Kenesky PP1 C/A

[RichMan]

So Brown is still the bomb for me. Sorry.

[SaveByRichter35]

Yikes!

[Chenner29]

I dropped off the arms at the post office today to go back to the Kenesky boys to beef up.

I should have done it when COVID first hit, but now that I have the CCM Pro Spec, I have a backup unit to use while I wait.

[dreadlocked1]

How much does that run and did you show them the pics?  Do they give that amount of protection stock to NHL'ers?  Going to have to replace my Simmons 995 at some point in the next year I think, so I'm researching now. 

[Chenner29]

2 hours ago, dreadlocked1 said:

How much does that run and did you show them the pics?  Do they give that amount of protection stock to NHL'ers?  Going to have to replace my Simmons 995 at some point in the next year I think, so I'm researching now. 

No idea.  I did some modding of my own on the arm so they will probably charge me because I did a pretty shit job at it.

I was told the protection package is identical to what they're giving pros.  Given my personal experience with  it, I find that a little hard to believe. 
In context, the unit was already in process of being built when they told me that, so I don't think it was some tire-pumping sales tactic. 
They also told me that guys who are wearing the new CCM unit have switched the CCM arms out to Kenesky ones.

Despite the bruising, I really do like the mobility I get in this thing.  I had a brief stint with an CCM ABPro while I was waiting for the unit, and the Kenesky actually felt more like my old Reebok P1 than the ABPro did.

I'm playing (or was, until COVID) in Silver leagues out here (leagues rank from Gold to Tin Can), so decent hockey.  You'll see a few college guys and one or two junior/travel players sprinkled throughout.  The Gold leagues have a heavier concentration of former NCAA and pro guys.  Schedule permitting, I get called from time to time to come out as a target in private lessons with skaters ranging from AA travel to pro.  Not bragging or anything, just want to give you an idea to the kinds of shots I'm taking in the list of units below.

As for recommendations, my shortlist would be, based on usage and personal experience:

• Kenesky (we'll see how the arm beef up is) - I told them I wanted an extra layer of plastic on the outer surface to be like the new CCM Pro Issues.
• CCM Pro Issue (arms feel like player shin pads)

No personal experience with these, but I like what I see/hear:

• Simmons 1000 (I've known JT for a while. Him and John know their shit and I trust them when they say their unit is good)
• Vaughn Velocity with arm beef up.  I'd ask for SLR2 or V5 shoulder floaters, not sure if they'd be willing to do either.   No personal experience here. Every time I put one of these on, I'm impressed at the crazy light weight.  I'd be concerned for protection, hence the beefier shoulder floater request.  And every Vaughn unit I have ever worn has had issues with arm protection.

A few people will pop in and say Passau or Brown, I would disagree.

• For the Passau, every picture I've seen has shown the shoulder floaters sticking up at a weird angle - it looks like it would cause interference with the mask chin.
• Wore a Brown 2100 for a few months.  It was really warm and super heavy.  Believe it or not, I still caught a few bruises through it.  Taking everything into account, I did not see very much in terms of protection gains, and when factoring in the downsides (heat and weight), it's just not worth it IMO...although I always felt super buff taking it off after an hour and a half skate. 
  The price of a new one for what you get technology-wise is also a turn off - Brown has basically been using the same makeup for the past 30 years in a new form factor.  I guess if one had the cash, they could get one of these for practice only and treat it as a weighted tracksuit, then switch to something like a Velocity for games and zip around.

Hope this helps, let me know if you want me to dive deeper into anything.

[Korppi32]

2 hours ago, Chenner29 said:

I was told the protection package is identical to what they're giving pros.  Given my personal experience with  it, I find that a little hard to believe. 

I'm playing (or was, until COVID) in Silver leagues out here (leagues rank from Gold to Tin Can), so decent hockey.  You'll see a few college guys and one or two junior/travel players sprinkled throughout.  The Gold leagues have a heavier concentration of former NCAA and pro guys.  Schedule permitting, I get called from time to time to come out as a target in private lessons with skaters ranging from AA travel to pro.  Not bragging or anything, just want to give you an idea to the kinds of shots I'm taking in the list of units below.

I think C/A and stingers is very personal thing. While NHL is the best league in the world and most of best players play in NHL, it doesn´t mean that you can´t get some bruises when playing with any adult guys. I´ve played with NHL/ Euro pro and regular Joes (I mean the good ones) and after all there is not SO MUCH difference between their shot quality/power, or maybe in quality but not power. Especially when you give regular Joes time and space. Both 80 and 90 mph shot can hurt when it hits in wrong place.

