# What are the "better" knee and elbow guards out there?



## Vital (Feb 4, 2013)

I'm sure some will say "you don't need it" but after my wrist surgery which could have been easily prevented if I wore good wrist quads I'd rather spend some money on protection gear than having to go through surgeries and recovery times again.

So for wrist I'm going to get Demon Flexmeter (unless you have something better to recommend)

What about knee and elbow protection? I don't mind paying extra $$$ for something that's really worth it, not looking to save a few bucks here and regret it later.

And yes, none of this equipment is "idiot proof" and it's better to be careful and not fal and if you do fall there's a right vs wrong way to fall....I know that and agree with it but let's face it - when sh1t happens it's now up to your equipment.


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## Sudden_Death (Mar 23, 2011)

For knees I really like the Black Diamond TeleKneesis pads. They are really low profile with a hard shell and stay in place very well.


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## Mystery2many (Aug 14, 2013)

I use Gform knee and elbow pads. I forget I am wearing them because they are so slim and comfortable but if I hit the ice (usually from some trick I'm trying to perfect or learn) I have no damage or pain later. 

Look up Gform knee pads on YouTube.


For anyone who buys them, buy them larger then you normally would. They fit tight.


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## jdang307 (Feb 6, 2011)

Are the GForms that good? Just not confident rubber/soft tech can replicate the hard shells. But then again I'm not an engineer


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## Mystery2many (Aug 14, 2013)

jdang307 said:


> Are the GForms that good? Just not confident rubber/soft tech can replicate the hard shells. But then again I'm not an engineer


Watch the bowling ball M&M test on YouTube. Or the Hammer and Skittles. 

I've had some seriously hard falls, and not one time did I have pain or bruising. Now your muscles and joints are another thing. lol

Research the impact foam and its impact capabilities for yourself.


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## jdang307 (Feb 6, 2011)

Mystery2many said:


> Watch the bowling ball M&M test on YouTube. Or the Hammer and Skittles.
> 
> I've had some seriously hard falls, and not one time did I have pain or bruising. Now your muscles and joints are another thing. lol
> 
> Research the impact foam and its impact capabilities for yourself.


Cool. I just want something to wear for low low low boxes and rails. 10-20 foot jumps. Nothing crazy. These look comfy enough where I'll wear them vs. having hard shells that stay at home or in the car.


EDIT: OK I'm sold


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## Mystery2many (Aug 14, 2013)

I've used them for two years now and washed them twice (I hang out to dry, not use the dryer) and they fit in a pocket if need be. Not only are they low profile and go right under even base layers but they protect your knees/elbows like crazy. I don't like the crash shorts design tho.


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## 2hipp4u (Dec 24, 2010)

Vital said:


> So for wrist I'm going to get Demon Flexmeter (unless you have something better to recommend)
> QUOTE]
> 
> Flexmeter is about the best wrist protection I have found, get the double sided ones. They are big so you will need a larger mitten or glove. A dakinke XL titan will barely fit over mine so I went with some HJC SNOWMOBILE STORM MITTENS.
> ...


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## mhphoto (Apr 20, 2010)

Sudden_Death said:


> For knees I really like the Black Diamond TeleKneesis pads. They are really low profile with a hard shell and stay in place very well.


I agree 100% easy to use, light weight and you will forget your even wearing them. It's what teleskiers use - that says something.. Check out the review and then buy a pair currently 20% off at Backcountry.com http://mtnweekly.com/black-diamond-telekneesis-kneepads-review-11012


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## chomps1211 (Mar 30, 2011)

Vital said:


> So for wrist I'm going to get Demon Flexmeter (unless you have something better to recommend)
> QUOTE]
> 
> Flexmeter is about the best wrist protection I have found, get the double sided ones.


I like the zone IV mitts with integrated wrist guard. I didn't care for the flexmeter. The ones I tried, (...the dbl sided.) were a pain to get on under my gloves and after a few minutes started to irritate me. For me, they felt conspicuously "There" the whole time I hade them on. Might just b personal preference but the IV wrist guards worn in their gloves, I don't even notice them. 

Supposedly, they are designed to minimize the occurrance of fractures higher up the arm as many regular wrist guards are prone to causing. That's their claim anyway. Have a shitload of swedish research or some shit to back it. 

The Gloves are warm, they have removable liner for warmer days. Lots of choices /w integrated wrist protection. I nelieve I got them from XSports. I'll dbl check that after work. 

