So I bought my skate kit together as part of a starter package, as a lot of new skaters do… but I thought I had scored a total jackpot as I got scabs knee and elbow pads in this package, sweet I thought, bloody good pads those, I’ve heard a lot of good stuff about Scabs. I thought I’d review the elbow pads as there are loads of reviews about the Scabs knee pads- but not so many about the elbows.
Elbow pads on general can divide a lot of people’s opinions. One school of thought is, as you generally speaking don’t fall on your elbows as frequently or with the same impact as you do your knees a lot of people tend to get the cheapest and smallest they can. Fair enough smaller pads might reduce the likelihood of getting called up for a stray elbow to an opposing blocker and having the added mobility could be a big bonus. The other school of thought being, if you’re wearing elbow pads, or any pads, don’t you want them to be the best protection possible- you want to know if you’re going to fall that you’re protected.Either way this is what i think of the Scabs elbow pads, from my experience of skating in them, falling on them hard and blocking in them for the past 7 months.
So first thing- they are really comfy, I mean really. The area under the hard shell is soft and well padded so the pad does mold to you a bit and takes a lot of impact.
Second- They have never slipped down on me- ever. This is something I notice a lot with elbow pads, so many skaters end up with pads that don’t fit properly and slide down when they are skating. I never had this problem with the scabs, this might be that I got the right size or it might on part be due to the fact that after my first ever bout and first time of taping the straps down I then had to tape them on every single time after that BECAUSE THEY BLOODY BROKE!
Yes they are comfy, and they are brilliant and taking the impact. They dry quickly and they allow a great deal of flexibility- so don’t get me wrong they are good- but then that’s what you’d expect when you pay that amount of money for an elbow pad.
Here’s what I wasn’t expecting… the quality of the stitching and and the material used for the straps is shockingly poor. Like I said after the first time of taping the straps down for a bout they peeled off when I removed the tape- and I was careful I didn’t yank the tape off but the neoprene just separated from the fabric like a warm wax strip from a hairy leg.
Well balls- That was crap. Another difficulty I have found with them is that they are very bulky. The plus to this is I am totally confident falling on them, I know that I’m not even going to feel it- the other good thing is that it has really really trained me to work hard on my blocking technique as if I am even remotely lazy, I’m ging to get called for an elbow minor as they are so big they get in the way. The bad thing is that I if I’m not totally aware I’m going to get called for an elbow minor. You see where I’m going with this.
I would totally recommend these to someone who is starting out and a bit unsteady or learning to skate or scrims with really hard hitters, and you are likely to go down hard on your elbows- (For the record why buy cheap pads when your starting out and upgrade to better ones once you;re a stronger skater?! You’re way more likely to need the better padding when you’re starting out and falling more and falling in a less controlled way?! 
If you are a more positional blocker and more sturdy on your feet, or if you’re going to be scrimming/bouting and need to tape your pads: don’t bother spending the extra money on the scabs elbow pads- but the cheaper and less bulky anarchy pads or something similar. Ultimately these are really good at protecting your elbows, but for the money you pay the quality is shockingly bad and they are bulky. Sorry I am a bit biased, I’m pissed they wore out so quickly and on top of the mega bucks I spent on them I have to buy shed loads of tape to hold them on. BOOM!
Bunnie Suicide
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