I recently had the opportunity to test and review the Superior Fencing padded knee protectors. They are protective, comfortable, and sit well on the Superior Fencing padded trousers.
This review: motivation and transparency
Superior Fencing gave me a pair of these knee protectors for reviewing in August 2018. I wore them for testing and review, and have kept them as part of my regular fencing gear.
(Edit: this “motivation” section was added on the 9th of March 2019, as part of an effort to improve the transparency of the various reviews on this website.)
Protection
The knee protectors are a well-designed piece of equipment, and I would have no qualms about recommending them to anyone.
They cover the knees with a hard layer of protection over a soft layer of padding. I trust that these will keep my knees safe against quite a hard hit.
They also have flaps protruding a little to both sides, meaning that the inside and outside of the knee is covered with the same hard protection. This is particularly valuable, because not every attack to the knee comes from straight ahead – probably most attacked to the knee land to one side or the other, so these protectors do an excellent job of guarding these angles.
Sizing, bulk, and mobility
The padded knee protectors come in just one size. They are relatively form-fitting and are not very bulky, and they have no negative impact on mobility at all.
Ease of fastening
There is a Velcro strap to fasten the knee protectors around your knees. They might not be so useful without the Superior Fencing trousers, as they may quite easily slip and slide around, without the anchor points to which to lace them.
They are clearly designed with the fencing trousers in mind, and they come with laces with which you can attach the knees to the outside of the trousers. This is a convenient solution to keep the knee protectors in place while you are moving around, or even just when storing the trousers.
It is a little amount of hassle to attach or remove the protectors from the trousers, so I wouldn’t want to have to attach them just for sparring; my plan is to leave the knee protectors on my fencing trousers permanently, so that they are always in place and I can avoid the hassle or attaching or removing them.
Price and availability
Superior Fencing sells the padded knee protectors for $20 USD.
Conclusions
I like the Superior Fencing padded knee protectors very much, and feel that my knees are quite safe in them. They are not particularly heavy, not particularly bulky, and they offer good coverage of the knee with particularly good protection to the inside and outside of the joint. However, they probably need the fencing trousers before I would trust them to stay in place without slipping or sliding around.
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Keith Farrell teaches HEMA professionally, often at international events (why not hire me to teach at your event?), and has an interest in coaching instructors to become better teachers. I teach regularly at Liverpool HEMA, and help behind the scenes with running HEMA in Glasgow at the Vanguard Centre.
I have authored Scottish Broadsword and British Singlestick and the award-winning AHA German Longsword Study Guide, and maintain a blog at www.keithfarrell.net where I post regularly.