My 2 ¢. :dunno:


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## Nivek (Jan 24, 2008)

Anything with d3O or anything from Poc. I trust that shit with my life.


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## Lamps (Sep 3, 2011)

Mystery2many said:


> I use Gform knee and elbow pads. I forget I am wearing them because they are so slim and comfortable but if I hit the ice (usually from some trick I'm trying to perfect or learn) I have no damage or pain later.
> 
> Look up Gform knee pads on YouTube.
> 
> ...


Yah, go up a size. I wish they were more widely carried in stores to make trying them on possible. 

For glove, I really like burton impact glove with integrated wrist bracing.


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## kev711 (Feb 7, 2013)

for knee pads i use a regular skateboarding knee pad...protec i think but for wrist protection i LOVE Level Gloves. built in wrist guard but a lil pricy


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## chomps1211 (Mar 30, 2011)

chomps1211 said:


> _I like the *zone IV mitts[*/U]_ with integrated wrist guard.....
> 
> Supposedly, they are designed to minimize the occurrance of fractures higher up the arm as many regular wrist guards are prone to causing. That's their claim anyway. Have a shitload of swedish research or some shit to back it.
> 
> ...




:WTF:

Well my 2₵ would maybe be worth more if my information was correct!!! :blink:

The gloves I'm referring to are the *"Level V"* protective mitts! I did get them from XSports Protective! ...got that right at least!

Here's the link: XSports Level V

Sorry for the mis-information. (...ADD _and_ age related dementia are a terrible combination!) :laugh:


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## ekb18c (Mar 11, 2013)

After hurting my knee on a bad spill last season i went ahead and went crazy on knee pads. I use skate boarding kneepads because I don't want to hurt my knee again.

Triple 8 knee pads


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## t21 (Dec 29, 2010)

Concur with G-form kneepads. Level gloves are really good too, both these had help me on few occasions. The only qualm about the gloves is the liner, when it gets sweaty they sure stink:blink: gotta wash them more often.


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## elstinky (Jan 24, 2010)

ekb18c said:


> Triple 8 knee pads


ftw. Still using the ones I got > 10 years ago for inline skating back then. Super comfortable, stay in place the entire day, no problems bending your knees.


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## chomps1211 (Mar 30, 2011)

At the risk of being accused of a thread jack, I wanted to ask you guys using those G-forms and the like. If they are super thin/low profile, and the rubber pads go hard on impact, (...insert dirty joke here!) How is this any different than just impacting that joint on a hard surface?

They don't appear to have any padding underneath the G-form magic rubber like regular hard or soft shell protection, so I'm confused about how this is really much different than wearing nothing. Apologies for the jack! :dunno:


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## t21 (Dec 29, 2010)

chomps1211 said:


> At the risk of being accused of a thread jack, I wanted to ask you guys using those G-forms and the like. If they are super thin/low profile, and the rubber pads go hard on impact, (...insert dirty joke here!) How is this any different than just impacting that joint on a hard surface?
> 
> They don't appear to have any padding underneath the G-form magic rubber like regular hard or soft shell protection, so I'm confused about how this is really much different than wearing nothing. Apologies for the jack! :dunno:


Chomps, all I can say is you will definitely know when you hit hard surface without one. Times were I just drop down from exhaustion riding on hard surface and hit it with all your weigth, I thank god I have it on or I would have been in pain. Wish I had one for my shoulder yesterday before slamming it hard on a cat track. I think(on denial here) I have a CAT 1 shoulder separation:angry:


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## Vital (Feb 4, 2013)

2hipp4u said:


> Vital said:
> 
> 
> > So for wrist I'm going to get Demon Flexmeter (unless you have something better to recommend)
> ...


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## Vital (Feb 4, 2013)

Sudden_Death said:


> For knees I really like the Black Diamond TeleKneesis pads. They are really low profile with a hard shell and stay in place very well.


All pics of them I see online are on top of outer layer pants. Can they be worn under my pants without having to fix up up every 20 mins?? Having a hard time understanding how comfortable I'll feel with them on top of everything....


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## Vital (Feb 4, 2013)

Just ordered Level SuperPipe and G-Form elbow pad. Let' see how they fit and actually perform.


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## Seppuccu (Dec 4, 2012)

Ordered the G-Form elbow pads the other day and picking them up today. Let's hope they fit well too.


