ProKnees...Pros & Cons

[kylenelson]

Very good idea Sean. They are certainly worth trying out. My knees feel great using them and all the hair grew back on my knees. That to me say's that there is alot less stress on my knee.

[Sean Moore]

kylenelson said Very good idea Sean. They are certainly worth trying out. My knees feel great using them and all the hair grew back on my knees. That to me say's that there is alot less stress on my knee.

Yeah, I couldn't believe it a month in. One morning I got out of bed and I realized it didn't hurt. Hadn't hurt all week. ROCK!

Biggest two drawbacks of the prokee are you lose quite a bit of dexterity crawling but users just get used to plodding along and... kneeling on your finger.

Oh yes, you proknee users, you know what I'm talking about. I think everyone has done it at least once. Mine happened about two weeks in. Haven't done it since. For those that haven't experienced it: It hurts like HELL! Your first reaction is to pull your finger out. Wrong move, dummy. You have to lean away from the finger that hurts while you knuckle-push with the same hand, works great. Finger comes right out.

One guy I lent mine to didn't get the memo and sat there like a cartoon character, "ow! OW! ow! ow! OW! ow! ow! ow! ow! OW! ow! ow!" as he leaned away and tried to push but somehow got the order confused. While he was doing it I just sat there in stunned amazement, not really sure if what I was watching was real or a joke. I finally just push him over on his side away from the finger and he says, "WOW! THANKS!" Ne never wore them again.

Somehow I doubt his ability to walk and chew gum at the same time.

[polestretch]

I'm getting closer to wearing them. I nailed concrete in a basement this morning and the tackless took 1 hour and 15 minutes to put down. When I went to get up......., everything was stiff! Might be trying them before I turn 50.

[kylenelson]

Darren Ramey said I would take you up on your offer, but just ordered a set a few days ago. Hoping to get them in the next day or two. They better not suck

They don't. You have to stick out the "learning" curve though. I can crawl around faster with a smaller set of kneepads for sure, but at the end of the day/my life I would rather be comfortable and not destroying my body. And yes, you will kneel on your finger...I did it the first day...OUCH!!! But they're great. I can't reccomend them enough honestly. I was skeptical because of the price, wondering if they were as good as claimed, but there were enough positive things written on here by people that I decided to take the plunge. They seem almost inexpensive now.

[Barry Carlton]

They are the bomb for sure. I use them when practical. They work wonders for your back, legs, and knees. They minimize the need for kneel boards on vinyl (note I said "minimize").

They are a bit cumbersome in small rooms, esp. residential bathrooms and closets and such. Also in the smaller commercial rooms. Finally they are really not carpet friendly. And they are hot in the summer.

I think the pros to the body far outweigh the cons though.

My thoughts are to have these as the "go to" pair but also have a small pair in reserve.

Everyone who works hard surface needs to wear these as often as the conditions permit!!!!

[Sean Moore]

I figured out how to install carpet with 'em, I never take them off when I'm on the floor.

[Barry Carlton]

The posts below have been moved or copied to this stand alone topic. It deserves it.

[rgfloor]

I'll add my kudos to the ProKnees!! Got my first pair in 1996 or 97, can't remember (they do nothing for brain function) and feel they prolonged my career on the floor 5 years. Dummy shoulda got up five years before!!

Just used them Saturday to help install 60 yds of woven F2F on concrete. Thanks for the suggestions here, we used 40 oz synthetic pad. Worked great.

[kylenelson]

Barry Carlton said Everyone who works hard surface needs to wear these as often as the conditions permit!!!!

I completely agree. The pros far outweight the cons. And you get used to manuevering with them on...I don't really think about them after only having them for 4 months. I love not having to think about my kneepads.

[Steve Olson]

I've had mine for so long, I can't remember when I got them. I bought mine out of desperation. My knees were so painful, I could not work. I remembered seeing an ad for them in flooring installer, called them, and had a set two days later. I've been using them ever since. They do have one weak point, the method of attaching the bottom strap. It cost me my first pair. and I've modified my second and they have lasted much longer with no problems.

I wore out the pads, the hard plastic was cutting through, and I had a Lino job to install and no time to order and change out the pads. Not wanting to rish marring the lino, and as I had some carpet tiles around, I traced the outline onto the carpet tile, cut them out, and use double stick tape to secure them to the old pads. I've been using the carpet tiles as pad ever since. Not the cushioning, but the pads that contact the flooring.Works great, and wear like iron.

[Daris Mulkin]

Steve Olson said I've had mine for so long, I can't remember when I got them. I bought mine out of desperation. My knees were so painful, I could not work. I remembered seeing an ad for them in flooring installer, called them, and had a set two days later. I've been using them ever since. They do have one weak point, the method of attaching the bottom strap. It cost me my first pair. and I've modified my second and they have lasted much longer with no problems. I wore out the pads, the hard plastic was cutting through, and I had a Lino job to install and no time to order and change out the pads. Not wanting to rish marring the lino, and as I had some carpet tiles around, I traced the outline onto the carpet tile, cut them out, and use double stick tape to secure them to the old pads. I've been using the carpet tiles as pad ever since. Not the cushioning, but the pads that contact the flooring.Works great, and wear like iron.

If you work on bare concrete a lot, my stepson glued laminate onto his and it weaars like iron.

Daris

[Darren Ramey]

I've done roughly 800yds of direct glue (700 on concrete) over the last few days and have to say I am liking the Pro Knees so far. The only time they felt like they were in the way was putting on a set of steps yesterday. I wore them anyway. It probably wouldn't be so bad with a smaller set, but mine are 23s. I was surprised how well I could kick with them on, at least with the oversized butt on my kicker. On my helps standard kicker, I glanced off the top too often.

I haven't trapped a finger yet, but my extension cord was constantly getting stuck, I will need to work on that. Also, it only took a few days and they aren't pretty anymore

It's the first pair of pads I have ever owned that I could wear all day. Oh yeah, and my knees feel great.

[aaroncarpet]

pro knee for carpet are mostly ideal on large gluedowns, you can glue in a 12 foot flip 6 on each side much faster, its like skating....when it comes to residential stretch in you move around too much...I typically use knee pads for strip nailing and when the pad is down....its time to wear out the jeans....

[kylenelson]

Darren Ramey said I've done roughly 800yds of direct glue (700 on concrete) over the last few days and have to say I am liking the Pro Knees so far. The only time they felt like they were in the way was putting on a set of steps yesterday. I wore them anyway. It probably wouldn't be so bad with a smaller set, but mine are 23s. I was surprised how well I could kick with them on, at least with the oversized butt on my kicker. On my helps standard kicker, I glanced off the top too often. I haven't trapped a finger yet, but my extension cord was constantly getting stuck, I will need to work on that. Also, it only took a few days and they aren't pretty anymore It's the first pair of pads I have ever owned that I could wear all day. Oh yeah, and my knees feel great.

This is key for me. I could care less if it slows me down a little...at the end of the day my knees feel as good as they did in the beginning of the day.

[stullis]

I can hardly work without them anymore no matter what flooring I'm doing.