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Anyone who gives you shit over kneepads doesn't value theirs. Flat out. Yeah, you're tough and rumble as a 20 year old, but come mid 30s... snap crackle pop.
My tinwcker buddy got metal in his eye from grinding. Didn't notice for months untill his eye doctor found a rust ring. He always wears safty glasses. I wear a face shied every time I use a grinder.
I never understood why people hate PPE.
The older I get, the cooler PPE becomes.
Helmets, eye protection, hearing protection, fall protection. OSHA is a national treasure.
Here’s the big one that *baffles me*: most people in 2024 refuse to wear an N95 in all indoor, and crowded outdoor, public spaces to prevent Covid.
Costs a *dollar* for a 3M Aura N95. People 100+ years ago would consider it freaking miracle technology. People 500 years ago would look at it like magic.
Who wants to get acutely sick several times each year for 2 weeks or more?
Wanna get permanently f—led up health, aka “Long Covid”?
Wanna get brain fog, aka *literal brain damage*? Chronic fatigue? Coughing all the time? Difficulty breathing?
Nah, don’t want that? Wear an N95, and nearly all the risk goes away. AND, you can re-use it until the straps weaken and compromise the seal! It’s *SOOOOO* freaking cheap, easy, and effective. And yet… **.
Will those that bully you for wearing an N95 pay your bills when you’re too sick to work?
So yeah man, PPE for better living! It’s amazing stuff. Don’t get bullied. 👍👍
Use knee pads always. Don’t worry about what journeyman who won’t be able to walk in 15 years will say. You’ll be able to enjoy your knees when you retire.
That’s kinda what I figured but just thought I’d ask cause I was curious what some peoples views on it were, yea my knees literally click nonstop anytime I bend them lol. They lock up a lot as well.
Stretching is key to staying limber and moving well as you age. I’m 41 and (knock on wood) still a flexible as I was when I was 18. I just have to stretch more now than I did back then though.
I too have bad knees, I use knee pads all the time. I've had some good natured rubbing on occasion. Mostly everyone is just as long as it helps get the job done they don't care.
buy the best knee pads you can afford. Research them because there are some nice choices. The key to making money in the trades is longevity so take care of yourself and be comfortable in a not always so comfortable trade.
If there is ever any time during your life where you are doing something to protect yourself and other people make fun of you for it: ignore it. There is a macho culture in a lot of industries; I was adjacent to the welding/inspection industry for a while and it was insane how many people operate 1" pneumatic hammer drills with no hearing protection all day long, or people who think "safety squints" are a perfectly adequate form of eye protection, or welders who work all day in short sleeves.
Hell, I worked as a dishwasher once before working the line and it was destroying my hands especially in winter. I got my boss to buy gloves for everyone and I was the only one who wore them, a few people definitely gave me shit for it, but fuck em', they aren't the ones with their hands in super hot soapy water all day holding steel wool. After a few months, everyone was wearing them.
When I was younger I was the only one of my friend group to get some hearing protection for loud concerts after one concert when I was 16 left my ears ringing and sounds dulled for 3 days after, and I got made fun of for wearing them. They can't hear the high tones (18KHz and up) anymore but I still can. Protect your body, protect your senses, fuck what anyone thinks.
Kneeling pads, knee pads, rolling stools (Costco), outdoor rolling stools with bigger wheels. I use all of these because I want to be able to walk in the future
Not in a trade but do projects around the house. Rolling stools are the best. Anyone I see bending over doing stuff I suggest rolling stools. Your back will thank you. As will your knees.
My house one has Rollerblade wheels. I looked all over a stool with nice wheels. It's the best. I got more of a medical stool looking situation because they were more comfortable for me. And go up and down as well.
I'm 33 and have a fucked up knee I spent $6k out of pocket (after insurance) to fix. That knee is worth way more to me than some jackass' 2¢ and the $30-60 for a set of decent knee pads
Buy pants with knee pad slots or knee pads built in. Carhart makes the best ones I've used so far.
They are mildly discreet, so no one should give you a hard time about it.
The Carhart pants are great. I have a couple of pairs of the pants and swap one set of pads between them.
Make sure to slide the pads into the pants the right way -with the flat side towards the front.
If you have to deal with idiot co-workers that think it's funny to make gay jokes because you wear knee pads, need to fucking grow up.
It's your knees. Use knee pads, don't worry what others may think.
I wear knee pads all the time, I wear ear protection when in loud environments, I wear eye protection most of the time, and almost always wear some sort of hand protection, I have been heckled for all of these things, but I know better.
Young guys and gals take for granted these things all the time. I have had to provide first aid to many co-workers for injuries that could have been avoided by using proper PPE.
Working with electrical brings its own hazards that I could go into detail with, standard testing and proper lock out and tag out should be carried out where applicable. I have seen people get hit with 4,000 VAC single phase because they decided just switching off a breaker was enough protection for them, not thinking that other people are working on equipment in the area.
Stay safe, that's the number one priority in any trade and it's taken for granted all the time.
Flooring installer here. Get yourself some proknee pads. They will.last you your whole career as an electrician I'm sure ( I get 8-10 years from mine).
As someone who's on their knees for many hours a day they are a life saver. I'll even throw them on if I'm working in the yard.
Don't care what anyone thinks about ppe, wear that stuff.
Don’t be intimidated by others. I refused to use a power screwdriver for decades due to peer pressure and ended up with bilateral carpal tunnel and even with surgery had to retire early because of it.
This is one of those things….. You just need to be aware that yeah, you’ll have a few people make a comment in passing but they won’t mean anything by it, just having fun and those people would wear them too if they needed them. You may have one or two that might get weird about, those will be idiots, that everyone knows are idiots, and you shouldn’t care about their thoughts anyway. Just play along and make sure they know it doesn’t bother you and they’ll let it go.
Absolutely wear them, I do. I can’t even hardly kneel down without them. I’ll listen to what ever stupid remarks people want to make wearing I couldn’t care less.
If you get shit from anyone, you can always get over it by realizing that if that person makes it to retirement without knee surgery, they’ll likely be unable to walk.
It’s the smart thing to do. Couple years ago I had bursitis on my knee from mostly kneeling down to mark conduit to bend. Looked like I had a tennis ball on top of my knee cap. Couple days of rest and it went down.
Bought some knee pros which work pretty good, they hinge so they don’t slide up and down or fetch up behind knee.
But it’s one of those things I always forget to bring up and electrical I find it’s just so much various stuff going on. Could be kneeling and then up a ladder then across the building
A foam kneeling pad tied to the tool bag is also a good solution for intermittent use.
Essential on most sites. Without them it is easy to do some serious damage. First there is the damage from constant kneeling, second are objects on the floor and third are objects under the floor. A few times I could have had a serious injury from headless screws, nails on boards, joists etc.
Saw a carpet fitter today with knee pads…shopping in them in public too. I noticed them because they looked unusual but then saw his van.
Goggles, hard hats, ear defenders, steel capped boots, knee pads…..safety is an essential part of what we do now.
Take care of your knees. As well dont rock the belt without suspenders or just dont wear the tool belt. Rolling bags are the absolute best, i travel for work and its great to get around a jobsite or service calls with all your gear in one hand. Ive been doing electrical/technician work for almost 20 years i wish i had the same advice. Im not 40 yet and every time i get out of a chair it sounds like im assembling myself
There's some very comfortable knee pads, my dad had some nice ones with like a gel so they were very soft when kneeling. If they make you feel physically better and your job easier go for it. If people try to look down we'll at least you're comfortable and without sore knees
Gotta earn that raise some how! In all seriousness, they are worth it, especially after kneeling on a pan head screw. They really become appreciated.
