Need info regarding weight limit of pads

[mjsbone]

Can anyone tell me what pad is good to get for a fairly overweight person (I'm talking like over 400 lbs)? I've been trying to look for the info online, but apparently none of the people who make the pads post that type of info. So if anyone here can help me, that would be great.

[SSC]

Any pad.

Cobalt Fluxes (If you have the dough) are good.

[abrannan]

Yeah, weight really isn't too much of a problem with pads. The only ones I'd stay away from are the hard plastic mats, which tend to be poorly built anyway.

[Frosty555]

DDR pads come in a couple different varieties.

Soft pads are cloth pads with foam inserts. They can take any weight. However, the heaver you are, the faster the foam crushes down and the arrows starts sticking. If you, being +400lbs play heavy songs on a regular basis, the pad will be destroyed within 2 months. You CAN perform open-pad surgery, and beef up the foam inside with thin industrial-grade open-cell weatherstripping. That will make it last forever (or until it tears), but it does require some careful work.

Hard pads bought from a store are rarely worth the money. These pads the arrows are made of plexi that moves up and down. They WILL crack at 400 pounds jumping on it. You would have to play as light as you possibly can, and even then you'll still get bad flexing. Cracking arrows, though, is the fate of all hard pads.

Cobalt Flux pads are decent. I personally don't like the feel, that's all I have against them. They claim their feel is just like an arcade, it's really not. They are completely flat and you can't feel the definition of the corners of the arrow. However, interestingly, they use roll-stock plexi (plexi that is designed to flex. It actually comes in rolls, not sheets. Panels do not move up and down, they flex until the plexi touches a solid particle-board base. This makes it last a long long time. Cobalt Flux pads can be run over by cars and still be fine XD. They're quite durable. However, eventually the pads will begin to stick as the roll-stock plexiglas stops coming back up after you step on it. When that happens there's very little you can do, you're S.O.L. Cobalt Fluxes are like $500 (canadian) too... ouch.

Almost all homemade pad designs out there, also, are only designed to carry about 200 pounds. After that the panels will start to crack after repeated use.

In general, I'd say the pads with arrows that physically move up and down and do not flex, will break under your weight. They're usually only good for a 300lb person playing lightly. You'd certainly never be able to stomp. That means most homepad designs, and most hard pads you can purchase will break. Pads where the arrows flex, such as a softpad, or a cobalt flux, will be good for any weight, but the heavier you are, the faster you deteriorate the pad and eventually render the pad unplayable. Soft pads I think will last you about 1-3 months per pad. They cost about $20-$50. A Cobalt Flux will most likely last you quite some time, but it will cost you more like $500.

Sounds to me like you ought to just play at an arcade. No offence or anything. But Arcades have $2000 pads that are VERY durable, capable of withstanding anything. They'd be the most fun .

[abrannan]

Replace the plexi in any hard pad with Lexan and it will not break over the distances you're talking about.(less than 3/16")