Knee pad tips

G'day all

Great to see so many photos of finds on the forum, congratulations and keep up the good work guys.

As the weather warms up I'm finding my overalls and work pants with built in knee pads just too hot to work in. I'm going to have to break out the shorts and buy a set of knee pads. I've heard the straps on some brands can irratate behind the knee, also that there can be big price differences between say a pair bought at a work safety gear shop and the likes of Bunnings. Any suggestions on a tough, comfortable brand?

Cheers, Cal

Hi Cal,
I'm in the flooring industry, so as you can imagine, I wear kneepads a LOT.
The tip with kneepads is to choose a pair that have soft bindings, I personally use Crain tools, and their kneepads are great for comfort.
Checkout the second pair in the list, here.
They are completely soft (no hard sections) and I go through about 2 pairs a year.
I'd imagine they will last years for this hobby.
http://www.tools4flooring.com/knee-pads.html

Morning Cal,
Unless you are in an area where you are continuously digging deep holes their is no need for knee pads, just crouch down.
The use of knee pads must surely be a hindrance, sweaty and collect dust and dirt that would cause skin irritation with continual use.
Came across a prospector last year who had a small piece of rubber (approx 200X150mm) hanging from his harness, he unclipped this when ever he had to put a knee on the ground.
Having said that, there are those who wouldn't leave home without their knee pads.
We detect mostly wearing shorts, on the colder days, trackies or old work pants.

Peter

Hi Cal,
You are right about some kneepad straps causing irritation behind the knees. I bought a pair from Bunnings Hardware years ago that I would wear when working in the creeks and they caused me great irritation within very short time. I would wear them for just 20 minutes and some of the skin would come off the back of my legs, which caused the skin to weep and sting. The cause was probably that the elastic straps were too tight and too hard. I stopped wearing them altogether after a while. They were black with a clear gel front on them.

When digging near sharp stones, large or small, I found myself wanting to dig them out again. Even if I was detecting I wanted something to enable me to kneel on the ground without the sharp stones sticking into my kneecaps.



The Knee Pads and Elbow pads (included) that I purchased online.


I ended up buying a set online on Ebay for about $23.99 (including $9 postage) which I wore for the first time about two or three weeks ago. They were comfortable and after a short while I didn't really notice they were on. One of the benefits is that they are adjustable and each strap has a metal cleat that they anchor to with a slotted rivet. This makes it easy to remove them and put them on without having to stick your leg through the velcro straps. They have no gel-cushioned inner cell like the ones from Bunnings did (not that it mattered) but they do have a hard cap on the front which is thick plastic but mounted with metal rivets. It's hard to comment on the quality having only worn them twice so far but they were inexpensive and they do the job. Usually, you get what you pay for but knee pads are always cheap. You can find plenty of different knee pads online from the same seller although this is the one I bought: Ebay Item number: 110788667842 - They also came with matching Elbow pads which I do not use. Only the knee pads have the adjustable velcro straps.

* You asked for "Tips on Kneepads" - my only tip would be to be wary of posting pictures of yourself wearing new knee pads because there's some tossers online who think that clean new clothes and especially new knee pads in the goldfields are a sign that you don't have a need to wear them.

Metal cleats and rivetts in your knee pads, not a good idea if you are using medium to large coils. mallee00 and the mutt

mallee00 wrote:Metal cleats and rivetts in your knee pads, not a good idea if you are using medium to large coils. mallee00 and the mutt

I was worried about that at first but tests showed it was not a problem. Fine if the surface area is small and they're hollow. It's less responsive than having a 5c coin in your front pocket. Even better if they're not too close to your feet and you're using an 800mm lower shaft on. The EMF won't anchor to such items noticeably. But a large knife anywhere near the front of your body is a bad idea though as the field will anchor to it readily.

hi Cal

Was in Bunnings last week-- they have some really good ones in there--new breed with 1 strap
I was wearing the ones with 2 straps but they get very uncomfortable.
Bought a set for myself. They have about 6 different sets to choose from.
Regards
Oneday69

Thanks for the replies everyone. I'm reminded of the variety of people who comprised the old timers of the early rushes, everyone from Vandemonians, to sailors who jumped ship, to doctors who abandoned their practices in Europe to tkae part in our gold rushes - just like those days, us prospectors pop up from all walks of life - ask a question about knee pads and Musso from the flooring industry offers professional advice, terrific, thanks Musso

I'll check out the other suggestions also, thanks Nero and Oneday.

Nightjar my concern is that knee pads may be a hindrance and a downright pain in the a**e, hence my query to minimise this risk as much as possible. The point is, I have a back condition that has greater risk of being a greater hindrance if not looked after. Without going into gruelling medical detail, if I need to dig at all, my back does feel it stooping/crouching over, if I drop to my knees, my back does not feel it and I can dig as any fit person.

Thanks again guys for your input, much appreciated, Cal

Cal

There are so many types of kneepads I am sure you can find a pair
that will not cause you any problems whatsoever.
They are an immense help if you are detecting in rocky or rough ground
(most of the ground here in the US is rocky).
I have never gone out detecting without them
(unless I forget them which is why I have two pairs
and keep one in the vehicle all the time)
and my knees thank me each time.

Happy New Year.