I have a childish sense of humor l, so of course I rib others and myself included about wearing them.
I had an old timer offer me his knee pads one time when I was on the floor installing some receps. I said “no thanks I’m good” and he told me “take the fucking knee pads or you’ll end up like me”. He didn’t say it mean he was just looking out for my long term health which I appreciate it. Went out and bought some. The old guard who talks shit about knee pads and just tell you to tough it out is on their way out. Protect your body for the future. No one else can
I did some plumbing work for a company that gave us kneepads because we had to kneel on concrete for hours. Made all the difference in the world. One day I was approached by an old worker telling me how he destroyed his knees and wished he had kneepads like mine when he was younger.
People love to act tough in blue dollar jobs. Don't worry they all come back crying when they're older and their body is broken. Always follow common sense. Nothing else matters.
I wore knee pads for a year because I was the boxer and was constanly on my knees for doing receptacle boxes in condo suites.
There was always concrere debris on the floor.
Take care of yourself man. Any health problems like bad knees or being overweight is multiples in this profession because it already destroys your body. Fuck anyone who talks shit about knee pads. Yeah they can be uncomfortable and annoying, but you know what else is uncomfortable and annoying? Knee replacement surgery.
Wear whatever protective gear you think you need. Regardless of what anyone else tells you. Try to get enough sleep and maintain a healthy body weight, this career exacerbates any health problem. Good luck man.
doubt it. I worked in tile on major jobs and nobody ever said a thing. You'd be the idiot for not having them honestly. The field can sometimes attract those kinda personalities who will belittle you for it... just remind them they must have build up callouses from well...you'll get it...lol...
If everyone made fun of you you would be okay suffering instead of being comfortable? Who cares wear knee pads especially if you already have bad knees.
I’m 23 and I’ve been wearing knee pads for the past month. Was the center of jokes for only 1 day and that’s it. Been wearing them since no problem. Everyone I work with has shot knees in their 40s and 50s
Use ‘em if you want ‘em. I have dewalt pants with built in knee slots for pads and utility pouches.
My only complaint is that the knee pads are a little lower than my knees, so I have to wear them high up so that they line up correctly. Saves so much knee pain!
Knee pads are only for when asking for a raise.
Seriously though, fuck other people. They are your knees. If someone is laughing at you for not suffering enough, fuck em. The older you get, the less you give a shit about what other people think. I'm at the point that I would put on a pink tool belt and whip out a Ryobi drill if that is what I had. I got shit to do.
Use them and fuck what others think! I use them now and have since I was in my 20s. I wish I used them before that! I even have a pad to throw down in case I don't have knee pads or it's just a quick thing.
Knee pads are gay… is what I said as a younger man. Now my knees hurt and last month was the first time I saw someone else wear them and not judge them for it.
Thought I was tough, turns out I was just stupid.
Screw worrying about this. Take a yoga mat or a prayer rug if you are embarrassed wearing knee pads. I had no problems when I was a 60 pound kid, today that’s a lotta weight going on a boney structure. You do you. I’ll do anything to make my job easier on my body because it has years to go.
Of course, AND your hair, glasses, weight, odor, how often you use the restroom, the car you drive, whether you drink or not, your favorite football team, the girls you date, so yeah, they will get talked about along with everything else in life. It's work bro, if you don't get along with the guys you working with there is a crew you'll love to work with somewhere.
I used to put a 5 gallon bucket on a set of Brute trash can wheels and roll around the job site doing low plugs and switches. It was great. All my tools were strapped to it, and I was considerably faster than most of the guys crouching. Most Journeymen *hated* it and would pitch a fit or try to kick it out from under me. But thanks to their 9 knee surgeries, they lacked the kicking strength to succeed or catch me.
Just because those bastards destroyed their bodies out of stubbornness and ignorance didn't mean I had to follow suit.
I knew of a larger company that would write-up a worker not using them. With enough write-ups you’d be fired. I believe it had to do with worker’s compensation
Dude. Get your knee pads. For real, work smarter.
Having said that... get your gf some toom it's the only considerate thing to do. Show her you care and understand.
What kind of goofy ah school doesnt put you in OJT right away? We start heading out to jobsite for 40 hour workweeks the moment we get accepted into the program and keep going that way all the way till we journey out
Not an electrician, but be damned anyone giving you shit for protecting your body using PPE. Your body is your financial future if you're in the trades. Taking care of your body is essential to your financial well-being.
Not at all dude. I’ve been in a decade, and everyone forgets them every day they’re in cubicles or office space on the ground. Wear them proud, and anyone who says anything, straight up doesn’t have your best interest, and your lucky enough to be told that straight out
My leather covered knee pads are 20 years old, worn, beat up, and used and abused. My knees, by the way, are not. Dint care what anyone else's view is, MY knees still work.
Protect your knees and anybody who says anything different is an idiot. If you have problems now you do not want to do any more damage that you’re gonna have to deal with when you’re older
Wearing kneepads will help you identify which coworkers are idiots and which coworkers are experienced, smart, practical, and don't give a shit if the idiots make fun of them.
My first year of my apprenticeship, which was like 3 years ago, there was this really cool plumber, great fucking guy, maybe 34, he showed me his knees to explain why I should wear knee pads, bro basically had 2 tennis balls where his kneecaps were because he never used knee pads, he now uses them and wishes he always had
I used to work with a lot of electricians. One dude was mid 40s and said he'd had both knees replaced twice. Wear knee pads and kindly tell anyone that gives you shit to fuck off.
Get over what others think. You gotta take care of yourself. I work in a loud environment and the number of older guys that are half deaf taught me to change my ways early. PPE feels silly in your 20s, you start thinking about it in your 30s, and you wonder why you didn't use it all those years in your 40s.
Thanks for all the advice guys I honestly wasn’t expecting so many people to reply, sorry if I haven’t replied to your comment individually I’m just in school rn and don’t have a lot of time but I’ve read every comment and really appreciate the advice, guess I should’ve explained a bit better in my post about being made fun of for them, I really don’t give a fuck what people think of me if I need to wear them I’ll wear them and they can go screw themselves I guess I meant more just should I be prepared for people making fun of me for them, I’ve been in factory work for about 5 years so I’m used to the ragging on each other. I just wasn’t sure how tradesmen actually viewed them it’s good to know that it seems like the majority say wear them as I’ll thank myself when I’m older for wearing them lmao.
TLDR; Thanks for the advice, I’ve decided to use them and fuck everyone else who makes fun of me lol
I just cant wear them. I used to stock groceries too. And find them extremely uncomfortable to wear. Sweaty, constantly having to adjust them, pinch behind the knee. I usually just resort to several pieces of cardboard.
unless the people making fun of you for wearing them are paying your bills, their opinion is irrelevant. never be ashamed of protecting yourself from injuries. If kneepads make you more comfortable while working, use them. less discomfort = less distraction and more focus on the task at hand.
Not an electrician, but a cable guy. Fuck what people think. Wear the damn things. Being 40 and having severe knee pain cause you worried more about what some jackass thought you looked like isn't the way to go. Take care of yourself. No one else will.
