[Iesu]

Just looking for some info on the Ronin Pads as am half keen to get one. Anyone got any long-ish term experience with them?

My knees are fairly badgered and I am not the softest of landers (perhaps I should give up bouldering and try some real climbing again?).

I see the Works website lists them and have a "try before you buy", but do they keep them in stock? I don't get down that way often (I live in Leeds so why would i need to? )

I met a guy with one a few years ago whilst at Castle Hill Basin (he was an aus) who had one and his was TOTALLY shagged, with what he claimed was only a year of use or something - as in the outer was totally knackered and i think it was softer than my VERY soft dropzone. This is of course anecdotal evidence and was 3 years ago, so newer models hopefully better.

Other stuff like how much water does it soak up (aware that a lot of mats appear to be designed mainly for a californian climate), would be of use to me in my decision making process.

I really wish i could get new good quality foam for the dropzone, but hey-ho.

Any advice gratefully recieved.

[Paul B]

from what I understand the outer was changed to something much sturdier than the original versions.

[Iesu]

ta; i'd certainly hope so based on what i saw in NZ.

also wrt the weight. I guess it's bound to be heavier with all that air in it, but the Flashed web page says 9 kg and the Works page says 7 point something?

With the heavy duty "harness" it must be pretty unwieldy once on your back.

[Johnny Brown]

Pretty sure The Works have stock. The pads feel very soft to walk on even when new, its only when you land on them that they stiffen up.

[Iesu]

Pretty sure The Works have stock. The pads feel very soft to walk on even when new, its only when you land on them that they stiffen up.

i understand that point; the one i saw (and landed on) was shite - apparently it was shortly going back to Flashed for a warranty replacement as the owner "knew the aus distributor" or some such

[Dolly]

Obviously I've got a vested interest here (see my sig) but...
Yes The Works do have stock and do operate try before you buy

They don't soak up water as the pads are filled with separate air cells - ie there's no foam to absorb anything. I've willingly chucked mine down in the quagmire that appears in the winter under Dreamland at Almscliff and it been fine for the rest of the day.

[Krank]

Ive had mine for maybe 2 years (i got one when the works first had them whenever that was).

1) Case- The outer is bomb proof, really well made and is showing very few signs of wear. The carrying straps are superb, good shoulder straps and a sturdy waist band, all with many adjusting straps.

2) Weight- On the way out its not that heavy, on the way home it is, but this would never stop me using it and i often sling another pad on the top of it. On the plus side it will never blow away in the wind.

3) Lastability- Seems to be holding up well doesn't seem top be getting soft, although its hard to tell as its soft to stand on from the beginning.

4)landability- Allways nice to land on, i have fallen from a decent height onto it with no trouble. It feels like it will bottom out when you stand on it but never does when you fall on it.

5) watersoakableupness- I have never put it in a puddle, it cost £350 for christ sake put a plastic sheet down

I got mine because i had a major op on my knee and i am willing to try anything to help my knee last as long as possible. I'm not disappointed with my purchase. Hope that helps

[Iesu]

Obviously I've got a vested interest here (see my sig) but...
Yes The Works do have stock and do operate try before you buy

They don't soak up water as the pads are filled with separate air cells - ie there's no foam to absorb anything. I've willingly chucked mine down in the quagmire that appears in the winter under Dreamland at Almscliff and it been fine for the rest of the day.

My understanding was that the "cells" are made of open cell type foam with some kind of membrane encapsulation thus regulating the expulsion of air from said cells under compression giving the impact absorbing effect?

ta for the info on waterproofness. btw does anyone re-proof their pad outers with nickwax or similar?

[Dolly]

My understanding was that the "cells" are made of open cell type foam with some kind of membrane encapsulation thus regulating the expulsion of air from said cells under compression giving the impact absorbing effect?

Wow - that sounds impressive, but I don't think I'm clever enough to understand. There's some stuff on the blog (sig) that fatdoc has written with his proper medical head on to explain it if you'd like to have a look there ?
They're definitely air. When you first get the pad you need to let the flat cells expand for 24 hours before sliding them into the case. There's no foam involved

[Iesu]

Wow - that sounds impressive, but I don't think I'm clever enough to understand. There's some stuff on the blog (sig) that fatdoc has written with his proper medical head on to explain it if you'd like to have a look there ?
They're definitely air. When you first get the pad you need to let the flat cells expand for 24 hours before sliding them into the case. There's no foam involved

i'm not having a dig, but your blog link says:

