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yellowfever · 15-09-2019, 05:18 AM

Forcefield: well known specialist company in bike armour (also known as t-pro and Davis Odell) and long seen as a class leader doing well in tests and reviews of armour/back protectors etc. Provided my existing armour in 2009 which was the benchmark to improve on now. They've got a decent range of options and are particularly good when it comes to offering varied back protector shapes. If your kit has a pocket for a back protector the chances are Forcefield will have a shape to suit it. Coverage on limb armour is generally better than D3O and similar to SAS-Tec, though they have far fewer shape options on limb armour than the latter. Forcefield are also light, similar to SAS-Tec and lighter than D3O. On price official retail is in a similar ball-park to D3O, so more expensive than SAS-Tec. Flexibility is a bit less than SAS-Tec and much less than D3O. It improves a bit with wear as it softens with body heat, but it's never going to be D3O levels of soft/flexible. On breathability, the armour generally has slots and holes giving some venting. Where Forcefield really shines is on protection. Thickness for thickness it generally performs best. It's also all tested at hot and cold as well as ambient and wet, so you know performance won't drop off in even very hot or very cold weather. The current isolator level 2 armour is just 12mm thick yet scores well under the 20kn needed for a level 2 pass. In fact it's around or under 11kn, so nearly twice as good as it needs to be to get level 2 certification. That's really impressive and about 2.5 times as good as my current forcefield armour which was bought 10 years ago (when it was some of the best then around), which is also 12mm thick. So an upgrade looks a no-brainier. I've also got to highlight the outstanding customer service I've had from Forcefield. Just like 10 years ago, they took time and effort to help me consider the options and choose the right armour for me and my kit and arranged custom factory fitted velcro for me, all at a very reasonable price (less than retail including sewing velcro on). They could not have done more for me, despite my being only a small beer retail customer.

Conclusion
Everyone has different priorities on whether and which sort of armour to get. For me, first and foremost I'm looking for the best protection and coverage available. Bulk, weight, flexibility, venting - which all bear on comfort - are all important but generally come second to that, as does price.

So Forcefield was a clear winner for me, the coverage is good and the protection second to none (all else equal). They also win on bulk (thinnest option) are joint lightest (with SAS-Tec) and reasonable venting (similar to D3O, better than most SAS-Tec options). They are last on flexibility (D3O is the clear winner) but still reasonably flexible and personally I am not so fussed with this. I find that once properly adjusted/broken in all armour is generally sufficiently flexible. Main one to consider is knee armour given you need most flex here on the bike plus for walking around off the bike. Shoulder armour can also be an issue and to a smaller extent elbow armour, whilst flex on back protector and hips armour not really an issue. But I find well adjusted armour (as my kits velcro attachment option allows) soon feels comfy and natural and moulds to your body. Forcefield also continue to have the most exceptional level of customer service, which is an outstanding bit of icing on the cake.

Well if anyone managed to get to the end of this long spiel, I hope it was helpful and informative or at least helped your insomnia...

Yellowfever.

15-09-2019, 05:18 AM	#7
yellowfever Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: London Bike: S2r 1000 Posts: 172	Forcefield: well known specialist company in bike armour (also known as t-pro and Davis Odell) and long seen as a class leader doing well in tests and reviews of armour/back protectors etc. Provided my existing armour in 2009 which was the benchmark to improve on now. They've got a decent range of options and are particularly good when it comes to offering varied back protector shapes. If your kit has a pocket for a back protector the chances are Forcefield will have a shape to suit it. Coverage on limb armour is generally better than D3O and similar to SAS-Tec, though they have far fewer shape options on limb armour than the latter. Forcefield are also light, similar to SAS-Tec and lighter than D3O. On price official retail is in a similar ball-park to D3O, so more expensive than SAS-Tec. Flexibility is a bit less than SAS-Tec and much less than D3O. It improves a bit with wear as it softens with body heat, but it's never going to be D3O levels of soft/flexible. On breathability, the armour generally has slots and holes giving some venting. Where Forcefield really shines is on protection. Thickness for thickness it generally performs best. It's also all tested at hot and cold as well as ambient and wet, so you know performance won't drop off in even very hot or very cold weather. The current isolator level 2 armour is just 12mm thick yet scores well under the 20kn needed for a level 2 pass. In fact it's around or under 11kn, so nearly twice as good as it needs to be to get level 2 certification. That's really impressive and about 2.5 times as good as my current forcefield armour which was bought 10 years ago (when it was some of the best then around), which is also 12mm thick. So an upgrade looks a no-brainier. I've also got to highlight the outstanding customer service I've had from Forcefield. Just like 10 years ago, they took time and effort to help me consider the options and choose the right armour for me and my kit and arranged custom factory fitted velcro for me, all at a very reasonable price (less than retail including sewing velcro on). They could not have done more for me, despite my being only a small beer retail customer. Conclusion Everyone has different priorities on whether and which sort of armour to get. For me, first and foremost I'm looking for the best protection and coverage available. Bulk, weight, flexibility, venting - which all bear on comfort - are all important but generally come second to that, as does price. So Forcefield was a clear winner for me, the coverage is good and the protection second to none (all else equal). They also win on bulk (thinnest option) are joint lightest (with SAS-Tec) and reasonable venting (similar to D3O, better than most SAS-Tec options). They are last on flexibility (D3O is the clear winner) but still reasonably flexible and personally I am not so fussed with this. I find that once properly adjusted/broken in all armour is generally sufficiently flexible. Main one to consider is knee armour given you need most flex here on the bike plus for walking around off the bike. Shoulder armour can also be an issue and to a smaller extent elbow armour, whilst flex on back protector and hips armour not really an issue. But I find well adjusted armour (as my kits velcro attachment option allows) soon feels comfy and natural and moulds to your body. Forcefield also continue to have the most exceptional level of customer service, which is an outstanding bit of icing on the cake. Well if anyone managed to get to the end of this long spiel, I hope it was helpful and informative or at least helped your insomnia... Yellowfever.