Better Knee Pads?

[jen1722terry]

Hey Sailors.

On this snowy, cold morning up here in northern New Hampshire, I've been thinking of the spring projects we have planned on our dear old 31. One of the chores is completing the refinishing of the decks with Purfection and Kiwigrip. Which brings me to the subject of knee pads.

We have a few pair, all old and none satisfactory. They are the Husky brand from Home Depot and why we put up with them this long is beyond us (most likely abject laziness).

Anyhow, the pads tend to slip sideways until you're kneeling on the big rivets that attach the straps, not a pleasant feeling and certainly not good for old knees.

I've tried other brands over the years and they all seem to slip, ride up or the straps soon lose their elasticity.

So, our question for our kind friends is: does anyone have or know of a brand of knee pads that perform fairly well? We'll use them a lot over the years and if there's a good type out their, even at a premium price, it would be money well spent.

Looking forward to seeing some of you at the luncheon down in Dover next month.

Jenn and Terry

[Steve Laume]

Having been a carpenter for most of my life, I have spent a lot of time on my knees. I used to be able to spend days on hard surfaces with little ill effect. That is not the case any longer. I work less and it hurts more if I am on my knees. I still have a few pairs of the old knee pads with stretched out elastic, which are always falling down. They are also pretty slippery with the hard rubber or plastic knee caps. I still use then for some jobs and definitely when working in dirty, rough, locations. When preparing to do a prefinished hardwood floor, I figured I would pick up a new pair of pads so as to be more comfy and not mark up the floor. What I found were gel pads. Even the straps are made of the same material. They are a little bit harder to get on but stay in place much better and are not slippery, nor will they damage any surface. They are still a bit hot and inconvenient but not nearly as bad as the old ones.

What I like the most, if you are not going to be moving around a lot, are the foam garden pads or a big ole piece of closed cell foam.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Dead-On-Tool ... /202311421

What would work best, would be, being 30 years younger, Steve.

[Jim Walsh]

Harbor Freight http://t.harborfreight.com/hard-cap-gel ... 66124.html is the misers alternative. I just happened to be in their store today and spotted these. Probably not as good as the Home Depot pair but you never know

[Sea Hunt Video]

Jenn and Terry:

This company makes quality knee pads:

http://www.craintools.com/other/knee-pads

I have used the Comfort Knee Pads (#197). They are in fact comfortable - at least for me. A strap above and a strap below knee to keep it in place. You can remove the shell and use just the neoprene.

[Dave H]

In 2014 the "big news" on "Puffin" was a great new pair of knee pads. Ridiculously expensive, but extremely comfortable. I got them at Sherwin Williams. But at the end of the season, they were worn out. I took it as a sign, sold "Puffin," Ty Sr, and purchased "Sandpiper," IM 9 Meter.

[Skeep]

Good to see a sensible post on such a timely topic. Having had arthroscopic on one irritable miniscus this past July, I must glom on that knees are a good thing to protect. As for me, I wear knee pads all the time if on my knees. At 63 this month, I can't return and get as good a replacement product as was delivered to me by nature, thus I strap on the pads, any pads, anywhere, anytime...

[Ron M.]

Wearing knee pads is uncomfortable, I don't care what brand or type you try.
Having been a general contractor for 30 yrs. I've tried most of them. I found it's better to 'kneel into them' instead of strapping them on.
I prefer using foam pads 8"x18". I buy float boards, ( kids use at the beach or in swimming pools) and cut them up. They're an 1-1/4" thick, cheap, and last a long time.

[jen1722terry]

Wow, I figured I'd get some good advice on this topic, particularly from the "usual suspects": Steve, Jim and Roberto.

Many, many thanks to all for taking the time.

After much study, I ordered a pair of the Crane 199 polyurethane pads. They are much longer top-to-bottom and thus can have much wider straps that don't attach just behind the knee , which invariably hurts me. Hopefully, the wider straps will also minimize slipping. They also have a soft shell cap, which should not pick up too much dirt and are washable. All of the 60+ reviews were positive, many from contractors.

I found them for $34 at Tools4Flooring.com. I'll report on them in June, after I finish the deck refinishing and fridge, wood stove and windlass installs (wew! what have I gotten myself into?)

Hope to see at least some or you at the Dover luncheon in a few weeks, or maybe at the (very good for a smaller show) Maine Boatbuilders show in March.

In the mean time, y'all have happy daydreams of the season to come (when Jim Walsh may start his circumnavigation?)

Terry