Thanks for the feedback. He is generally very supportive of me and my riding, so I'm willing to chalk this up to a "Mars vs. Venus" thought process.

I intend to buy something once I get out of the "paralysis by analysis" loop that I'm currently stuck in. Currently, I'm looking at the G-forms, some Troy Lee pads, and some discontinued Rockgardn pads. There is simply no local store that stocks this kind of stuff, so I'm forced to order online and hope for the best.