aaahh perma-bilt!
I have seven pair of perma-bilt pads that have been with me for more than ten years. I love these pads:)
IMHO they are one of the secrets behind developing really powerful round kicks. Kinda like what the circle pad does for punching power.
One word of caution though...these pads are not that great for hand and foot combo's. They weigh ten pounds each so it's hard to move them around fast.
Kao are yours stuffed with foam are cloth? Perma-bilt tried to switch to a foam fill for a while and I thought they really sucked.
Ryan
It is probably cloth filled. We only have the one pad, and it is heavy as shit! Like I said, we use it only for the leg kicking drill where you hold it agaist your thigh and let your partner kick it.
As I said, it is heavy as shit and it is hard as hell. It feels like a mini-heavy bag.
Khun Kao
There are many, many brands of Thai pads which are worth checking out. Their quality ranges from decent to excellent. In most cases, you get what you pay for. In other words, the more you are willing to shell out, the more likely you are to get high quality equipment.
But, here are some tips when checking into purchasing Thai pads:
1. Make sure the pads are leather. Leather is more durable and will not chaffe the skin as much as other materials.
2. Make sure you know what the companies return policy is if you receive damaged goods. Also, find out what their policy is if in a couple of months the stitching breaks. This is probably the most common problem with Thai pads. The stitching is prone to splitting. How long does the company guarentee their product?
3. I highly recommend finding Thai pads with Velcro fasteners rather than buckles. Velcro fasteners are much easier to get in and out of, they are more adjustable to an individuals size, and if you use the pads for unconventional drills, you don't have to worry about accidentally gouging your skin with a metal buckle.
Now, the brands that I list below are all brands that I have personally used and recommend. A few of the brands may not be available in the States, or hard to come by, as much of the equipment has been brought to our gym directly from Thailand.
1. THAISMAI- This has been one of my favorite brands for a very long time. Very durable. However, I've only seen them with metal fasteners and the stitching is prone to break. Because this is a Thai brand, you can almost completely forget getting it repaired, replaced, or refunded. Unless you have a connection or return to Thailand yourself. This companys other products range in quality. They have EXCELLENT bag gloves and light sparring gloves, a very good heavy bag, decent shin guards and decent belly protector. Their shorts are also good quality.
2. SIAM- Another Thai brand. A little better stitching than THAISMAI. I've not used this brand as extensively.
3. TWINS- My new favorite Thai brand. It is available in the States through the Twins website or Fairtex's website. EXCELLENT quality and EXCELLENT customer service. A bit pricey, but worth the extra expense for a quality product. In fact, all of the TWINS merchandise that I've had the opportunity to use has been great stuff! And TWINS does have the option of buckles or velcro.
4. WINDY- This is a pretty decent Thai brand, available in the States. It's quality isn't quite as good as TWINS or THAISMAI, but it is generally reliable and decently priced. I have not used too much of their other equipment, but it all seems to be decent quality at a reasonable price. Excellent if you're on a budget.
5. PERMA-BILT- The Thai pad that we have from this company has held together perfectly for over 10 years! It is vinyl covered, but has not split or cracked. It has velcro straps, and it is hard as a rock. We have been using this for our leg kicking drills for over 10 years now and it works great. Don't know if they still sell this model or not.
6. RINGSIDE- Aside from the fact that RINGSIDE does sell TWINS equipment, they sell RINGSIDE and POWER-something brand Thai pads. I have little experience with them, but they seem to be of decent quality, and are VERY reasonably priced. If money is tight, these pads will be good for you. RINGSIDE also has good customer service and your order is delivered within a couple of days.
Anyway, good luck!
Khun Kao
Does anyone know any links to some sites that sell quality thai kicking targets for a good price? I don't know what brand I should trust or how much I should be paying. Thanks.
We have both Twins and Ringside, and I prefer the twins.
We also have a couple of the Fairtex leg kick pads.
I like them but the seem to get very little use in the gym.
-Joe
KK & Rpratt, are the perma-bilt pads you have the blue "arm pads?" I have a pair of that brand that are like log armbads, just curious if they're the same ones you have.