The 6 Best Football Shoulder Pads | All Star Gear Guru

We put the top six shoulder pads through the ultimate laboratory testing at Washington State University. This is what parents of football players need to know.

Every year, hundreds of thousands of youth and adult football players suffer shoulder and upper body injuries. Broken collar bones, dislocated shoulders, and broken ribs will have your child on the sidelines and potentially miss out on the chance to make it to the next level. Many of these injuries can be prevented with proper protection from well-designed shoulder pads. As parents, we scrutinize helmets and worry about concussions, but we rarely question the quality of the football pads our children wear.

In this article, we'll explore the critical importance of quality shoulder pads and reveal the results of our groundbreaking laboratory testing. We will tell you the best options available and which shoulder pads should be avoided. Our findings could revolutionize how parents, coaches, and players think about upper body protection in football.    

Taking Matters into Our Own Hands

We searched high and low for good data about shoulder pad safety and came up blank. The only thing we could find was flimsy marketing claims from the manufacturers. We thought this was too important to leave unsettled, so we decided to conduct a first of its kind safety test on shoulder pads. 

Initiating Independent Tests

Recognizing the need for an unbiased and scientific approach, we partnered with Washington State University (go Cougs!) to conduct our tests. The Sports Science Lab is managed by Dr. Nick Smith, a fantastic collaborator who designed the test to meet the highest standards of research and accuracy.

Testing Methodology

We evaluated the top six shoulder pads on the market. Each pad was subjected to a series of controlled tests that would mimic real-life football impacts and ultimately tell us which shoulder pad is the safest.

• A drop tower with a weighted helmet was used to simulate a real-life impact. 
• The shoulder pads were carefully placed on top of a load cell that measured the force of the impact. 
• The helmet dropped onto the pads at 1,000 pounds of force. 
• Each football pad was tested three times to ensure consistency and eliminate any potential anomalies or errors in measurement.

This method allowed us to quantify, in precise terms, how effectively each shoulder pad reduced impact force. The results were eye-opening, revealing significant differences in protection levels among various brands and models.

Impact Absorption Isn’t Everything

While impact absorption is crucial for shoulder pad effectiveness, it’s not the only factor. The weight of the pad also plays a significant role in a player's mobility and overall safety on the field. To address this, we developed our Safety-Efficiency Score, which balances protection and mobility.

The Safety-Efficiency Score

A shoulder pad’s effectiveness must balance two crucial factors: impact absorption and weight. Here’s why this balance is important:

• Impact Absorption: The primary function of a shoulder pad is to protect the player from impacts. The more force the pads absorb, the less force is absorbed by the player's body.
• Weight: A heavy pad might offer great protection but could impair a player's mobility. On the other hand, a light pad might offer greater mobility, but might not provide adequate protection.

To illustrate, imagine two extreme scenarios:

• A shoulder pad made of cinderblocks offers excellent protection but severely limits movement.
• A pad made of cardboard is extremely light but offers almost no protection.

Neither extreme is suitable. The ideal pad strikes a balance between protection and mobility. This is where our Safety-Efficiency Score comes in.

Formula for Safety-Efficiency Score: 

Safety-Efficiency Score = {[(75% × Impact Protection) + (25% × Weight Efficiency)] × 100} - minimum acceptable score of 84

1st Place

XTech Custom X2

Safety-Efficiency Score: 9.4

2nd Place

Schutt XV Flux

Safety-Efficiency Score: 8.5

3rd Place

Douglas SP FF17-CANT

Safety-Efficiency Score: 7.4

4th Place

Xenith Velocity Pro Light

Safety-Efficiency Score: 6.9

5th Place

Riddell Power SPK

Safety-Efficiency Score: 5.0

6th Place

VICIS ARC_V1 Elite

Safety-Efficiency Score 2.7

Key Takeaways

XTech emerged as the clear winner of our test. Their balance of impact absorption and light weight put them at the top of the list. 

This aligns with what we see in the NFL where XTech pads are seen more than any other brand. It's no surprise that the highly competitive NFL environment uses XTech shoulder pads as the go-to gear for enhancing player performance and reducing injury risk. It seems the professional players, coaches, and equipment managers already knew what our testing just proved. 

At the other end of the spectrum was Xenith. Despite their aggressive social media marketing campaign, they had the worst impact absorption of all the pads we tested. They managed to avoid the bottom spot in our Safety-Efficiency Score rankings only due to their extremely light weight. This highlights the importance of looking beyond marketing claims when choosing protective gear.

The other shocker in this test was VICIS's last-place finish. Renowned for producing the safest helmets (according to the Virginia Tech Helmet Lab). VICIS's poor shoulder pad performance was unexpected. Their pads launched in June 2024 and fell far short of expectations. This contrast between how good their helmets are and how bad their shoulder pads scored highlights the need for independent, scientific testing to eliminate bias and reveal true product effectiveness.

