Wednesday, Oct 11 2006 | 10:07:12
The RBK 5K Goalie Pads
I bought my 34" Vaughn Legacy pads last spring, when I first took up goaltending. They were decent pads, but weren't really a butterfly-style pad (the knee lift was far too low). Plus, they were a bit too short. I realized that about two weeks ago when I was hit by the puck in an exposed area on the top of the knee. That was emphasized a few days later, when the puck hit me again in that exact same spot.
I long ago decided that I liked the RBK 5K's. A nice box pad, high knee lifts, and very light. A goalie acquaintance of mine bought them over a year ago, and they've held up well. Reviews mostly ranged from "they're adequate" to "they're awesome" on the goalie messageboards I frequent. There's also a large group of people, however, who are snobbish towards the big explosion of popularity that RBK hockey equipment has gained. Much like I'm snobbish towards the big explosion of popularity that Macs have gained. But that's another story.
So last Sunday, I bought a pair of 36" RBK 5K's (the origin of my latest MSN name, "Densetsu - I'm a RBK Whore"). I've played two games in them. Some things that I've observed about them:
- They're bulkier than my old pads. Perhaps that's because they're taller, or because there's more protection around the knees. Moving around the crease took some getting used to.
- The inner thigh and knee is (synthetic) leather, not fabric like my old pads. As a result, you slide a lot easier (read: farther) in these. Sliding saves require more control now.
- The higher knee lifts and the toe laces make going into the butterfly a lot easier. The box shape also makes it easier to get the pads flush to the ice.
- Stiff pads give up larger rebounds than older, broken-in pads.
- The thigh boards protect the thigh/knee area a lot better than the strap-on piece of foam that was tied onto my old pads.
- Using the phrase "strap-on" increases referrals from search engines. Strap-on.
In conclusion...it takes a while to get used to the pads, but it's worth it. In particular, pucks that used to slide right under my knee when I went into the butterfly and half-butterfly are being stopped now.
I long ago decided that I liked the RBK 5K's. A nice box pad, high knee lifts, and very light. A goalie acquaintance of mine bought them over a year ago, and they've held up well. Reviews mostly ranged from "they're adequate" to "they're awesome" on the goalie messageboards I frequent. There's also a large group of people, however, who are snobbish towards the big explosion of popularity that RBK hockey equipment has gained. Much like I'm snobbish towards the big explosion of popularity that Macs have gained. But that's another story.
So last Sunday, I bought a pair of 36" RBK 5K's (the origin of my latest MSN name, "Densetsu - I'm a RBK Whore"). I've played two games in them. Some things that I've observed about them:
- They're bulkier than my old pads. Perhaps that's because they're taller, or because there's more protection around the knees. Moving around the crease took some getting used to.
- The inner thigh and knee is (synthetic) leather, not fabric like my old pads. As a result, you slide a lot easier (read: farther) in these. Sliding saves require more control now.
- The higher knee lifts and the toe laces make going into the butterfly a lot easier. The box shape also makes it easier to get the pads flush to the ice.
- Stiff pads give up larger rebounds than older, broken-in pads.
- The thigh boards protect the thigh/knee area a lot better than the strap-on piece of foam that was tied onto my old pads.
- Using the phrase "strap-on" increases referrals from search engines. Strap-on.
In conclusion...it takes a while to get used to the pads, but it's worth it. In particular, pucks that used to slide right under my knee when I went into the butterfly and half-butterfly are being stopped now.
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