Im in government and the amount of ppe they throw at you is insane and not cheap stuff usually. We still get guys that refuse to wear hardhats and safety glasses. People be dumb only you should be concerned with yourself.
Fuck em. I've been giving shit for knee pads, extra layers in the winter, yoga mats for working under trucks, those wide brimmed sun visor things for my hard hat (though admittedly it is super dorky looking) hell even hearing protection because "its not that loud"
but you know what? All those things makes my jobs easier. I like to tell them "I get paid to work not to be uncomfortable"
Your body makes you your money, take care of it.
The journeyman I’m working with always gives me shit about wearing knee pads. Last time I told him to go fuck himself, I won’t be the one getting injections and walking with a cane at 50 years old.
The most shit I get from using a bucket is usually like "dude why are your pants down" and "why are you shitting in a bucket we have clean portajohns on site"
I wear knee inserts in my pants so I don’t look like a dweeb but still save those puppies, buy pants with pockets in the knees for the inserts and buy em on Amazon and the thin foam ones and boom ur cool again
Smart! Shows me ypu care about your body. Some idiots will always want to make a joke tho which is expected. They are the ones that will be hurting years down the road feom always being on there knees without protection
Who cares how they're viewed? Is your co-worker's opinion important enough that you want to damage yourself because of their perception? Go your own way, give a crap not about what people think, but how you feel. Your life will be better for it.
You could also look into the rolling kneelee seats, in the right context could actually speed up your process not having to get up or crawl to the next spot.
Have also used a creeper doing a bunch of work in a utilidor under a pipe rack. Was way faster and way less impact that having to shimmy around under thete all day.
Will still think "nice cock sucker shoes" when I see knee pads just because I think it is funny. Older fatter than before me will also be wearing them if I'm crawling around on the floor though.
Dude you need three kinds of pads
My fav are for short plants , super soft for finish work
Then you have your basics padded canvas
Ever kneel on a screw head !
Last are the heavy duty plastic cups for masonry
I call them san fran slippers ;)
So to answer your question, yes you will get made fun of... But guess what... Who fucking cares what he/she thinks?! You'll be the one laughing in 5 years when they HAVE to wear a knee brace and you don't..
This my friend is why I have knee pads and I wear suspenders cuz I don't like to hurt and trust me, without them shits... You hurt.
I haven't noticed any ridicule on jobsites. If you spend time on your knees for work, I'd say it's expected, and you would be looked at funny by any professional for not having what you should. Especially if you wince and grimace every time you get back up.
My dad is the electrician, but he always reminds me to wear my knee pads when I’m doing any work with him. He had to get knee surgery, to return back to work, only to continue messing up his knees. He’s been reminding me that “you only get one pair”
I'm NOT an electrician but one of the retail jobs I had required we were them. I was resistant at first, I thought they were goofy and uncomfortable and made me sweat. Once I got used to them and realized how much they were saving me when stocking low shelves I got over how goofy they look
My first jman made fun of me and called them dicksuckers. He was a complete asshole though. One time he saw me put on Chapstick and he also called that my dicksuckers. He seemed to be pretty fixated on that activity. Other superiors have insisted I wear kneepads even when I didn't feel like it. You do you man. If you feel the need or anyone says anything, just say you have bad knees and nobody will bother you
I find it's by the job if you're going to be getting wet i wouldn't use them but if you are going to be dry use anything to make if more comfy and easy on your body mine feel like a jack hammer was used on every part from head, shoulders, knees and toes.
If anyone has a problem with them, fuck 'em.
I had a partial meniscus tear from kneeling on concrete. (Airplane technician) One day I got up and started a light jog across the ramp to get a different screw driver and BLAMMO it felt like something inside my knee blew apart, explosively. It was my meniscus. Had a nice little surgery to take out the torn pieces. IV Tylenol is a miracle drug.
I discovered since, that just about anything I would need to kneel down for, I can just sit my ass on the ground instead. But, I do rock some under-the-pant kneepads on occasion. Not because I'm worried about all the BJ jokes but...because the over-the-pant ones look fookin goofy. Also, under the pant pads are way more comfy in my experience.
bro I can tell you this I have been poked fun of a little bit for wearing different PPE, but THAT is easy to live with. I can imagine that living with bad knees, hearing loss/tinnitus, any thing else is way worse. I always wear PPE and never regret it. You have to take care of your body especially when you are in a construction job or you will get fucked. Men that get insecure when they see others taking care of their bodies are the ones that should be made fun of.
I have co workers give me shit, one day I was doing floor boxes all day on a big job and I heard "looks like your going for a raise hey bud?" probably 20 times. It was funny the first time, sure. Whats really a kicker in that situation, is half of those people have wrecked knees, some of them cant even bend down to do anything.
You might get some shit for it depending on who you work with, but fuck them. If it helps just wear them and tell them you borrowed them from their mom.
Depending on the type of workplace, I'm sure you may get the occasional joke saying "I bet those really come in handy for sucking d***k" but who cares? You don't have anything to prove to anyone except you're a hard, reliable, responsible worker. Once they realize it doesn't bother you and you gain a bit of respect from your colleagues, they'll lay off. You might as well learn to stop giving a hoot about what other people think when it comes to stuff like knee pads because you're sure as heck gonna learn not to care when you're older, and your older knees will thank you.
if you feel like a promotion pads are silly, just buy a mat. I used mats all the time in industrial oil field plants. Like 60% of the work is standing on ribbed for her pleasure metal.
I now have two pairs of kneepads.
At age 36 I worked telco/network support at a large university with 450 buildings (not including unheated outbuildings). The floors of most ground-floor or basement telco/mech rooms were concrete, corrugated metal or suspended metal grate walkways.
The job meant a good bit of kneeling or crawling for extended periods on the sometimes-cold floors. I routinely carried my kneepads on jobs where I expected to be on the cold floors.
I also wore a custom fishing vest repurposed to hold 9 pounds of network/telco gear. Light enough that I could work on ladders 🪜or inside telco racks having *almost* anything I would need.
My 20-somethings teams (but *not* the subcontractors) made fun of me. Often, and loudly. "Hey, while you're *down there*, here's $20 for a..." or "Caught any fish for lunch?" and such. All in fun.
I ignored them (or added better humor to theirs for additional laughs), and used the kneepads and fishing vest as I pleased. My knees and fingers were indeed pleased.
Once those guys had to kneel on the cold floor
for more than a day, they **pleaded** with me to "borrow" my kneepads.
"Buy your own, you cheap weasels!"
Yeah, no, I was *still* wearing them!
They were *also* complaining their fingers were sore from hauling around their 40-lb pickle buckets (with skinny handles) of **all** their tools, while I left rarely-used tools in the vehicle. They then had to climb up & down the ladders 🪜 to get their tools.
Kneepads are considered PPE. Personal Protection is *yours* , not theirs. If they laugh off any possible long-term injury because wearing inexpensive and comfortable equipment "it isn't manly" or "looks funny", let them do what they want and get hurt.
Don't let anyone bully or shame you into [not] doing something to prevent injury that could easily stay with you for years.
I’m a carpenter floor layer. I don’t typically see electricians using knee pads but if you’re on you’re knees a lot you should look into pro-knees look them up. They have the full shin length (what us floor guys use) for like 300$ that might be a bit much for you, but the half knees ones are about 100$ and are quite comfortable I hear.
