building any of his gear and stands behind everything he does.
The design of these is... puzzling. Why more companies don't place a significant emphasis on the landing section of their knee guards is a mystery to me. I picked up a pair of the X4 Pro+ on your recommendation and have been very impressed so far.
It is pretty eye-opening when the plastic inserts are at the side of your leg that is covered by your pads and not, you know, the side that is directly in your 5 hole.
I had the PAW pads which I thought were pretty good. HOWEVER I bought the R/X# pro and found them to be hands down more comfortable and form fitting with less bulk on my thighs
Good review!.. I think the PAW knee pads would suit a goalie that doesn’t really wear knee guards at all & tries it out.. I wouldn’t buy those.. too many ways a puck will find those spots you mentioned for sure! I have the pro Swiss koho knee guards & recently went to the Bauer Pro guards.. Crucial to your knee/thighs to have that Full Coverage! 👍
I think reviewing a set that’s been used isn’t 100% representative to how the brand is as a whole. My only complaint with these is the wear, and are a tad heavy. I’m open to trying other knee pads but my custom ones have held up well and haven’t had issues with shots that have snuck into the knee. To each their own I guess. I do agree there probably should be some foam on that exposed spot but it doesn’t happen often at all to where it’s totally exposed, at least in my experience.
I think it is interesting how I've used demo gear and used gear before, but this is the only time people have ever complained about it. The entire inside of the leg needs to have plastic for protection, especially at the price these are. There should never be an open exposed bare knee spot on a pair of knee guards period.
@ Is it? I haven’t even watched those videos, I’m just letting you know based on my experience I’ve never had many issues with shots there, and I play quite a bit. Not the perfect knee guard and the price is a little hard to justify, and I agree the design is questionable but it has done its job for me at least. Hopefully necessary changes are made soon
Chris, with all respect I seriously feel like you did PAW dirty by reviewing an extremely worn set of knee guards. I know during the video you said at the beginning that you would not judge these on that but multiple times you commented on how thin the foam was and other disparaging comments. I understand your reasoning for not wanting to purchase a new set of knee guards, but if you were to compare them to a three year old well version of the Warriors that you are a big fan of I wonder how different the results would’ve been. As a player that currently wears PAW knee guards and have had the same set for two years. I’ve never experienced coverage or protection problems. That being said Sarah at PAW offers multiple upgrades for gel inserts on the landing pad and also a clamshell designed to go over the top for extra protection. I know you mentioned this, but reviewing extremely worn out used gear up against new gear is questionable. Especially if you’re going to give such a harsh review. Obviously everyone’s entitled to their own opinion. And I respect yours, but I feel like this is an extremely unfair review for a quality and well respected product and builder. Each knee guard is custom-made with specs and sizes and I can guess that those probably are not the sizes specs if you were to order a pair.
Chris? Who is Chris? I never actually say the foam behind the plastic plate is too thin. I just state how thin it is and show it is about as thick as the ones on the Warrior. But, I then go to show that the clamshell around the Warrior is what adds to the Warrior's being protective enough. The breaking down of the used foams, is ONLY on the landing surface. It isn't on the protective piece at all. So me buying a new pair would've just added "these are either comfortable to land on or not comfortable to land on" which wouldn't have changed my opinion on how poorly protective these are and how the design inherently leads to protective gaps. The fact that the plastic inserts next to the main plastic insert is on the OUTSIDE of the knee pad proves how poorly this has been though out. You don't take pucks on the outside, you take it between the legs where the majority of padding should've gone. I reviewed the base set of these guards, that everyone rants and raves about. Adding the clamshell designs would've increased the price even more while still not addressing the overall design. Regardless of the specs, the protection gaps are always there, you can see it on PAW's website in the example images of people wearing them. You can then see it on the biggest review of these online in the title card, you can specifically see the black base layer coming through the inner knee protection gaps. Even though those were custom made AND the reviewer stated they have no protection gaps. Sometimes, products just aren't nearly as good as people believe they are. While everyone can have their own experiences, there are reasons why Warrior changed their finger tip protection the next generation after I reviewed their gear. Yet how many "positive" reviews of Warrior blockers were out there before my G5 review? I have reviewed used Factory MAD gear before (and specifically their knee pads), and no one had an issue. I've reviewed a used CCM Pro Stock chest before and again no issues. The parts that would perform different than stock was called out VERY clearly and I never commented on the comfort and landing zone for that area.
