Switching from Soft to Stiff pads

[Puckducker]

I touched on this a bit in my other thread on pad buying advice, but I thought it warranted breaking out as a separate discussion.

So "Do you prefer a soft or stiff pad?" is probably the largest qualifying factor when you're looking at new pads, and pretty much all sets break down to those 2 categories. 

But I have only ever played in soft pads because that's all that was really available when I purchased gear. So truthfully, I don't know what I "prefer", soft pads have just always been the default. 

So for goalies who currently use stiff pads, at some time you probably transitioned from your traditional feeling soft pad to the more modern stiff set. 

So I'm curious how people found that transition, and how it effected their game. Did you find you needed to change up your style to fit the new pad, or was it more of a gradual adjustment? And has anyone moved to a stiffer pad to find that it's "not for them" and went back to a softer set? 

[ULTIMA]

It sort of depends what constitutes as being "stiff" or "soft" to each goalie. Soft to some means those older style looking pads with knee breaks and others might say soft are those where the internal components allow you to flex pads downwards.

I personally don't want to put my money into gear that  "shrinks" down or puts the rebounds 1-2 feet in front of me. The stiff gear is just as comfortable. I like the flat-faced, no break stiffness of gear. It promotes the butterfly style of playing percentages. Gear remains in tact longer and holds it's shape better. I initially hated those stiff, flat faced pads but they grew on me and I don't think I'll return to soft.

[coopaloop1234]

34 minutes ago, Puckducker said:

So for goalies who currently use stiff pads, at some time you probably transitioned from your traditional feeling soft pad to the more modern stiff set. 

So I'm curious how people found that transition, and how it effected their game. Did you find you needed to change up your style to fit the new pad, or was it more of a gradual adjustment? And has anyone moved to a stiffer pad to find that it's "not for them" and went back to a softer set? 

See my pad lineage goes like this:

Rbk 6k (1.5 years) -> Vaughn V4 (5 Years) -> Warrior R/GT (6 months)

I went from "the" stiff pad to a more traditional pad and am now in a mix in between. I actually found the transition from my RBK's to the V4's a very easy transition while the movement from the V4's to R/GT's to have taken some more time. I was stuck on the V4's forever mostly because of how those pads felt. I could strap them tight, I'm pretty flexible so a wide butterfly wasn't too tough and the flexibility of them was great. Had a hard time looking at new pads.

Since the move to the R/GT's it took me a bit to get used to how stiff the pads were. As much as these are Warrior's "flexible" pads, they were still a stiff pad compared to the velocity line. Even broken in, these pads resemble more of a stiff pad than a flexible one.

You do get used to it. I mainly now had to deal with a larger thighrise (2-3 skates), how they feel on the leg (boxier), and the difference of lack of flex.
However, the sliding, strong stable butterfly, hard rebounds and how much easier it was to widen my butterfly outweighs the adjustment period.

I think I found my preference with the inbetween flexibility that the R/GT's and 1X's are showing. It's a great compromise.

 

[TheGoalNet]

@Puckducker - I have worn both and prefer stiff

I like stiff because I wear tall tight rises. A stiff pad with a tall thigh rise eliminates any twisting or torqueing of the thigh rise over the life of the pad. This will ensure a good seal day in and day out. 

IMO, I also feel like a stiffer pad gets a better slide then a soft pad. 

Those are the two reasons I like a stiff pad. 

I butterfly 95% of the time when making a safe and don't feel that adding flexibility to the pad adds value to my game. The more unusual positions you end up in making the save, the more you will like a soft pad. Think about Crawford plays compared Quick. 

Lastly, a soft pad usually allows you to put in a monster S curve which can help with sealing the 5 hole on a narrow butterfly 

[AG37]

I've used 'stiff pads' my whole life and prefer them to 'soft pads' for a few reasons. (Stiff pads - TotalOne, One100, P4, Factory MAD, Ventus LT90/98  -   Soft pads - V4 7600, RX6). The few 'soft pads' I've had have been super comfortable, I could strap them very tightly, and moved well with my legs. However, I hated the short rebounds right into the slot or to the circles and butterfly rebounds wouldn't always be consistent off the knee rolls. Moving to 'stiff pads', my only complaint might be that the thigh rises interfere with each other or with my pants from time to time because of the stiffness. Rebounds are more consistent and I feel I can direct them better of flat face pads. I would also say 'stiff pads' are slightly lighter in weight as well.