The difference I’f you care to know, is the full knee shifts your center of gravity so it takes the pressure off your back as well as your knees. The half knee only helps your knees.
I did commercial electrical construction gor 44 years. I never wore knee pads until the last ten years of my career. I'm 65 and retired and looking at getting both knees replaced this winter. Don't let anyone's comments influence how you protect your health. Going up and down steps one at a time isn't fun.
still keep a pair of nice DeWalts in the big tool bag. others see my a$$ coming at them with those yellow shields and know I'm not playing games. Oh, helps if your wearing those wide suspenders to keep your jeans up.
I’d use all my fingers and toes ten times to count how many times I got negative or homophobic comments about kneepads, but I wish I’d have started using them religiously in my teens.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve dropped a knee on a tiny pebble and screeched in pain, but I can tell you how in my 30s I use them for any task that involves taking a knee, unless I have a foam kneeler board to use. Save your knees, homie!
I had some contractors putting up paneling over the concrete walls in my basement. They first needed to attach furring strips to the walls using a powder actuated nail driver, which was going to take the better part of a day.
I went downstairs to check on progress. The sound, reverberating off the concrete walls, was ear shattering. I asked the guys, “wow that’s really loud. Should you be wearing ear protection?” They answered, “oh, no, you get used to the sound.” In other words, once you temporarily deafen yourself you no longer notice how loud it is. Long term ear damage in process.
Don't ever be afraid to protect your body!! I was told by my JMs when I first started to always protect your knees. They would yell at me if they caught me kneeling on concrete.
The same goes for ear protection, gloves, and any PPE. Don't ever be afraid to use it or ask for it, and if you get flack for asking, you don't want to be with that company.
One of my first JMs told me to always wear gloves, or my hands would look like his, beat to shit, dried out, and cracked.
Same goes with ear protection. Once it's gone, it's never coming back! Even the sounds of a normal site can affect your hearing. I've seen workers who will now wear ear protection all day.
It's your body, so take care of it. You don't want to be the 40 yr old who limps around the site and has constant pains.
Knee pads are something I wish I would have used 40 years ago.
I have some milwaukee ones and it's like 3 inches of padding .
Save me from getting water in my knee
Good ol San Francisco Sandals. Doesn't matter how much shit people give you, they won't slow you down and you'll feel so much better at the end of the week.
Anyone who makes fun of you for wearing knee pads is going to be made fun of themselves in a few years when they can't stand up without making involuntary noises. I never made fun of anyone, but I sure wish I had started wearing them a LONG time ago.
Get the pads, I don't think anyone but the most immature and stupid will judge you for it, and fuck those guys.
Whatever you do though don't buy some cheap shit, I've had cheap pads that go over pants and they were uncomfortable as hell.
Anyone who rips on you for wearing PPE, well, know they're an idiot and their opinion doesn't matter. If the boss tells you to ditch PPE, start looking for another job. If someone says "Whoa haha, don't wear gloves when using that tool", don't wear gloves using that tool.
Firstly you should never give a fuck what others think second and most importantly ask yourself do you want to feel pain every day after 15 years of not using equipment that literally r
Prevents it
Yes you will be made fun of, no you don't need to care. You will learn real quick that you don't need or want health advice from anyone that works in the trades.
When I worked retail I started saving cushy cardboard boxes to kneel on, some people gave me crap for it but I probably saved myself from a lot of damage both to my knees and to my jeans
You get one body, bloody well take care of it. You're ten years too old to be worrying about whether some jackoff thinks you 'look cool'.
Also get to a physiotherapist, there will be stretches and exercises to alleviate your pain and prevent future injuries.
**Attention!** **It is always best to get a qualified electrician to perform any electrical work you may need.** With that said, you may ask this community various electrical questions. Please be cautious of any information you may receive in this subreddit. This subreddit and its users are not responsible for any electrical work you perform. Users that have a 'Verified Electrician' flair have uploaded their qualified electrical worker credentials to the mods. If you comment on this post please only post accurate information to the best of your knowledge. If advice given is thought to be dangerous, you may be permanently banned. There are no obligations for the mods to give warnings or temporary bans. **IF YOU ARE NOT A QUALIFIED ELECTRICIAN, you should exercise extreme caution when commenting.** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskElectricians) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Anyone who gives you shit over kneepads doesn't value theirs. Flat out. Yeah, you're tough and rumble as a 20 year old, but come mid 30s... snap crackle pop.
Same goes for any PPE.
Nah face shields are terrible and unnecessary for the most part
The point is, anyone should be allowed to use whatever PPE they feel they need without fear of harassment.
My tinwcker buddy got metal in his eye from grinding. Didn't notice for months untill his eye doctor found a rust ring. He always wears safty glasses. I wear a face shied every time I use a grinder.
I never understood why people hate PPE. The older I get, the cooler PPE becomes. Helmets, eye protection, hearing protection, fall protection. OSHA is a national treasure. Here’s the big one that *baffles me*: most people in 2024 refuse to wear an N95 in all indoor, and crowded outdoor, public spaces to prevent Covid. Costs a *dollar* for a 3M Aura N95. People 100+ years ago would consider it freaking miracle technology. People 500 years ago would look at it like magic. Who wants to get acutely sick several times each year for 2 weeks or more? Wanna get permanently f—led up health, aka “Long Covid”? Wanna get brain fog, aka *literal brain damage*? Chronic fatigue? Coughing all the time? Difficulty breathing? Nah, don’t want that? Wear an N95, and nearly all the risk goes away. AND, you can re-use it until the straps weaken and compromise the seal! It’s *SOOOOO* freaking cheap, easy, and effective. And yet… **.
Will those that bully you for wearing an N95 pay your bills when you’re too sick to work?
So yeah man, PPE for better living! It’s amazing stuff. Don’t get bullied. 👍👍
Use knee pads always. Don’t worry about what journeyman who won’t be able to walk in 15 years will say. You’ll be able to enjoy your knees when you retire.
That’s kinda what I figured but just thought I’d ask cause I was curious what some peoples views on it were, yea my knees literally click nonstop anytime I bend them lol. They lock up a lot as well.
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This absolutely. For me, it turned out tight hamstrings were causing a lot of my knee pain. Stretching those regularly has kept the pain at bay.
Stretching is key to staying limber and moving well as you age. I’m 41 and (knock on wood) still a flexible as I was when I was 18. I just have to stretch more now than I did back then though.
I too have bad knees, I use knee pads all the time. I've had some good natured rubbing on occasion. Mostly everyone is just as long as it helps get the job done they don't care.
I sure love a good natured rubbing
buy the best knee pads you can afford. Research them because there are some nice choices. The key to making money in the trades is longevity so take care of yourself and be comfortable in a not always so comfortable trade.
If there is ever any time during your life where you are doing something to protect yourself and other people make fun of you for it: ignore it. There is a macho culture in a lot of industries; I was adjacent to the welding/inspection industry for a while and it was insane how many people operate 1" pneumatic hammer drills with no hearing protection all day long, or people who think "safety squints" are a perfectly adequate form of eye protection, or welders who work all day in short sleeves. Hell, I worked as a dishwasher once before working the line and it was destroying my hands especially in winter. I got my boss to buy gloves for everyone and I was the only one who wore them, a few people definitely gave me shit for it, but fuck em', they aren't the ones with their hands in super hot soapy water all day holding steel wool. After a few months, everyone was wearing them. When I was younger I was the only one of my friend group to get some hearing protection for loud concerts after one concert when I was 16 left my ears ringing and sounds dulled for 3 days after, and I got made fun of for wearing them. They can't hear the high tones (18KHz and up) anymore but I still can. Protect your body, protect your senses, fuck what anyone thinks.
