G
Gazzer
I have been tiling now for over 33 years and I have tried lots of kneepads from the cheap inserts up to The Alpro pads available from Tradetiler. I have used old sponge to kneel on and even rolled up cement bags to keep my knees of damp sand and cement screed in the years gone by.
My dad who was and still is tiling at the age of 72 would always shout at me for not using kneepads so it soon became second nature to have something beneath my knees.
Now back in the late 70`s and early 80`s, health and safety wasn’t so important so it seemed. Kneepads at that time were usually home made from such items as cushions from old sofas and chairs or even car tyres cut up and held on with string.
The 1st set of kneepads I had were made of heavy leather and leather buckle straps. Not only did they fall down around my ankles all the time, they were bulky and not that comfy. I guess they were better than nothing though.
As the years passed we were using some soft rubber kneepads with rubber straps that broke often due to having to keep the straps so tight. Nice and lightweight and nice to kneel on but they wore quite quickly due to their soft nature.
Then there were some similar types but they had a hard face to the pad, which sounded good, but when knelt on had a tendency to slide. Sometimes even mark the tiles.
Garden kneelers, the pad type were popular at one time. Being so cheap you could have six pads and scatter them about the floor in area you were working. No excuse then for kneeling on the cold wet floor.
While working in Australia in 2002, most of the work was floor tiling and i was trying all types to get something that suited me. I hated the strap type pads as after a hard day with some new pads , I got home and jumped into the shower. As I turned my back against the hot spray I felt a sharp pain across the back of my legs. I looked down too see 4 clean line of blood where the straps had rubbed my legs throughout the day. They hadn’t cut through my jeans just constantly rubbed all the time I worked but I never noticed. That was the last time I wore those or any other type of thin strap kneepads.
The next thing I tried was a rolling kneepad seat. The Aussie lads took the mick out of me big time but I thought I would have the last laugh but it wasn’t to be. As good as the idea sounded and the fact that the jobs I was doing meant that scooting around on wheels should have been ideal. It had its drawbacks. One was that you needed the seat perfect to get the weight off your knees but then the seat gave you saddle rash!. Also I nearly lost my fingers on a couple of occasions when I was on the seat and didn’t get my hands off the floor quick enough. How I didn’t break my fingers is a mystery to me. When a 14 stone man is rolling around on 5 small castors and you run fingers over, trust me it hurts.
Now today when you do a search on the Internet for kneepads there are all types to suit different jobs and our different preferences. Some like straps some prefer pads in knee pocket types and some like myself have always got on with the single kneeling pad type from Alpro. Some of the pads on the market these days have had a lot of thought into them. Alpros being one, I believe designed by a German doctor. Platinum seem quite good too but only ever having tried one on once I cant comment too much. The Redbacks I was told had a background in the cricket world and I believe the Military are using them for evaluation at the moment.
Anyway what ever you yourselves choose just use something and don’t try and be a hero. It may not start to hurt right away but in later years it will. I know too many who thought a few hours on their knees wouldn’t hurt them, but hours turn to days and days to years. Before you know it you are walking like an old man ……You only get the one good pair of knees and seeing as we spend our lives on them you must look after them.
The rest of this thread will show the different type of kneepads that I have tried and what I have thought of them. Its only my thoughts and I know some may disagree with some of my findings but if experience counts then please accept my 33 years worth, but whatever you do wear kneepads at all times at work.
My dad who was and still is tiling at the age of 72 would always shout at me for not using kneepads so it soon became second nature to have something beneath my knees.
Now back in the late 70`s and early 80`s, health and safety wasn’t so important so it seemed. Kneepads at that time were usually home made from such items as cushions from old sofas and chairs or even car tyres cut up and held on with string.
The 1st set of kneepads I had were made of heavy leather and leather buckle straps. Not only did they fall down around my ankles all the time, they were bulky and not that comfy. I guess they were better than nothing though.
As the years passed we were using some soft rubber kneepads with rubber straps that broke often due to having to keep the straps so tight. Nice and lightweight and nice to kneel on but they wore quite quickly due to their soft nature.
Then there were some similar types but they had a hard face to the pad, which sounded good, but when knelt on had a tendency to slide. Sometimes even mark the tiles.
Garden kneelers, the pad type were popular at one time. Being so cheap you could have six pads and scatter them about the floor in area you were working. No excuse then for kneeling on the cold wet floor.
While working in Australia in 2002, most of the work was floor tiling and i was trying all types to get something that suited me. I hated the strap type pads as after a hard day with some new pads , I got home and jumped into the shower. As I turned my back against the hot spray I felt a sharp pain across the back of my legs. I looked down too see 4 clean line of blood where the straps had rubbed my legs throughout the day. They hadn’t cut through my jeans just constantly rubbed all the time I worked but I never noticed. That was the last time I wore those or any other type of thin strap kneepads.
The next thing I tried was a rolling kneepad seat. The Aussie lads took the mick out of me big time but I thought I would have the last laugh but it wasn’t to be. As good as the idea sounded and the fact that the jobs I was doing meant that scooting around on wheels should have been ideal. It had its drawbacks. One was that you needed the seat perfect to get the weight off your knees but then the seat gave you saddle rash!. Also I nearly lost my fingers on a couple of occasions when I was on the seat and didn’t get my hands off the floor quick enough. How I didn’t break my fingers is a mystery to me. When a 14 stone man is rolling around on 5 small castors and you run fingers over, trust me it hurts.
Now today when you do a search on the Internet for kneepads there are all types to suit different jobs and our different preferences. Some like straps some prefer pads in knee pocket types and some like myself have always got on with the single kneeling pad type from Alpro. Some of the pads on the market these days have had a lot of thought into them. Alpros being one, I believe designed by a German doctor. Platinum seem quite good too but only ever having tried one on once I cant comment too much. The Redbacks I was told had a background in the cricket world and I believe the Military are using them for evaluation at the moment.
Anyway what ever you yourselves choose just use something and don’t try and be a hero. It may not start to hurt right away but in later years it will. I know too many who thought a few hours on their knees wouldn’t hurt them, but hours turn to days and days to years. Before you know it you are walking like an old man ……You only get the one good pair of knees and seeing as we spend our lives on them you must look after them.
The rest of this thread will show the different type of kneepads that I have tried and what I have thought of them. Its only my thoughts and I know some may disagree with some of my findings but if experience counts then please accept my 33 years worth, but whatever you do wear kneepads at all times at work.
