Test: G-Form Impact knee pads

Knee pads prevent from burns and wounds most of the time, but they are few to limit the effects of an undesirable impact with the ground (i.e. a fall). Recently we have discovered a new type of protective gear made with Poron...

Par alfathor
Publié le 3 mai 2011 - Mis à jour le 3 novembre 2020 - 30993 Lectures - 0 commentaire(s)

Description

The G-Form knee pads have the shape of sleeves that you slip on your knee. A wide protection made with Poron is fixed on a thin black lycra. The structure has been cut into several sections in order to make the bending easier and follow the body movements. The front of the knee, as well as the sides, is protected.

More about Poron XRD

This material is developed by Rogers Corporation. Laboratory tests made by ASTM show that the energy of the impact is reduced of 90% (according to the press pack).

For which use?

These products are initially conceived for extreme sports in order to reduce the shock impacts in skateboard, bmx, etc. The manufacturer also proposes protective sleeves for numeric tablets.

We have tested these pads in different situations, and more particularly in street skating and aggressive skating.

First of all: they are easy to slip on. Just don’t forget to do it before you put your skates on!

In street and speed skating, we were wearing short pants – not covering the gear, in order to see how it would react in case of friction with the ground.

We have voluntarily simulated falls on different grounds to test the resistance to wearing and the general reaction of the protective gear.

It emerges that in case of a fall, if the shock is cushioned, the pad tends to move by lack of support. The material sticks to the asphalt and the gear slips down, only partially protecting your knee.

Moreover Poron doesn’t resist well to repeated frictions with the asphalt. If the latter is smooth the damages are moderated, otherwise damages are heavy… not to mention the lycra sleeve which tears easily and the seams which don’t appreciate such bad treatments!

Forget this item for street skating, unless you wear it under your jeans, in which case it works perfectly!

As for aggressive skating, the G-Impact seem to be much more interesting. They can be slipped under your jeans very easily and they go unnoticed (Fashion victims will thank us). They protect well in case of a shock and they are safe under your jeans. They are thus less subjected to the ground’s assaults, and they also move less.

In ramp-skating, they efficiently replace the pads with voluminous shells which impede your movements too often. The G-Form are so discreet that you quickly forget you’ve got them on. They are particularly appreciated for ramp and park skating.

In slalom-skating, they don’t impede your movements either, just like in freeskating and in jump… And their life-length is increased given that you hardly ever fall and slide on long distances.

For hockey too you can easily slip them under your equipment. In short, we are facing a very multifunctional product.

Okay for the knees… but what about the rest?

Declinations for shoulders, knees, elbows, hips, and numerous other body parts frequently mistreated during sports practice are also available.

Conclusion

You will have understood that the G-Form are not suitable for all practices! You quickly forget that you are actually wearing them. For street skating, they can be suitable under your jeans. They will do for most of the other practices, provided that they are slipped under your clothes. They are more interesting for aggressive skating, especially for ramp skating. The price is quite high (65€), but finally they are not that much expansive than a good pair of shelled knee pads (around 10€ of difference only)…