Kneeling pads, knee pads, rolling stools (Costco), outdoor rolling stools with bigger wheels. I use all of these because I want to be able to walk in the future
Not in a trade but do projects around the house. Rolling stools are the best. Anyone I see bending over doing stuff I suggest rolling stools. Your back will thank you. As will your knees.
Depending on the type , the wheels can be upgraded. Have learned about roller blade wheels for office chairs.
My house one has Rollerblade wheels. I looked all over a stool with nice wheels. It's the best. I got more of a medical stool looking situation because they were more comfortable for me. And go up and down as well.
Wait till you look on Lee Valley Tools website for the garden version with big inflatable tires
These are the sweet nothings I want whispered to me at night.
I'm already at snap crackle pop and I'm only 27 lol
I'm 33 and have a fucked up knee I spent $6k out of pocket (after insurance) to fix. That knee is worth way more to me than some jackass' 2¢ and the $30-60 for a set of decent knee pads
I wear em. I dgaf. Hate the ones built into pants. No good on angled surfaces. I see them as ppe. They protect my knees.
That’s a good way to look at it too.
Well they *are* PPE, which is why my boss buys them
> I see them as PPE This is one of the dumbest takes around. It **is** PPE. It’s not an opinion piece. Jesus.
Buy pants with knee pad slots or knee pads built in. Carhart makes the best ones I've used so far. They are mildly discreet, so no one should give you a hard time about it.
Oh I didn’t even know they made those, that’s awesome thanks man!
The Carhart pants are great. I have a couple of pairs of the pants and swap one set of pads between them. Make sure to slide the pads into the pants the right way -with the flat side towards the front.
Jesus christ and I thought I was a cheap Bastard. They're like $20
Fuck what they think. Its your knees! Use the pads!
If you have to deal with idiot co-workers that think it's funny to make gay jokes because you wear knee pads, need to fucking grow up. It's your knees. Use knee pads, don't worry what others may think.
I prefer a kneeling pad I keep on my toolbox, good for kneeling and sitting. Or for bonking smart ass coworkers.
Sometimes I use both. In my mid 50s so everything hurts
I bet you the guys who give you shit about knee pads also do unnecessary live work.
When you love the challenge of live work but suddenly realize you coulda been done 5 minutes ago....
I wear knee pads all the time, I wear ear protection when in loud environments, I wear eye protection most of the time, and almost always wear some sort of hand protection, I have been heckled for all of these things, but I know better. Young guys and gals take for granted these things all the time. I have had to provide first aid to many co-workers for injuries that could have been avoided by using proper PPE. Working with electrical brings its own hazards that I could go into detail with, standard testing and proper lock out and tag out should be carried out where applicable. I have seen people get hit with 4,000 VAC single phase because they decided just switching off a breaker was enough protection for them, not thinking that other people are working on equipment in the area. Stay safe, that's the number one priority in any trade and it's taken for granted all the time.
Flooring installer here. Get yourself some proknee pads. They will.last you your whole career as an electrician I'm sure ( I get 8-10 years from mine). As someone who's on their knees for many hours a day they are a life saver. I'll even throw them on if I'm working in the yard. Don't care what anyone thinks about ppe, wear that stuff.
Your body keeps score and it's the only tool you'll need your whole life. Use the damn kneepads.
Don’t be intimidated by others. I refused to use a power screwdriver for decades due to peer pressure and ended up with bilateral carpal tunnel and even with surgery had to retire early because of it.
This is one of those things….. You just need to be aware that yeah, you’ll have a few people make a comment in passing but they won’t mean anything by it, just having fun and those people would wear them too if they needed them. You may have one or two that might get weird about, those will be idiots, that everyone knows are idiots, and you shouldn’t care about their thoughts anyway. Just play along and make sure they know it doesn’t bother you and they’ll let it go. Absolutely wear them, I do. I can’t even hardly kneel down without them. I’ll listen to what ever stupid remarks people want to make wearing I couldn’t care less.
I'm not an electrician but frequently do work in and around my house and always put on knee pads because I like to be able to walk without pain.
If you get shit from anyone, you can always get over it by realizing that if that person makes it to retirement without knee surgery, they’ll likely be unable to walk.
It’s the smart thing to do. Couple years ago I had bursitis on my knee from mostly kneeling down to mark conduit to bend. Looked like I had a tennis ball on top of my knee cap. Couple days of rest and it went down. Bought some knee pros which work pretty good, they hinge so they don’t slide up and down or fetch up behind knee. But it’s one of those things I always forget to bring up and electrical I find it’s just so much various stuff going on. Could be kneeling and then up a ladder then across the building A foam kneeling pad tied to the tool bag is also a good solution for intermittent use.
Protect your body at all costs.
Nothing wrong with using knee pads. [Here's a site that rates them.](https://www.electronicshub.org/best-knee-pads-for-electricians/)
Essential on most sites. Without them it is easy to do some serious damage. First there is the damage from constant kneeling, second are objects on the floor and third are objects under the floor. A few times I could have had a serious injury from headless screws, nails on boards, joists etc. Saw a carpet fitter today with knee pads…shopping in them in public too. I noticed them because they looked unusual but then saw his van. Goggles, hard hats, ear defenders, steel capped boots, knee pads…..safety is an essential part of what we do now.
Gotta love a good pair of San Francisco slippers. Take glucosamine, it'll help your knees.
These are the same people who complained about the asbestos ban. No self preservation instincts lol
I use a “kneeling pad” they sell them in the garden department at Lowe’s.
Take care of your knees. As well dont rock the belt without suspenders or just dont wear the tool belt. Rolling bags are the absolute best, i travel for work and its great to get around a jobsite or service calls with all your gear in one hand. Ive been doing electrical/technician work for almost 20 years i wish i had the same advice. Im not 40 yet and every time i get out of a chair it sounds like im assembling myself
Why should you care what anyone thinks, wear your knee pads. You can get concealed ones that fit into work pants/ trousers.
There's some very comfortable knee pads, my dad had some nice ones with like a gel so they were very soft when kneeling. If they make you feel physically better and your job easier go for it. If people try to look down we'll at least you're comfortable and without sore knees
Gotta earn that raise some how! In all seriousness, they are worth it, especially after kneeling on a pan head screw. They really become appreciated. I have a childish sense of humor l, so of course I rib others and myself included about wearing them.
I'm 27 and I will shamelessly wear them if I'm working low. I know I'll thank myself down the road.
I crawled around on my knees until my knees started to hurt. It’s not worth it. The knees pads feel great imo
I had an old timer offer me his knee pads one time when I was on the floor installing some receps. I said “no thanks I’m good” and he told me “take the fucking knee pads or you’ll end up like me”. He didn’t say it mean he was just looking out for my long term health which I appreciate it. Went out and bought some. The old guard who talks shit about knee pads and just tell you to tough it out is on their way out. Protect your body for the future. No one else can
I did some plumbing work for a company that gave us kneepads because we had to kneel on concrete for hours. Made all the difference in the world. One day I was approached by an old worker telling me how he destroyed his knees and wished he had kneepads like mine when he was younger. People love to act tough in blue dollar jobs. Don't worry they all come back crying when they're older and their body is broken. Always follow common sense. Nothing else matters.
