Louisville XLite GLL Leg Pads: Did someone finally get the flat faced leg pad right?
Written: May 09 '04 (Updated Dec 13 '05)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: No Calf Lift, Ultra light weight, awesome performance
Cons: Odd knee flap, very expensive
The Bottom Line: It looks like someone finally got the flat face pad right. The XLite is the best of the new flat pads on the market.
|
|
|
| puckmugger's Full Review: Louisville XLite GLL Leg Pads |
Louisville jumped on the flat faced leg pad bandwagon with their XLite GLL pads. Like everyone else, they had to make their own attempt to copy CCM’s not so impressive Blockade Goal pads. Unfortunately, the Blockade is a much better looking pad than it is a working pad. Upon trying Brian’s Demons, I found that they too were less than stellar. My hopes for the XLite weren’t very high. Where my low expectations unreasonable?
▪ Why the Blockade and Demon failed
The best reason to eliminate the knee rolls from a pair of leg pads is because you don’t plan for them to bend. With the popularity of the butterfly style, it makes sense. Pads don’t need to bend for a butterfly netminder, they need to fill up the goalie’s five-hole when he is down. So, for the knee-roll-less Louisville XLite to be an effective leg pad, it would have to be a good butterfly pad.
This was indeed the very opposite of what I found in both the Blockade and Demon pads. The internals were horrible. Knee lefts like those found in Vaughn’s Velocity Pads raise the goalie’s knees allowing for wider extension of the legs in the butterfly. CCM and Brian’s pads do both have great knee cradles but these are offset by the fact that the pads also have a calf cradle.
Raising the calf of the Goalie’s leg is obscene in its stupidity. Not only does it negate the advantage of the raised knees, it makes the pads less stable, causing them to drop flat rather than stand. There is simply no benefit to the knee cradle. My take is CCM put it there because it looks cool. Brian’s apparently agreed and left it there. Geez, these are companies that are supposed to know what they are doing!
▪ The burning question
So two strikes against the lack of knee rolls . . . what about Louisville? Did they get it right? Well, at last I am pleased to deliver some good news on the flat faced goal pad. Louisville flexed their intellectual muscles on the XLite GLL and passed over the idiotic mistakes that their predecessors made. Say hello to a flat faced pad that works!
The Louisville XLite pads don’t have the pointless calf lift of the previous pads. There is enough padding in the lower leg to offer substantial protection on the calf of the leg. Still, they don’t interfere with the relative height of the goalie’s knees. This is the first pair of flat faced leg pads that actually are effective.
▪ The XLite in action
Unfortunately I haven’t been able to get a pair of these on the ice myself. My hands on experience has been limited to looking them over on the showroom floor. However, Jason, one of the guys I regularly play against, has a pair. He’s a pretty good goalie who has used several other pads before. He swears the XLites are the best thing since goalies stopped using rolled up newspaper to protect their legs. Having seen him in action with the XLites working, I think he’s knows what he’s talking about.
The Xlites stand up easily. I’ve seen Jason drop into the butterflya couple hundred times and never have the pads fail to pop up properly. I’ve watched a lot of goalies play over the years and it impresses me how quickly his XLites stand up for him. The look is outstanding as well. His XLites appear huge with Jason getting them nice and wide. The five-hole is completely slammed shut every times he drops as well, a major issue for me in both the Blockades and the Demons.
One thing that is a little odd is the flap at the knee. It tends to pop open making for the only truly unpredictable action in the pad. Jason mentioned that he has considered cutting these right off of the pad. I’m not sure what Louisville was thinking about with this portion of the pad.
It almost looks like a pocket at first glance due to a zipper. Thankfully, it isn’t a pocket . . . keeping your wallet or keys under where they would be under your knees every time you drop would make the calf lift seem a brilliant idea. If it was my pair of pads, I would put some rubber cement or Velcro to keep the flap in place. Cutting them off seems drastic, but they will likely need to be addressed.
▪ About the Xlite
Well, we know there isn’t a calf lift and I for one breathed a big sigh of relief at that fact. The XLite isn’t like the pads that CCM and Brian’s put out in other ways as well. While the previous flat faced pads were never meant to bend, the XLite does have a single hinge in the knee of the pad. As it turns out, a little bit of flex is a good thing. Just enough flex to put the top of the pads squarely in the five-hole is built into the X-Lite.
The leg channel is lined with a material unique to Louisville. It is comfortable whatever it is. The channel itself is deep enough to make the pads very stable. A pair of Velcro straps secure the leg in the pads. Traditional leather straps and toe laces (non-convertible) round out the remainder of the straps.
The pads come with a generously sized thigh guard. The five-hole flaps are double layered to offer good puck protection.
The facing of the pad itself is the new technoweave material. These are good looking pads with nice graphics.
Weight of the XLite is phenomenal just as it has been with all of the other flat faced pads. The 33” XLites weigh under 5 pounds each according to Louisville’s website. This makes it lighter than the 5.5+ pound Brian’s Demon.
▪ Final thoughts
I for one feel a little relieved that someone finally got the flat face pad right. Louisville has been a respected maker of Goalie gear for some time and didn’t drop the ball on the XLite.
The flat faced pad has been an item that I’ve been interested in since . . . well since before they came out. I always thought that knee bend was over-rated for true butterfly goalies. When I do upgrade to a new pair of pads, the Louisville Xlite will be on my short list.
This isn’t a cheap goalie pads are going to run in the ballpark of $1200 a pair. This in mind, I would recommend the XLite for advanced netminders who play primarily butterfly style.
A few of my other reviews that you might find helpful:
Fitting Goalie Gear
CCM Blockade Goal Pads
Brian’s Demon Goal Pads
Vaughn Velocity II Goal Pads
Battram Custom Goalie Equipment
© 2005 Scott Noble – All rights reserved. Unauthorized use prohibited.
Thanks to openroad for adding this item so I could review it.
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
puckmugger
|
 - Top 50 |
|
Location: wandering the fringes of the goal crease
Reviews written: 488
Trusted by: 247 members
About Me:
My book is now available in major bookstores or by order from my profile page.
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.