[TheGoalNet]

@AG37 - Brings up a good point about the thigh rise. One of the reason's I like Brian's pads for going tall and stiff is the thigh rise. They are very thin. This minimizes interference with the other pad and pants. 

[Puckducker]

Great feedback. 

When I look at my game right now, I do think I'd benefit from moving to a stiffer pad. If for nothing but added stability when in the butterfly. My Simmons UL6's were soft to start with, but are so broken in now they've definitely got a decent amount of twist to them when dropping down. Opens a gap in my 5 hole,  and doesn't give me as sold a base to push on.

With the Optik's coming out this week I'll be heading back down to the shop to give everything a try again. I don't want to automatically dismiss the stiff lines because I'm more used to a softer pad, though I think I'll still probably end up with something closer to a hybrid. 

How do people find the stiffer pads fare when you've been knocked out of position, and things get scrambly? Do the stiff pads feel like they get in the way of a quick recovery? 

[coopaloop1234]

13 minutes ago, Puckducker said:

How do people find the stiffer pads fare when you've been knocked out of position, and things get scrambly? Do the stiff pads feel like they get in the way of a quick recovery? 

Depends.

My Vaughns were great for scramble plays, but later on I was strapping them far looser (last year of use) and a scramble play was tougher.

My R/GT's are noticeable stiffer when scrambling, but they feel more connected to my leg due to the elastic toe tie system and fully enclosed calf wrap.

Really, I think strapping plays a larger focus here than anything.

[TheGoalNet]

I second the though the notion on strapping for scrambles. 

[Punisher Goalie]

One thing I’d mention is that proper fit seems to be more important for stiffer pads. I am a relatively new goalie and did a lot of trial and error with pads. Softer pads allow you to break them in and shape them much more than “stiff” pads. By contrast, my current pads, Brian’s SZ3s are flat faced with no break above the knee and they are not changing shape (although they supposedly have a very flexible boot area).

For me, I think stiff and flat-faced is the way to go. Rebounds are more predictable and you can better direct the puck off the pads. I personally also have more confidence in them when sliding/scrambling, although I agree with the comment above about that probably being more related to strapping choices. Flat pad with loose/flexible toe ties and snug straps below the knee work best for me so far.

[1C5]

I used Vaughn V2s for many years. Very soft. Recently got some Bauer 1X. A pretty hard pad. I love the way the stuff pads shoot out rebounds. It has certainly cut down on the number of rebound goals I allow as the puck shoots to the corners and even if I have bad rebound aim, it usually shoots out so hard that most players in rec league can't react fast enough to get their stick on the rebounds. 

[Puckducker]

Good call @Punisher Goalie. You're right that a softer pad is going to get a bit more break in, so you've probably got a bit more room for error. Luckily I've got some decent goalie stores here with pretty solid selection, so I can get everything well fitted before ordering online. 

Overall, it really sounds like stiffer pads are just going to more and more become the norm, the same way butterfly pads eventually did. Even the "soft" pads today are a fair bit sturdier than anything I was looking at 8 years ago. 

[mik]

Another stiff pads user here . I have realy narrow butterfly (think about J.S.Giguere and you have the idea),  but allways liked stiff pads. One thing is, I never have flexible pads like Bauer RX line used to be. Every time I tried that pads at store, I feel weird in them. Maybe this type of pads will close my five hole better, but I feel comfortable in stiff.

No problem with fast recovery (ok, problenm is sometimes myself - not the stiff pads).

[bunnyman666]

Factory Mad has the stiff pad that is good for a pathetic butterfly. Giggy has a wide butterfly compared to me. I have not tried Factory pads, but Dennis takes a different approach than almost anyone. His involves a stiff pad for a narrow b-fly.