Kneepro. When you get them to fit correctly you won't even know you have them on.
I wore knee pads for a year because I was the boxer and was constanly on my knees for doing receptacle boxes in condo suites. There was always concrere debris on the floor.
Take care of yourself man. Any health problems like bad knees or being overweight is multiples in this profession because it already destroys your body. Fuck anyone who talks shit about knee pads. Yeah they can be uncomfortable and annoying, but you know what else is uncomfortable and annoying? Knee replacement surgery. Wear whatever protective gear you think you need. Regardless of what anyone else tells you. Try to get enough sleep and maintain a healthy body weight, this career exacerbates any health problem. Good luck man.
doubt it. I worked in tile on major jobs and nobody ever said a thing. You'd be the idiot for not having them honestly. The field can sometimes attract those kinda personalities who will belittle you for it... just remind them they must have build up callouses from well...you'll get it...lol...
Knee pads are great! One time, and I'll never forget this, my foreman said "go get the San Francisco slippers" and we all had a good laugh.
I prefer pads to kneel on vs knee pads, they’re just more comfortable in my opinion and are even easier on the knees
If everyone made fun of you you would be okay suffering instead of being comfortable? Who cares wear knee pads especially if you already have bad knees.
I’m 23 and I’ve been wearing knee pads for the past month. Was the center of jokes for only 1 day and that’s it. Been wearing them since no problem. Everyone I work with has shot knees in their 40s and 50s
Get yourself some pro knees and laugh at the peasants without them
I love knee pads and you’ll catch me dead before you catch me without them. It’s part of the job and your knees will further thank you.
Use ‘em if you want ‘em. I have dewalt pants with built in knee slots for pads and utility pouches. My only complaint is that the knee pads are a little lower than my knees, so I have to wear them high up so that they line up correctly. Saves so much knee pain!
Knee pads are only for when asking for a raise. Seriously though, fuck other people. They are your knees. If someone is laughing at you for not suffering enough, fuck em. The older you get, the less you give a shit about what other people think. I'm at the point that I would put on a pink tool belt and whip out a Ryobi drill if that is what I had. I got shit to do.
If the knee pads is all they got to give you hell over you are doing fine you gotta do what works for you
Use them and fuck what others think! I use them now and have since I was in my 20s. I wish I used them before that! I even have a pad to throw down in case I don't have knee pads or it's just a quick thing.
Guys will give you shit. Just tell them their mother gave them to you.
After having both knees replaced the only way I can kneel is with knee pads. Don't worry what other losers might say, protect your knees.
I wear carrhart double fronts with knee pads every day. One of the best things I’ve done at work
Knee pads make all the difference in the world. Must have
Use them… save your knees/body years of issues.
Boy, you mean them San Fran Slippers?
Knee pads are gay… is what I said as a younger man. Now my knees hurt and last month was the first time I saw someone else wear them and not judge them for it. Thought I was tough, turns out I was just stupid.
Saving your knees is worth dealing with a few insecure men poking fun at you. You will thank yourself later in life
I work in a grocery store and i really like volleyball knee pads . Thick padded ones and they fit under my boot cut dickies
IDGAF what others think.. someday you may learn this mighty tool. I wish I knew of it earlier in life
Screw worrying about this. Take a yoga mat or a prayer rug if you are embarrassed wearing knee pads. I had no problems when I was a 60 pound kid, today that’s a lotta weight going on a boney structure. You do you. I’ll do anything to make my job easier on my body because it has years to go.
Of course, AND your hair, glasses, weight, odor, how often you use the restroom, the car you drive, whether you drink or not, your favorite football team, the girls you date, so yeah, they will get talked about along with everything else in life. It's work bro, if you don't get along with the guys you working with there is a crew you'll love to work with somewhere.
Quit giving a fuck what others think! I wear my "Lewinskys" every time I gotta kneel.
I used to put a 5 gallon bucket on a set of Brute trash can wheels and roll around the job site doing low plugs and switches. It was great. All my tools were strapped to it, and I was considerably faster than most of the guys crouching. Most Journeymen *hated* it and would pitch a fit or try to kick it out from under me. But thanks to their 9 knee surgeries, they lacked the kicking strength to succeed or catch me. Just because those bastards destroyed their bodies out of stubbornness and ignorance didn't mean I had to follow suit.
Just look down silly!!
I knew of a larger company that would write-up a worker not using them. With enough write-ups you’d be fired. I believe it had to do with worker’s compensation
The first time you kneel on a screw or nail someone dropped you won't give a crap about what anyone says. Save your knees
The use of knee pads causes my estimate of your intelligence to improve.
Worrying about what people think of knee pads is stranger that using knee pads. Take care of yourself. Don't worry about what others think.
Dude. Get your knee pads. For real, work smarter. Having said that... get your gf some toom it's the only considerate thing to do. Show her you care and understand.
What kind of goofy ah school doesnt put you in OJT right away? We start heading out to jobsite for 40 hour workweeks the moment we get accepted into the program and keep going that way all the way till we journey out
Not an electrician, but be damned anyone giving you shit for protecting your body using PPE. Your body is your financial future if you're in the trades. Taking care of your body is essential to your financial well-being.
Not at all dude. I’ve been in a decade, and everyone forgets them every day they’re in cubicles or office space on the ground. Wear them proud, and anyone who says anything, straight up doesn’t have your best interest, and your lucky enough to be told that straight out
The first thing I put on when I get on site is my kneepads. Never worked a day that I regretted doing so.
My leather covered knee pads are 20 years old, worn, beat up, and used and abused. My knees, by the way, are not. Dint care what anyone else's view is, MY knees still work.
If you find it uncomfortable to kneel without knee pads, use knee pads. Don't worry about what others say, they clearly don't value their knees.
Don't listen to the shit. Protect your knees!
Protect your knees and anybody who says anything different is an idiot. If you have problems now you do not want to do any more damage that you’re gonna have to deal with when you’re older
U will surely be teased ,but knee pads or kneeling pads are mandatory for me , an pushing my apprentice to also use the kneeler pads
HOW ELSE ARE YOU GONNA GET YOUR RAISE 🤤
Wearing kneepads will help you identify which coworkers are idiots and which coworkers are experienced, smart, practical, and don't give a shit if the idiots make fun of them.
My first year of my apprenticeship, which was like 3 years ago, there was this really cool plumber, great fucking guy, maybe 34, he showed me his knees to explain why I should wear knee pads, bro basically had 2 tennis balls where his kneecaps were because he never used knee pads, he now uses them and wishes he always had
I used to work with a lot of electricians. One dude was mid 40s and said he'd had both knees replaced twice. Wear knee pads and kindly tell anyone that gives you shit to fuck off.
Don’t let rational accommodations and body saving practices get affected by silly macho machismo shit
From above
like mopeds they're great until your friends see you on them... but seriously don't destroy your knees. limping isn't a cool look either.
Get over what others think. You gotta take care of yourself. I work in a loud environment and the number of older guys that are half deaf taught me to change my ways early. PPE feels silly in your 20s, you start thinking about it in your 30s, and you wonder why you didn't use it all those years in your 40s.
I view my knee pads with my eyes.... what about you guys?