@ I have a base model that I’ve been using for two years and I don’t have the same closure issues with the gap at the knee as was shown on yours. I’m not disputing that by any means but the foam behind the knee with the plastic plate seems very thin and beat down. Also, the thigh rise above the Velcro is much taller than the ones I have. I totally understand your review process and why you went with the base level, but those seem very specific to a certain customer. Maybe different dimensions and sizes. Either way, let’s agree to disagree. I think they are extremely protective, but they work for me and that doesn’t mean they will work for everyone else.
In order for the foam behind the plastic at the knee to get beaten down, it would have to have taken HUNDREDS of direct hits to it. Which, would've deformed the plastic as well on the front plate and you'd be able to see considerably amount of puck marks as well. Which is always evident through shin pads and chest protectors as well even when a jersey or sock covers it. If this gap isn't actually ever visible, then there wouldn't be two different goalies directly on PAW's website with the gap visible. Here are photos straight from PAW's Instagram, and again you can see how here is no padding on the inside where the upper portion stops, not only that the entire segmented piece on the inside is JUST foam. The only way there is remotely enough coverage is if you happen to have a thicker inner landing wing that happens to fill in the space left by their design. instagram.com/sarapawhockey/p/CjiVMDcMeL8/?img_index=1 This is straight up and poor design that is exposing people's knees, when there are cheaper alternatives out there that are going to do a better job. It is great that you haven't had issues and I hope it stays that way.
@@HockeyReviews I understand what you’re saying. Yes I have not had an issue with it and hopefully that does stay that way. I get what you’re trying to do with your reviews, but I feel like even with your own words then you’re reviewing apples and oranges because this is a different style of knee pad when PAW actually makes it with a clamshell option. That being said, I still stand by the fact that you reviewed a used product against brand new top-of-the-line big name manufacturers. Still kind of dirty man.
Love the reviews you do, it’s a huge benefit to others, but 30 minutes on a knee pad makes me think that you could consider an editor. Makes me not want to watch.
I always put chapters in my reviews for people to skip through to the parts they want to hear about. If I cut my reviews down, I'd miss out on details I would want to watch when seeing reviews. Then I'd become like every other "reviewer" who talk about how great these knee guards are while ignoring the massive protection gaps visible in their title card.
@@HockeyReviews I prefer the detailed reviews, especially when I'm looking at different options for brands brands and sometimes want to go back to specific areas of a review... The chapters make that easy to do without missing out on anything.
Which knee guards/pads should I buy in 2025 to continue to test and review? Let me know below!
Never wore knee guards lol till I bought 3x vapor pads my knees became more visible due to the straighter style. My previous pads were P2 35 +2 pre curved.
Took a deflected puck off a skate into my knee and played through it and couldn't bend my knees properly for 4 days.
Bought the ccm pro knee guards , the were bulky took a few weeks to get used to them. About a week later coming across the ice pushing into a bitterfly a player took a clapper to my knee and when it went off my knee was worried from just finishing recovering from my knee injury and didn't feel a thing. I realized right then those were worth the money and they don't fall down now with the Velcro attachment to the jock.
These are the first knee guards that I've liked and don't move around and are protective for anyone else that wanted to know !
3 seasons in my PAW, over 200 games and skates. Quality is top notch. Wouldn’t wear anything else
Good Review! - I tried the Bauer Pros and was in major pain going down with them just in my living room the way the plastic seemed to be digging into my knee. I have Paws with Gel and so far no injuries have been wearing these for over a year or more now. (knock on wood). I saw the Ccm ones and thought they were too bulky. I never saw the Warrior ones you are showing in person. My issue with the plastic shells is that they are uncomfortable on the landing gear. I can't seem to get a good fit.
For most companies with the plastic shells, you aren't supposed to land on them. Bauer, Warrior, Vaughn, and Brians the shell is to sit in front of the knee when dropping down.