I will re-emphasise FIT- I had so much thigh rise with my Bauer One.9, but I could not move in them. 

[TheGoalNet]

@bunnyman666 - You’re right that Dennis has a different approach for narrow butterfly. 

It’s not a stiff pad though. It’s a soft pad that is very straight. None of Dennis’ pads will be stiff in the same breath as a 1S or even an Optik 

[bunnyman666]

3 minutes ago, TheGoalNet said:

@bunnyman666 - You’re right that Dennis has a different approach for narrow butterfly. 

It’s not a stiff pad though. It’s a soft pad that is very straight. None of Dennis’ pads will be stiff in the same breath as a 1S or even an Optik 

Okay- I knew it was straight but it’s soft? I know the face is soft for dead rebounds. They look stiff ‘cos they are so straight. Hmmmm... Interesting. He never had a demo pad quite short enough for me. 

[TheGoalNet]

On 10/31/2017 at 6:22 AM, bunnyman666 said:

Okay- I knew it was straight but it’s soft? I know the face is soft for dead rebounds. They look stiff ‘cos they are so straight. Hmmmm... Interesting. He never had a demo pad quite short enough for me. 

I've been to his shop and held pads. They are soft. This combo is one of the unique things that make Factory Mad, Factory Mad 

If you ever saw Niemi's TPS pads or Velos, same concept. Straight as a board but tons of flex if you lean on them. 

[bunnyman666]

I know Dennis’ pad will be in my Tour de Pads. The thing is that his pads don’t go on clearance and are not in retail stores to go on clearance. I can’t find any my size to buy second hand. Eventually, I will plunk down and get some. Every way Dennis has described those make them sound like MY pads, so to speak. I will end up with a set. 

I recommend as everything he has built for me has been top-notch. 

[mik]

2 hours ago, bunnyman666 said:

Factory Mad has the stiff pad that is good for a pathetic butterfly. Giggy has a wide butterfly compared to me. I have not tried Factory pads, but Dennis takes a different approach than almost anyone. His involves a stiff pad for a narrow b-fly.

I will re-emphasise FIT- I had so much thigh rise with my Bauer One.9, but I could not move in them. 

Pathetic butterfly? Best of the day!

btw. Didn´t know you saw me on the ice  .

[SaveByRichter35]

On 10/30/2017 at 8:35 PM, Puckducker said:

Good call @Punisher Goalie. You're right that a softer pad is going to get a bit more break in, so you've probably got a bit more room for error. Luckily I've got some decent goalie stores here with pretty solid selection, so I can get everything well fitted before ordering online. 

Overall, it really sounds like stiffer pads are just going to more and more become the norm, the same way butterfly pads eventually did. Even the "soft" pads today are a fair bit sturdier than anything I was looking at 8 years ago. 

Why not just support your local shop that fits the gear for you?  

[Puckducker]

5 minutes ago, SaveByRichter35 said:

Why not just support your local shop that fits the gear for you?  

Oh, yes definitely that's what I plan on doing. I mean, because I'm going to be getting a custom order, I won't be purchasing the in-store stock. I'm just going to try out the fit, before going online to fill out the customizer/order sheet. Then I'll either bring that order back to the store, or will probably just handle it through the stores own online site. 

[bunnyman666]

10 minutes ago, SaveByRichter35 said:

Why not just support your local shop that fits the gear for you?  

A-Freakin’-Men!!!!!

[SaveByRichter35]

5 minutes ago, Puckducker said:

Oh, yes definitely that's what I plan on doing. I mean, because I'm going to be getting a custom order, I won't be purchasing the in-store stock. I'm just going to try out the fit, before going online to fill out the customizer/order sheet. Then I'll either bring that order back to the store, or will probably just handle it through the stores own online site. 

Oh ok gotcha.  I have no local shops probably due in part to all the online stores.  If I have to try something on I have to travel 45mins to an hour away.  More if the traffic is bad.

[Puckducker]

Yeah totally agree. My go to goalie store used to be over an hour and half away. 

[Hills]

I mean to reply to this... As I've done it a bunch... But I keep forgetting so this is to hoping I remember tonight.