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## SnowDragon (Apr 23, 2012)

Vital said:


> 2hipp4u said:
> 
> 
> > Just the other day I was 100% set on flexmeters but now I'm having a case of "maybe Level Super Pipe" will be a better choice given that I'll need to buy new bigger gloves to fit over flexmeters anyways...
> ...


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## SnowOwl (Jun 11, 2012)

If you're looking for serious equipment and don't mind paying the money, Nothing touches asterisk. Shit is from the future, they're even collaborated with boas...so enough said

Home page :: Asterisk Knee Protection Systems

Also spider/kinesiology tape :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

Personally I use a hospital grade sleeve made of this extremely flexible type of urethane (fancy words for plastic) that stays rigid for vertical support. Pretty sexy


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## Vital (Feb 4, 2013)

Vital said:


> Just ordered Level SuperPipe and G-Form elbow pad. Let' see how they fit and actually perform.


Well, both will probably be going back.

*G-Form elbow pads *- as a few people mentioned I got a size up since they fit very tight. I really shouldn't have one that. Whatever size was recomended per my measurments would be a much better fit. As for g-form pad itself - it's no hard cap offcourse but it does "dull" the strike feel. Don't think it'll save me from a hard fall but it'll probably make it just a bit less painfull.

*Level Super Pipes *- Beautiful gloves but wristguard protection seems to be VERY minimal. My wrist moves each and every way all the way. That little tiny piece that's supposed to protect my wrist just doesnt seem to do anything simply due to it's small size. Given I've already hurt my wrist last season I'd be much better off if there was a lot more limit as to how much my wrist can actually move.

Since both Xsport and Demon have no question asked return policies I've already ordered Demon Flexmeter gloves with built-in double sided wrist guard and Demon D30 soft cap Pro elbow quard. I'll compare both items side by side and will have to choose which ones I'm sending back for a refund and which ones I'll trust to keep me healthy this season. :thumbsup:


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## SnowDragon (Apr 23, 2012)

Vital said:


> Well, both will probably be going back.
> 
> *G-Form elbow pads *- as a few people mentioned I got a size up since they fit very tight. I really shouldn't have one that. Whatever size was recomended per my measurments would be a much better fit. As for g-form pad itself - it's no hard cap offcourse but it does "dull" the strike feel. Don't think it'll save me from a hard fall but it'll probably make it just a bit less painfull.
> 
> ...


I think you'll really like the Flexmeter gloves.
Demon bought out Flexmeter last year btw, so you're buying products from one company.
The double-sided protection gloves are improved from the old version. The protection is the same, but the materials of the glove itself are better. I had to size down - I must be shrinking! - and bought a new pair a few weeks ago.

And I'm with Nivek on the d30 tech, so you should also prefer the Demon elbow pads imo.


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## Deimus85 (Dec 3, 2012)

I have been playing paintball for over 14 years. With that said, as soon as I purchased my first set of paintball kneepads back in 2004, I immediately realized their application to snowboarding. I have been wearing paintball kneepads ever since.

Dye Snow (a long time paintball company who just started a Snowboarding division), is now using essentially their long history of making paintball pads, and applying them to the snow protection market. With their purchase of Protec, they also solidified their stake in the action sports industry. If y ou take a look at their protective line on their website (www.dyesnow.com), and compare it to their paintball protection (www.dyepaintball.com), you will definately realize the distinct similarities. Their Proto line of kneepads can be had at a fraction of the cost of their Dye Snow and Paintball models.

I have been using the Proto Knee Pads for about 9 seasons (have gone through 2 pairs). They are great because they double up as a knee brace due to their tight-fitting neoprene construction. Here they are: Proto 2010 Defender Paintball Knee Pads - Black/Red

I choose them over other knee pads because they are strapless, which I find to feel a lot more comfortable for compressed leg motion over having velcro strap enclosures.

For my left elbow, I wear a standard Harbringer Hard shell Elbow Pad. I cut off the top strap so that it fit with less restriction while surrounded by my base layering. It has worked great and has definitely saved my elbow from destruction.


