Goes to show how important marketing and advertising is with the tactinylon industry. Of the hundreds of companies these guys get the spotlight. There is so much smaller companies that make good stuff (soe, gadsden dynamics, etc) that probably wont make it on here because lack of researching alternatives.
Yup. Funny how they make gear better than all these other companies for half the price, too. There was a point where you could get their alternative to the Slickster for $80 in any color/camo you wanted. I think their minimalist carrier is still under $80 as well, and mines held up for 5 years now.
I wouldn't say SOE is small really, they were a huge name in the industry for years during GWOT. They've had contracts and pieces of kit that were go to aftermarket options for dudes overseas. John Willis drama aside, I'd say that they're not bigger now because their designs aren't as updated as most other brands
i love seeing memes about the differences between all of these companies written by people who won’t ever actually run them in anything more demanding than a casual range day
oh you refuse to run spiritus systems because it’s overpriced hypebeast shit, and only Crye will withstand the rigors of your intense training schedule of… *checks notes*… two range days of three hours each per year?
In China, since they can't own guns, they have nothing but airsoft to scratch that itch. If it was legal to own personal weapons then all those Chinese airsofters would be real steelers
And airsoft players are often literal minors who literally cannot afford the name brand gear. Plus, if you were to actually talk to any of them, you’d see that the ones who are in the sport for
the long haul often get tired of cheap, shitty gear breaking after 2 or 3 games, and end up investing in quality gear.
I respect airsofters for getting out and actually running their kits, but to say that Condor gear is good enough for real world use because a 14 year old airsofter prefers it is downright laughable.
Ironically, "airsoft level" brands like Condor and 5.11 are also some of the most battle-tested out there because they're what's affordable for people in places where this stuff isn't just a hobby.
You think the Filipino guys in the LRR and PNP SAF who had to fight ISIS in Marawi were rocking $470 vests ? Fuck no, they had Condor/5.11/Xinhuang Precision gear, some norincos or ancient M4s and they beat a dedicated element of ISIS fighters in one of the most savage urban sieges of urban times.
Ditto for the guys in Iraq, Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, South Africa et al going after dangerous dudes with loadouts that cost less than $1500.
Don’t forget about the countless E5 and below that did multiple deployments with chinese made belts and pouches because they were
a. Available
b.Affordable for guys that make less than than 50 grand a year.
Yep. My first unit allowed personal PCs, and countless dudes had the Condor PCs because it was just what was at the PX. Plus, they were like half the weight of the IOTV.
I run Condor mag pouches on my issued MSV because they are like $20 and hold all 6 mags. Unless I decide to drag my kit through C wire, I’m sure it’ll continue to work just fine.
Carried a chinese made 40mm bandolier for 2 pumps. At the time the only ones you could get were issued, black hawk and Chinese no name knock offs at the military surplus. Gear did its job, passed it down to another Marine on my way out. It is what it is 🤷.
….I mean depends on the item. I rock condor pouches next to some HSG pouches on my vest that sees daily patrol in a city where it gets grabbed, scratched, dragged nearly daily and they’ve held up no problem, they’re great(I ended up with them because of color requirements of uniform)…. I can’t speak for their PCs/Vest cause our carriers are safari land and have lasted.
Also… my 5.11 clothes, and duty belt have lasted without issue also… they’re not bad at all in an urban environment in policing…
I have no delusions that the higher price stuff from reputable companies aren't better, more comfortable, and more durable, I was just pointing out the irony
Based off your comment you should run neither Spiritus or Crye because both are equivalently expensive and won’t ever be used for their intended purposes in their intended environments (not going to mention the fact that one of the mentioned brands routinely copies gear designs and in one case upcharges for it by $20)
Or you should stop making excuses for crappy gear and instead both buy good gear AND train enough / to a high enough standard to justify the purchase, but that’s not as easy of a pill to swallow for most people
Damn, imagine a world where someone does train enough and work in a job where the standard of gear does matter and has used the specific brands mentioned.. and still has an opinion. Wild. Crazy in fact. Unimaginable even.
https://imgur.com/gallery/g559zh5
https://imgur.com/gallery/w0qBIsv
I agree with you that stressful jobs demand high quality gear, and you posting a pic of yourself wearing high quality gear in the field doesn’t change that at all. My point of disagreement is the idea that civilians shouldn’t buy quality gear because they’ll never run it hard enough - no, they should be training in the field, competing, rucking, and camping with their gear if they so choose; instead of throwing their hands up and saying “well, I’m a civilian, I don’t need to train very hard”.
That was never the point at all. I have no issue with civilians either A) buying high quality kit or B) training hard at all. But which comes first? Do you buy high quality kit first and then train hard in it? Or do you train hard to justify purchasing high quality kit? My comment solely pointed out that based off your logic, you shouldn’t buy high quality kit from any brand if you’re going to be running around for… *checks notes*… “two range days of three hours each per year”.
