The best pads & wrist guards for PEV riders
In the Swedish national fracture register, 78 percent of 1,874 e-scooter fractures were to the arm or hand, and the wrist leads every study like it. Riders catch falls with outstretched hands, so wrist guards are the highest value protection per dollar on any PEV, ahead of everything except a helmet. Knees and elbows hit next, and the honest split is skate pads with hard caps for riders who fall often at lower speed, and CE rated moto grade armor for riders who fall rarely but fast.
Our Top Picks
The short answer. Every pick is written up in full below.
Best for e-skateFlatland3DFingerless E-Skate GloveNone publishedRead why
Budget pick187 Killer PadsDerby Wrist GuardNone publishedRead why
Fast rider pickLeattDual Axis Knee & ShinCE EN 1621-1 Level 1Read why
Budget knee pickTriple EightKP 22 Knee PadsNone publishedRead whyCompare the Picks
| Product | Certification | Protects | Style |
|---|---|---|---|
| HillbillyWrist Guard GlovesTop pick | None published | Wrist, palm and fingers | Leather glove with splint |
| Flatland3DFingerless E-Skate GloveBest for e-skate | None published | Wrist and palm | Fingerless glove with palm sliders |
| Triple EightHired Hands | None published | Wrist and palm | Glove with twin ABS splints |
| 187 Killer PadsDerby Wrist GuardBudget pick | None published | Wrist and palm | Slide on splint guard |
| LeattDual Axis Knee & ShinFast rider pick | CE EN 1621-1 Level 1 | Knee and shin | Hinged hard shell over foam |
| G-FormPro-Rugged 2 Knee/Shin | CE EN 1621-1 | Knee and shin | Soft, hardens on impact |
| Fox RacingLaunch Pro D3O Knee | CE (D3O insert) | Knee | Soft D3O plus removable hard cap |
| LeattReaFlex Pro Knee | CE EN 1621-1 Level 1 | Knee | Soft impact gel |
| Triple EightKP 22 Knee PadsBudget knee pick | None published | Knee | Hard cap over EVA foam |
| 187 Killer PadsPro Elbow | None published | Elbow | Hard cap over thick foam |
The Picks in Full
Wrist Guard Gloves
A double stitched goatskin glove with a real wrist guard built inside, so the splint and the abrasion protection arrive as one item. It is named in the EUC Survival Guide and keeps winning EUC forum polls because it is the guard riders still wear at 30 mph. Full finger and half finger versions exist.
- Covers the fingers that skate guards leave bare
- Splint plus slide surviving leather in one piece
- The EUC community default for years
- Leather is hot in summer
- No EN 14120 or CE rating published
- Certification
- None published
- Protects
- Wrist, palm and fingers
- Style
- Leather glove with splint
Fingerless E-Skate Glove
Built with Knox, the motorcycle glove specialist, around their Scaphoid Protection System: two palm sliders that let the hand skim pavement instead of catching, which is the mechanism that snaps wrists. Fingerless, so a board remote or a phone still works. One of the very few guards designed for PEV riding rather than adapted from skating.
- Palm sliders turn a catch into a slide
- Bare fingertips keep full remote control
- Designed for e-skate and Onewheel from the start
- No rigid splint, so less hyperextension control than a full guard
- Fingers are unprotected
- Certification
- None published
- Protects
- Wrist and palm
- Style
- Fingerless glove with palm sliders
Hired Hands
The classic glove style wrist guard: top grain leather with ABS splints on both sides of the wrist, and the splints pull out for replacement after a hard fall. It is standard issue in roller derby, a sport that is mostly organized falling.
- Splints on both sides cover both fall directions
- Splints are removable and replaceable
- Glove fit cannot shift off the wrist mid slide
- Bulky for phone or remote use
- No EN 14120 or CE rating published
- Certification
- None published
- Protects
- Wrist and palm
- Style
- Glove with twin ABS splints
Derby Wrist Guard
A slide on guard with a cupped plate that covers more of the palm and wrist than the strap on classics, from the brand ramp skaters trust with their knees. Cheap enough to keep a pair in every bag, and the fingers stay completely free.
