Switching one knee stack foam into a new pad

[Max27]

Currently im in ef2 pads and the rebounds have really softened up. have tried pads in store like vapors and wanna lean to them but as you likely know, ive said the knee landing was too stiff for me.

would it be possible, say i do get a set of vapors, to take the knee landing from my ef2s, which i really liked, and put them into a new pad to fix that? not sure if it would work but just a thought.

Leaning towards, say i got the vapors, a set from the isles pro shop, former Prospect kristers gudlevskis pads. Would match like how Lehner mismatched in Buffalo.

he got them with 2 leather calf straps (Pro only feature atm) and stock vapor strapping under it, so i could get the really tight fit i like, which was the reason i have leaned away from GTs. have tried looser strapping and it felt like my pad was all wobbly and unstable and i didnt have control over the pads movement.

Not saying i would get them. i only had issues with these pads when i checked them out with the firm knee. wearing thicker knee pads could help.

or just dealing with it. firmer knee stacks will seal the ice better  bc it wont be sloppy

heres a pic of the pads for whatever its worth

they fit perfect. im abt 6´2 and theyre XL in bauer sizing (36+1) and hes 6´4. knee was as centered as they are on the 34+1 ccms i wear rn. theyre used by him and theyre really flexible so i wont have issues with them being too stiff

[Max27]

anyone?

[BadAngle41]

9 hours ago, Max27 said:

anyone?

I don't know the exact geometry and sizing of the knee stack for each pad but I think it's one of those situations where the answer is yes... but likely not as easy as plug and play. One of the main gripes w/ the Bauer line has been wear... and how Bauer attaches the knee stack to the pad leaves the binding exposed (unlike most any if not all other manufacturers.) So attaching the EF2 stack to the Vapor could be tricky and/or lead to other issues with available space as the EF2 stack would be pushed inward if you use the Vapor positioning. 

So short answer is YES with a BUT... long answer is that personally I'd try knee pads with more cushioning before I attempted the swap you're describing. That said, I have a set of 1X on the way to demo from GoalieMonkey which I'm anxious to give a try as I'm in a 3 year old set of Retroflex now. Also going to try a set of 2S... but like you I know I'll likely end up in the Vapor series if I decide to go Bauer on my next set.

EF2 Stack                                                          1X Stack

                    

[Mroy31]

One thing that would make the swap into the Vapor pad a little easier (assuming you only swap the middle part of the stack) is the Vapors have the stiffer knee cradle than the 1S did. I did a swap of those and although I liked it, they were real sloppy.  But the Vapor (and my 2S with Vapor knee blocks) are much more sturdy. 

Also keep in mind that some of the components are laced through the pad itself, so a full swap will likely require opening up the pad, or leaving some things not as secure as they came

[Max27]

6 hours ago, Mroy31 said:

One thing that would make the swap into the Vapor pad a little easier (assuming you only swap the middle part of the stack) is the Vapors have the stiffer knee cradle than the 1S did. I did a swap of those and although I liked it, they were real sloppy.  But the Vapor (and my 2S with Vapor knee blocks) are much more sturdy. 

Also keep in mind that some of the components are laced through the pad itself, so a full swap will likely require opening up the pad, or leaving some things not as secure as they came

def not cutting the pad open. im a spaz and dont wanna fuck up pads like that.

i like the tight knee cradle, i strap across the knee for the tighter fit so thats not the issue for me

[Max27]

6 hours ago, BadAngle41 said:

I don't know the exact geometry and sizing of the knee stack for each pad but I think it's one of those situations where the answer is yes... but likely not as easy as plug and play. One of the main gripes w/ the Bauer line has been wear... and how Bauer attaches the knee stack to the pad leaves the binding exposed (unlike most any if not all other manufacturers.) So attaching the EF2 stack to the Vapor could be tricky and/or lead to other issues with available space as the EF2 stack would be pushed inward if you use the Vapor positioning. 

So short answer is YES with a BUT... long answer is that personally I'd try knee pads with more cushioning before I attempted the swap you're describing. That said, I have a set of 1X on the way to demo from GoalieMonkey which I'm anxious to give a try as I'm in a 3 year old set of Retroflex now. Also going to try a set of 2S... but like you I know I'll likely end up in the Vapor series if I decide to go Bauer on my next set.

EF2 Stack                                                          1X Stack

                    

i was thinking of getting a knee pad like the super bulky ritual ones. i use x900 minimalist knee pads rn

[coopaloop1234]

50 minutes ago, Max27 said:

def not cutting the pad open. im a spaz and dont wanna fuck up pads like that.

i like the tight knee cradle, i strap across the knee for the tighter fit so thats not the issue for me

You won't really be able to modify the stacks without some sort of pad surgery.

[Max27]

16 minutes ago, coopaloop1234 said:

You won't really be able to modify the stacks without some sort of pad surgery.

i know @TheGoalNet put monster knee blocks on his old tan genetik pads

[Mroy31]

39 minutes ago, Max27 said:

i know @TheGoalNet put monster knee blocks on his old tan genetik pads

As long as the 2 outside flaps are fixed, you can remove the middle pad, but like I mentioned you may have to unstring it (pull lace through pad) and you won't be able to redo that without opening the pad. @TheGoalNetI think did just a sandwich with the monster blocks, but he also had those pads modified at FactoryMad if I remember correctly, so I don't know if he had Dennis attach them internally at that point or not. 

[Max27]

7 minutes ago, Mroy31 said:

As long as the 2 outside flaps are fixed, you can remove the middle pad, but like I mentioned you may have to unstring it (pull lace through pad) and you won't be able to redo that without opening the pad. @TheGoalNetI think did just a sandwich with the monster blocks, but he also had those pads modified at FactoryMad if I remember correctly, so I don't know if he had Dennis attach them internally at that point or not. 

i could send them to factory mad prob

[coopaloop1234]

5 minutes ago, Max27 said:

i could send them to factory mad prob

Could also just by a Premier with a soft foam knee setup? Or an Optik with the same? Or the SLR?

Or just softer knee pads?

Really seems unnecessary to perform surgery on a brand new set of pads on the off chance you can get some softer knee stacks. I'd be more inclined to find a different pad if this is something of a big deal for you. 

[Max27]

1 minute ago, coopaloop1234 said:

Could also just by a Premier with a soft foam knee setup? Or an Optik with the same? Or the SLR?

Or just softer knee pads?

Really seems unnecessary to perform surgery on a brand new set of pads on the off chance you can get some softer knee stacks. I'd be more inclined to find a different pad if this is something of a big deal for you. 

its not that big of a deal, ill likely just get softer, more bulky knee pads say i get the 1x pads at all.

just thought of that bc i saw brians does a thing where the knee stack is velcroed in and you can interchange them with different levels of stiffness.

[BadAngle41]

21 hours ago, Max27 said:

its not that big of a deal, ill likely just get softer, more bulky knee pads say i get the 1x pads at all.

just thought of that bc i saw brians does a thing where the knee stack is velcroed in and you can interchange them with different levels of stiffness.

Gotcha. Unfortunately it doesn’t sound like it’s a simple swap like that. Definitely worth asking the question though. 

[Max27]

2 hours ago, BadAngle41 said:

Gotcha. Unfortunately it doesn’t sound like it’s a simple swap like that. Definitely worth asking the question though. 

yeah im a spaz when it comes to close cuts like this i wish it was simple lol