best knee braces for your money?

cpetey_44
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cpetey_44
Edited Date/Time 3/21/2013 8:22pm
i was looking to buy some new knee braces and would like to hear what you guys have experienced as far as longevity and price and safety.
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joshy83
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joshy83 6/28/2010 1:04am
6/28/2010 1:04am
i got asterisk...comfy, reliable but abit bulky.
FIREfish148
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FIREfish148 6/28/2010 1:21am
6/28/2010 1:21am Edited Date/Time 6/28/2010 1:21am
joshy83 wrote:
i got asterisk...comfy, reliable but abit bulky.
Bulky knee braces suck. People tell me you get use to them after a while, but I never did. Its funny because more people pass on chest pros and kidney belts now a days because they "get in the way", but if you try using knee braces then use pads they cramping style factor is nothing.
Evs has some pretty sleek new knee braces for $75 that i tried on today and was really impressed w/ the fit/flex. The only thing i didnt like about em was they were plastic. Still beats the shit out of $600 ones though.
dunn2500
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dunn2500 6/28/2010 1:21am
6/28/2010 1:21am
EVS web.........not my first choice but they gave me a set for $375, so i am running em
anzzz73
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anzzz73 6/28/2010 2:47am
6/28/2010 2:47am
pod mx are the best i used the asterix but are to big, with the pod is like have the pllastic knee braces you dont notice tha you have a knee brace are so thin and light!!!!they are incredible...when i bought it and my father sees it he go to the shops and buy ones!!!!!this is true

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f4ctry
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f4ctry 6/28/2010 3:24am
6/28/2010 3:24am
dunn2500 wrote:
EVS web.........not my first choice but they gave me a set for $375, so i am running em
Worst knee brace i ever owned
TheWeapon
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TheWeapon 6/28/2010 3:54am
6/28/2010 3:54am
I have a custom CTi on my right leg (thanks to health insurance) and the asterisk on my left. No comparison. If you have the cash or the insurance, go the full custom CTi
DrSweden
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DrSweden 6/28/2010 5:40am
6/28/2010 5:40am
anzzz73 wrote:
pod mx are the best i used the asterix but are to big, with the pod is like have the pllastic knee braces you dont notice...
pod mx are the best i used the asterix but are to big, with the pod is like have the pllastic knee braces you dont notice tha you have a knee brace are so thin and light!!!!they are incredible...when i bought it and my father sees it he go to the shops and buy ones!!!!!this is true
I was looking for the pod mx based on what you say and I have heard others saying the same thing. On the MXA site I read that they sold out the previous model for $ 400, but I couldn't find them for that price so I actually went for the Asterisk Cells since there are more of them on sale.

I like the Cell though.

Racer92
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Racer92 6/28/2010 5:45am
6/28/2010 5:45am
joshy83 wrote:
i got asterisk...comfy, reliable but abit bulky.
Asterisk here. (Thanks Sam)

