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Equipment => Pads => Topic started by: gihanrat on January 31, 2024, 08:24:01 PM

Title: Unusual pad designs/techologies
Post by: gihanrat on January 31, 2024, 08:24:01 PM
Hi, just wondered if anyone has had any unusual pad designs (would be great if photos available), or any unusual technologies incorporated into pad designs, from current day or yesteryear. Any old technologies that might make for an interesting comeback??
Title: Re: Unusual pad designs/techologies
Post by: InternalTraining on January 31, 2024, 10:00:58 PM
https://www.aerocricket.com/equipment/p1-batting/p1-legs.html (https://www.aerocricket.com/equipment/p1-batting/p1-legs.html)

(https://www.aerocricket.com/images/2014/Leg_P1_Batting_Pads.jpg)
Title: Re: Unusual pad designs/techologies
Post by: gihanrat on January 31, 2024, 10:51:57 PM
Ah yes, the Aero pads - Minimalist design...anyone tried these out - are they comfortable, how to they compare to traditional pads in terms of proptection?
Title: Re: Unusual pad designs/techologies
Post by: InternalTraining on January 31, 2024, 11:18:03 PM
^ Owned and used them for many seasons. Absolutely the best pads I ever used bar none. Makes cricket footwork as simple and easy as walking. In the CBF pad database, they are the lightest pads size "Small" pads. They provide excellent protection against quicks. You need complementary thigh pads against real quicks. I used an inner thigh pad and no outer thigh pad. I rarely copped a hit on my thighs ( or even legs :D).

Top product. It is a shame it didn't catch on.
Title: Re: Unusual pad designs/techologies
Post by: Ayrtek Cricket on January 31, 2024, 11:38:47 PM
Too far ahead of their time when they peaked in 2005/6. It’s what we put ourselves up against when we came up with the concept that Canterbury took to market. No canes in them, just foam protection that was able to stand upto 85mph+ without any adverse effect.

Too lazy to find pics but link below to them for ref. Still got a couple of pairs of Surrey brown from making them for James Benning somewhere.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/134645428077 (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/134645428077)
Title: Re: Unusual pad designs/techologies
Post by: mo_town on February 01, 2024, 10:50:33 AM
Moonwalkr are known for their unusual design ... https://moonwalkr.com/products/moonwalkr-leg-guards-2-0
Title: Re: Unusual pad designs/techologies
Post by: Howzat on February 01, 2024, 07:03:39 PM
Too far ahead of their time when they peaked in 2005/6. It’s what we put ourselves up against when we came up with the concept that Canterbury took to market. No canes in them, just foam protection that was able to stand upto 85mph+ without any adverse effect.

Too lazy to find pics but link below to them for ref. Still got a couple of pairs of Surrey brown from making them for James Benning somewhere.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/134645428077 (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/134645428077)


These were great had a pair of the Ayrtek ones
Title: Re: Unusual pad designs/techologies
Post by: gihanrat on February 01, 2024, 09:36:15 PM
Yes, quite a few asymmetric pad designs.

The Canterbury/Ayrtek designs were memorable for being quite leftfield (not as much as the Aero P1s I guess when they first came out - is it really almost 20yrs ago??). Did Canterbury/Ayrtek also have some funky glove design with an air pump incorporated? Were there some old pads that incorporated air cushions before the gel revolution came round?

Could some kind of hybrid designs incorporating old technologies be useful in the quest for lighter weight, more protective pads, or will pad designs go down the route of kevlar/body armour?! Any thoughts?
Title: Re: Unusual pad designs/techologies
Post by: Ayrtek Cricket on February 01, 2024, 10:56:55 PM
Yes the glove design was my dissertation and that’s how I’ve ended up in the cricket industry for the last 20 years having started a business at Uni back in 2003/4.
Title: Re: Unusual pad designs/techologies
Post by: gihanrat on February 02, 2024, 09:30:07 PM
Yes the glove design was my dissertation and that’s how I’ve ended up in the cricket industry for the last 20 years having started a business at Uni back in 2003/4.

Great work! Great to see hard work come to fruition! Did your glove design have an air chamber throughout the glove which you could pump up and improve protection? If so, has this been tried in pad form?
Title: Re: Unusual pad designs/techologies
Post by: Ayrtek Cricket on February 02, 2024, 09:44:50 PM
Yeh it used the reebok pump system that was used in the trainers. Turned out a lecturer at Las Vegas uni invented it….one of the more fun business trips that to discuss its use.

