What knee pads to you use?

Not quite "Safety" but that's the closest fit.

What knee pads do you find both comfortable and practical?

I guess a couple of different types are in order - soft and hard - wouldn't want to be up on a roof in hard jobbies because of the slipping danger.

I have a pair of Irwins with a hard shell but the damn things like to move around on my legs a fair bit, so I don't wear them much.

For many tasks I use a pillow case that I have several sheets of 3mm neoprene in so it's about an inch thick. Excellent for gardening and many other floor jobs because of the large surface area.

I use:
Knee pads that are in pockets in my garage trousers - more comfortable than any of the strap fixed ones that do their best to cut off circulation in your legs and always dig in painfully, and,
One of those packs of Bunnings foam floor tiles (still all in the packet - it's like a big, thick, $14 pillow)

I can thankfully still use my built in ones and as i'm still in shorts from the long summer I'm not even kneeling on trouser fabric. I have been down on my knees a lot lately fixing machines at the mens shed. The one surface they struggle with is the crushed brick around the sawmill at the tree loppers yard. So when I drop something like a screw or a nut and have to get down on my knees to find it I may kneel down on a piece of bark or wood. Another reason I can tell I'm on my knees a fair but is that they are now nearly as grimy as my hands.

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Originally Posted by Master Splinter

I use:
Knee pads that are in pockets in my garage trousers - more comfortable than any of the strap fixed ones that do their best to cut off circulation in your legs and always dig in painfully, and,
One of those packs of Bunnings foam floor tiles (still all in the packet - it's like a big, thick, $14 pillow)

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+1

I use a couple of foam kneeling pads about 450x300 that I got from Bunnings (I think) although If you are moving around a bit they are not as convenient as knee pads.

The ones I use are these http://www.bunnings.com.au/irwin-tri...-pads_p5817331
I have a few pairs, in the car, at home and at work.
Have worn these for hours and recon they have saved the knees. The elastic tends to go before anything else and at under $10 a pair they are cheap enough that if they get damaged by kneeling on gravel, or a hot cut off I have not lost a fortune.
I have used them for fixing beds and assembling furniture, as well as on roofs cleaning gutters.

Also impresses the females when they see a man on their knees. :rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by Handyjack

The ones I use are these http://www.bunnings.com.au/irwin-tri...-pads_p5817331 I have a few pairs, in the car, at home and at work.

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They must have a soft layer inside Kevin? How do find they go with moving off your knees as you walk around (twisting etc)? The Irwins I have are more like these: http://www.bunnings.com.au/craftrigh...-pads_p5820490

Its cool and wet here today so I finally put on some long daks and realize they have outside pockets on the knees for pads but the two layer duck weave fabric is pretty useful padding in itself.

Stick the pads in - it's the most convenient and comfortable knee protection you'll find!

I seem to spend a lot of time on my knees (I have a wife and 2 daughters) and my knees at times get sore. I foolishly bought a CHEAP pair of hard plastic moulded ones that after a while the roundness of my knees were jambing in the moulded covers. They were a painful waste of space. The sponge idea sounds good but if your are moving progressively, along a wall say, having to move what ever tools you are using as well as the "pillows" would get annoying too.
You have prompted me, with this discussion, to do a "study tour" to see what's available locally to choose from.

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Originally Posted by Handyjack

The ones I use are these http://www.bunnings.com.au/irwin-tri...-pads_p5817331

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I've got a couple of pairs similar to those but mine have velcro straps. I've found them to be very good. Comfortable and hard wearing. I actually found a couple of pieces of glass embedded in them one day after crawling around under a house.

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Originally Posted by NCArcher

I've got a couple of pairs similar to those but mine have velcro straps. I've found them to be very good. Comfortable and hard wearing. I actually found a couple of pieces of glass embedded in them one day after crawling around under a house.

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The pads are fastened with velcro that is on elastic. When putting on one needs to be careful that the ID tag does not get in the way of the velcro. (Perhaps I should cut it off?) I too have found bits of sharp objects embedded in the pad, thankfully not the knee.

I have a different set of pads with a single strap and buckle. I found the strap was more uncomfortable than working without pads.

Brett

I have a pair of knee pads like yours. They are fine when actually kneeling, but uncomfortable when just walking around. Also I have difficulty keeping them in place.

That is probably because I have bony knees and little padding of my own. I also use the green foam gardening pads that safari mentioned, but as he said you have to keep moving them about so it depends on the job on hand what you use.

I like the sound of these knee pockets that Master Splinter mentioned. They sound a little like the pockets of the racing leathers the motorcyclists use. I remember that Barry Sheen used to pack his with aluminium foil so he didn't destroy his kneecaps on the fast corners.

Perhaps I will ask, very nicely, if SWMBO would sew a pocket and zip on the front of one of my pairs of trousers for this purpose (err, make that one of each leg). I can see it won't work as well in summer with shorts, but I try to wear long trousers until the heat becomes unbearable.

Regards
Paul

If you are doing your own, remember that they need to go lower down your leg than your knee, so that when you bend they rise up to the correct position.

Watching this thread with interest, as I'm yet to find a good all-round solution for knee pads. The knee pocket inserts (on my Hard Yakka Extreme pants) don't work that great in practice, I find they often don't center properly when you kneel down, so you're constantly tweaking them as you're lowering yourself. A PITA if you've got your hands full.

The hard shell ones are better, but the straps need to be tight to keep them properly in place, which becomes irritating and rash-producing on the back of my legs particularly if I'm wearing long pants.

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Originally Posted by FenceFurniture

They must have a soft layer inside? How do find they go with moving off your knees as you walk around (twisting etc)? The Irwins I have are more like these: http://www.bunnings.com.au/craftrigh...-pads_p5820490

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The pads are made up of three layers, soft on the inside, then a medium layer and then the hard orange outside shell. No they do not move off my knees when I walk. As they age I find it harder to stop the velcro fastener coming undone when I am kneeling. Apart from that I do not have any real problems with them.

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Originally Posted by Handyjack

The pads are made up of three layers, soft on the inside, then a medium layer and then the hard orange outside shell. No they do not move off my knees when I walk. As they age I find it harder to stop the velcro fastener coming undone when I am kneeling. Apart from that I do not have any real problems with them.

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Yeah, well as I age more and more things are coming undone as I kneel, so I won't can them for that :D

I'm using Mascot Lerida Pants with kneepad inserts... Loving them.. lots of pockets plus knee area is lined with kevlar makes it for very comfortable work wear with excellent knee protection.. I've kneed on top of loose screws and such and didn't even feel it.. :U

I don't bother with them. I tried once to find them but it killed the mood. Bit of carpet burn never hurt anyone.