After a minor knee injury, I transitioned from the Shock Doctor knee brace with Bilateral Hinges to this model as I began healing. It provides comfort, but I wouldn't give it an "OMG this is amazing!" review.

The 'support stays' seem to be basically just added material that keeps your knee aligned and comfortable... but it doesn't feel completely supported. This may or may not be mental more than anything else, but I don't think this will *prevent* an injury the same way the Bilateral Hinges would. I don't think that's truly the point of this product, however.

This unit is bulky, but it's manageable. I tend to wear pants when I play softball, but this brace bunches up enough that I've been wearing shorts, instead. Coming off an injury, I was expecting discomfort, so I shrugged this off.

In terms of sizing, I fit into the void between L and XL; customer service suggested I go with the XL and keep the straps tight. This is what I did, but the sizing still feels imperfect. It's not deal-breaker uncomfortable, but simply falls short of being perfect for me.

All in all, I recommend. It really is the stopgap between a full-blown metal-hinge brace, and the soft comfort of a sleeve. It provides enough peace of mind to warrant the bulk, but doesn't provide solid bulletproof protection. If your knee is really a problem, but you want to keep playing through it: go with the hinges. If it bothers you, and you want support, go with the stays. If you're perennially mindful of your knee but there's nothing tangibly wrong, opt for the sleeve.

Great quality and product but did not work for my issue.

As someone who, unfortunately, has a fair bit of experience with knee braces, I am pretty happy with the Shock Dr. 870. The stays give a fair amount of support, the overall build is already snug and the straps allow you to lock it down. It is as good or better than other options that cost 50% more.

I really liked this brace. The only downfall is that it did stretch to a point where it just doesn't provide the same level of support as it use to. Since that was only 2 months ago, it's pretty disappointing. Durability could be an issue in the future since I already see advanced wear.

Great for recovering from a fractured knee cap, I am able to walk around with a lot less difficulty. I tried many other braces but none I found gave the right support for the healing knee cap. Does not stretch as easily or as fast as other braces, and if/when it does the way the straps are set you can still tighten it to your need.
I would give it 5 stars but the sizing is off, at least for women, like it or not our thighs are larger then men's. Followed the sizing video and chart to a T they say nothing about the upper portion width, not cool. If I hadn't have needed it so bad to walk and couldn't wait for the whole return and ship out of a new one, I would have returned for a larger one. The first few days were painful getting it on and off, because it was sooo tight, until I figured I would stuff it with some XL yarn balls to stretch it overnight for about two weeks, as I said it does not stretch easily. After that it was better to put on and take off.
Another draw back is when you get sweaty it is nearly impossible to get off, which seems to be the case with other sleeve type braces. Although if I had a bigger size perhaps this would not be as much an issue either.
All and all I would say this is a great brace gives me the stabilization and comfort needed for my healing knee, Women just be sure to order up a size.