So, we know it is important to have gear with both abrasion and impact protection. And as we consider the type of impact protection, we should go with CE rated pads, and CEII rated pads for the back.
But within that rating there are differences in performance that could be important. A german study recently tested the quality of impact protecting pads. The most interesting conclusion from my perspective was that D3o, which is widely used in motorcycle gear (Icon, Klim, First Gear) did very poorly, and worse still was the proprietary Alpinstars Bioarmor. Both failed the tests, calling into question their CE ratings. Sas-Tec products used by BMW and Held took second and third place, including the best buy.
The study can be found here:
Motorrad Study of Impact Protection. You'll need to use your browser's translate function if you don't speak German.
__________________________________________________
"Improvement makes straight roads, but the crooked roads without improvement, are roads of genius." — William Blake