- Wide cupped palm plate
- On and off in seconds
- Cheapest real wrist protection here
- Bare fingers touch down in a slide
- No EN 14120 or CE rating published
- Certification
- None published
- Protects
- Wrist and palm
- Style
- Slide on splint guard
Dual Axis Knee & Shin
The moto derived guard the EUC Survival Guide recommends by name: a hinged hard shell certified to CE EN 1621-1 that covers the shin as well as the knee, which matters on a machine with pedals at shin height. Hard shells slide on pavement instead of grabbing it, the failure mode you want at 30 mph.
- CE certified for knee and shin together
- Dual pivots follow the knee instead of migrating
- The EUC community standard for fast riding
- Moto looks over street clothes
- Level 1, not Level 2, under the CE standard
- Certification
- CE EN 1621-1 Level 1
- Protects
- Knee and shin
- Style
- Hinged hard shell over foam
Pro-Rugged 2 Knee/Shin
SmartFlex soft armor in its burliest form: flexible until impact, then hard, with a DuraTx abrasion layer on top and coverage running down the shin. CE EN 1621-1 certified, which the popular X4 sleeve is not, and still comfortable enough to forget on a commute.
- CE certified soft armor you can wear all day
- Abrasion layer over the impact zones
- Machine washable
- Sleeve fit means shoes off to remove
- No hard cap for riders who slide often
- Certification
- CE EN 1621-1
- Protects
- Knee and shin
- Style
- Soft, hardens on impact
Launch Pro D3O Knee
MTB grade hybrid: a CE certified D3O insert that stays soft until impact, plus a removable hard cap for riders who want slide protection too. The one pick here that converts between the soft and hard camps.
- CE certified D3O insert
- Removable hard cap covers both fall styles
- Priciest knee pick here at full price
- Certification
- CE (D3O insert)
- Protects
- Knee
- Style
- Soft D3O plus removable hard cap
ReaFlex Pro Knee
The lightest certified option here: CE Level 1 impact gel in a pre curved sleeve, about 300 grams a pair. For the rider who would otherwise wear nothing.
- CE EN 1621-1 Level 1 certified
- From 300 g per pair
- No hard cap option
- Certification
- CE EN 1621-1 Level 1
- Protects
- Knee
- Style
- Soft impact gel
KP 22 Knee Pads
The skate default: a riveted hard cap over EVA foam that slides instead of grabbing pavement, which is the right failure mode for scooter, board and EUC falls. Strap on fit goes over any clothes.
- Hard cap slides on pavement
- Straps on over clothes in seconds
- Cheap enough to replace after a fall
- Bulkier than sleeve pads
- No certification published
- Certification
- None published
- Protects
- Knee
- Style
- Hard cap over EVA foam
Pro Elbow
Elbows hit right after hands in a backward fall, and this is the ramp skating answer: extra thick foam under a hard cap, ballistic nylon, industrial stitching. Overkill for a commute and about right for learning an EUC, which is a sport of repeated low speed falls.
- Thickest padding in the skate elbow class
- Hard cap slides on pavement
- Built to be fallen on daily
- Bulky under a jacket
- No certification published
- Certification
- None published
- Protects
- Elbow
- Style
- Hard cap over thick foam
How We Pick
We do not lab-test this gear. These picks come from published manufacturer specifications, the certifications that carry real weight in each category, and what long-term owners report. Where a manufacturer does not publish a figure we leave it blank rather than estimate it, which is why some cells in the table read as a dash.
Badges are ours and reflect the trade-off each product wins on, not what any brand paid for. Placement is never sold. When we start testing gear hands-on, this section will say so and will name what changed.
As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Picks are chosen editorially; placement is never sold.