2.5 year review

[zoot35]

After 2 1/2 years of my custom made Decepter/verge hybrids, I have to get new pads. The pads have broken in so much that they are now too small for me and my knee will not fit in the knee cradle. All the straps on the foot are totally broken and the toe strap holes are almost cut through. The knee buckles will not stay and the velcro on the knee comes undone every time. Although the artistry of the leg pads was great (eyeball creature), I cannot say the same for their durability. For 1,000+ dollars I would expect them to last longer. I have Vaughn's that have lasted longer. Because of the issues I have had with these pads, I will not be purchasing Battram for my next set. On a lighter note, My Battram Glove and blocker have held up nicely.

[jambon]

How often do you play?

[Frozendisc]

How much stretching do you do on dry ground with your pads on before hitting the ice? Are you drying out your pads properly after use? Velcro simply doesn't wear out, it just gets clogged with lint and such, making the binding poor. I really have to question the pads don't fit you now part, as the pads didn't shrink.......so YOU must have grown for the knee cradle to not match up.

[Moving Target]

...and why don't you repair them? Straps, velcro and buckles are easy enough.

Perhaps you just want to buy more gear!!! :p

[Scott Battram]

I really find posts like this troubling, simply because straps are regular maintenance on any pad, if you are a rent-a-goalie like the profile, I assume you play lots of hockey, this is all regular maintenance, the pads wont shrink so much that the knee wouldn't have been where it once was. Also, 2.5 years by todays standards is a lot to get out of a set of pads. NHL goalies sometimes go through 2 - 4 sets per season! So if you are playing lots of hockey its normal wear and tear. I know customers who have pads from us that are still going strong that are 5 years old or older, so questioning the durability really isn't fair unless you quantify it. I know HOTBRANCH here in the forum has pads he bought more than 8 years ago... he has had to replace straps etc, its a common thing to need to change.

[Beccaraptor]

The most common items replaced on pads are... elastic, velcro, knee lifts and locks, and bindings. These can show quite a bit of wear in as soon as a year if you play a lot.
Pads will settle as they wear in, especially if you lean your hands onto them and push them down. There are ways to raise the pad back up if it's only short by a little bit. By how much is your knee missing the cradle?

[HotBranch!]

The only thing I can think of that would accelerate the aging of the pads in the way you describe is poor inter-game maintenance. As Scott said, I have had my pads for a LONG time; they will turn 12 this summer (and hopefully be retired). In all that time, I have had only one thing go awry on my pads and that was the "strap tuck" at the bottom of the pads, which lasted about as long as Scott had predicted at the time.

Scott made some suggestions on pad maintenance when I made my purchase (and most of that advice is on the battram.com site) that helped the pads look pristine for the first two years that I owned them. Gradually, I slacked in my regular maintenance and it showed on the pads with some cuts getting larger than necessary, but they have still held up amazingly well and I have returned to a more regular maintenance schedule. For the record, Scott, I am still using ALL the original straps and they have held up perfectly.

After 12 seasons, I can assure you that PADS DO NOT SHRINK; at least not so much as to change where your knee sits in the cradle. That is most likely a growth spurt or some other modifications made to the pads that would change how they sit on your leg and skate. You haven't mentioned how old you are or whether you have made any post-purchase mods, so there is no way of knowing why you claim that the pads have shrunk. Like others have said, straps and velcro are easy to replace, why seemingly put the blame on poor build quality on what is essentially a "consumable"?

That you want to go with another manufacturer is your perogative, but I think that if anyone in this industry is deserving of the benefit of the doubt about the quality of his build and workmanship, it's Scott. If your pads have failings, identify them; even if you don't get another set of Battrams, you can help Scott by telling him what went wrong; he might even be able to suggest how to repair them to extend their useful life.

For the record, during the first two years that I owned my Battram pads, I was playing in two leagues at the same time, in addition to subbing for other teams, as well as playing summer hockey. The pads saw action in at least 120 games in their first 2 years.

[Goatee220]

Zoot - can you post some pics to show us what exactly went wrong? It might give us an idea of what we can do to avoid the wear and tear you've experienced with your pads.

[Frozendisc]

I think ol Zoot was a one time poster....just wanted to complain, but really wasn't looking for any feedback or remedies......

