Akton pads vs Waxel pads in competition

[sampaguita]

I'm hoping to go to a local competition in the next few months, depending on my schedule (I hope my schedule permits!). I currently have Waxel pads. Still, I am in need of knee pads, since my volleyball pads, which work well under sweatpants, cannot be used over tights.

1. I read that SkatingSafe pads uses 5/16" thickness for adult. Has anyone tried getting a 1/4" thick Akton pad? How was it?
2. By my estimates, an 18" x 18" Akton pad can be used for 2 hip pads + 2 knee pads, leaving a few strips behind. Is this correct?
3. I've read about Waxel pads not being for use in competition. My guess is that it's because waxel pads are black, but shouldn't that be easy to correct by wearing beige compression shorts under tights? Or is it the fit of the waxel pads that makes them unsuitable?
4. If I'm going to cut hip/knee pads from an Akton sheet, is there any guideline on what shape I should cut it? Does it have to look like the SkatingSafe pads?

Thanks a lot!

[Skittl1321]

3. Skaters don't generally use pads in competition because they create a bulge and it ruins the look/line.  That's silly- if you need to wear pads, wear them.  If you only have waxel pads, wear the beige compression tights.
4. The skating safe pads were designed in specific shapes for a reason, but cut the shape that protects the area you want to cover.  You don't need to use the exact same one.


I think the 1/4" akton pad is too thin.  The skating safe pad already feels absurdly thin.

[sampaguita]

I think the 1/4" akton pad is too thin.  The skating safe pad already feels absurdly thin.

"Absurdly thin" as in useless in absorbing shock?

Btw, have you also tried Waxel pads? How do the two types of pads compare?
EDIT: I currently have 1/2" waxel pads and am pretty happy with them, since they have protected me from falls many times now. I used to think they were too thin to absorb any shock, and am pleasantly surprised at their performance. I don't know the thickness equivalent in SkatingSafe, is it still 1/2" or thinner?

[Skittl1321]

I haven't taken a hard fall on the pad, but I've been punched in the hip while wearing it, and it does absord shock- it just seems really thin.
The difference between 5/16" and 1/4" is very small, just 1/16", but I just don't think I'd want to go thinner.  It is nearly invisible while wearing it at 5/16" if that is your concern.

5/16" is thinner than 1/2", 1/2" is the same as 8/16".

[sampaguita]

Which provides more protection for a given thickness: is it the Waxel pads or the skatingsafe pads? I was thinking that if SkatingSafe provides more protection on a per unit thickness basis, then I should be okay with the 1/4"...unless my assumption is wrong.

[jjane45]

1. I've used 1/4" thick acton pads for about 2 years and have taken very hard falls on the knees and hips. It offered enough protection for me, although one of the hardest hits on the knee did leave minor bruise, but that's one out of hundreds of falls.

2. I managed to get a complete set: elbow, knee, and hips following skatingsafe sizes. Had enough left over to put together a tailbone pad (the cut edges glue together neatly), and then pad a hat completely and give away a square

[Sk8tmum]

My kid can land badly out of a big 2axel or a triple toe, at 150 lbs, land square on a hip bone or a knee, and not feel any impact or have any bruising with the Skating Safe pad; the tailbone pad eliminates the jar of the landing on the butt when that happens too.

If it can easily absorb the impact of a 5'10" skater of that height and that level of jump, that should give you a gauge.  Pad is also over 2-1/2 years old and has been used at least 10 sessions a week year round, and is still completely intact.  Just wipe with an antibiotic cleaner and go, and they're nice and clean too.

My other kid wears the Skating Safe ones in comp.  You can't see them

[Sk8Dreams]

Before cutting, make a paper pattern to use over the padding (if you are doing 2 of the same shape, you need 2 patterns.)  Put the padding on a board or other hard surface that you don't mind defacing.  Use a box cutter with short high pressure motions.  Angle the blade so the cut surface slopes to the perimeter of your pad.  When finished, lightly dust the edges with talc.  (Cornstarch works also, but gets doughy if wet.)

[sampaguita]

Thank you everyone for your replies!

Btw, I tried putting the waxel pads under my tights and competition dress today. The color is not the problem -- I'm using 70 denier tights (Mondor Evolution) and you wouldn't notice the color unless you really, really examine it. What I notice though is that the Waxel pad is too long along the thigh, so if you have a freestyle skirt, the pad would be really visible and it's not pretty at all. It can be remedied by cutting the Waxel pad (sacrificing some protection, but not too much), so if you only need hip pads and tailbone pads the Waxel pads is an option to consider, since it is cheaper than SkatingSafe.

For knee pads, it's a completely different matter. 1/2" is pretty thick and visible, and there's no way to hide knee pads under something (unlike hip pads and tailbone pads). The Akton pads should be a better choice.

[sarahspins]

Bunheads dance knee pads are almost invisible under tights. I don't wear mine all the time but I do like that they are less visible than most. I only wear hip pads when working on axels and doubles.

[jjane45]

I think the DIY akton knee pads will show unless you find a way to make the edge gradually thinner.

[blue111moon]

The only people I have seen using visible pads in competitions are those reovering from serious injuries. 

Ages ago, I had a program that ended with a slide on one knee.  After several months of practise, that knee had taken such a beating that I had to put pads in under my tights to cushion the bruising.  I did everything I could to make the padding as invisible as possible and I still got comments from friends who are judges that the padding was obsious and distracting.  One judge told me that, when she saw the padding at the start of the program, she spent the whole time worrying about the damage I was doing to myself by skating on it. I took the knee slide out of the program. 

[sampaguita]

Too bad the Akton pads won't work for invisible knee pads. But the Bunheads sure looks interesting, and it is also more affordable. Will give it a try, thanks for the suggestion!

[sampaguita]

Aside from having the pads pre-cut, is there any other advantage the SkatingSafe has over the Akton pads?

[CrossStroke]

the covering on Akton pads can "split" on the side that is not see-through when you fall hard enough.

[sampaguita]

Aside from having the pads pre-cut, is there any other advantage the SkatingSafe has over the Akton pads?

Is that an irreversible damage?
EDIT: If I tape the edges using medical tape, will that solve the splitting issue? Thanks!

[Sk8Dreams]

Aside from having the pads pre-cut, is there any other advantage the SkatingSafe has over the Akton pads?

The edges on the SkatingSafe pads are tapered, and the pads are a tad thinner than the Aktons.  I wore the SS pads for a dance test, under two pair of tights, and they really did not show.  Note - if you orient them with the long dimension across your knee, they are going to show, but if you align the long dimension with the length of your leg, and point up, they really so not show except up very close.