im just wondering why so many people having problems/difficulty with the hatch elbow/knee pads.......which leaves me thinking what is the BEST elbow/knee pads out there..  thanks

The last set of Hatch knee pads that I purchased had three broken rivets right out of the package. Not too impressive. So much for buying what was on sale!

By way of contrast, my last set of Alta Superflex knee and elbow pads lasted several years under some pretty rough conditions (cell extractions, long gun & pistol shooting while kneeling etc.). FWIW, I prefer their buckle closure too.

 

Knee, Alta, Buckle, end of story.

I bought a set of Hatch elbow and knee pads while I was in Blackwater because they were cheaper than the Hellstorm ones and I needed a set (especially Elbow pads that I tore up the day before on the gravel/sand.  John (Ronin45) told me later that he had bad luck with the rivets, but so far they are holding up.  They are in my locker now with the rest of my call out gear.  Maybe I just got lucky.  Now if I could say the same about my Hatch Friskmaster gloves.