Opinions on where to purchase mesh armored jacket?

[robertbarr]

It's finally time to retire the Joe Rocket Phoenix that I bought used for a song from our own TWR1776 a few years back. (The right elbow armor just didn't feel right; I reached in there and pulled out pieces of armor. That might explain it, I thought...).

I've narrowed down my choice to an Olympia product -- either the Dallas or the Newport, probably the latter. I know what size I want, and I've seen that prices are the same everywhere, to the penny. So, I'm just wondering if there are any particularly positive or negative comments about the usual suspects such as Dennis Kirk, Revzilla, Bike Bandit, etc. There's about twelve that I've seen that supply the same jacket at the same price.

Any comments to offer before I flip a coin and place my order?

 

[salty_monk]

Revzilla are very quick & generally offer great customer service in my experience as do NewEnough.com / motorcyclegear.com if they stock it....

 

[Dogma]

I'll second those recommendations.

Also, the armor can be replaced. You might want to upgrade what ships in the new jacket, too. Affordable gear may have serviceable construction, but they skimp on the armor, IMO. I don't see a reason to not be wearing CE level 2.

That reminds me, I still haven't upgraded mine except for the back protector. I had to have the jacket altered to replace what was in there. It looked like 5 mm of expanded polyethylene. More insulation than protection. Tourmaster quality isn't what it once was, but the shell is solid.

 

[GSXR7ED]

I bought a solid black (small badge on the shoulder) Joe Rocket Velocity jacket for $100. I've yet to wear it but looks like a great jacket!

Ed

 

[robertbarr]

I'll second those recommendations.

Also, the armor can be replaced. You might want to upgrade what ships in the new jacket, too. Affordable gear may have serviceable construction, but they skimp on the armor, IMO. I don't see a reason to not be wearing CE level 2.

Can't argue with that; in fact, the armor is pretty much the whole idea.

The Olympias both come with CE-2 armor, which was a strong factor in my choice -- so I don't have to turn around and purchase more. I've been shopping for a while now, and the 'problem' has been the number of good solid choices for jackets under $200.

Actually, factor #1 was the absence of any huge, glaring / prominent brand logos. I'm not paying money to serve as some company's walking (rolling) billboard -- so no matter how good the Icon products are, for example, I'll never pay money for them. The two Olympias I mentioned check all the boxes while keeping their logo very subtle.

 

[Buffalo Bill]

I'll just recommend Hi-Vis, people actually do see it mo betta, some even mistake me for a cop.

 

[LAB3]

My Xelement ce2 mesh jacket retails at about $129, mine was bought.new with tags on eBay for $40 shipped. You won't find that kind of deal every day but keep watching.

 

[cowboyup3371]

+100

Interesting that you posted that comment. I got an email from New Enough last night about their latest promotions and I was getting ready to send them a response saying what can you do for riders that don't want to be billboards for apparel companies.

It makes no sense to me that companies like Joe Rocket, Rev IT, and Cortech to mention just a few don't offer a no-company logo version of their gear. Just give me the same product minus the graphics.

I've admired the quality of Joe Rocket gear since they started more than a decade ago but I won't buy a jacket that says JOE ROCKET on it. I really like their hybrid leather mesh jacket but the name is too close to Crotch Rocket. Their loss.

I've noticed a lot of new lesser quality gear showing up on New Enough. They still carry the better stuff. They are a good company.
I like their sizing guides.

I get that they are retailers and the public must be looking for cheaper options. Just seems US motorcyclist demographics would warrant an option for non Rocketeers.

I'm surprised you talk about the logos as my Joe Rocket Alter Ego 3.0 only has a very small subdued black lettering patch on each sleeve of the jackets and one in black lettering on the back of the textile exterior jacket that says anything about the company. There's nothing else on it trying to promote themselves. Now I do agree about Icon and Scorpion but at least for my jacket it's pretty nice

IMG_4975 by Scott Baker, on Flickr

IMG_4974 by Scott Baker, on Flickr

IMG_4973 by Scott Baker, on Flickr

 

[storm 64]

I always thought the name "Joe Rocket" was a silly name for riding gear. Well unless you were reaching out to the 8-12 year old crowd... I guess the name is a little more mainstream now, but still not for me. Vanson makes a some nice jackets and riding gear. I love my Schott 535 leather jacket, but now you're pushing into the $1,000+ range.

 

[Cipher]

I always thought the name "Joe Rocket" was a silly name for riding gear. Well unless you were reaching out to the 8-12 year old crowd... I guess the name is a little more mainstream now, but still not for me. Vanson makes a some nice jackets and riding gear.

h
Joe rocket trumps Storm64
Vanson makes really nice very expensive gear. JR stuff is affordable.
Whats in a name? Why the ageism related put downs?

 

[Cipher]

Do you honestly think a cop is going to fine you based on a garment logo?
Im pretty sure they use radar and observation of riding to make decisions not trivial nonsense emblazoned on your chest.
If such was true a Hells Angel would never leave the house

 

[bwringer]

Most sewn on logos can be removed with a seam ripper in about 5 minutes. Logos mounted with adhesive or molded in can be tough or impossible.

I'll agree that Olympia stuff is top-notch, and Revzilla is an outstanding vendor. Plus, you get 5% store credit on the next batch of goodies when you buy stuff at Revzlla.

I have a nice mesh jacket I got from NewEnough aeons ago for something like $40 because it had HUGE dippy Honda logos stitched on front and back and on both sides. Even Honda fans felt it was a little tacky. They even posted instructions for removing the logos. There are remnants of two letters on the front where they intersected the zipper; it was possible to remove these, but the process was risky because of all the layers of fabric, mesh, and stitching in one spot, so I left them.

 

[earlfor]

Do you honestly think a cop is going to fine you based on a garment logo?
Im pretty sure they use radar and observation of riding to make decisions not trivial nonsense emblazoned on your chest.
If such was true a Hells Angel would never leave the house

Appearance and impression counts for a lot, even to a cop that has stopped you for speeding. A flashing neon sign on your chest saying, I am rocket man isn't going to help.


As for where to buy, I'm partial to Revzilla. Good service and easy to deal with.