KP Industries Knee Pro Ultra Flex III Knee Pads I just went down to my shop and counted the pairs of kneepads I had on my shelf before these arrived. Three pairs, and I don't really like any of them. I've been searching for good kneepads for years, as have many of you. I would have been willing to spend three or four times the cost of the Knee Pro Ultra Flex III pads in order to get some that worked as well as these do. Here are some specifics: First, they actually protect your knees. Some of those on my shop shelf don't do even this very well. These Ultra Flex III pads are made of tough, mostly hard plastic. The plastic is thin enough, about 1/8 inch, that it will bend a bit to conform to your leg somewhat. Inside the hard plastic shell is a piece of foam rubber padding. The padding is attached only on the lower shell half, and is not needed on the upper one. The rubber looks like it's the closed-cell type, which means that it won't absorb sweat and start stinking, at least not for a while. The padding covers the entire inner surface of the lower shell, thereby padding the sides of your knee, as well as allowing you to snug down on the elastic straps to stabilize the kneepads on your legs. About those straps: They are simply pieces of elastic that are a nominal 1 inch wide by about 14 inches long. My legs measure about 17 inches around just above the knee and outside my blue jeans. When the straps on these kneepads are adjusted the way I like them, there is about 5 inches on the top half and 7 inches on the bottom half of excess strap material beyond the buckle. I'll cut this off sometime soon, but it looks like there's plenty of strap length if your legs are larger than mine. The straps are attached to the shell pieces by passing them through a slot in the shell, folding the strap over upon itself several times, and sewing the resulting lump. The lump prevents the strap from pulling through the slot. The point is that when the straps finally lose their elasticity, or if they break, you can easily replace them with pieces from your local sewing center. The buckles are simple things. They have a protrusion on the inside that hooks into a keyhole shaped hole in the side of the shell. An extra buckle is provided in case you lose one. Isn't that thoughtful? The extra buckle is attached to the pull-cord on the mesh bag that is provided for storage. That bag is a nice touch, but I consider mine to be too good to use for storing kneepads; I'll use it for something else. Obviously, the hard plastic shell isn't going to breathe at all, so the area covered by the kneepads will tend to get hot and sweaty. I used mine on a relatively cool day and my legs still got a bit damp. In hot weather this could become an issue, as it has with all my other kneepads. The lower shell half has a "non-slip" pad attached to the outside, right where your knee contacts the floor. This pad is only mildly non-slip, but it seemed to be enough to do the job on the plywood sub-floor that I was crawling around on. I'm sure that my knees would have skidded all over if the hard plastic shell rested directly on the surface. As shown in the photo, the non-slip pad is curved to match the curvature of the shell. This allows you to lean without fighting your kneepads. I have a different pair of pads (on that shelf) with flat-bottomed non-slip pads. Those worked fairly well for flooring, but were a nuisance on irregular surfaces like a gravel driveway or a garden. I prefer the pad on these Ultra Flex III pads. While there are lots of things that are done right on these pads, I did discover that sometimes the inside rivet on one pad would catch on the shell or inside rivet on the opposite pad, effectively pinning my knees together. The rivets are also made of plastic, so they will yield if you exert just a little pull but it's annoying. The plastic shells fit the size and shape of my legs just fine, but if you have particularly slender or large legs, you may have issues with these pads. The shells are slightly flexible, but probably not enough to make large adjustments in size. The edges of the hard plastic shells are not smoothed, so they can scratch as they rub on bare skin. I can also see how they can pinch or catch leg hair if you wear them with bare legs. I don't, so that's not an issue for me. Looking at the way these kneepads are made makes me wonder why they cost as much as they do. This is not to say that they are junk, but they are clearly very inexpensive to manufacture. The tag says they are made in China, and I'd guess that they don't cost the manufacturer more than $5, delivered in the U.S. The only thing that makes these kneepads worth the money is the design, which is superior to any other pads I have used. Viewed from a different perspective, the price is very reasonable for how well these perform, but a bit excessive considering the cost to produce them. The main issue that sets these kneepads apart from the others is the hinge. Did you ever see a suit of armor from England in 1500? These kneepads use that same 600-year-old technology. That hinge, together with straps both above and below the crease behind your knee, makes these the most comfortable kneepads I have ever worn. I took a break for lunch and to check my e-mail. It wasn't until I got up from the computer that I realized that I had been wearing the kneepads during the entire break. Contrary to the old review from 2008, the photo now shows exactly what I received. I also noticed that another reviewer commented that she didn't think these pads would last very long. I think they will, partially because they are very simple. Anyone with mechanical skills can replace almost anything on them easily and cheaply. Even the pads can be re-glued or replaced. If the shell cracks, buy another pair. Two final issues: 1. When you stand up and walk around, these kneepads stay right where they belong. They do not slide down your leg or turn sideways. Once you put them on you do not have to fiddle with them continually to keep them in place. 2. The straps do not wind up in the crease behind your knee. Many, if not most, of the other kneepads I have used eventually dig into the back of my knees as the straps migrate there. There's something about the design of these Ultra Flex III pads that keeps both the shells and the straps where they belong. I think it's that hinge. Highly recommended.