Worst shot off the knee for me happened long ago when a lot of guys still weren't wearing knee pads and pads still came with thigh boards which we always removed. Took a shot off the knee cap that had me on the ice in agony for a few minutes but I was able to get up and continue playing. However, the next day everything turned black and blue and swelled up pretty bad and I was hobbling for at least a week... This is what made me invest in my first set of knee pads which were the Reebok ones with the hard shell, these were almost as bad as getting shots in the knee lol.
I'm now wearing the Warrior RX4 E+ and love them. I'm not a big fan of wearing garter belts etc. or anything extra for that matter so I ended up putting soft Velcro on the inside of the knee pad, just under the leather tab with the lace holes which I then connect to the velcro on my base layer that is intended for socks and they stay in place perfectly now. I ended up doing that because my CCM F9 pants did not have a good attachment point but it works better than when I had them tied into my old Bauer pants
I purchased Factory MAD for my son, he absolutely loves how comfortable and protective they are. They are a very unique two piece design, with the lower portion completely cupping your knee when strapped, the top portion is very padded with air gap behind the layers to add a compression zone to reduce the energy from the shot. He doesn’t find them bulky and really loves them. We had them built with Velcro straps to tie them into loops in his goalie breezers (RYR) and his previous JB Customs. They are very pricey, but they aren’t throw away like big box brands. All sections can be replaced by removing laced in or Velcro areas. I also am a fan of supporting a small North American business. Dennis doesn’t spare any expense in building any of his gear and stands behind everything he does.
I tested and reviewed those! They were solid!
Love mine. Taken plenty of bombs off em. Always comfortable. And Sarah is the best to work with.
The design of these is... puzzling. Why more companies don't place a significant emphasis on the landing section of their knee guards is a mystery to me.
I picked up a pair of the X4 Pro+ on your recommendation and have been very impressed so far.
It is pretty eye-opening when the plastic inserts are at the side of your leg that is covered by your pads and not, you know, the side that is directly in your 5 hole.
I had the PAW pads which I thought were pretty good. HOWEVER I bought the R/X# pro and found them to be hands down more comfortable and form fitting with less bulk on my thighs
Good review!.. I think the PAW knee pads would suit a goalie that doesn’t really wear knee guards at all & tries it out.. I wouldn’t buy those.. too many ways a puck will find those spots you mentioned for sure! I have the pro Swiss koho knee guards & recently went to the Bauer Pro guards.. Crucial to your knee/thighs to have that Full Coverage! 👍
I think reviewing a set that’s been used isn’t 100% representative to how the brand is as a whole. My only complaint with these is the wear, and are a tad heavy.
I’m open to trying other knee pads but my custom ones have held up well and haven’t had issues with shots that have snuck into the knee. To each their own I guess. I do agree there probably should be some foam on that exposed spot but it doesn’t happen often at all to where it’s totally exposed, at least in my experience.
I think it is interesting how I've used demo gear and used gear before, but this is the only time people have ever complained about it.
The entire inside of the leg needs to have plastic for protection, especially at the price these are. There should never be an open exposed bare knee spot on a pair of knee guards period.
@ Is it? I haven’t even watched those videos, I’m just letting you know based on my experience I’ve never had many issues with shots there, and I play quite a bit. Not the perfect knee guard and the price is a little hard to justify, and I agree the design is questionable but it has done its job for me at least. Hopefully necessary changes are made soon
Its when you say over hyped it comes off kinda shitty especially to a fellow goalie.
Chris, with all respect I seriously feel like you did PAW dirty by reviewing an extremely worn set of knee guards. I know during the video you said at the beginning that you would not judge these on that but multiple times you commented on how thin the foam was and other disparaging comments. I understand your reasoning for not wanting to purchase a new set of knee guards, but if you were to compare them to a three year old well version of the Warriors that you are a big fan of I wonder how different the results would’ve been. As a player that currently wears PAW knee guards and have had the same set for two years. I’ve never experienced coverage or protection problems. That being said Sarah at PAW offers multiple upgrades for gel inserts on the landing pad and also a clamshell designed to go over the top for extra protection. I know you mentioned this, but reviewing extremely worn out used gear up against new gear is questionable. Especially if you’re going to give such a harsh review. Obviously everyone’s entitled to their own opinion. And I respect yours, but I feel like this is an extremely unfair review for a quality and well respected product and builder. Each knee guard is custom-made with specs and sizes and I can guess that those probably are not the sizes specs if you were to order a pair.
