- This topic has 5 replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 14 years, 8 months ago by megaspaz.
The safest jacket?
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July 7, 2009 at 3:48 pm #3115eonParticipant
Came across the following site recently
http://www.motoport.comThere are TONS of folks out there who rave about their gear and how safe it is. It is never going to win any fashion statements but it apparently is very strong, safe and breathable. Each jacket is made to measure, can be customized to your liking and still costs around the same as an off-the-peg quality jacket from the likes of Rev’It, Aerostictch etc. Also the customer service offered by this company is apparently second to none.
Now the bit that interests me is that the guy who owns it HATES the European safety classifications and goes off on a long rant about how bad they are. He does not make gear to pass these tests, he insists the tests are crap, accuses the companies who perform the tests of being corrupt, slags off rival respected manufacturers like Halverssons, Rev’IT. His stuff is not certified in any way (at least, not until he was forced to get a CE certificate in order to supply the Hong Kong police dept) and insists the thousands of real life crash testing his customers have done (who is he selling to?) is a better test than any hammer/anvil/sandpaper test done in a lab. He comes across as a bit of an asshole to me but he does have legions of happy customers.
There is a thread the length of War&Peace over on AdvRider about the merits of his claims. Kept me amused for some time. I did start at page 33 on this thread….
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=80138&page=33ps. where is SafetyFirst these days? He was starting about 2 threads a day a little while back. Hope he/she is ok.
July 7, 2009 at 3:58 pm #20430MunchParticipantThe safest jacket?….. the one that doesn’t need to live up to it’s standard. Kind of like what you said about him, the best tests are real life conditions. Sand paper/hammer&anvil types are good for simulation but like digressing in a forum on “what should I have done different” equates to arm chair quarter backing. In controlled conditions those will perform well. Remember that the next time you have the fore sight to ask the car in front of you to stop in a way such that allows you to slide or dismount the way the jacket was tested.
Life and it’s disasters are chaotic. You can take sample tests…look at all the stats you want and get an IDEA of how things COULD go. Be almost certain that it will likely have a better chance of not applying to what reality kicks in for you.
Absolutely gear up for the wreck, but ride in a way that best limits your chances of having to rely on advertising and testing not to mention earned reputation should you have to have said gear perform to it’s standards.July 7, 2009 at 5:50 pm #20431eonParticipantI understand that any standardized test has its limitations and that products will be manufactured to pass these tests, which is not always a good thing. But at least having standards forces everyone to measure up to them. We can always work on improving what the standards are. Otherwise we are left to trust the manufacturers claims on how good their products are, which is NOT something I want to do. Now this guy appears to be on the level and know what he is talking about but one of his products is described as using “strong nylon”. What the hell does that mean? From a less reputable company that could mean your jacket disintegrates on contact with the road.
And while I ride to avoid crashing the reason I wear any safety gear is to protect me if I do. And I therefore want the best protection for the money I can get. Standards help me make that choice.
Anyway, I posted this here as I just found out about this company AFTER I went and bought lots of new stuff. I would have seriously considered them if I knew about them beforehand.
July 7, 2009 at 8:02 pm #20433MunchParticipantI can understand what your saying. I am currently sportin the NJK leather brand that Safetyfirst had posted about. The only anything I could find about them ( granted I don’t get frantic on searches for gear) was mostly on their web site. After calling the gentleman and talking with him for a few minutes I was confident that most if not all of what I suspected was true was in fact just that. Standards like I said are not bad for using as a judgment on what something is supposed to do. Most standards that I have seen or read only indicate the minimal it has to attain. For instance the crash ratings on cars, if you see them on the sticker in the window it states that this vehicle can withstand a frontal impact at Xmph….usually 35-45mph. Great whats that translate into 75mph? Squat.
NJK has no claims about following any standards, however what did grab my attention is the idea of using racing proven ideas and translating that over to their street wear. They have the armor in the shoulder and elbows just like that of most any safety rated gear. For me I find comforting that they put into their street wear the same knowledge that keeps the racers they out fit safe on the track.
For me it isn’t about the money as I suspect it wouldn’t be with you. However I do find it difficult to swallow a $400 Danese (sp?) price tag for the same standards that say a $200 jacket can boast. Will I pay more for proven performance even though it would not have a standard testing and rating….absolutely. Would I pay more for a company that claims they are at the standard or may even edge the standards a bit…no not really.
Honesty real world practice is more trustworthy to me then a financially driven standardization and commercial hype. I am not knocking any manufacturer as I am far from any kind of guru on the matter. Like everyone else I have to find things out through word of mouth. Had the NJK jacket (s) not been up to my perception and expectations they would have been promptly sent back.
I agree with you too about the “strong nylon” description. Nylon comes in various flavors and strengths and I am unsure what kind of “blend” he may be using.
The best “standard” I use is word of mouth. Private owners are not subject to profit by promoting something they don’t believe in. The average person will be happy to critique anything they try, give the goods, bads, and everything in between. If your unsure of a product try and find someone that has had them. See if you can find any performance conclusions from users that have had the misfortune of needing said protection and how well it held up.
The community here on BBM have been great for that. From Bens wreck to others. I would trust their experience more then I would a standard label, because they had to rely on it in real world experience.July 8, 2009 at 2:07 pm #20437WeaponZeroParticipantI’m not going to claim that its the safest or as good as leather, but Teknic makes a line of textile jackets that have the elbow, shoulder, and back armor on the OUTside of the jacket rather than the inside. My Teknic Freestyle is one such jacket and after having tested it on a 25mph highside and been able to get right up afterwards, I can confidently say that, regardless of standards the protection it offers is, at the very least, adequate for anyone.
Unfortunately it seems that they have discontinued all of the versions that have the waterproof liner (Freestyle and Diablo), but they still make the Supervent Pro, which is essentially the same jacket just sans the waterproof liner and with superior venting.
July 8, 2009 at 4:12 pm #20438megaspazParticipantroad tested my dainese gear. twice. minor scuffs only. no broken seams or tears in the leather. One of the crashes was 50mph lowside. with dainese gear though, bear in mind you’re paying for fashion as well as safety. Some say more fashion than safety, others say differently. Either way, in my real world test, it passed with flying colors. Bear in mind, it really is a crap shoot no matter what brand you go for. You might get a bad batch, or something that’s notorious for sucking, might’ve snuck in a really good one. Best solution, don’t crash.
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