[Goatee220]

Maybe - I just want Scott to have an opportunity to defend his product. Not that Zoot would do much to sway 99.9% of us on here.

[Moving Target]

When I play hockey, I get these nasty little black marks all over my gear - I think its rubber!:confused:

Damn you Scott Battram - I want my money back :mad:

[Frozendisc]

MT...who are you kidding? The guys you play against never hit you, they just get net! Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha

[zoot35]

Just to clarify I wasn't just venting I was providing feedback. I think the 12 year thing is a rarity. I know many goalies and no one has had pads for 12 years even with regular maintainence. I had a set of TPS that lasted me 10 years but they were totally falling apart with tears all over the pad. As far as the "shrinking" comment. I know four goalies that have had the same problem with many of the popular vendors. It is not totally a shrinking issue as it is from resting your arms on the pads (as stated in reply). The knee is about an inch to small on me from where it was originally. What ever that fix was that the other poster suggested. please indulge. As far as the straps go, I realize that is normal maintanence but the knee velcro is so wornout that it doesn't stay and the strap is fraid from rubbing. The toe bridge is also almost useless but again I realize you can buy a new one of these. For your info I am 30 and play at least 4+ times a week in A League and various skill level pick ups. I have been playing for 16 years, so I don't see that I could have grown at all. As far as maintainence, I have replaced the foot straps twice and the tie straps nine times. I don't know how to replace the velcro knee strap since it seems to be proprietary. The strap is also too short. I have no mods to the pads other then a 1 inch thigh rise. I have tried boot risers to raise the knee but it didn't seem to do anything. I will try to provide pics. For the record I had Epics before for a year and did not have the same issues, although for the price Battrams are still better. Even with Battrams fitting larger then most other manufactures except sherwood, the 1 inch thighrise was also not enough for me and I amost have touch my knees togeather to get the 5 hole to close due to the break in S shape. This is another reason why I am going to have to buy new pads. The durability of the face of the pad is great. The custom artwork still looks good (even with puckmarks (smartass). As far as non"maintenance" items that I am having issue with it is purely the knee. I am constanty slamming my knee on the ice due to the fit issue now. This never happened until a couple months ago. I also have had rust issues which has never happened to me before ( I hang my equipment up after I play near a dehumidifier). For the cost vs quality I am not going to argue, Battrams is the best, I have a custom artwork that I have never seen matched by anyother vendor and would cost 6 times the amount I paid ( I checked). I am sorry if it sounds like a vent but if you know how to straighten out the pad again, how to fix the knee/velcro straps, or why the toe bridge wore out so quickly let me know. It also seems like in order to get the pads to rotate, I have to strap them on very loose. Two tight and they will not rotate (don't know if this is common on Battrams). I have suggested Battrams to many people over most of the other manufactures, so I like scotts work, I just have some concerns.

Mike

[jf-laflaire]

Mike:

You have very valid concerns. However from my experience in wearing a set of Battram pads I was very happy with them & their durability. One thing about today's pads though is that they are not made to last like those of the past. The Epics are also a stiffer pad, compared to the Battrams. Like you said, still you got a great value for your buck. I got great usage out of mine ordered over 4 years ago & used for 2 ice seasons and 5 ball hockey seasons going on 6 [I rebuilt them myself because I really liked the pad & how it performed for ball hockey].

I do not play as much as you do but seem to go through pads about every 2 seasons. It can also be attributed to leg strength as well... you may just be hard on your pads.

Further, the Deceptors are constructed of LD 45 I think, similar to that generation Cyclone. Mine were also of LD 45. This was common for a softer pad from those years that you purchased them in. Now you are seeing more HD 80 used to hold the shape better, something that Scott has included in his newer lines as well.

They are probably just worn out. Playing 4 times a week is alot, especialy year round. That means you actually got 5 years out of them if you played year round, which is alot for a set of pads.

I can honestly say if I played 4 times a week I'd rip through a set of pads in 3 months myself.

[Leaferguy]

Just as an FYI, my Velos have settled a lot, too. The shredded foam pads do lose some height.

And wasn't this supposed to be the not-flame place? Regardless of how he said it, I think he's got some valid questions that could probably be cleared up by talking to Scott. By hook or by crook, that seems to be happening now...