NHL goalies have the best chance to get a custom C/A from factory and many Euro goalies have to use a stock unit, some with after made modifications. But I bet there is also NHL goalies who use basically a stock unit or a stock unit with "pro pack" and are doing just fine. 

[Sebx]

5 hours ago, Chenner29 said:

A few people will pop in and say Passau or Brown, I would disagree.

• For the Passau, every picture I've seen has shown the shoulder floaters sticking up at a weird angle - it looks like it would cause interference with the mask chin.

It's just bad adjustment, it's not a problem when you take the time to adjust properly the shoulder floater. It's a very popular unit, don't let some pictures fool you.

Edited May 22, 2020 by Sebx

[dreadlocked1]

Thanks for all the comments Chenner29, I really appreciate it.  Love my Simmons 995 after almost 10 years of use, it's really held up well.  I've gotten the occasional stinger in it since day 1, but it's not often.  Simmons "modeled" it after a RBK P1 from what I remember the old owner stating, and in 2010, as now, there were no more new P1's, just used models getting passed around between new users.  So I got that 995 for 3-4 hundred dollars and it has worked out well for me.  I cut out the throat protection within the 1st week because I have a short neck and wore a dangler at the time (now a Maltese combo only) and have not had one issue.  Some other small mods here and there, but overall, wouldn't mind getting another from Simmons again.  But this Kenesky just has something about it that is very similar and I really wish I could try one on.

[Quadzilla32]

I too have a 995 Simmons chesty that I’ve used for 7/8 years and have just recently started to get the odd ball stingers in random places. So far the unit has been great very mobile and protective. Only issues I had was the elastic holding the floaters to the body got stretched out and the floaters flopped around until my jersey was on to kind of hold them in place. 

I just purchased a passau pro pack on sale for $400 and don’t think I could get a better unit for that price. I looked at the Simmons 1000 and honestly it looks just like the same 995 that I am wearing. I do not think they did to much to change it and I wanted to try something new. 

Dont think you can go wrong with any independent smaller companies. To me it seems like the smaller guys offer cheaper or comparable prices to their bigger named counterparts. Why spend $500+ on a “pro” unit from Vaughn or ccm that doesn’t offer the same level of protection. Kind of a joke that you have to mod a unit right away so you are protected. 

[TitanG]

20 hours ago, Chenner29 said:

A few people will pop in and say Passau or Brown, I would disagree.

• For the Passau, every picture I've seen has shown the shoulder floaters sticking up at a weird angle - it looks like it would cause interference with the mask chin.

14 hours ago, Sebx said:

It's just bad adjustment, it's not a problem when you take the time to adjust properly the shoulder floater. It's a very popular unit, don't let some pictures fool you.

I've only worn a gen 2 Passau unit (non-pro) since I'm relatively new to goaltending, and the shoulders at first did interfere with the mast, but with some breaking in and suspenders I've gotten used to it. As for protection, I don't have anything else to compare it to but it feels solid. I think one other benefit of the Passau is the price for the options they give you, only like $550 CAD and you can select arm size and body size independent of each other, but if you need the pro pack the price is then comparable to the Kenesky. I definitely like the look of the Kenesky so I'm keen to see the improvements they put into yours @Chenner29!

[TitanG]

11 hours ago, Quadzilla32 said:

I too have a 995 Simmons chesty that I’ve used for 7/8 years and have just recently started to get the odd ball stingers in random places. So far the unit has been great very mobile and protective. Only issues I had was the elastic holding the floaters to the body got stretched out and the floaters flopped around until my jersey was on to kind of hold them in place. 

I just purchased a passau pro pack on sale for $400 and don’t think I could get a better unit for that price. I looked at the Simmons 1000 and honestly it looks just like the same 995 that I am wearing. I do not think they did to much to change it and I wanted to try something new. 

Dont think you can go wrong with any independent smaller companies. To me it seems like the smaller guys offer cheaper or comparable prices to their bigger named counterparts. Why spend $500+ on a “pro” unit from Vaughn or ccm that doesn’t offer the same level of protection. Kind of a joke that you have to mod a unit right away so you are protected. 

Totally agree with that. If you can support local and get an equal or better product for the price, why not?

[Sebx]

9 hours ago, TitanG said:

I've only worn a gen 2 Passau unit (non-pro) since I'm relatively new to goaltending, and the shoulders at first did interfere with the mast, but with some breaking in and suspenders I've gotten used to it. As for protection, I don't have anything else to compare it to but it feels solid. I think one other benefit of the Passau is the price for the options they give you, only like $550 CAD and you can select arm size and body size independent of each other, but if you need the pro pack the price is then comparable to the Kenesky. I definitely like the look of the Kenesky so I'm keen to see the improvements they put into yours @Chenner29!