It's the cells that make it special. They have a small central foam core enveloped by a semi permeable membrane to allow for a big cushion of air to be expelled as you slam onto the pad. The air acts as the shock absorber.

http://roninuk.blogspot.com/2008/11/our-perspective-on-ronin.html

which is what i based my above post on (it was from memory, so  idouble checked if i was talking out of my posterior or not

[Dolly]

 
I'm sorry - I didn't read that properly

[nic mullin]

I've had one of these for about 6 months, and they're great to land on. The outer is tough an looks like it'll last, the shoulder straps are comfortable and when the pad is on your back it sits significantly lower than other pads (well below head height), so it's much easier to carry through trees without it getting caught.

On the down side, they weigh a lot. Also, the top foam layer (that speads the impact out across the air cells) can tend to crease and bunch up on sloping landings - it's pretty easy to pull/kick back flat though. Lastly, while the buckles that hold the pad closed when you fold it are a really good design and seem pretty durable, the ones that attach the shoulder straps to the pad are cheap generic plastic and one of mine has broken already.

For me it was more than worth the money and I'd buy another. Having said that, I weight quite a bit, have creaky knees and a dodgy ankle and like doing highballs, so your mileage may vary.

[tomtom]

Bounce....

Was kind of toying with getting one of these bad boys - but noticed everywhere was out of stock... any word on where why how etc..?

TT

[fatdoc]

Vested interested disclaimer:

Are there non left in the works?

[tomtom]

Vested interested disclaimer:

Are there non left in the works?

Not asked, but none were showing on their website...

[shark]

Vested interested disclaimer:

Are there non left in the works?

Fraid Graeme spent most of the proceeds on fine wine and Belgian chocolate. He wasted the rest.

[Iesu]

Bounce....

Was kind of toying with getting one of these bad boys - but noticed everywhere was out of stock... any word on where why how etc..?

TT

TT

I have one now and if I see you at the cliffe sometime you are welcome to jump on it.

I echo Nic Mullin's comment about slopey landings, it does tend to roll over on itself (which is rather annoying).

No probs with the build quality so far (9 months ownership, not exactly full on use due to injury over the winter, but I do weigh about 92kgs).

ta

[danm]

Used on of these for the first time the other week in Font. Was impressed by the shock absorbtion - a noticeable improvement over foam pads imho. I quite liked the lack of "edge" as it seems less likely to turn your ankle over if you hit the edge of the pad.

We hired a couple from the House, I can strongly recommend this a good option if staying there or nearby and travelling light like we were.

[fatneck]

I too used one whilst staying at The House, was very impressed and just had the go ahead from the wife to get one! So, the Works appear to be out of stock, do I have to get one shipped in?

[tomtom]

I too used one whilst staying at The House, was very impressed and just had the go ahead from the wife to get one! So, the Works appear to be out of stock, do I have to get one shipped in?

yup.. my thuoghts... cmon importers...

[Dolly]

Be interesting to know how many people would be interested in one to see if we can get enough orders ?

[KH]

I've had one for a couple of years and it's in a very good state considering the amount of use it's had.  Build quality is generally excellent although I've had to replace the plastic waist buckle (it snapped) and also the cross chest strap has now broken.  The cross chest strap braking is a pain, as whilst it's not too heavy in it's own right, it does get heavy when you throw extra pads and bags into the mix.

Ultimate conclusion though, I won't fall onto anything else!  When I'm jumping off from high I will hang on for longer and make sure my Flashed pad is put into place to take my fall rather than falling onto other pads!  I will definitely replace my pad with another Ronin when / if my current one eventually fails!

[fatneck]

Thanks for that Kev.

Dolly, have emailed keith@flashed.com with a query relating to cost etc. Will relay and info forthcoming...

[Dolly]

Thanks for that Kev.

Dolly, have emailed keith@flashed.com with a query relating to cost etc. Will relay and info forthcoming...

Sorry I should have explained.
Me, Graeme and fatdoc imported the last lot so I was responding to tomtom saying  "c'mon importers"  by asking if there was enough to get another order together

[fatdoc]

ye, I echo dolly... Happy to get another container in.

[tomtom]

Give me a rough price I'll give yer an answer

[fatneck]

So, (and please excuse my thickness) does this mean I'm better off waiting for you guys to get an order in cos it'll be cheaper than me shelling out for postage?

[tomtom]

I think so..  Fatdoc?

[runt]

+1 interested

[Johnny Brown]

+1, possibly.