The air tech (hence co. Name) ran over the back of the hand and proved to dampen impact forced by 250% compared to the top puma and GM gloves we tested it against back then.

We looked at pads but given the sheer vol of padding in them it would have been expensive to implement throughout the length of it and no one was suffering from fractured tibia/fibias at the time compared to Hussain/Stewart etc that seemed to have fingers like poppadoms!
Title: Re: Unusual pad designs/techologies
Post by: gihanrat on February 02, 2024, 10:33:58 PM
Yeh it used the reebok pump system that was used in the trainers. Turned out a lecturer at Las Vegas uni invented it….one of the more fun business trips that to discuss its use.

The air tech (hence co. Name) ran over the back of the hand and proved to dampen impact forced by 250% compared to the top puma and GM gloves we tested it against back then.

We looked at pads but given the sheer vol of padding in them it would have been expensive to implement throughout the length of it and no one was suffering from fractured tibia/fibias at the time compared to Hussain/Stewart etc that seemed to have fingers like poppadoms!

Wow! 250%! What model of puma or GM gloves did you test against? What happened to the technology in cricket equipment - did it become too costly to maintain in the market against more modern materials?
Title: Re: Unusual pad designs/techologies
Post by: Ayrtek Cricket on February 03, 2024, 09:43:33 AM
This was going way back to 2005so can’t remember exactly what models now.

We realised that the softs market was saturated so transferred the IP/tech into a helmet liner instead in 2007. The ceiling limit on gloves vs helmets was different, we were the first brand to market a helmet over £150i think and worked on the basis that it’s a potentially life saving piece of equipment so used the best materials available with carbon fibre, Kevlar and titanium to keep the weight down but improve the safety provided.

The air tech in the helmets proved to absorb 300% more impact than the Albion and Masuri helmets we tested them against back in 2008/9 and I’d like to think it’s lead to other brands having to go back and improve their designs since which has helped set a higher benchmark for player safety as a result.
Title: Re: Unusual pad designs/techologies
Post by: gihanrat on February 10, 2024, 09:10:14 PM
Out of interest, what type of pad/material on the front facing gives the least rebound properties?
Title: Re: Unusual pad designs/techologies
Post by: Kulli on February 10, 2024, 10:18:28 PM
Not the aero ones anyway, used to get loads of 4lb with those bad boys.
Title: Re: Unusual pad designs/techologies
Post by: gihanrat on February 14, 2024, 04:24:18 PM
I remeber when they had the original kook bubble range in the 90s, they had a pad design with a big round "bubble" in the piddle of the pad. Was this an air cushion, or just cosmetics? Any other air cushion type pad designs from the ages that anyone remembers?
Title: Re: Unusual pad designs/techologies
Post by: Ayrtek Cricket on February 14, 2024, 10:46:15 PM
I wouldn’t have thought so as most likely just padding and a design feature
Title: Re: Unusual pad designs/techologies
Post by: Bats_Entertainment on February 23, 2024, 10:46:03 AM
I've mostly been following the Test series on the radio, but I see Jaiswal has been wearing Morrant Ultralites.
Title: Re: Unusual pad designs/techologies
Post by: gihanrat on February 24, 2024, 06:39:16 AM
I've mostly been following the Test series on the radio, but I see Jaiswal has been wearing Morrant Ultralites.

Following a line of former/current Indian master batters....

I saw an interesting view of the pads from front on in some of the video fottage, and it looks like he might have some kind of rectangular "shield" just under the front facing of the pad - is this a modification (wonder if anyone who has a pair of the ultralites can confirm)?. There was talk previously of these moulded pads having extra rebound- has this been why these pads seem to have been more popular in the subcontinent than elsewhere (where pitches generally slower than say Australia, etc, albeit it more spinners in the FC scene in the subcontinent, greater chance of bat-pad catches!)??

In the past, people have mentioned sticking in armguards into their pads - anyone doing anything similar now, or are current pads sufficiently protective? Any other mods people have tried?

And actually, anyone suffered a severe lower leg injury despite the full protection of their pads?
Title: Re: Unusual pad designs/techologies
Post by: procricket on February 24, 2024, 09:30:49 AM
I remeber when they had the original kook bubble range in the 90s, they had a pad design with a big round "bubble" in the piddle of the pad. Was this an air cushion, or just cosmetics? Any other air cushion type pad designs from the ages that anyone remembers?