The standard unit is equivalent to a pro in store. The pro pack is a special package made for the NHLer and other pro goalies. So, equivalent in term of the protection with the Kenesky.

[SaveByRichter35]

On 5/22/2020 at 1:48 AM, Chenner29 said:

• Wore a Brown 2100 for a few months.  It was really warm and super heavy.  Believe it or not, I still caught a few bruises through it.  Taking everything into account, I did not see very much in terms of protection gains, and when factoring in the downsides (heat and weight), it's just not worth it IMO...although I always felt super buff taking it off after an hour and a half skate. 
  The price of a new one for what you get technology-wise is also a turn off - Brown has basically been using the same makeup for the past 30 years in a new form factor.  I guess if one had the cash, they could get one of these for practice only and treat it as a weighted tracksuit, then switch to something like a Velocity for games and zip around.

PSSSSHHHHHHHHHH

[Chenner29]

4 hours ago, SaveByRichter35 said:

PSSSSHHHHHHHHHH

I knew you'd find your way here

It's almost like your ears perk up every time someone mentions Brown

Edit

Somewhat relevant joke about brown pants I just remembered

Quote

Long ago, when sailing ships ruled the sea, this captain and his crew were always in danger of being boarded by pirates from a pirate ship.

One day while they were sailing, they saw that a pirate ship had sent a boarding party to try and board their ship. The crew  became worried, but the Captain was calm.

He bellowed to his First Mate, "Bring me my red shirt!"

The First Mate quickly got the Captain's red shirt, which the captain put on. Then he led his crew into battle against the mean pirates. Although there were some casualties among the crew, the pirates were defeated.

Later that day, the lookout screamed that there were two pirate vessels sending two boarding parties towards their ship. The crew was nervous, but the Captain,  calm as ever, bellowed, "Bring me my red shirt!" And once again the battle was on! 

The Captain and his crew fought off the boarding parties, though this time more casualties occurred.

Weary from the battles, the men sat around on deck that night recounting the day's events when an  ensign looked at the Captain and asked, "Sir, why did you call for your red shirt before the battle?"

The Captain, giving the ensign a look that only a captain can give, explained, "If I am wounded in battle, the red shirt does not show the blood, so you men will continue to fight unafraid." The men sat in silence. They were amazed at the courage of such a man.

As dawn came the next morning, the lookout screamed that there were pirate ships, 10 of them, all with boarding parties on their way. The men became silent and looked to the Captain, their leader, for his usual command.

The Captain, calm as ever, bellowed, 'Bring me my brown pants!!!'

[SaveByRichter35]

15 minutes ago, Chenner29 said:

I knew you'd find your way here

It's almost like your ears perk up every time someone mentions Brown

Edit

Somewhat relevant joke about brown pants I just remembered

I may not comment/participate in all threads but, as a mod, I do my best to at least read/skim through all threads as time permits.  I would have seen it sooner or later lol.

[Chenner29]

Update -

Mike got the arms, we talked for a bit on the phone today.  He's going to add a layer of plastic on top, and a soft layer of foam beneath.

[Naz]

15 hours ago, Chenner29 said:

Update -

Mike got the arms, we talked for a bit on the phone today.  He's going to add a layer of plastic on top, and a soft layer of foam beneath.

So... like a Brown??  LOL

[Chenner29]

Got some pics from the factory, thought I'd share:

Looks like they've added a hard plastic sleeve, similar to the CCM Pro units, or a player' shin pad.

I was also given the option (and accepted) the addition for a stinger pad that sits just under the upper arm protector (on my unit, the rectangular piece in red).

And an airbag.  They told me Helleybuck has these too.

[dreadlocked1]

Curious how much that will possibly mess with mobility?  Will it be removable?  Looks nice and protective for sure though.  Noted that I'll have to ask for Chenner spec instead of the weaker, more fragile NHL spec.

[Chenner29]

2 hours ago, dreadlocked1 said:

Curious how much that will possibly mess with mobility?  Will it be removable?  Looks nice and protective for sure though.  Noted that I'll have to ask for Chenner spec instead of the weaker, more fragile NHL spec.

I'll let you know when I get it back and skate in it.

I've said it elsewhere in here before but...

This was my first new c/a out of a 5 year old Bernier spec P1.

I picked up one of the Goalie Crease D30 CCM ABPros shortly before.  This felt more like the Bernier P1 after 1 skate than the D30 CCM ABpro.

