Product name: Forcefield Pro Shirt XV
Price paid: £120 (RRP £220 - see bottom for link)
Score (out of 10) Protection : 8 - Light weight and Very effective armour panels.
Score (out of 10) Fit/General : 5 - The main fabric is too stretchy so the shoulder and elbow pads can move around too much. Elbow guards are ultimately too large in the size "S" - unless you have popeye arms, they rattle around like buckets.
Review: Whilst the TLD7855 offers the best armour coverage area in a usable/wearable format, the Forcefield Pro Shirt XV offers the highest levels of armour protection for Back/Chest/Shoulders/Elbows in a usable/wearable format.
The back :
Forcefield is well renowned for it's motorcycle protective garments, mainly for their effectiveness.
I almost bought this months ago, but wanted to find the magical armour which provided the same coverage as a 7855 but at a higher level - it doesn't exist as you'd get too hot and it would be too heavy.
I've come full circle and finally bought the Pro Shirt XV2 to try out .
The top is available in various formats. With and without chest protection. CE1 and CE2 versions and a new "AIR" version which uses a mesh fabric throughout rather than the standard "BeCool" fabric - which is meshed in selected areas, such as under the arms, over all the armour sections, down the sides of the torso.
Unfortunately, my heat test window of 32-36c, I was trying to consistently heat test in, has gone so I can't test it in the same way. I've tried it as is, and it was freezing ! (so it definitely lets the air through). Other test rides I've been wearing a shirt over the top and it's never felt too warm.
The XV2 is unusual as it comes with CE2 back, chest, shoulders and elbows. Most CE2 back armour shirts only have CE1 everywhere else to keep the weight down. The CE2 chest is the same construction as the CE2 back. Chest and limb armour is tested to a lower level than back armour (half), so in terms of protection the chest would be the equivalent of CE4 if it existed.
I don't normally talk about the specific protection levels from the CE tests, but as this is top in the protection league, it's worth mentioning.
The shoulder and elbow armour are rated at 10.6kn transmitted force - the lower the better. Most CE2 limb armour is rated at about 14kn.
The back and chest are rated at 6kn. CE2 is 9kn or better. CE1 is 18kn. The forcefield armour is pretty effective !
It passes all the tests in Ambient, Wet, Hot & Cold conditions.
So, the shirt. The fabric is called "BeCool". It very light weight and VERY stretchy. Some areas are perforated further into a mesh.
Fit wise, I'm generally a medium in most armours and slip into large for a few brands. For the Pro shirt I was at the top of small and bottom of medium so went small. If anything it's slightly too large, though only because I'm used to the tighter fitting from the other armours. The arm length is very generous (with thumb holes), I normally find arms slightly short. Personally, I'd have preferred the arms to be a slightly tighter fit, though everything seems to stay in place when you're riding, I'm not sure they'd stay in place when you crash. Again, it's not as tight fitting as others.
The Zip seems reasonable quality. Not as top end as the Racer Motion 2, but better than most of the others.
On overall design and fit, the Racer Motion 2 is easily the winner out of everything I've tried. The Forcefield is weirdly comfortable, but it doesn't feel like a second skin like the Racer Motion 2 top. I'll certainly be crash testing it over the next few weeks, so I'll know more then on how feels when abused.
Comfort. The armour slowly heat moulds to your body. The limb armour is different to the body armour and seems to take longer to mould. This improves with each wearing. The Elbow guards initially felt very rattly on my skinny elbows, but then started for form up. I hoped this process would continue, but they never settled into a shape which sat perfectly round my elbow and forearm. The back and chest feel like they "float" slightly above your skin. I can't completely explain this, it just doesn't feel quite as stuck to you as the other armours do even though it completely moulds to the shape of your body.
The main armour is reasonably well vented. I have heard that if you freeze it, you can drill more air holes for additional ventilation, as long as you maintain 25mm of armour between any perforations to maintain structural integrity/effectiveness. I've not tried this yet !
The stitching is strong and where the stitch pattern is raised, this is on the outside of the garment, not the inside, so it's not abrasive (you should try this alpinestars).
It's armour, so it has some bulk compared to no armour ! The chest especially. Strangely, once you have it on, you don't actually notice it, I think because it's so light. If you don't want anyone to know you have armour on, the CE2 version of this is probably not for you, especially if you're small built - it puts 15kg's on your look. If you're larger, it would proportionally blend in more.
Riding, it generally seems to all stay in place and doesn't feel at all restrictive. It's light weight which is nice. Ultimately, for me, the elbows don't form up/heat shape well enough, so whilst they're cooler not sitting against the skin, it's questionable if they'd stay in place in a crash. Similarly, because the fabric has so much give, there's a chance the shoulders might not stay around your deltoids in a crash and could leave you exposed.
Weight wise, remember this is a full CE2 armour shirt and it weighs in at 1250g - the same as a Leatt Airfit Light !
For comparisons:
A 7855 is 700g. A 7855 with upgraded shoulders is 860g.
The Racer Motion 2 with D3O CE1 back,shoulders & elbows is 1050g
The Leatt Airfit light with CE1 back,shoulders,elbows & Chest is 1250g
The armour :
On the left are D3O CE1 shoulder and Elbow guards. On the right Forcefield CE2 shoulder and elbow guards.
The Forcefield pieces are heavier.
CE1 D3O Elbow 45g , Shoulder 89g
CE2 FF Elbow 113g, Shoulder 105g
On the left a Medium D30 CE1 BP4 back protector. On the right a Small CE2 Forcefield back protector. The small Forcefield gives more coverage than the Medium D3O BP4 - though the D3O BP4 does give good back coverage compared to most other reactive armours.
And the inside views :
The Forcefield armour is also lighter. The D3O is 333g , the Forcefield 324g !
The chest protector : Just after a ride, so you can see it's still slightly curved and hasn't settled fully flat yet - if you leave it hanging up, it maintains the shape from wearing it.
Armour thickness : As mentioned it's not skinny. The Forcefield chest and back armour is about 22m thick. CE1 D3O is 16mm and CE2 D3O is also about 22mm. I don't have the CE1 Forcefield armour, but I'd guess it's similar thickness to the CE1 D3O.
The Forcefield armour is made up of 4 layers, presumably you could peel a layer off if you felt it was too thick - at the expense of some protection.
Overall, protection is good, incredible even for the weight of the shirt. It's comfortable, if a little looser than I'm used to, but does leave concerns that the limb armour isn't really held in place effectively enough - certainly on me in a size small. One advantage is that it's the easiest to put on and take off and you don't have to spend long stretching things about to make sure everything's lined up up correctly as you do with the tighter fitting shirts.
Sizing :
More sizing and in CM's from the website :
Forcefield Body Armour - Sizing Guides
Forcefield Body Armour specialises in Impact Protection and High Performance Clothing Systems. The brand prides itself on developing and producing cutting edge, innovative and class leading products. Winning countless awards and reviews, the brand continues to grow across many industries and sports.
www.forcefieldbodyarmour.com
Prices seem to vary, especially for the none air version, it's possible this is being phased out for the "Air" version. I found the CE2 at sportsbike shop with about 45% off !
Forcefield Pro Shirt X-V 2
Forcefield Pro Shirt X-V 2 from the UK's leading online bike store. Free UK delivery over £25 and easy returns on our range of over 100,000 products.
www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk
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