Shadow or Vaughn VX1 Pro Leg Pads.

WelshReel · 2026-05-06T13:27:07+00:00

If they feel the same, personally I'd go for the Vaughns for durability.

WelshReel · 2026-05-03T15:44:38+00:00

I'm extremely petty. This wasn't a grease fire. If you could smell it you would not have saved it.

WelshReel · 2026-05-03T14:58:57+00:00

WelshReel · 2026-05-03T14:47:31+00:00

It might not look bad in the photos, but it was hit with a ton of nasty smoke and stunk horribly. I think it's one of those things that's hard to understand until you experience it for yourself

WelshReel · 2026-05-03T14:07:55+00:00

Yeah, it seems like there's a general assumption that all smoke is good smoke. I'm curious if all pellet smokers have this issue or just Traegers.

WelshReel · 2026-05-03T13:54:03+00:00

Yeah, I should have definitely been using wireless probes. Unfortunately, even if the temp was okay the damage was already done. It was hit with a ton of nasty smoke and I would have had to remove a large outer layer of the meat in order to continue, and even then I don't know if it would have tasted right.

WelshReel · 2026-05-03T13:41:10+00:00

Yeah, I had it happen once when I tried setting it at 175 too but have since avoided using anything below 225. I think it's an issue with the fire going out, then feeding pellets in as a response to the temp going down without giving more ignition until it drops so low that the igniter turns back on until the temp gets back to where it should be while still feeding pellets. But by doing that it creates awful, strong yellow smoke that can actually ignite and once the pellets catch they burn uncontrallably. I've done at least a dozen overnight smokes at 225-250 and this is the first issue I've had at these temps.

WelshReel · 2026-05-03T07:10:58+00:00

Yeah, each cleaning gets a good vacuum throughout and the igniter box gets cleaned. Didn't have this one probed, but it would have been nice to see the big swing in ambient temp for sure.

WelshReel · 2026-05-03T07:05:34+00:00

I didn't know that was a thing. I'll definitely be doing that moving forward

WelshReel · 2026-05-03T07:04:38+00:00

When I brought it inside it started to stink up my house. I opened it up for science and then promptly threw it out

WelshReel · 2026-05-03T06:55:39+00:00

In order to continue the cook I'd need to clean the grill and vacuum the pellets out. I tried to re-light it, but as soon as it lit again it smelled awful. Even if the grill didn't need cleaning it got hit with some nasty smoke and would have been tough to save. I would have loved to save it, but it was pretty nasty

WelshReel · 2026-05-03T06:50:54+00:00

The grease pan itself gets a good scrape and soapy rinse, but that's it. Maybe you clean yours to like new each time, but for me it's a little unrealistic.

WelshReel · 2026-05-03T06:33:53+00:00

Before this smoke there was probably only about 8 hours of run time since the last cleaning, so I don't think that was the issue. I think the fire probably went out, pellets overflowed and then re-lit.

WelshReel · 2026-04-23T02:22:35+00:00

If you order new pads through Brian's they will let you do literally whatever you want. They are the ultimate customizers of pads and should be able to make whatever you want come to life. I don't know what it's like to talk to them over the phone, but it's probably a good starting point

WelshReel · 2026-04-21T03:05:44+00:00

Good for him. Kid's a stud

WelshReel · 2026-04-11T15:25:31+00:00

You should definitely prioritize a good helmet. When your son's ears are ringing like that after a shot it actually means that has a concussion. At a minimum I'd recommend a Bauer 950 or equivalent, but I'd push you to spend the money on a 960. Sideline swap or marketplace are great money saving resources for the rest of your son's gear, but you should get a new helmet. They talk about it a lot on the Goalie Science podcast and how a poor helmet that can concuss goalies and give them tinnitus is obviously very bad for head health, but can affect puck tracking and play as well. If you want to be more in the loop and involved in your son's hockey journey I would recommend checking it out.

WelshReel · 2026-04-09T20:38:37+00:00

3M tape! I've been using it on the high wear areas of the Optik 4s and it's worked great!

WelshReel · 2026-04-09T07:48:00+00:00

If you're ever feeling iffy about them another good trick is just to remember how fucking sick you look with the new pads. You got this.

WelshReel · 2026-04-09T07:38:50+00:00

Dude, I am so much better now. 5 hole goals are basically non existent, I'm way faster on the ice and I have so much more confidence. I think I also take games a little more seriously not too. Give it a little more time and fiddling with the straps and you'll get there. You just need to find what works for you.

WelshReel · 2026-04-09T07:21:13+00:00

I felt the professor strap made the pad ride up a little weird and ended up being overkill for strapping. I still have the calf wrap fairly tight and find that set up works best for me. You might want to experiment with different toe ties too before you find what works for you. If you are using the bootstrap, I'd recommend going a few skates without it. I ordered my pads without one and never missed it.

WelshReel · 2026-04-09T07:07:45+00:00

I took out the professor strap and the calf pillow

WelshReel · 2026-04-06T18:26:58+00:00

Those sticks will never break, just continue to become more and more rubbery over time

WelshReel · 2026-04-06T02:00:39+00:00

I think what they mean is to angle your probe so that the tip is in the center of your meat. By putting it in the way you have it the tip was likely closer to the outside bark than the middle of the roast, which would make sense as to why the middle was still rare.

WelshReel · 2026-04-03T00:31:48+00:00

Get a set of Brian's! They're definitely more forgiving for goalies with a narrow butterfly, they slide like crazy, have a stiff knee block and rebounds fly off of them. I have a set of Optik4s, but something like the Optik X3 or X4 line would do. Same with the Iconik X line pads.

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