I have used Aero strippers since they first came out nearly 10 years ago - oh god I'm getting old.
Anyway, my v6.0 P2s had finally come to an end after the last season and I wanted to get some new thigh pads. When I went into our local store they had the new Kookaburra Pro Guard Players model in my size and didn't have any P2s on hand. Anyway (in a move I now really regret), I bought the Kookaburra ones.
After a season of wear, I thought I'd jump on here and post a review of the Kookaburra Pro Guard Players Stripper thigh pads (more as a warning than anything else).
First off, I was pretty pleased with the Kookaburra Stripper. It felt comfortable when I tried it on in the store.
But pretty soon issues cropped up.
It has no hip protector. Apparently you can buy one separately but my retailer had no idea how to get hold of it. I went on their FB page and they claimed that it had been deemed unnecessary by their sponsored players because it got in the way (which didn't ring true to me as my Stripper hip pad had never got in my way). Sure enough, I got hit there in my second pre-season training and it hurt like hell. Luckily I still had my old P2s so I got the hip pad off that and with cunning use of velcro managed to get it to attach to my Kookaburras. Problem solved!
The next issue was the way it fit me as the season went on. I decided I didn't want any mid-season injuries this year so I worked really hard on my fitness in the pre-season and dropped a few kilos - especially around the stomach/waist. When I went to adjust the waist sizing of the Kookaburra and at the same time making sure that the rear thigh pad stayed in place, I found it nearly impossible to achieve. There is a truckload of Velcro involved and the Kookaburra Stripper just didn't handle my new trimmer waistline (which at 32" shouldn't be a problem). Anyway, my wife sewed a kink into the waist strap and it ended up fitting me better (but still not 100% comfortably). Problem kind of solved.
The final and most important issue/warning relates to the shape of the thigh pads. Out of the box, the thigh pads moulded nicely to my thighs. However, within a month or so the front pad started to flatten out quite a lot. I didn't notice it until I got pinned one day and it hurt like hell! I ended up with the most horrendous bruising about 5cm in from the edge of the front thigh pad. When I looked later at the problem I noticed that the thigh pad had flattened out and a gap had appeared between it and my leg. I tried to get some feedback from Kookaburra about this problem and whether I could fix it, and heard nothing. I went to Aero and told them I was having this issue with their strippers and they helpfully gave me some instructions about reshaping the thigh pads. I tried this and it worked for a few weeks and then over time the thigh pad flattened out again. I had to do this about 5 times throughout the season just to keep the Kookaburra stripper thigh pads in working order. Frustrating!!! Problem not solved.
I've got fed up with the Kookaburra Pro Guard Players stripper thigh pads. The product doesn't fit me properly around the waist, didn't protect my hip and the thigh pads don't offer the protection that I need without constant fixing. Also, the way the Velcro has been set up has also shredded a lot of the other material in the waistband area.
A thigh pad should be "set and forget" and its the last piece of kit I want to worry about. My batting is crap enough as it is. I'm quite disappointed by my Kookaburra thigh pad experience. I love their bats and of course their balls set the gold standard, but I feel like they have just tried to copy Aero and have done a poor job of it.
Incidentally, Aero's strippers are much easier to adjust the waist band set up - I think it has something to do with the fact that you can adjust the fit in two places.
I caught a sneak preview of the new Grey-Nicolls Stripper thigh pads a week or so back. I was amazed at how light it was but when I tried it on, it was really uncomfortable (weirdly huge hip pad and much smaller thigh pad) and also I think they have sacrificed protection for weight. I reckon they will offer zero protection to an adult. Probably fine for 9-11 year olds.
Next season I will be back in the market for Aero Strippers - I wish I had stuck with them instead of experimenting with Kookaburra. Does anyone know if Aero are going to release a new version soon? The v6 has been around for a few years now.
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Topic: Thigh pads - questions and now answers! (Read 240382 times)