Review: CypherStyles Elbow Pad

B-Boy Epidemic, also known as Scott Anouthai, is one of Atlanta’s foremost up-and-coming b-boys. He represents Battle Instincts Crew.

The Look

The design of the elbow pads is nice and sleek, with the imprint of CypherStyles at the top of the gear. The material feels comfortable – it has an Under Armour feel, keeping your elbows feeling cool. Black looks good on the gear, although it would be much nicer to have other color options.

The Fit

One problem I have with these elbows pads is it’s not a one size fits all – at least not a very comfortable one. You can work the elbow pad up your arm if you just try hard enough, but the size that it comes in is a little too tight. Everyone in my crew managed to get it on, no matter the size of each person’s arm, but the problem was that it became a matter of how long they were able to keep it on before their arms went numb. (That’s what she said. Also, CypherStyles’s other “Primo” elbow pad is adjustable for those with bigger arms. – Ed.)

The Lowdown

The pad’s protection is very noticeable, keeping your forearms more durable during practice. For those who normally don’t do blow up moves, the sense of security will get you attempting things you normally wouldn’t. Thankfully, this gear will keep you going a couple more tries where b-boys usually quit because of pain.

This gear is also very slide-friendly, meaning with the right momentum, you can easily slide a foot or two. In fact, the material makes it so prone to sliding that I would not recommend this for competitions. The slick padding’s inconsistent grip on the floor can make it risky to try to land clean freezes or elbow tracks. You might end up with too much momentum and lose the move, which happened to me several time at practice (though it could be because I practice on tile). There’s not a lot I can say about spinning because I fail at spinning on my forearms, although I can imagine finding balance for the spin would be very difficult because of the slickness of the material.

The elbow pad itself is not very durable. When I mess around with the material, it feels like it could easily rip apart. I haven’t used it too long and have already gotten got a slight tear.

The Bottom Line

I like it, but I’m not going to recommend it.

In my opinion, it is pretty pricy to be investing in something like this. You can grab some Nike arm bands, mix and match with your clothing with the variety of colors, and still somewhat protect your arm at a fraction of the price.

It is really fun to use – if you want one to have one, then go ahead and one. But you don’t need this to learn a move or improve your overall b-boying, and it’s not ideal for battles.

C+

Buy one for $14.95 here.

Buy two for $24.95 here.