[fatneck]

Happy to wait and definitely want one. Money waiting

[Dolly]

So, (and please excuse my thickness) does this mean I'm better off waiting for you guys to get an order in cos it'll be cheaper than me shelling out for postage?

Yes I think so.
I think fatdoc ordered just one from them direct and paid the postage so I expect he can confirm if that's the case.
Is that right FD ?

[lagerstarfish]

interested, but might be next year before I need it

[dontfollowme]

Possibly interested.

[fatdoc]

I paid for Norton to go fist class back from Vancouver to bring one back from Canada, well the upgrade anyway.

What's the postage you've been quoted.

Containers full of pads take a fair few weeks, they come from China iirc, but interest seems to be mounting. If the are no pads left at the works I will let peeps borrow one of mine for a day. Our try before u buy offer last time has a near 100% purchase rate, I'm confident u lot will like em!

[SA Chris]

I paid for Norton to go fist class back from Vancouver to bring one back from Canada, well the upgrade anyway.

I so hope that isn't a typo.

[fatneck]

Not been quoted any price yet as they haven't got back to me 

Will re-hassle them....

[fatdoc]

Felt like it Chris.

Good job I nice comfy pad to sit on after 

[fatneck]

Flashed are out of stock as are the French company they put me in touch with.... I have asked them for info about when stock will be back in.

Also, I spoke to the nice chaps at Banana Fingers who said something along the lines of production costs having risen meaning that they(as a company) wouldn't be getting any more in as they didn't think they'd be able to make anything on them...

Curiouser and curiouser...

[fatdoc]

Well tbh the last lot me and me mates brought  in we did in the main just to get a pad out of it... And a few more pence. U won't make zillions from this.. so..  As long as yr expectations are centred anyone can bring a container load in.. Storage is a challenge mind.

I'll see who else is up for another venture asap.

[fatneck]

Just heard back from Flashed and they won't have any more in stock untill "fall" this year...

[tomtom]

Bah.

[lagerstarfish]

"fall"

 

I'd prefer one to be in place before I fall

[fatneck]

Whilst messing about in work I came across this air pad from Trango...

A review from Greg here, in which he seems to make out that it's probably better and definitely cheaper than the Ronin although bigger and thus heavier...

Mmmm 

[slackline]

A review from Greg here, in which he seems to make out that it's probably better and definitely cheaper than the Ronin although bigger and thus heavier...

Mmmm 

That review states the Trango is 0.5kg heavier, yet has an area of 1.5m² area compared to the Ronin's 1.23m² surface area.

[fatneck]

Good point Slackers...

Anyone any personal experiences of using one of these? Will I be the bane of my friends drivers turning up at the designated collection point for a days climbing with this on my back?

[Richie Crouch]

As long as you carry it Si there is always more than enough room in white beauty!

[fatneck]

Yeah Rich, and O's van as well...

Seriously considering it as my waist expands and my knees get older!

[Richie Crouch]

Just start necking the thermabol and cut down on the beers

[tomtom]

I checked out the Trango (online of course) and was a little put off/unsure, as its two thickish (50mm each?) bits of foam with the airbag thingy in between.. so would over time presumably would also suffer from foam softening.. unlike the Ronins which are mostly air-pocket things and much less foam.. (AFAIK etc..)

[runt]

Any updates anyone? Still autumn before flashed get themselves sorted with stock?

[GraemeA]

When we sold out of the Ronins I looked into getting some more. The 2 big problems were:

1) The trade price had gone up quite significantly.
2) the exchange rate had got worse, much worse. When we bought 50 Ronins in 2007 (or whenever it was) the rate was over $2 (Canadian) to the £. These days it is 1.56

We did make a little bit of cash on the Ronins but when you take the above into account I reckon we would have to sell them for close to £400 now to make even a small amount of cash.

For anyone planning to bring them in don't forget that unless you are VAT registered you will have to absorb the VAT as well, this worked out as something like £30 a pad and will of course be more now as VAT has increased since we brought them in - I am VAT registered so we didn't lose this cash.

And as Fatdoc says storing them is a major issue, initially they were spread all over the place, in cellars, garages and bedrooms!! Luckily I have a large climbing wall where they ended up.

[runt]

Thanks for the update Graeme, sounds like a no go for the foreseeable then

[fatdoc]

yeah... we made enough for 1 pad each... and a few £100 each from the 3 of us that financed it.

If sterling maintains it's euro defying position then I would consider another venture, thou TBH I'm not hopeful.