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## Mystery2many (Aug 14, 2013)

Vital said:


> Well, both will probably be going back.
> 
> *G-Form elbow pads *- as a few people mentioned I got a size up since they fit very tight. I really shouldn't have one that. Whatever size was recomended per my measurments would be a much better fit. As for g-form pad itself - it's no hard cap offcourse but it does "dull" the strike feel. Don't think it'll save me from a hard fall but it'll probably make it just a bit less painfull.
> 
> [:


After a full day of riding and bending your arms, you will see why I recommended a size larger. And I've took some hard ass falls on huge kickers and learning my 3s, I have never had pain that lasted into the rest of the day. While before that my knees really got beat to hell and I would barely be able to walk that night.

After a few good falls, come back and share your experience! :thumbsup:


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## Deimus85 (Dec 3, 2012)

Mystery2many said:


> After a full day of riding and bending your arms, you will see why I recommended a size larger. And I've took some hard ass falls on huge kickers and learning my 3s, I have never had pain that lasted into the rest of the day. While before that my knees really got beat to hell and I would barely be able to walk that night.
> 
> After a few good falls, come back and share your experience! :thumbsup:


I was looking to get some new armpads to replace this bulky Harbinger one, and these look really nice! Do you wear them above or below your underarmour baselayer?


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## Mystery2many (Aug 14, 2013)

Deimus85 said:


> I was looking to get some new armpads to replace this bulky Harbinger one, and these look really nice! Do you wear them above or below your underarmour baselayer?


I wear them under the base layer. I tried putting them over but they ended up sliding down. There is a thin layer of some kind of silicone on the inside that grips to your skin to keep them in place. Doesn't grip to layers well.


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## Deimus85 (Dec 3, 2012)

Mystery2many said:


> I wear them under the base layer. I tried putting them over but they ended up sliding down. There is a thin layer of some kind of silicone on the inside that grips to your skin to keep them in place. Doesn't grip to layers well.


It looks like they are slim enough to fit underneath fitted Under Armour Cold Gear...do they?


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## Mystery2many (Aug 14, 2013)

Deimus85 said:


> It looks like they are slim enough to fit underneath fitted Under Armour Cold Gear...do they?


Absolutely. With ease. People have no idea I'm wearing then either. :thumbsup:


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## Seppuccu (Dec 4, 2012)

I'm wearing my new G-Form elbow pads right now. The silicon seems to stick to the skin just enough to make them stay in place and I've tried throwing myself to the floor and elbowing concrete falls. You can feel the impact but they'll definitely save you from the worst.


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## elstinky (Jan 24, 2010)

Vital said:


> *Level Super Pipes *- Beautiful gloves but wristguard protection seems to be VERY minimal. My wrist moves each and every way all the way. That little tiny piece that's supposed to protect my wrist just doesnt seem to do anything simply due to it's small size. Given I've already hurt my wrist last season I'd be much better off if there was a lot more limit as to how much my wrist can actually move


you know that's because of Gloves Snowboard Gloves Snowboarding Mittens Gloves Ski - Level Gloves ?


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## timmz32 (Sep 8, 2021)

at the moment rocking 187 killer pad skate knee pads but looking at the demon d30 pro knee pads for next year and still looking for a good soft elbow pad.


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## timmz32 (Sep 8, 2021)

Sudden_Death said:


> For knees I really like the Black Diamond TeleKneesis pads. They are really low profile with a hard shell and stay in place very well.


 have you taken any hard falls spinning on jumps or rails? telekenisis skiing knee pads are used for not hitting rocks while on your skis, but when you fall on a snowboard you are sliding and impacting in different directions.


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## Sudden_Death (Mar 23, 2011)

I have taken a few good hits in them. They do lack a bit of cushioning under the shell but to me it is worth the savings in bulk. Most falls are a non issue, but the odd one where it's a direct downward impact can be a bit jarring. On days where I know that sort of fall is more likely I will put a pair of thin volleyball pads under them.


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## CarvingOldGuy (11 mo ago)

timmz32 said:


> at the moment rocking 187 killer pad skate knee pads but looking at the demon d30 pro knee pads for next year and still looking for a good soft elbow pad.


Don't wear pads while snowboarding. But do wear pads while electric skateboarding and probably should on some days when surf skating. Using a knee and elbow pads by iXS. German company with their version of D30. Motorcycle and mtn biking body armor company. Outside of free range of movement, slim profile. They work. At least hitting gravel, dirt and pavement. Another option to D30.


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## timmz32 (Sep 8, 2021)

Demon d30 knee pads are amazing! dont even feel them on.


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