CCM Extreme Flex III E3.9 Pads - Initial Impressions

[Matt3533]

Having not worn these pads yet on the ice, I am just writing this in regards to first impressions and manufacturing quality/details (review and durability will be saved for later).  When I write a full review I'll go into detail not only about the pads themselves, but some of my equipement background which eventually lead me to getting these pads.

So for starters, the pads are CCM Extreme Flex III E3.9. They are 33+1.  The colour combination is the same as Price while with Canada in the World Cup.  I bought them through The Goalie Crease.  They supposedly have TGC Specs, which they usually do with certain pieces of equipment they sell there.  However, I have yet to figure out what those custom specs are.  Here is a list of those specs from their website.  

The TGC Custom Spec

-Pre-Curved single break below the knee for excellent 5-hole coverage.

-Tight leg channel with one upper calf strap and one adjustable above / below knee strap. 

-Nylon leg channel

-Deep ultra soft boot.

-Under heel removable boot strap.

-Recessed knee with removable outer flap.

-Speedskin for enhanced sliding.

 From what I can tell, those are standard with the E3.9's anyways unless someone knows otherwise.  There was nothing custom I was looking for anyways so it makes no difference to me.

The construction of the pads is top notch for a Senior model.  I would have never have bought anything less than a Pro model in years past, but the Senior models for a lot of brands have very much impressed recently and the fact that they are about $1,000 less than the Pro models pretty much had me sold.  I have yet to notice any place on the pads where corners were cut, stitches not done properly, poor material used, details left out, etc.  The quality is top notch.  The pads are slightly heavier than the Pro models, but it not much of a difference - enough to notice, but not enough to make any note worthy point about it.  (If I was coming from something like a SubZero then I'd maybe make a bigger deal about it).  The pads use the same new SpeedSkin material that the Pro model uses, as well as the same new material (QK5) for the straps.    I haven't really sat down in the store to pick out every detail difference between the E3.9 and the Pro, but one thing I did notice right away was that it is a different kind of Nash-like material used in the leg channel - makes no difference to me though as long as it is durable.  

The only thing I don't like about the pads (which will be the easiest fix in the world, for obvious reasons) is the knee and thigh guards that come with the pads.  They are not very protective compared to ones sold separately and are just not very comfortable.  They are fully removable and I picked up some new CCM K1.9 knee and thigh guards - which I would like to do a review on as well since I feel like that is an overlooked piece of equipment when it comes to reviews.

As far as fit, they pads have a nice and tight leg channel with a big open knee area.  Ive only had a chance to wear them in store and on my carpet at home, but the butterfly in them so far is great.  Tight seal, great rotation, very comfortable - so far so good.  

So far I am in love with the pads.  I'll detail,this more in a review later down the road, but I was looking for a mix of a traditional and modern pad (with a good price tag) and these pads seem to cover all those basis.  Next up will be how they perform on the ice and how well they hold up.  I'm on the ice about 1-2x per week so hopefully I'll have a review up in a few months - roughly 15-20 games at least.  

UPDATE: Just played my first game with them last night.  All I can say is wow!  The SpeedSkin material is crazy good.  On fresh ice I felt like I could slide forever.  Just from the way the pads felt while sliding you could tell there was less friction with the material.  The rebounds were amazing too - almost all of them kicked out to the corners.  I hope they continue feeling this good!

[goalie]

sharp!

Stupid thing is with the lower models, you at least get knee pads. With the pro model you get nothing.

[Hills]

Can you show what the different bash material on the leg channel is?

One spot that seems better to me on the 3.9 compared to the Pro is the calf wrap material. I like the pattern on the 3.9 more so than standard nylon.

[Matt3533]

11 minutes ago, Hills said:

Can you show what the different bash material on the leg channel is?

One spot that seems better to me on the 3.9 compared to the Pro is the calf wrap material. I like the pattern on the 3.9 more so than standard nylon.

I'll see if I can get a better image of it but the Pro leg channel material seems a little bit more fuzzy and a bit more grippy as opposed to the 3.9 leg channel material being smoother and more slippery (not that it's slippery, but more so compared to the Pro)

[goalie]

1 hour ago, Matt3533 said:

I'll see if I can get a better image of it but the Pro leg channel material seems a little bit more fuzzy and a bit more grippy as opposed to the 3.9 leg channel material being smoother and more slippery (not that it's slippery, but more so compared to the Pro)

If we are talking a bought the gray material it is Nash. Option on pro is all nylon 

[Matt3533]

22 minutes ago, goalie said:

If we are talking a bought the gray material it is Nash. Option on pro is all nylon 

Oh okay that might be it.  Or maybe a better quality Nash that I felt on the Pro.  I wasn't really comparing them in store so I had to go by memory when looking at the Pro.  

[Ghostender]

While I have to say the pads are very nice looking and I'm sure they incorporate a lot of the latest technology (I'd love to try the "SpeedSkin") I am scratching my head over those straps. ("...new material (QK5) for the straps...")

It appears form the pics that  "QK5" is some form of plastic - is that right? If so I assume this is either a weight or "it slides easily for easy pad rotation" idea (again - ???)

I can only assume CCM thinks people will remove these straps upon receipt because they sure look, well the word "unfortunate" comes to mind...

[Matt3533]

31 minutes ago, Ghostender said:

While I have to say the pads are very nice looking and I'm sure they incorporate a lot of the latest technology (I'd love to try the "SpeedSkin") I am scratching my head over those straps. ("...new material (QK5) for the straps...")

