Knee Pads

[Tim]

I try to avoid working on my knees as much as possible, but sometimes it can't be helped. Knee pads are critical.

I currently use these knee pads.


These are really easy on the knees, which is a good thing, but I find that they don't really stay put, and that the ridged, knife-edge plastic bearing surface tends to cause the pad to roll to one side, creating instability at awkward times and just plain annoying. And once the pad moves over and starts bearing on one of the hard plastic edges, it's a lost cause, and placing weight on that pad often causes it to rock severely, which is uncomfortable and unsafe; the pads are a couple inches thick, so there's quite a bit of opportunity for movement.

Because of this, I find that I use the pads less than I should, and when I do use them I'm forever repositioning the pads so that they stay directly beneath the knee, and not semi-rolled over to one side. This is irritating in the middle of some operation when I need to shift my knee or move around.

I bought these because they were supposed to be one of the best, but they leave something to be desired in my book, despite their excellent comfort when they're adjusted just perfectly. The real problem is how apt they are to move around during normal use.

Does anyone use a set of kneepads that they really like, and would recommend?

[Hirilondë]

I don't think there is a good answer to this one. I wish there was. I have a nice foam kneeling pad, like the ones for gardening. It is much more comfortable then ones you wear, but is in the wrong place at the right time far more often and I am too impatient to go get it even though I should. I hope I'm wrong and that someone here will be instigating the epiphany I need.

[Rachel]

I don't have a current, specific-brand recommendation, but when I was sanding floors (eons ago, thankfully), I had a set that I thought worked really well. They were completely flat on the surface that would contact the floor, so no "wobbling," and then "sculpted" on the inside, where your knee goes. The ones you show look like they're just itching to pitch you off to one side or the other.

Mine were made of that red rubber that's kind of between foam and rubber, although I'm sure there are better materials now.

Rachel

[fusto]

When I quit the office job and started working on boats about 4 years ago I found pretty quickly that I needed knee pads or I was going to be crippled in a very short amount of time.
I went through a couple of different types. I tried the ones you have but I also found they didnt stay put and that the big flattish pad area wasnt real conducive to rounded boat decks etc. Maybe great for wood floors or something.
I eventually settled on these. They have them at Home Despot or Ace or wherever. I get them through the boatyard and they end up costing about 18-20 dollars a pair.


They work really well and seem to stay put. The rubber straps stay kind-a stuck to the pants in the back of your knee which keeps them from shifting. The rounded fronts are very non-skid and are compliant to pretty much any irregular boat surface. They let you roll around on your knee more than the rigid fronted pads. I put them on when I get to work and don't take them off until quitting time.
They are even fairly comfortable with shorts on.

The only downsides are they have very limited adjustment, and the little buttons on the sides for the straps pop off after about 6-8 months of heavy use crawling through bilges and engine rooms, thus rendering the entire knee pad useless (which really irritates me).
I go through about 1.5 pairs a year.
But I'm very unkind to them.
Better them than my knees, I guess. :-)

Just my .02 cents (USD).[/url]

[Robert The Gray]

I second fusto's recommendation. They stay up.

[Quetzalsailor]

I've worn out a couple pairs of the orange foam rubberish stuff pads. They're cheap and comfortable enough. I've moved on to the Despot's black foam ones which are not as cheap, not as comfortable, but the Despot no longer has the orange ones. I tried the Despot's white hard shell ones but they're way too slippery for use on deck, or on the sole, and particularly on the sole beams (when the sole is out); I can't imagine what they're good for, maybe concrete finishers.

None of the first two are particularly good at staying up because the straps are cheap and perish in a couple years.

I think the felt ones are too soft, particularly for my bulk.

Good to learn the shortcomings of the brand X pictured above; I'd been tempted.

[Zach]

I keep a 1 foot square piece of scrap dow board handy. Great for working on cold concrete, but I think it would slip around on deck.

Thanks for the recommendations, I'll have to give a pair of knee pads a try.

[Ceasar Choppy]

I find knee pads that they are hard to adjust properly around my legs... especially when I'm getting up frequently. For most of my kneeling, I use one of about 5 throw-able cushions. You know, the ones you get at Waste Marine to have as back-up throw-able flotation. There is usually at least one within reach at all times.

[Tim]

Thanks, everyone.

[One Way David]

I'm a year late on answering this, but... The Military use a great knee pad made of a hard plate, maybe fiberglass or kevlar, but I think that it would be impractical for boat work. I love them on hard gravel etc. I've uses ones made of closed cell form, like the back packers sleeping pad, really just an inverted cup. They are cheap. However the later do not hold up on rough surfaces, like gravel or rough fiberglass.

[ensign001]

I have tried many different knee pads and what always bothered me the most was the straps "cutting" into the back of my leg.
Duluth Trading has pants with a knee pad pocket that I tried and I thought they worked very well. The pad stays aligned with the knee and there are no uncomfortable straps. The pads are removable and replaceable.

[Rachel]

That's a neat idea. And one could probably sew similar pockets into a favorite pair of work pants, then put foam in (not that I want to discourage anyone from patronizing Duluth Trading).

R.

[Ancient Race]

That's a neat idea. And one could probably sew similar pockets into a favorite pair of work pants, then put foam in (not that I want to discourage anyone from patronizing Duluth Trading).

R.

One might sew up a new set of sails, if one had the skills, machine and equipment . . .

I can't sew on a button without self-inflicting a wound, but I've had pretty good luck with Duluth Trading (although two or so catalogs a day is a little much. )

[Rachel]

I take your point. Everyone can cook, but people still pay for meals out.

I really wasn't trying to discourage anyone from buying from Duluth Trading. I'm from Duluth, after all. I was just thinking that for one reason or another, someone might want to make their own, and could if it fit their circumstances.

Rachel
ex-Duluthian

[Triton 185]

I use an old pair of leather knee pads that have some sort of wool or felt on the inside. After seeing some of this new techno, I think it's time to upgrade.

[kendall]

I am a trim/finish carpenter in real life, and use knee pads all the time.

A little strip of self adhesive velcro in the pad, and on your pants hold them in place well, it allows you to leave the straps looser so they straighten themselves out when you stand.

Dislike hard shell types, they pick up so much grit and garbage that they start acting like sandpaper. Nothing so bad as kneeling on a finished surface and seeing arcs ground into the surface.

Ken.