Previously I reviewed the Warrior X4 Pro hockey goalie knee guards, which I bought because Bauer had gone backwards in knee guards since their excellent Vapor 1X model. CCM have always been a popular brand for goalie protective accessories and the previous CCM KP Pro knee guards (affiliate link) have often been a favourite for being extremely protective yet bulky.
One thing I noticed previously when I worked at retail stores, CCM did a VERY good job of ensuring stores had stock of their protective accessories. If the Bauer or Warrior options were sold out, chances are the stores had stock of CCM and it often became the default brand for equipment simply because of the lack of options elsewhere. While this isn’t necessarily all of CCM’s doing (a lot is contributed to the “buyers” of the stores who place the larger CCM orders compared to other brands), CCM had an in to many goalie bags simply by being available to purchase.
I noticed a lot of Instagram reels and YouTube shorts showing off these new CCM KP Pro knee guards (affiliate link) immediately when they became available, and their praise online seemed to continue. So I decided to buy a pair and see if the hype is warranted or if this is the case of familiarity bias and the KP Pro knee guards being “good enough.”
My favourite feature of the CCM KP Pro are their sock & jock pant attachment piece, which is a removeable velcro system that ties into velcro attachment on hockey jock pants. You can see how this works below in my Instagram demonstration.
One thing I always noticed with knee guard recommendation and online reviews is the statement of “bomb proof,” which is often said for these CCM KP Pro models… so I decided to actually test the protective qualities of the CCM KP Pro and put them up to the test with my puck machine. Watch the full review of the CCM KP Pro goalie knee guards on YouTube below!
Overall, the CCM KP Pro knee guards (affiliate link) have been immensely disappointing. For a knee guards so bulky, their protective qualities aren’t good enough. They aren’t comfortable to land on and can easily cause stability issues if you ever land SLIGHTLY imperfectly. For how much praise the CCM KP Pro knee guards get I really have to question where it is coming from. Even the updated and (and getting worse than previous models) Bauer Pro and Elite knee guards (affiliate link) series are a considerably better overall package for a MUCH less bulky knee guard.
I easily recommend the Warrior X# Pro knee guards over these CCMs but will continue my knee guard testing going forward to find the best features of each!
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