Once you get on the bike you do not notice you have them on. I dont feel they are bulky at all.
panic revver 6/28/2010 7:11am
6/28/2010 7:11am
TheWeapon wrote:
I have a custom CTi on my right leg (thanks to health insurance) and the asterisk on my left. No comparison. If you have the cash...
I have a custom CTi on my right leg (thanks to health insurance) and the asterisk on my left. No comparison. If you have the cash or the insurance, go the full custom CTi
Another vote for cti's. I wear CTI2's on both knees with the knee cup and have had them for 5 years. They are expensive but they hold up great and have saved me some pain.
sxf138
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sxf138 6/28/2010 7:12am
6/28/2010 7:12am
joshy83 wrote:
i got asterisk...comfy, reliable but abit bulky.
Astrisk here too. Basically i found that they are the most adjustable and durable. Back in march i broke my femur, and basically the knee brace snapped my femur, but long story short they did what they were supposed to and saved me from blowing my knee to pieces.
4mxonly
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4mxonly 6/28/2010 9:34am
6/28/2010 9:34am
I had astrisk braces several years ago and they were terrible! The laces had an inconsistent feel and were too tight across the inside of my knee (as well as pinching my skin in a few places). Even worse, the cables on the inside of the joints snapped and the braces pretty much fell apart after that. They were junk. I don't know if they've made improvements since then, but I will never buy a pair of those things ever again. I've had a couple other brands since then, but my next pair will likely be CTI2's. Everyone I know that has those braces loves them.
DanDunes818
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DanDunes818 6/28/2010 9:41am
6/28/2010 9:41am Edited Date/Time 6/28/2010 9:43am
dunn2500 wrote:
EVS web.........not my first choice but they gave me a set for $375, so i am running em
X2 love my evs knee braces. I'm not sure which model I have but mine were $250 each and I love them. And I've used just about every other brand. Allot of knee brace choice is personal preference.
pie8man
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pie8man 6/28/2010 9:50am
6/28/2010 9:50am
I've had the same *'s since 2002, they have been fully reworked one time and are still going strong. I tried the EVS Web and did not like how they fit me. I do not mind the size of the braces it seems for me that it squares my knees over the pegs when I am gripping the bike with my legs/ knees. Mine have a foot peg gouge in the front on the carbon below the knee cup... I can only imagine what that would have been with just knee pads.
Drfletcher
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Drfletcher 6/28/2010 10:30am
6/28/2010 10:30am
I've had Asteriks and like 4MX said they would pinch in some places, be too tight in others and slip down. I bought some EVS cheap braces off EBAY and they really sucked but it was better than nothing.

Thank you Craigslist because I just bought a pair of Fox Pods for $200 in extremely good condition and they are the lightest, easiest knee brace that I have worn.

I would check EBAY and Craigslist to see what you can get used.
chase187
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chase187 6/28/2010 11:46am
6/28/2010 11:46am
Fox Podmx's, if you can't get the CTI 2's
mattbmx63
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mattbmx63 6/28/2010 11:58am
6/28/2010 11:58am
I've got asterisks and as much as I like them, they are built like crap. Eyelets for the laces rust and cut laces, buckles love to un-clip and the rivets that hold the backs on break. I would have thought a nice call to them about these issues would have helped, but they offered no help and were pretty rude. Comfy yes, durable, far from.
redrider400
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redrider400 6/28/2010 12:02pm
6/28/2010 12:02pm
I had some CTI's back in the day, and I have the new podmx now and I like them as much as my old cti's. But, the fit is not quite as good as the cti's for obvious reasons.
zookie
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zookie 6/28/2010 12:11pm
6/28/2010 12:11pm
sxf138 wrote:
Astrisk here too. Basically i found that they are the most adjustable and durable. Back in march i broke my femur, and basically the knee brace...
Astrisk here too. Basically i found that they are the most adjustable and durable. Back in march i broke my femur, and basically the knee brace snapped my femur, but long story short they did what they were supposed to and saved me from blowing my knee to pieces.
That is a giant, huge, mega, epic assumption. This argument bothers me almost as much as the folks who justify a neck brace purchase by saying they fell and they would have been paralyzed if not for the brace. If this logic was true, then before the advent of neck braces, we would have seen loads more paralyzed or critically injured riders.

Breaking a femur can be fatal, tearing ligaments isn't. I would much rather blow my knee apart then break a femur.

The problem with wearing any sort of brace as a prophylactic measure to prevent possible injury is that there is no way to know that the brace is working. If you emerge from a crash unscathed and praise the brace, you are assuming you would have been injured without it. Sorry, logic just doesn't work that way.

Until someone compiles data for both knee braces and neck braces pre and post existence that shows beyond a reasonable doubt of common errors that they are effective at preventing injury, I will never have one.

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CamP
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CamP 6/28/2010 12:30pm
6/28/2010 12:30pm Edited Date/Time 6/28/2010 12:32pm
Knee braces don't prevent ACL injuries because they usually occur when the lower leg is twisted outward. Braces can't stop the twisting because the brace is strapped to layers of skin, fat and muscle. I wear a custom CTi on my left leg that unloads the area in it that has arthritis. On my good knee I wear an old Bledsoe Rage because it offers excellent impact protection and it is somewhat flexible. The new EVS RS-8 looks like a good option for healthy knees.
motomike894
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motomike894 6/28/2010 1:04pm
6/28/2010 1:04pm
I had ACL surgery in 2005, and had other tendons tore, etc. Doctor got me a DonJoy only for that leg, it sucked ass, got ride of it and got a pair of EVS RS7 they did me good for 2 years, then one broke, got a pair of the Vison braces, those always slid around and dug into my thigh, so I got rid of those and went back to wearing regular old knee cups.