It appears form the pics that  "QK5" is some form of plastic - is that right? If so I assume this is either a weight or "it slides easily for easy pad rotation" idea (again - ???)

I can only assume CCM thinks people will remove these straps upon receipt because they sure look, well the word "unfortunate" comes to mind...

The QK5 material is definitely a plastic type of material.  I believe they used them for the straps in order to save on weight.  I can't comment on durability of the material since I don't know, but they feel like they are made to last.  They don't feel cheap or like the straps will break or anything like that - but again, I have no idea.  They are just as easy to strap up as the traditional leather straps.  The only thing I found was with my old pads I wouldn't pull the straps all the way through the buckle; I'd leave a bit of a loop.  With the QK5 straps if I did that, they would just come undone from the end part of the buckle - they'd still stay through the pin though (if that makes any sense haha). 

[Flyers27]

I have these pads too. Nothing really to compare them too as I've come back to the game after a very long layoff. I'm still tinkering with how to get the best rotation. Mine are spec'd by the Hockey Shop with flattened knee rolls, an added strap, an easier to remove toe bridge, and no knee guards. I added the Brian's toe strap.

I was curious about the material used for the straps too, but it appears to be quite durable. I've been using them 2-3 times a week for the last month. No issues so far with the straps.

The pads are quite slippery on the ice, and I'm finding I have to adjust how I move when I'm down, but that should be taken with a grain of salt as I hadn't been on the ice in 9 years. They also feel very light, but again, grain of salt. Love the glove, and the blocker, is a blocker ?

[TheGoalNet]

9 hours ago, Matt3533 said:

The QK5 material is definitely a plastic type of material.  I believe they used them for the straps in order to save on weight.  I can't comment on durability of the material since I don't know, but they feel like they are made to last.  They don't feel cheap or like the straps will break or anything like that - but again, I have no idea.  They are just as easy to strap up as the traditional leather straps.  The only thing I found was with my old pads I wouldn't pull the straps all the way through the buckle; I'd leave a bit of a loop.  With the QK5 straps if I did that, they would just come undone from the end part of the buckle - they'd still stay through the pin though (if that makes any sense haha). 

I believe the straps are Nylon which is a fancy name for Polymer aka Plastic 

[Ghostender]

10 hours ago, Matt3533 said:

The QK5 material is definitely a plastic type of material.  I believe they used them for the straps in order to save on weight.....

Didn't we just have this conversation in another thread about how much weight you can really save by even totally eliminating the straps???

[cheddarberg]

I just bought the exact same pad/colour scheme from The Goalie Crease myself! I went 33+2 because they were sold out of 33+1 (loving the extra bit of thigh rise).

In store these felt GREAT. However I've played 3 times with them now and cant seem to get them rotating smoothly. No matter how loose I have all the straps, these things continuously under rotate.. I cant seem to get into my butterfly and have a tight seal on the ice, rather every other time I get into my butterfly, my knee digs into where the knee cradle meets the pad and the pads usually flip over face down. Why is this happening? 

I'm having trouble correcting this issue. Could this possibly be my knee guards being too big? I wear Bauer Supremes (2016-2017 version) which are pretty bulky I have to admit.. But my last pads never had this issue, ever.

[Aquilzz]

On 10/31/2018 at 1:44 PM, cheddarberg said:

I just bought the exact same pad/colour scheme from The Goalie Crease myself! I went 33+2 because they were sold out of 33+1 (loving the extra bit of thigh rise).

In store these felt GREAT. However I've played 3 times with them now and cant seem to get them rotating smoothly. No matter how loose I have all the straps, these things continuously under rotate.. I cant seem to get into my butterfly and have a tight seal on the ice, rather every other time I get into my butterfly, my knee digs into where the knee cradle meets the pad and the pads usually flip over face down. Why is this happening? 

I'm having trouble correcting this issue. Could this possibly be my knee guards being too big? I wear Bauer Supremes (2016-2017 version) which are pretty bulky I have to admit.. But my last pads never had this issue, ever.

Try loosening the elastic in the knee block.

Ideally, this elastic should be loosened to where it is just snug while your butterfly with your knee guards. 

[cheddarberg]

36 minutes ago, Aquilzz said:

Try loosening the elastic in the knee block.

Ideally, this elastic should be loosened to where it is just snug while your butterfly with your knee guards. 

I'm so frustrated with these damn things that I already want them sold and replaced.

I'll definitely try that out tomorrow when I'm on the ice, if that doesn't help then they're going bye bye. I cannot deal with this.

[Aquilzz]

1 hour ago, cheddarberg said:

I'm so frustrated with these damn things that I already want them sold and replaced.

I'll definitely try that out tomorrow when I'm on the ice, if that doesn't help then they're going bye bye. I cannot deal with this.

My theory is that it's the elastic strapping pushing you too far in the knee while you butterfly. 

These pads actually have one of the bigger knee cradles (with the recessed option) ...

Another thing you can do is strap down to the calf wrap and remove the outer knee flap. 

[cheddarberg]

20 minutes ago, Aquilzz said:

My theory is that it's the elastic strapping pushing you too far in the knee while you butterfly. 

These pads actually have one of the bigger knee cradles (with the recessed option) ...

Another thing you can do is strap down to the calf wrap and remove the outer knee flap. 

Removed the knee flap the day I got these.