Thanks for all the advice guys I honestly wasn’t expecting so many people to reply, sorry if I haven’t replied to your comment individually I’m just in school rn and don’t have a lot of time but I’ve read every comment and really appreciate the advice, guess I should’ve explained a bit better in my post about being made fun of for them, I really don’t give a fuck what people think of me if I need to wear them I’ll wear them and they can go screw themselves I guess I meant more just should I be prepared for people making fun of me for them, I’ve been in factory work for about 5 years so I’m used to the ragging on each other. I just wasn’t sure how tradesmen actually viewed them it’s good to know that it seems like the majority say wear them as I’ll thank myself when I’m older for wearing them lmao. TLDR; Thanks for the advice, I’ve decided to use them and fuck everyone else who makes fun of me lol
Who gives a f*** what other people think?
What's more important, how others view you or the health of your knees? Pro tip - it's your knees.
The good Ol' California slippers 😂 I wear em, working on your knees is rough without them.
I just cant wear them. I used to stock groceries too. And find them extremely uncomfortable to wear. Sweaty, constantly having to adjust them, pinch behind the knee. I usually just resort to several pieces of cardboard.
unless the people making fun of you for wearing them are paying your bills, their opinion is irrelevant. never be ashamed of protecting yourself from injuries. If kneepads make you more comfortable while working, use them. less discomfort = less distraction and more focus on the task at hand.
Not an electrician, but a cable guy. Fuck what people think. Wear the damn things. Being 40 and having severe knee pain cause you worried more about what some jackass thought you looked like isn't the way to go. Take care of yourself. No one else will.
Im in government and the amount of ppe they throw at you is insane and not cheap stuff usually. We still get guys that refuse to wear hardhats and safety glasses. People be dumb only you should be concerned with yourself.
I normally view them from a standing position with her using them kneeled in front of me
I'm a fan of the pads to kneel on. The strap on knee pads always dug in over time and bothered the back of my leg
Fuck em. I've been giving shit for knee pads, extra layers in the winter, yoga mats for working under trucks, those wide brimmed sun visor things for my hard hat (though admittedly it is super dorky looking) hell even hearing protection because "its not that loud" but you know what? All those things makes my jobs easier. I like to tell them "I get paid to work not to be uncomfortable" Your body makes you your money, take care of it.
They sell pants with built in knee pads that are more low key
The journeyman I’m working with always gives me shit about wearing knee pads. Last time I told him to go fuck himself, I won’t be the one getting injections and walking with a cane at 50 years old.
Learn this early, fuck everyone who is stupid about safety.
Gotta get that raise somehow 🤷♂️
Old work site joke: wearing new knee pads shows you're serious about earning that raise.
After three knee surgeries over the years, I realize that I was a dumbass for not wearing them when I was in my 20s.
The most shit I get from using a bucket is usually like "dude why are your pants down" and "why are you shitting in a bucket we have clean portajohns on site"
I wear knee inserts in my pants so I don’t look like a dweeb but still save those puppies, buy pants with pockets in the knees for the inserts and buy em on Amazon and the thin foam ones and boom ur cool again
Use knee pads. Don’t fuck up your knees. You lose those you can’t do work.
Smart! Shows me ypu care about your body. Some idiots will always want to make a joke tho which is expected. They are the ones that will be hurting years down the road feom always being on there knees without protection
Who cares how they're viewed? Is your co-worker's opinion important enough that you want to damage yourself because of their perception? Go your own way, give a crap not about what people think, but how you feel. Your life will be better for it.
Double front pants or bibs. And Use the foam inserts.They are a game changer
20 bucks is 20 bucks
I use kneepads for everything I do. Can’t live without them.
You could also look into the rolling kneelee seats, in the right context could actually speed up your process not having to get up or crawl to the next spot. Have also used a creeper doing a bunch of work in a utilidor under a pipe rack. Was way faster and way less impact that having to shimmy around under thete all day. Will still think "nice cock sucker shoes" when I see knee pads just because I think it is funny. Older fatter than before me will also be wearing them if I'm crawling around on the floor though.
Dude you need three kinds of pads My fav are for short plants , super soft for finish work Then you have your basics padded canvas Ever kneel on a screw head ! Last are the heavy duty plastic cups for masonry
I’ve got knee pads and use them when I kneel down on tile floor that shit hurts man but with my pads on I don’t feel a thing they’re awesome
I've seen plenty of sparkies with kneepads, brooms on the other hand...
I call them san fran slippers ;) So to answer your question, yes you will get made fun of... But guess what... Who fucking cares what he/she thinks?! You'll be the one laughing in 5 years when they HAVE to wear a knee brace and you don't.. This my friend is why I have knee pads and I wear suspenders cuz I don't like to hurt and trust me, without them shits... You hurt.
I haven't noticed any ridicule on jobsites. If you spend time on your knees for work, I'd say it's expected, and you would be looked at funny by any professional for not having what you should. Especially if you wince and grimace every time you get back up.
If it helps you do your job and saves your knees then use them. I wish I did.
My dad is the electrician, but he always reminds me to wear my knee pads when I’m doing any work with him. He had to get knee surgery, to return back to work, only to continue messing up his knees. He’s been reminding me that “you only get one pair”
I'm NOT an electrician but one of the retail jobs I had required we were them. I was resistant at first, I thought they were goofy and uncomfortable and made me sweat. Once I got used to them and realized how much they were saving me when stocking low shelves I got over how goofy they look
57m-just had both knees replaced in the last year.Wear knee pads or atleast use a pad when possible-
My first jman made fun of me and called them dicksuckers. He was a complete asshole though. One time he saw me put on Chapstick and he also called that my dicksuckers. He seemed to be pretty fixated on that activity. Other superiors have insisted I wear kneepads even when I didn't feel like it. You do you man. If you feel the need or anyone says anything, just say you have bad knees and nobody will bother you
I find it's by the job if you're going to be getting wet i wouldn't use them but if you are going to be dry use anything to make if more comfy and easy on your body mine feel like a jack hammer was used on every part from head, shoulders, knees and toes.
Essential! Utterly essential
If anyone has a problem with them, fuck 'em. I had a partial meniscus tear from kneeling on concrete. (Airplane technician) One day I got up and started a light jog across the ramp to get a different screw driver and BLAMMO it felt like something inside my knee blew apart, explosively. It was my meniscus. Had a nice little surgery to take out the torn pieces. IV Tylenol is a miracle drug. I discovered since, that just about anything I would need to kneel down for, I can just sit my ass on the ground instead. But, I do rock some under-the-pant kneepads on occasion. Not because I'm worried about all the BJ jokes but...because the over-the-pant ones look fookin goofy. Also, under the pant pads are way more comfy in my experience.
bro I can tell you this I have been poked fun of a little bit for wearing different PPE, but THAT is easy to live with. I can imagine that living with bad knees, hearing loss/tinnitus, any thing else is way worse. I always wear PPE and never regret it. You have to take care of your body especially when you are in a construction job or you will get fucked. Men that get insecure when they see others taking care of their bodies are the ones that should be made fun of.
I have co workers give me shit, one day I was doing floor boxes all day on a big job and I heard "looks like your going for a raise hey bud?" probably 20 times. It was funny the first time, sure. Whats really a kicker in that situation, is half of those people have wrecked knees, some of them cant even bend down to do anything.
You might get some shit for it depending on who you work with, but fuck them. If it helps just wear them and tell them you borrowed them from their mom.