Chris? Who is Chris?
I never actually say the foam behind the plastic plate is too thin. I just state how thin it is and show it is about as thick as the ones on the Warrior. But, I then go to show that the clamshell around the Warrior is what adds to the Warrior's being protective enough.
The breaking down of the used foams, is ONLY on the landing surface. It isn't on the protective piece at all. So me buying a new pair would've just added "these are either comfortable to land on or not comfortable to land on" which wouldn't have changed my opinion on how poorly protective these are and how the design inherently leads to protective gaps. The fact that the plastic inserts next to the main plastic insert is on the OUTSIDE of the knee pad proves how poorly this has been though out. You don't take pucks on the outside, you take it between the legs where the majority of padding should've gone.
I reviewed the base set of these guards, that everyone rants and raves about. Adding the clamshell designs would've increased the price even more while still not addressing the overall design.
Regardless of the specs, the protection gaps are always there, you can see it on PAW's website in the example images of people wearing them. You can then see it on the biggest review of these online in the title card, you can specifically see the black base layer coming through the inner knee protection gaps. Even though those were custom made AND the reviewer stated they have no protection gaps.
Sometimes, products just aren't nearly as good as people believe they are. While everyone can have their own experiences, there are reasons why Warrior changed their finger tip protection the next generation after I reviewed their gear. Yet how many "positive" reviews of Warrior blockers were out there before my G5 review?
I have reviewed used Factory MAD gear before (and specifically their knee pads), and no one had an issue. I've reviewed a used CCM Pro Stock chest before and again no issues. The parts that would perform different than stock was called out VERY clearly and I never commented on the comfort and landing zone for that area.
@ sorry Matt. Brain fart. Ha!
@ I have a base model that I’ve been using for two years and I don’t have the same closure issues with the gap at the knee as was shown on yours. I’m not disputing that by any means but the foam behind the knee with the plastic plate seems very thin and beat down. Also, the thigh rise above the Velcro is much taller than the ones I have. I totally understand your review process and why you went with the base level, but those seem very specific to a certain customer. Maybe different dimensions and sizes. Either way, let’s agree to disagree. I think they are extremely protective, but they work for me and that doesn’t mean they will work for everyone else.
In order for the foam behind the plastic at the knee to get beaten down, it would have to have taken HUNDREDS of direct hits to it. Which, would've deformed the plastic as well on the front plate and you'd be able to see considerably amount of puck marks as well. Which is always evident through shin pads and chest protectors as well even when a jersey or sock covers it.
If this gap isn't actually ever visible, then there wouldn't be two different goalies directly on PAW's website with the gap visible.
Here are photos straight from PAW's Instagram, and again you can see how here is no padding on the inside where the upper portion stops, not only that the entire segmented piece on the inside is JUST foam. The only way there is remotely enough coverage is if you happen to have a thicker inner landing wing that happens to fill in the space left by their design. instagram.com/sarapawhockey/p/CjiVMDcMeL8/?img_index=1
This is straight up and poor design that is exposing people's knees, when there are cheaper alternatives out there that are going to do a better job. It is great that you haven't had issues and I hope it stays that way.
@@HockeyReviews I understand what you’re saying. Yes I have not had an issue with it and hopefully that does stay that way. I get what you’re trying to do with your reviews, but I feel like even with your own words then you’re reviewing apples and oranges because this is a different style of knee pad when PAW actually makes it with a clamshell option. That being said, I still stand by the fact that you reviewed a used product against brand new top-of-the-line big name manufacturers. Still kind of dirty man.
Love the reviews you do, it’s a huge benefit to others, but 30 minutes on a knee pad makes me think that you could consider an editor. Makes me not want to watch.
I always put chapters in my reviews for people to skip through to the parts they want to hear about.
If I cut my reviews down, I'd miss out on details I would want to watch when seeing reviews. Then I'd become like every other "reviewer" who talk about how great these knee guards are while ignoring the massive protection gaps visible in their title card.
@@HockeyReviews I prefer the detailed reviews, especially when I'm looking at different options for brands brands and sometimes want to go back to specific areas of a review... The chapters make that easy to do without missing out on anything.