I was talking to my doctor and PT guy when I was there last time about my femur breaking and they told me not to wear knee braces even if for my knee they said it can make your knee weaker, and will not prevent you from damaging your tendons anyway.

I have heard so many opinions wether I should wear them or not, I dont mind them but then again fell totally fine just wearing knee cups too.

After injuring my femur though, and all the strain my knee took I might get another pair of cheaper knee braces, maybe the new EVS RS8.
DavidR
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DavidR 6/28/2010 6:28pm
6/28/2010 6:28pm
Try them on before you buy. I took my boots to a store that carries both the EVS RS 8 and the Asterisk Cell so that I could try them on side by side. The Asterisk Cell felt much more comfortable and much better constructed than did the EVS RS 8. I really wanted to like the EVS RS 8 because of the price but I decided to spend the extra money on what seemed to me to be a better product. I've only got 3 rides on the Asterisk Cell and initially they took a little while to get used to, it felt like I was riding a barrell for the first 10 or 15 minutes. Eventually, I forgot I had them on and they've actually made it easier for me to use my legs more to grip my bike. My only complaint about the Asterisk Cell so far is that they've almost completely torn off the BNG on my '09 yz 250 after only 3 rides.
sxf138
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sxf138 6/28/2010 7:01pm
6/28/2010 7:01pm
sxf138 wrote:
Astrisk here too. Basically i found that they are the most adjustable and durable. Back in march i broke my femur, and basically the knee brace...
Astrisk here too. Basically i found that they are the most adjustable and durable. Back in march i broke my femur, and basically the knee brace snapped my femur, but long story short they did what they were supposed to and saved me from blowing my knee to pieces.
zookie wrote:
That is a giant, huge, mega, epic assumption. This argument bothers me almost as much as the folks who justify a neck brace purchase by saying...
That is a giant, huge, mega, epic assumption. This argument bothers me almost as much as the folks who justify a neck brace purchase by saying they fell and they would have been paralyzed if not for the brace. If this logic was true, then before the advent of neck braces, we would have seen loads more paralyzed or critically injured riders.

Breaking a femur can be fatal, tearing ligaments isn't. I would much rather blow my knee apart then break a femur.

The problem with wearing any sort of brace as a prophylactic measure to prevent possible injury is that there is no way to know that the brace is working. If you emerge from a crash unscathed and praise the brace, you are assuming you would have been injured without it. Sorry, logic just doesn't work that way.

Until someone compiles data for both knee braces and neck braces pre and post existence that shows beyond a reasonable doubt of common errors that they are effective at preventing injury, I will never have one.
I am confused on your logic. A knee will never return to 100% aask anyone with a knee injury. On the other hand, yes you can die from a femur IF and ONLY if it is not treated correctly. Yes blah blah infections and what not U know. Im also confused on why you you are doubting my assumption. Being you didnt see the crash, you have no idea what would have happend without the brace. My physical therapist Dr. G one of the best in the buisness said i would be in 10xs worse condition if it was not for the brace. Thing could have been a lot worse if i were not wearing it. Here is the break, you can see the brace caused the snap.



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zookie
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zookie 6/28/2010 7:11pm
6/28/2010 7:11pm
Actually, no one has any good idea what would have happened without the brace, that is the nature of crashing and prophylactic use of braces.

Tear up your knee, break a femur, both suck long term.

A femur being fatal has nothing to do with how you are treated. Your femoral artery runs next to your femur. Sever that and you have little chance of survival.

