flat boot

[ser33]

hi all. a new trend from pad manufacturers - flat boot

I took the photo from the Vaughn thread, I hope its owner won’t be offended by me

question

Who already uses pads with a flat boot, please share your impressions. What does this offer compared to the classic boot, pros and cons. appreciate any feedback. Thanks

Edited April 11 by ser33

[keeperton]

That flat boot I have is on a GNETiKV, so it's not the flatest, but is still reasonably flat.

Anyhow, it does help with letting your foot rotate a bit when going down, doesn't have anything to really get in the way during movement when down (compared to a pad that had a shallow boot, but still had it with the GNETiKIV and G3NETiK). I generally like it when playing, as long as the rest of the pad feels connected (since I like a connected pad feel). I do like it when there's a boot channel as well, if only for the connected feel it offers, but don't love when anything gets in the way. A potential downside to this is if your foot doesn't go right into the crook of the pad (whether because of sizing or strapping), it'll feel like there's a bit of a gap at the lower calf (my GNETiKVs do this, my other pads didn't).

Edit to add opinion: I think the flat boot concept with an "open angle" boot break is pretty pointless. If there's not a strap low enough or tight enough to the calf, this can cause the pad to slough off the front of the toe and feel disconnected in a way that I (personally) find to feel terrible on the leg.

Other experiences with rather flat boot pads I've worn have been positive as well:

• I liked how the PX3 boot felt a lot, especially because it has a semblance of a boot and leg channel so the pad still feels strongly connected (part of the leg, not on top of the leg), without it being deep enough to get in the way.
• The 3X I got to try felt very mobile, especially with the current feel of the newer "soft" Bauer pads being springy instead of what would traditionally be a "soft" feel. The flat boot paired with this made it a pad that was exceptionally easy to move around in.
• The Velocity 10 I tried on was already too big for me, the flat boot added to that bulk, so when it doesn't fit correctly it's perhaps less forgiving? Unsure. 

Other, maybe obvious statement, is that it makes the pad sit higher on your leg. This can make sizing kind of a pain for those that don't have easy access to trying stuff on (a boat I am in). 

I don't think this trend is really going away, I'm not sure what having a deep boot would offer to modern goaltenders that is more desirable than the mobility offered by the newer design. I'm definitely interested to see what happens next in leg pads.

Edited April 11 by keeperton

[DL42]

flat boot concept is  or has been around for a while,  it is the clearence for the skate engagement.

martin brodeur always had a soft boot,  he pads look deep boot channel, but it was ver soft foam.  Same with Patick roy.

They wante skate clearance .

before pads had open toe and the pad around the toe area with a cut out now pads sit on top of the  foot not around the toe.

Sizing on flat pad should not be adjusted , but go by the current brand model sizing chart.

Sherwood also had a similar concept to this flat book  , i believe its "ice bite"  

old days goalie stand to stop puck legs 2 foot apart.   now its about mobility and getting pads down.

to convert any old pad for foot clearence    grab a coat hanger and take out the snake foam on the backside of the boot on the inside.

 

SMith /warrior pad had the same concept. but called table top.  even the g6 is flat they add a bump and that gives clearence and when in the bfly  the feet has stable position instead of lifted as well.

Believe this is where the old CCM Blockade in 2000 failed , it elevated the skate.

 

key in this post is the concept  of what they are trying to accomplish.

 

[keeperton]

2 hours ago, DL42 said:

Sherwood also had a similar concept to this flat book  , i believe its "ice bite"  

 

Believe this is where the old CCM Blockade in 2000 failed , it elevated the skate.

Yeah, Sherwood had that with the 9980 and Cerberus lines.

The Blockade's giant, and long, calf pillow was a definite issue.

[ThatCarGuy]

Personally I'm not a huge fan of flat boot pads. I find them unpredictable and especially when worn tight they can be a nuisance to try and get the right feel out of them. There's zero connected feel. It's a huge part of why I didn't like my HL2 pads

[Toobs]

Hah that’s my pic and no not offended.

Flat boots have become a thing for 2 reasons. First it allows for less interference between your skate and your pad. It allows the pad to rotate faster and more easily separate from your skate a bit for post integration.

Secondly, it makes the pads fit a bit bigger as they sit higher on your skate. Personally I believe this is a way to combat size restrictions. You can have the same size pad but have it sit an inch higher for more 5 hole closure.

The second point doesn’t apply to most of us beer leaguers, but personally I like the freeing feeling of not having a defined channel. However some people might not like the feeling of being disconnected from their pad. 
 

A lot of manufacturers are heading that direction with their pads though. Both true lines, both Vaughn lines, both Bauer lines all have flat boots. Brians optik line is flat, the Iconik has a slightly defined channel but is still pretty flat. I’m actually not sure there’s any current pads that have fully defined boot channels anymore. The SLR3 did but it obviously got changed with the 4.

[ser33]

thanks everyone. I appreciate it. I'll be repairing my bauer pads in the near future and I'm wondering if I should make a flat shoe. but thanks to your answers, I thought even more. I’ll probably do this on some pads, and leave others as they are. Then, with a quick transition, I’ll decide what I liked best. thank you very much for your feedback

[SaveByRichter35]

With all these flat boots, is it actually less padding on the sides to remove the channel?  Essentially bringing the sides up to meet the channel.  Or, is it adding more padding the the channel to make it even with the sides?

[ThatCarGuy]

4 hours ago, SaveByRichter35 said:

With all these flat boots, is it actually less padding on the sides to remove the channel?  Essentially bringing the sides up to meet the channel.  Or, is it adding more padding the the channel to make it even with the sides?

Usually it's padding out the channel which is what causes the size mismatch in current Vaughn pads

[indykrap]

I'm intrigued by this trend but am going to admit that the geometry is confusing me about how this affects sizing and how they sit taller.

Is it because the pad sits on top of the skate, rather than the skate sitting "in" the boot? 

I swear I have a braincell or two kicking around still but right now it doesn't seem to compute.

[coopaloop1234]

3 hours ago, indykrap said:

I'm intrigued by this trend but am going to admit that the geometry is confusing me about how this affects sizing and how they sit taller.

Is it because the pad sits on top of the skate, rather than the skate sitting "in" the boot? 

I swear I have a braincell or two kicking around still but right now it doesn't seem to compute.

You've got it right. 

Traditional channels allow the skate to sit deeper into the pad, thus bringing it close to the ice and down the leg. 

Table Top boots fill in that gap and push the pad away from the ice and higher on the leg. 

Warrior has kind of been doing that for a while now. I think the G6/7 is a bit more pronounced, but my GT2's and G5's both had that bump. (can't remember if my GT1's had it though)

Edited May 21 by coopaloop1234

[Chenner29]

3 hours ago, indykrap said:

I'm intrigued by this trend but am going to admit that the geometry is confusing me about how this affects sizing and how they sit taller.

Is it because the pad sits on top of the skate, rather than the skate sitting "in" the boot? 

I swear I have a braincell or two kicking around still but right now it doesn't seem to compute.

You're right on.  To use @coopaloop1234's example above - the pad size when measured across the face of the pad has not changed.

However, the fit is now different due to the pad being elevated on the back side.

[indykrap]

Thanks @coopaloop1234 and @Chenner29! 

I feel somewhat less stupid now, haha. Also probably not as fully informed as I'd like to be as I've been in Warriors for 5 years so I'm so used to the boot bump.