DonJoy Performance Bionic Knee Brace – Hinged, Adjustable Patella Support, Lateral / Medial Ligament (ACL, MCL, LCL), Meniscus, Knee Sprains for Soccer, Basketball, Skiing, Hockey, Running, Water

30 years of using a metal brace, tried this to see if it would be as good and stop some of the muscle discomfort. Makes you feel like Steve Austin!

Excellent brace to stabilize the knee. Used it for skiing being a 10 month post op total knee replacement. It's the best brace I've ever used for the money.

Great fit - snug without being constrictive. Provides good support, handles perspiration well (doesn’t get loose). A tad expensive but I’d say it’s money well spent.

Whomever sized these things should be fired, but once you find the size that actually fits you’ll be amazed. I can walk, climb stairs, and stand behind my easel for hours knee pain free. A miracle of engineering! Once you get the Velcro lined up to where it’s not making that Schlick-schlick-schlick sound every time you step you’ll be walking everywhere, but on water

I compared this to my Shock Doctor 875. They are extremely similar products. I am a Large in SD but a Medium in DonJoy Bionic. The most noticeable difference is that this DJ is inexplicably over twice the price of the SD ($85 vs $40). That will probably be the deciding point for most. With that said, I liked how the DJ had a lower profile where the gear housings are - they are smaller than in the SD and they are covered with smooth neoprene on the outside as well. Of note, the hinges are NOT removable on the DJ - they are sewn in - so the SD has the benefit of you being able to remove the hinges and continue to use the neoprene knee sleeve (e.g. when you are healing and need less support). The SD hinges, specifically in the gear housing, are slightly bulkier - but probably more significant is that they are exposed and subject to snagging on stuff. I'm a hockey goalie and the smooth external service of the DJ interested me because I needed to wear equipment over it. The DJ's bonus is that the back neoprene is Velcro'ed together too at the top and bottom, so you have that additional layer of adjust-ability and you can open it up and lay it completely flat for easier cleaning and drying. The SD does not open up. For better or for worse, the DJ is just a much simpler design (which makes the price difference that much more confusing). It is straight neoprene throughout and it has 2 simple horizontal straps. Whereas the SD is a fancier design with different tech materials for breathability and X-strapping (neither of which convinced me they made much of a difference). I don't see binding in the back knee pit to be a problem on either brace. The DJ has a larger patella hole, which seemed to work better for my anatomical build because my knee cap would poke through it and ensure the brace stays perfectly aligned, where the SD's tighter hole just laid over my knee cap and would shift off-center from my knee cap. This could have just been a visible thing, the actual function and alignment of the hinges were not affected. Conclusion: Again, these 2 braces are very similar, they are both great and you cant go wrong with either one. The differences are nit-picking and are neither objectively good or bad, but more fine tuned to preference. I preferred the DJ mostly because of the smoother and lower profile exterior surface and the fact I was going to wear it under goalie equipment. The larger patella hole worked better for me anatomically. The fact it opened up to be flat was a bonus too since I like to wash and hang dry my braces regularly. With that said, the extreme price difference didn't justify these small design preferences, so I'm returning the DJ and sticking with my SD.

I got this for my grandson that plays high school football. I got him several other types, but then tried this one, and he likes this the best. It's also the one his doctor recommended, since he got a dislocated kneecap during play. He's back in action, and uses this brace each time he plays (I got him 2, for both knees). It's more expensive, but worth it, especially if you are buying multiple types trying to find a good one, you'd end up spending this amount anyway.