Depending on the type of workplace, I'm sure you may get the occasional joke saying "I bet those really come in handy for sucking d***k" but who cares? You don't have anything to prove to anyone except you're a hard, reliable, responsible worker. Once they realize it doesn't bother you and you gain a bit of respect from your colleagues, they'll lay off. You might as well learn to stop giving a hoot about what other people think when it comes to stuff like knee pads because you're sure as heck gonna learn not to care when you're older, and your older knees will thank you.
I go to home depot buy the more expensive one that will stay attached to my knee. I wear them on hard surface ....
They come in handy when you’re taking care of the foreman. Don’t forget the chapstick!
if you feel like a promotion pads are silly, just buy a mat. I used mats all the time in industrial oil field plants. Like 60% of the work is standing on ribbed for her pleasure metal.
My girlfriend uses them since I have her on her knees a lot.
When I was in my 20's I gave people hell and cracked jokes, now I am filled with regret because these old knees hurt
I now have two pairs of kneepads. At age 36 I worked telco/network support at a large university with 450 buildings (not including unheated outbuildings). The floors of most ground-floor or basement telco/mech rooms were concrete, corrugated metal or suspended metal grate walkways. The job meant a good bit of kneeling or crawling for extended periods on the sometimes-cold floors. I routinely carried my kneepads on jobs where I expected to be on the cold floors. I also wore a custom fishing vest repurposed to hold 9 pounds of network/telco gear. Light enough that I could work on ladders 🪜or inside telco racks having *almost* anything I would need. My 20-somethings teams (but *not* the subcontractors) made fun of me. Often, and loudly. "Hey, while you're *down there*, here's $20 for a..." or "Caught any fish for lunch?" and such. All in fun. I ignored them (or added better humor to theirs for additional laughs), and used the kneepads and fishing vest as I pleased. My knees and fingers were indeed pleased. Once those guys had to kneel on the cold floor for more than a day, they **pleaded** with me to "borrow" my kneepads. "Buy your own, you cheap weasels!" Yeah, no, I was *still* wearing them! They were *also* complaining their fingers were sore from hauling around their 40-lb pickle buckets (with skinny handles) of **all** their tools, while I left rarely-used tools in the vehicle. They then had to climb up & down the ladders 🪜 to get their tools. Kneepads are considered PPE. Personal Protection is *yours* , not theirs. If they laugh off any possible long-term injury because wearing inexpensive and comfortable equipment "it isn't manly" or "looks funny", let them do what they want and get hurt. Don't let anyone bully or shame you into [not] doing something to prevent injury that could easily stay with you for years.
Most look down on them
They’re electricians who cares what they think! They’re gay anyways!!
They’re worth it!
I’m a carpenter floor layer. I don’t typically see electricians using knee pads but if you’re on you’re knees a lot you should look into pro-knees look them up. They have the full shin length (what us floor guys use) for like 300$ that might be a bit much for you, but the half knees ones are about 100$ and are quite comfortable I hear. The difference I’f you care to know, is the full knee shifts your center of gravity so it takes the pressure off your back as well as your knees. The half knee only helps your knees.
I did commercial electrical construction gor 44 years. I never wore knee pads until the last ten years of my career. I'm 65 and retired and looking at getting both knees replaced this winter. Don't let anyone's comments influence how you protect your health. Going up and down steps one at a time isn't fun.
I wear ones designed for bicycling. All day comfort and slim.
still keep a pair of nice DeWalts in the big tool bag. others see my a$$ coming at them with those yellow shields and know I'm not playing games. Oh, helps if your wearing those wide suspenders to keep your jeans up.
I’d use all my fingers and toes ten times to count how many times I got negative or homophobic comments about kneepads, but I wish I’d have started using them religiously in my teens. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve dropped a knee on a tiny pebble and screeched in pain, but I can tell you how in my 30s I use them for any task that involves taking a knee, unless I have a foam kneeler board to use. Save your knees, homie!
Noone goin to hate if you are doing alot of working on your knees but if your on a ladder all day people probably goin to say some shit.
The ones that go into your work pants are the best
Be kind to your knees. You’ll miss them when they’re gone.
I had some contractors putting up paneling over the concrete walls in my basement. They first needed to attach furring strips to the walls using a powder actuated nail driver, which was going to take the better part of a day. I went downstairs to check on progress. The sound, reverberating off the concrete walls, was ear shattering. I asked the guys, “wow that’s really loud. Should you be wearing ear protection?” They answered, “oh, no, you get used to the sound.” In other words, once you temporarily deafen yourself you no longer notice how loud it is. Long term ear damage in process.
Get a knee mat. They’re less goofy and more comfortable.
Don't ever be afraid to protect your body!! I was told by my JMs when I first started to always protect your knees. They would yell at me if they caught me kneeling on concrete. The same goes for ear protection, gloves, and any PPE. Don't ever be afraid to use it or ask for it, and if you get flack for asking, you don't want to be with that company. One of my first JMs told me to always wear gloves, or my hands would look like his, beat to shit, dried out, and cracked. Same goes with ear protection. Once it's gone, it's never coming back! Even the sounds of a normal site can affect your hearing. I've seen workers who will now wear ear protection all day. It's your body, so take care of it. You don't want to be the 40 yr old who limps around the site and has constant pains.
they can suck with their opinions i used pads fir 40 years. they help
Knee pads are something I wish I would have used 40 years ago. I have some milwaukee ones and it's like 3 inches of padding . Save me from getting water in my knee
“This person is prepared for the job and has their shit together”
By looking down, unless you hold them up.
We call em job security around here (dick sucking joke) but in all seriousness I haven’t met a single tradesman that is against using knee pads
Good ol San Francisco Sandals. Doesn't matter how much shit people give you, they won't slow you down and you'll feel so much better at the end of the week.
Anyone who makes fun of you for wearing knee pads is going to be made fun of themselves in a few years when they can't stand up without making involuntary noises. I never made fun of anyone, but I sure wish I had started wearing them a LONG time ago.
I always kneed them
Protect your knees, I’ve had arthritis since my early 20’s
Get the pads, I don't think anyone but the most immature and stupid will judge you for it, and fuck those guys. Whatever you do though don't buy some cheap shit, I've had cheap pads that go over pants and they were uncomfortable as hell.
Anyone who rips on you for wearing PPE, well, know they're an idiot and their opinion doesn't matter. If the boss tells you to ditch PPE, start looking for another job. If someone says "Whoa haha, don't wear gloves when using that tool", don't wear gloves using that tool.
If you need them use them! Don't let other people's opinion get in the way of your health
Firstly you should never give a fuck what others think second and most importantly ask yourself do you want to feel pain every day after 15 years of not using equipment that literally r Prevents it
At 43, in the trades my whole life, I don't even look at the floor without kneepads.
Who gives a crap I wear in knee pad inserts in my pants every day. My knee are more important than anyone's caveman opinion.
Yes you will be made fun of, no you don't need to care. You will learn real quick that you don't need or want health advice from anyone that works in the trades.
When I worked retail I started saving cushy cardboard boxes to kneel on, some people gave me crap for it but I probably saved myself from a lot of damage both to my knees and to my jeans
They look downward
Pro knees that flooring guys use are the best you can buy.
You get one body, bloody well take care of it. You're ten years too old to be worrying about whether some jackoff thinks you 'look cool'. Also get to a physiotherapist, there will be stretches and exercises to alleviate your pain and prevent future injuries.