I bought these because I was looking for an upgrade in protection from my old pants, and could not pass up TotalHockey's clearance price. At first I had some issues with the pants, but those have since been cleared up.
In terms of protection, these are pro-level pants. The hip, thigh, and kidney pads are as good as any pants I've come across. The pads over the seat of the pants are segmented in order to provide more flexibility, however when you sit, they split in such a way that it feels like you have very little padding, but when standing, skating, etc, they revert back to covering you nicely.
The quick dry/anti-microbial liner inside is great, stays fresh and is very comfortable. The inner leg zippers are a great touch as well. I found these pants to be extremely stiff when I first got them, and it was hindering my movement. These are the first pair of hockey pants I've ever had which actually required breaking in, since they have so much padding. After 5-6 skatings, they become much more flexible and I move fine with them.
Another side effect of how protective these pants are is the weight. They weigh about the same as most other pro-level pants, but for someone coming from cheaper and lighter pants, it felt like I had weights on my hips. To keep them from falling down, I had the belt so tight that it could barely bend at the waste. I got a pair of suspenders, and it solved all of my problems.
These are awesome pants, just break them in and get a pair of suspenders. I feel indestructable with them on. For 50$ it's a great purchase.