My favourite pads ever were Gray Nicolls Test Opener and they had a “air cushioned principle” in 1994 but I don’t think they had any extra tech in them they started using plastzote in the front of the padding to take the shock out but I can’t remember any real innovation to them apart from the PU was absolute quality compared to todays pads.
Title: Re: Unusual pad designs/techologies
Post by: jonny77 on February 24, 2024, 11:19:17 AM
My favourite pads ever were Gray Nicolls Test Opener and they had a “air cushioned principle” in 1994 but I don’t think they had any extra tech in them they started using plastzote in the front of the padding to take the shock out but I can’t remember any real innovation to them apart from the PU was absolute quality compared to todays pads.

I remember these, great pads. Although I never really understood the air cushioning and thought it was just a gimmick. As from memory it was simply 3 bolsters going across the inside of the pad horizontally on the shin area, with the usual vertical bolster against it with some plastic against the three bolsters to give the 'cushion'. There was nowhere to everything trap any air if memory serves, so it would have just disapated you'd think. I could be wrong tho. Yesterday is sometimes a long time ago, let alone 1994! 😆
Title: Re: Unusual pad designs/techologies
Post by: Bats_Entertainment on February 24, 2024, 11:19:24 AM
Following a line of former/current Indian master batters....


Yes, but unusual to see the Morrant branding in recent times?
Title: Re: Unusual pad designs/techologies
Post by: Bats_Entertainment on February 24, 2024, 04:15:14 PM
* Online Stockist have what looks like they might be the modified version you are talking about.

There is a good picture of Jaiswal on page 31 of this month's Cricketer.
Title: Re: Unusual pad designs/techologies
Post by: gihanrat on February 24, 2024, 06:02:47 PM
* Online Stockist have what looks like they might be the modified version you are talking about.

There is a good picture of Jaiswal on page 31 of this month's Cricketer.

The one that Jaiswal uses seems to have extra padding on at least the front (right) pad - prob not unusual for international players to have modded softs given the pace they can potentially face as opposed to the Sun league dibbly dobbies! At least from the top view.

https://www.planetsport.com/image-library/og/1600/1222512_yashasvi-jaiswal-running-between-wickets.webp (https://www.planetsport.com/image-library/og/1600/1222512_yashasvi-jaiswal-running-between-wickets.webp)
Title: Re: Unusual pad designs/techologies
Post by: gihanrat on February 24, 2024, 06:10:11 PM
Yes, but unusual to see the Morrant branding in recent times?

Agree, although I remember in more "recent" times, similar pads from other manufacturers were used by some international players (Hashim Amla using moulded BAS pads, and Ravi Bopara using a GM moulded pad). Maybe Jaiswal picked up a bargain from Morrant when over in the UK? :D
Title: Re: Unusual pad designs/techologies
Post by: Bats_Entertainment on February 24, 2024, 07:23:16 PM
Agree, although I remember in more "recent" times, similar pads from other manufacturers were used by some international players (Hashim Amla using moulded BAS pads, and Ravi Bopara using a GM moulded pad). Maybe Jaiswal picked up a bargain from Morrant when over in the UK? :D

No, Indians were often using actual Morrant Ultralites without logos, or with logos covered. Most famously, Sachin, of course.
Title: Re: Unusual pad designs/techologies
Post by: Bats_Entertainment on February 24, 2024, 07:30:24 PM
 https://onlinestockist.com/morrant-international-utralite-cricket-batting-pads.html (https://onlinestockist.com/morrant-international-utralite-cricket-batting-pads.html)
Title: Re: Unusual pad designs/techologies
Post by: hazant0803 on February 25, 2024, 07:02:57 AM
My favourite are those old puma pads mccullum use to wear like big WK pads always wanted a pair
Title: Re: Unusual pad designs/techologies
Post by: bigboss on April 11, 2024, 04:44:51 AM
Moonwalkr are known for their unusual design ... https://moonwalkr.com/products/moonwalkr-leg-guards-2-0

I've got the moonwalkr pads. They're quite light and comfortable to wear.
Title: Re: Unusual pad designs/techologies
Post by: Whispering Death on April 11, 2024, 05:46:33 PM
I've got the moonwalkr pads. They're quite light and comfortable to wear.

Can I ask if you're UK based?? If so...where did you buy them? Can't find anywhere reasonable in the UK