[Chenner29]

On 6/11/2020 at 6:37 PM, dreadlocked1 said:

Curious how much that will possibly mess with mobility?  Will it be removable?  Looks nice and protective for sure though.  Noted that I'll have to ask for Chenner spec instead of the weaker, more fragile NHL spec.

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you on this.  The extra arm shields made it impossible to bend the arms, so they came right out.

If you get it, I'd ask for a smaller shield there.  The one he gave me covered the entire upper bicep.  I'd snap a pic for you, but they're somewhere in my office and I can't find them. 

I've actually been playing well with my CCM Pro Spec unit so I'm not changing for the time being.

[dreadlocked1]

Thank you for the update!

[D6_EBUG]

Thought I'd share my experience with the PP1.  As I posted in another thread, I had a retail Vapor 1X that I loved.  I was really hoping that Kenesky could build me a unit that more or less replicated the 1X but was a bit more protective... in other words, something durable that I could use for years at all levels.

The specs I requested were:

• Non-elastic arm straps (to avoid stretching over time)
• Custom backplate strapping similar to the Fast Strap system on the 1X
• Squared shoulder floaters similar to the 1X
• Extra protection wing on upper arms similar to the 1X

Other than the arm wing, none of these were really accomplished successfully.

The arm straps were a type of "seatbelt" material that was very slick and wouldn't secure in place.  I ended up having clip / tape each one.  The backplate strapping was built more or less the way I had requested it, but the strap material was very difficult to adjust within the system they built, rendering it useless.  The straps were also very long, despite my specific request to keep them short (since one thing I disliked about the 1X system was the excess strapping that I'd have to tuck into my pants after tightening them).  It's almost as if they built the unit without paying attention to the measurements I had provided, which was odd.  Finally, the shoulder floaters did not provide the squared profile I was looking for even after multiple adjustments.  To be fair I don't believe they upcharged for this, so no harm done I suppose.

This may irk some, but perhaps my biggest complaint is that the unit did not repel smell AT ALL.  I keep my gear in immaculate condition, and despite my best efforts - airing out immediately, Captodor baths, etc. - the stench on this thing just lingered.  My 1X never had a smell, despite the exact same process.  Very strange.

Anyway, despite being heavy (and hot) it was fairly comfortable to wear and provided excellent protection.  Very rarely felt shots.  Overall, I liked it; but for being a custom C/A unit that I spent $700+ on, I expected to LOVE it.  I did not.

[DL42]

Someone should tell them they dont need seatbelt nylon webbing grade for the c/a unit,  what they use is very heavy and not necessary and prob more expensive.  

[Chenner29]

6 hours ago, D6_EBUG said:

Thought I'd share my experience with the PP1.  As I posted in another thread, I had a retail Vapor 1X that I loved.  I was really hoping that Kenesky could build me a unit that more or less replicated the 1X but was a bit more protective... in other words, something durable that I could use for years at all levels.

The specs I requested were:

• Non-elastic arm straps (to avoid stretching over time)
• Custom backplate strapping similar to the Fast Strap system on the 1X
• Squared shoulder floaters similar to the 1X
• Extra protection wing on upper arms similar to the 1X

Other than the arm wing, none of these were really accomplished successfully.

The arm straps were a type of "seatbelt" material that was very slick and wouldn't secure in place.  I ended up having clip / tape each one.  The backplate strapping was built more or less the way I had requested it, but the strap material was very difficult to adjust within the system they built, rendering it useless.  The straps were also very long, despite my specific request to keep them short (since one thing I disliked about the 1X system was the excess strapping that I'd have to tuck into my pants after tightening them).  It's almost as if they built the unit without paying attention to the measurements I had provided, which was odd.  Finally, the shoulder floaters did not provide the squared profile I was looking for even after multiple adjustments.  To be fair I don't believe they upcharged for this, so no harm done I suppose.

This may irk some, but perhaps my biggest complaint is that the unit did not repel smell AT ALL.  I keep my gear in immaculate condition, and despite my best efforts - airing out immediately, Captodor baths, etc. - the stench on this thing just lingered.  My 1X never had a smell, despite the exact same process.  Very strange.

Anyway, despite being heavy (and hot) it was fairly comfortable to wear and provided excellent protection.  Very rarely felt shots.  Overall, I liked it; but for being a custom C/A unit that I spent $700+ on, I expected to LOVE it.  I did not.

 

The seatbelt nylon straps don't engage the teeth on the plastic slides as well as what other manufacturers use.  Other companies use nylon straps that are a bit thicker and have a woven pattern to it which snags pretty well.

My arms got blown up in my PP1.