DonJoy Performance Deluxe Knit Knee Sleeve with Stays and Buttress - Mid-Level Support Knee Brace for PFPS, Sprains, Instabilities - X-Large

I feel like I’ve tried them all!First off my goal: Replacing 20-30 year old open patella neoprene knee sleeves. My condition is patella subluxation (where the knee cap can partially dislocate briefly but pops back in). So a must was an open patella (my preference) with a substantial knee cap buttress to help prevent the knee cap from lateral movement. Knee measurements: knee cap 14”; 6” above knee: 16” and 6” below knee: 14”. I wear knee sleeves a few days a week playing pickleball and often when hiking.I’ve read hundreds of reviews and started off thinking I wanted the knee brace that you strap on with the big velcro straps. But many reviews say that the velcro loses it ability to stick and they look and feel bulkier due to the straps. I actually bought and returned a couple of the strap types and agreed that they were bulkier and did not feel that they supported my patella sufficiently.So I was back to the sleeve types. I actually like my ancient neoprene sleeves, just wanted to find something newer. What I found was the a large majority have side stays (semi flexible supports) which I guess seem fine but not a requirement for me. In fact after purchasing all of these below (all but #2 had the side stays). I’ve determined that I would prefer not to have them as they make taking off the knee sleeves much harder as you will have to pull down the sleeve from the bottom. With my old sleeves I can just grab the top, flip it outward and pull it down to my ankle inside out. On most of these if I really want to, it is simple to remove the stays as they are so poorly inserted – mostly just with a flimsy, thin piece of fabric covering the stay(s) and often with single stitching. Many reviews say the the stay pokes through and rips the fabric easily on many of these types of products. So before deciding which to keep I compared four knee braces/sleeves.1. Trekzor Adjustable Knee Bracehttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CP95ZBMW?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1This is the only sleeve with additional velcro straps -which I like BUT the sleeve itself does not lie against my leg when I flex my leg. Also when tightening the strap it causes the sleeve to bunch up on me. Using a S is not the solution as the S was too tight. Size M was the right size just overall not the right fit for me. Patella ring is less substantial than the following 3 DonJoys. Also I was hoping that the feature of a mesh fabric popliteal fossa (behind the knee) would make the brace less bulky but I think that it actually makes the brace less supporting for the patella and causes the bunching of the brace material on the sides.For the next 3 there are lots of reviews complaining about sizing of Donjoys (too small). I agree.All 3 DonJoys had a similar more substantial patella hex ring – which I like as it applies mild pressure to support my knee cap.2. DonJoy Performance ANAFORM Knee Support Compression Sleeve (4mm Open Patella)https://www.amazon.com/dp/B010SZGUGO?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1I got size S and could not pull it up over my knee as the bottom calf cuff was too tight.Tried a size M and that is the correct size but immediately did not like the bunching of the sleeve on the sides of my knee. Material was Neoprene/Spandex and was okay – though I liked the feel of the knit of the next 2 Donjoys better. The knit feels more breathable. I liked that this one did not have the rigid lateral stays as I personally did not need or want them. I liked and NEEDED the pull tabs for easy on/off as otherwise it is difficult to get a grip on this sleeve to pull up/on or off/down.3. DonJoy Performance Deluxe Knit Knee Sleeve With Stays and Buttress (Yellow top stripe)https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0794PMV65?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1This seems very similar to but is supposed to have little more support than the Advantage Deluxe. Maybe – but it felt very similar to the Advantage #4 though the knee cap buttress is a little thicker than Advantage. I tried both size S and M as I was right in between for knee and calf measurement but Thigh was definitely in the S range. S fits snugly – a little too tight on my knee cap – as I feel the pressure of the hex buttress a little too much. M fit much better and comfortably. I'd prefer that it didn't have the side stays as they are installed cheaply - they will rip through the single stitch seam and thin fabric very soon and the stays make it harder to take off the sleeve. But once the stays poke through I will likely remove them. But otherwise the sleeve feels very supportive of my patella.4. DonJoy Advantage Deluxe (Blue top stripe)https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073T3C56Y?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1Again I was right in between S and M for knee and calf but definitely S for Thigh measurement.I could not even pull up the S – the calf was too tight. The M fits well and comfortable. Knee cap buttress substantial though slightly less than #3 Performance. #3 and #4 look and feel similar (see pic). Same complaint about the side stays as with #3.So my final decision: I am keeping the 3# DonJoy Performance Deluxe size M and #4 DonJoy Advantage Deluxe size M. The Advantage and Performance are very similar to me – similar fit and feel, material. The Performance may have a slightly thicker knee cap buttress and it also has the anti-migration silicone top hemline but the #4 Advantage does not slide down even though it does not have the same anti-migration top hemline. Both of these are very comfortable and feel very supportive of my patella.I appreciate that I had many options to choose from, and love Amazon’s easy return process which made it possible for me to find my perfect knee sleeve or in this case knee sleeves.Hope you find something useful in this long review!