Your point is moot. You can think all you want about your braces. Bottom line is you destroyed your femur and that sucks.

jleews6
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jleews6 2/14/2011 5:42am
2/14/2011 5:42am
I know this is an old thread but can anybody tell me where to get the CTI brace? have insurance and someone told me that CTI sent someone to his house to messure his leg for the brace. I couldn't find anything on line.
Thanks for your help.
JL
Chili
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Chili 2/14/2011 6:24am
2/14/2011 6:24am
sxf138 wrote:
I am confused on your logic. A knee will never return to 100% aask anyone with a knee injury. On the other hand, yes you can...
I am confused on your logic. A knee will never return to 100% aask anyone with a knee injury. On the other hand, yes you can die from a femur IF and ONLY if it is not treated correctly. Yes blah blah infections and what not U know. Im also confused on why you you are doubting my assumption. Being you didnt see the crash, you have no idea what would have happend without the brace. My physical therapist Dr. G one of the best in the buisness said i would be in 10xs worse condition if it was not for the brace. Thing could have been a lot worse if i were not wearing it. Here is the break, you can see the brace caused the snap.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us
Death from a broken femur does not need to be related to poor treatment, if you rupture your fermoral artery in the injury odds are you'll bleed out before they can get you to an E.R/O.R.
seth505
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seth505 2/14/2011 6:31am
2/14/2011 6:31am
anyone try the new 661 braces??
motoxxx599
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motoxxx599 2/14/2011 6:40am
2/14/2011 6:40am
dunn2500 wrote:
EVS web.........not my first choice but they gave me a set for $375, so i am running em
The web braces suck... i caught my leg on a mound of dirt on the inside of a corner and the bent my leg in a weird position. The web brace snapped in half and i tore my miniscus. I wear the CTi2 braces now.. best ever.
grover738
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grover738 2/14/2011 7:07am
2/14/2011 7:07am
sxf138 wrote:
Astrisk here too. Basically i found that they are the most adjustable and durable. Back in march i broke my femur, and basically the knee brace...
Astrisk here too. Basically i found that they are the most adjustable and durable. Back in march i broke my femur, and basically the knee brace snapped my femur, but long story short they did what they were supposed to and saved me from blowing my knee to pieces.
zookie wrote:
That is a giant, huge, mega, epic assumption. This argument bothers me almost as much as the folks who justify a neck brace purchase by saying...
That is a giant, huge, mega, epic assumption. This argument bothers me almost as much as the folks who justify a neck brace purchase by saying they fell and they would have been paralyzed if not for the brace. If this logic was true, then before the advent of neck braces, we would have seen loads more paralyzed or critically injured riders.

Breaking a femur can be fatal, tearing ligaments isn't. I would much rather blow my knee apart then break a femur.

The problem with wearing any sort of brace as a prophylactic measure to prevent possible injury is that there is no way to know that the brace is working. If you emerge from a crash unscathed and praise the brace, you are assuming you would have been injured without it. Sorry, logic just doesn't work that way.

Until someone compiles data for both knee braces and neck braces pre and post existence that shows beyond a reasonable doubt of common errors that they are effective at preventing injury, I will never have one.
Despite 10 years of MX, a lifetime of skiing, and playing all the high school sports, I have never had a knee injury. I've done a bit of reading on the knee braces, and am familiar with the argument - snapping your femur can be fatal, blowing out your knee is not. I'm lucky enough to ride at Millville, which is doing a big concussion study with the Mayo clinic, and I've chatted quite a few times with the doctor who is in charge of the study. I brought up the knee brace debate to see her take on it, and she made a point I'd never thought of - you can also sever your femoral artery by shredding your knee.

So, zookie, you're also making an assumption - that shredding your knee can't be fatal. Not saying it's likely, but something to take into consideration.

As for the femur recovery vs. knee recovery, from what I've heard it all depends. A spiral fracture of the femur, and you're done for a long time. A clean break, and you'll have a really quick recovery.
526
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526 2/14/2011 7:37am
2/14/2011 7:37am
I have Asterisks and they fit pretty good accept around my shin, the brace is shaped Nothing like my shin ????? I have EVS web but they were to long for me I didn't safe wearing them and I think it restricted to much of my movement.
Chili
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Chili 2/14/2011 7:37am
2/14/2011 7:37am
My son has broken a femur twice and still wears his Asterisk Cell's, his choice. Generally my guess is the guys who spout the "I'd rather break a femur than shred a knee" have never broken a femur.

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