Exploding Blackhawk Kneepads

[kustom]

To make a long story short....

So, the last CQB game at WMI, I'm taking fire in Bay 1, and need to moove to support a rush to move our case forward (long story). I fire a few bursts, then take off running for a barricade about thirty feet away. As I get within about ten feet or so, I take a lot of fire, and drop to my knees, sliding to the barricade and safety. There's a loud POP-KRUNCH, and both kneepads shatter. The left one completely disintegrates, and the right one cracks badly. I adjust and keep fighting.
Now, I'm about 200 lbs (sigh) and had about 30-40 lbs of gear and guns on me. The sad thing is my cheapie skate kneepads I bought at Meijer (thanks Brad for the suggestion) have stood up to this move countless times with a few scuffs but nothing like this. BigC was amazed that this happened. I was shocked, and everyone else at the game gave me a WTF, Mate?

I now have kneepads that work. Yes, they're Meijer skate kneepads. Yes, they look good. I'm okay with that. My question is, with all Blackhawk says about "honor as a way of life" and "our gear is the finest, if it wasn't, a loved one might not come home..." (paraphrase) should I get their gear again? I really liked the look and feel of their pads, and they fit much better than my store-bought ones, but how durable are they really?

[Judge]

Hey Ben,
I LOVE Blackhawk stuff, and as you know I have the same kneepads you had explode on you, and when I saw them that fateful day, I was in awe. I dont know if it could have been a fluke or something, but I know all my other BHI stuff is great on durabilty, also I know Gunslinger stands by it as well, as does Redcell. I would buy BH again, but then again, my kneepads didnt explode.

[kustom]

right, right. I've heard they have a great warranty, though...

[Knief]

I had a pair of BHI knee pads do pretty much the same thing to me a couple years ago. One pad split down the center and eventually tore out all of the rings keeping it held together as a result. The other shattered. I have another pair of Black Hawk knee pads that have held up fine, but I wouldn't have bought them if I would have had more of a choice at the time. I'm not much of a geardo, so I can't direct you towards a better pair or give you more than a couple first hand experiences with Black Hawk (my Omega cross draw has held up amazingly over the last 5 years). But read around here and on various military forums that discuss gear. I'm sure you'll be able to find the skinny on BHI.

[Jacko]

g36kustom said:

My question is, with all Blackhawk says about "honor as a way of life" and "our gear is the finest, if it wasn't, a loved one might not come home..." (paraphrase) should I get their gear again?

Yeah, proudly made in honorable Vietnamese sweat shops. Buy Alta if you want good quality kneepads.

[Ice]

I was just about to write the same thing Jacko just did. I have had personally a pair of altas now for 2 years. They have been in the snow, mud, concrete, and tons of my sweat. That look and smell ugly, but they are still here. Also only sets you back 15-20 dollars.

[frostee]

Alta FTW!

[S-system]

i would call blackhawk and check on there warranty the ussually have a lifetime warrant on most of there gear.

[kustom]

Will do. Anyone have a preferred Alta dealer in West/South Michigan?

[xaos]

g36kustom said:

Will do. Anyone have a preferred Alta dealer in West/South Michigan?

Order them online. If you search a good number of gear retailers, you can often find a pair on sale for <$20.

If you're not old enough to have a credit card, then I suppose you'll have to wait for someone else to chime in.

[point-blank]

jacko said:

g36kustom said:

My question is, with all Blackhawk says about "honor as a way of life" and "our gear is the finest, if it wasn't, a loved one might not come home..." (paraphrase) should I get their gear again?

Yeah, proudly made in honorable Vietnamese sweat shops. Buy Alta if you want good quality kneepads.

Right on, I love my ALTAs

EDIT: bam
uscav.com/Productinfo.aspx?productid=8458&TabID=1&CatID=5230

[kustom]

+1. Thanks, man. I'll have to hook those up. Good lookin' out on the site and price, too!

[Psychosis]

Just a note or two:

- You'll want Alta "superflex" kneepads of the "AltaLok" buckle variety.
- The olive drab, black, and woodland versions all have black rubber caps, while desert sports tan, coyote brown and multicam have coyote brown, and ACU has foliage/ranger green.

EDIT: Elite Tactical Sources is having a sale on its kneepads and elbow pads, link:

www.elitetacticalsources.com/Alta_Knee_Pads.htm

It comes to $29 for a set of knee and elbow pads with shipping included... I just might have to pick up a set eventually.

[kustom]

Thank you, sir.