What are NFL players and coaches saying about shoulder pads?

Shoulder pads aren’t the most talked about piece of football equipment out there. But as anyone who watches football knows, NFL players are spotted wearing XTech more than any other pad. We caught up with the founder of Xtech Bob Broderick and he confirmed our observation. He told us that over 80% of the pros and 70% of FBS are currently wearing Xtech shoulder pads. (We also contacted the other five companies we tested but haven’t heard back yet.)

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Here’s what some NFL players and elite coaches have to say about the topic:

“I need to be fast, I need to be nimble, I need to be quick and explosive. The quickness and the nimbleness and the clean fit and the protection that XTech provides in the new custom fits… is something that should make you feel a thousand times more confident out there on the field.” Puka Nacua, Wide Receiver, LA Rams 

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“Safety is everything…So I needed something that was able to protect me and something I’m going to be confident in. And I think XTech does a great job of obviously making sure the combination of the custom fit as well as the way these pads are made is awesome.” Fred Warner, Linebacker, San Francisco 49ers 

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“Playing quarterback in the NFL obviously you’re in the pocket a lot but at times when you’re getting out and making plays on the run you want to be able to count on your pads to absorb a hit, to protect you, while not sacrificing the range of motion and the mobility when you gotta stay in the pocket to make a throw. So having a good pair of shoulder pads, feeling comfortable, I think is critical.” Daniel Jones, Quarterback, NY Giants 

“[The team wears] XTech shoulder pads because of superior fit, great flexibility and range of motion. And it’s the first pad we’ve ever worn where our team members rave about them. Low profile and make us feel 10 feet tall and bulletproof.” Bob Wager, former coach University of Nebraska 

“I had a unique history after being at the NY Giants where several players wore the XTech pads and I had a chance to see them work firsthand…we put them on several guys, and they all had positive reviews. Shoulder injuries went down.” Matt Rhule, Head Coach, University of Nebraska

“I would investigate and I would invest. It is a tremendous product. We have gotten heavily into their shoulder pads and girdles. Let’s face it, you don’t want any of your top players, or any of your players at all to be injured. That’s what the XTech product will help limit.” Bruce Rollinson, former Head Coach, Mater Dei, #1 high school football team in the country 2024 MaxPreps national rankings

“[The players’] biggest thing was the movement they could achieve while having the pads on. They felt faster, they felt able to raise their hands higher, they were able to be just a little more free. For us [the coaches] it was totally different. It was about the protection that XTech provided for them. We saw that both of those together was going to produce something that definitely was going to make the players be better. Once the players have it on they’re not going to want another thing on.” Brent Browner, Head Coach, Bishop Gorman, #1 high school football team in the country 2023 MaxPreps national rankings  

Call to Action: Demand Better for Your Kids

Parents, it's time to take a stand when it comes to your child's safety on the football field. There is a massive difference in the protection offered between the best in our test and the worst. 

The worrying part is that the equipment your child's school provides is probably not the best available. 

For too long, we've accepted whatever gear the school hands out and assumed it's adequate, but our research shows that this assumption could be putting our young athletes in harm's way. The difference between a top-performing pad and a lower-ranked option could mean the difference between a great season and a trip to the hospital.

Here's what you can do:

1. Ask Questions: Find out what brand and model of shoulder pads your child's school is using. Compare it to our test results.
2. Advocate for Better Equipment: If your school is using lower-ranked pads, speak up. Share our research with coaches and school administrators.
3. Invest in Safety: Purchase a high-quality shoulder pad for your child. Don’t count on anyone else to protect your child.

Remember, while schools do their best with limited budgets, parents have the power and responsibility to ensure their child has the best protection possible. The extra effort and investment in high-quality shoulder pads could make all the difference.

Conclusion: What is the safest shoulder pad in football? 

We tested the top six football pads in a sports science lab. XTech had the highest rating.

We then discovered that over 80% of NFL players wear the same pad: XTech.

These two points make XTech the obvious choice for the safest shoulder pad in football.

Remember, football is a physical sport, and while injuries can never be completely eliminated, we can significantly reduce the risks with the right equipment and knowledge. By choosing high-quality shoulder pads, you're not only prioritizing your child's safety but also giving them the best chance to excel on the field.

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If you're interested in purchasing any of the shoulder pads we've reviewed, you can support our ongoing research by using the following links:

First Place XTech

Second Place Schutt XV Flux

Third Place Douglas SP FF17-CANT

Fourth Place Xenith Velocity Pro Light

Fifth Place Riddell Power SPK

Sixth Place VICIS ARC_V1 Elite

Please note that while we may earn a small commission from purchases made through these links, our primary goal is to provide unbiased, data-driven information to help you make the best choice for your young athlete.

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See Our Test Results Here