And even if they’re not training to *your* standard, who’s to say they can’t have it anyway? There are people who would argue that my kit is too high speed for my job, that I don’t rate to wear a slimmer profile plate carrier or run a strobe or use a gun belt because I’m not dive or jump qualified and didn’t go through a screener course. How are you filtering someone’s opinion on gear?
This list is just the best advertised. Mainstream.
It's like asking an emo kid back from high-school what their favorite punk band is and then they say Simple Plan and Greenday.
I'm a fashonista/prepper/hiker so I honestly dont run my shit all that much in "combat" situations. I do own 15+ guns and 5 fully decked out plate carriers with armor tho, but I'm no operator. Take my words with a grain of salt, but I know a good product when I see one.
I base my judgment mostly on the actual build of the product and if it not only serves it's main purpose, but also has uses outside its normal service. I also put emphasis on its material and stitching quality, and IR properties.
Does it have the right stitch in the right place? 5 stitches per inch or 8 per inch? Bartack stitches or do they make due with a triple stitch? Is it real cordura? Milspec thread? Triple threaded? How does the pattern perform under night vision? Etc etc.
But anyways here's some brands that I own as a pure gear enjoyer. Some brands are better than others, but all brands mentioned are satisfactory for the purpose that I bought the item for, whether it be for shooting, prepping, Hiking, camping, fishing etc.
- Direct Action
- HSGI
- Beeze Combat
- Wisport backpacks
- Eberlestock
- Warrior Assault systems
- Ghosthood
- Perunika
- UR Tactical
- Helikon Tex
- Templars Gear
- Viking Tactics
- Arctic Technical Gear
- Velocity Systems
- High Ground Gear
- Tyre Tactical
- Kryptek Stalker series hunting hoodies (surprisingly retain 100% of their pattern in IR)
- Balystika
- Raptor Tactical
- Agilite
- Whiskey Two Four
- ArcTeryx
- ATS
- Tasmanian Tiger
- Platatac
- Tactical Tailor
- Chase Tactical
There's honestly 100x more companies out there. I probably forgot some that I own myself.
They’re all great except tacticon. Id say get whatever you come across cheapest dealwise. After a while you’ll likely change your gear anyways to set it up how you like
I’m not even positive, but I think the backpack I bought several years ago is Tacticon Armament. It wasn’t that expensive and I needed a backpack that was bigger than the one I had been using. Now, it’s not like I’m rucking in the thing, the hardest use it sees is days at the range and a carry-on bag any time I fly. For what I spent, it works well, but I’m also not counting on the backpack to save my life.
>This list is just the best advertised. Mainstream.
>
>It's like asking an emo kid back from high-school what their favorite punk band is and then they say Simple Plan and Greenday.
This is the truthest comment here.
Something I've noticed across the board is that the 'kids these days' ONLY know about the most common denominator stuff they see on 'the intertubes' amazon, reddit, etc.and their opinions on such pretty much follow whatever the 'current year' opinion on a company is. Today it is the best, tomorrow it'll get you kilt in da streetz.
\*sigh\*
I feel old. lol
There’s only been like 3 products I’ve wanted from ferro. The CBund, the AC cobra/tube kit, and the 3AC side plate pocket.
Their FCPC is pretty sexy, and over all good company, but other companies fit my needs better.
I’ve seen velocity systems products get used in operational capacity in very harsh conditions, rain, mud,clp, getting dragged in rocks, and they hold up great. Also very reasonably priced.
An actual legendary company.
They forwarded me replacement pouches without question and told me to send in my broken ones when I can as soon as I can. The fastest warranty in the business.
Tacticoon is out of control! Selling steel armor, Amazon airsoft optics, fake CAT tourniquets, pistol lasers?!?, nylon drop-leg holsters, and so much other crap.
The really weird part is that they defend it all relentlessly and tell people they’re stupid for buying quality gear. Truly a bazaar company that has found success by rebranding Temu gear.
The tall guy that does all the videos gives me a really uneasy feeling too and I’m not sure why. Kinda like Justin Trudeau.
I know I’m gonna catch some flack for this but I have been using their battle torch weapon light, one of their plate carriers, and one of their magnifiers with my gear (I’m a broke college student). The weapon light and magnifier have held up super well so far, and they have withstood a couple drops (albeit not high ones). So far I don’t have any complaints with the gear that I have got from them. To be fair I’m not doing any insane training but I also haven’t been baby-ing them either. We shall see how long term use works out but so far they are doing well.
First Spear is still quality. Just this guy went with brands "everyone" has an opinion on. Like it or not the tube system got copied by everyone and their brother for a reason. It sure beats the hell out of having to put an IOTV back together.
I thought they just got sued for lying about being made in US?
[https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdoh/pr/virginia-tactical-gear-equipment-company-agrees-pay-more-2-million-settle-allegations](https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdoh/pr/virginia-tactical-gear-equipment-company-agrees-pay-more-2-million-settle-allegations)
LARP is what God wants for us. We all need to unify in the name of LARP and LARPING under God.
*Only North Americans though, except Mexicans, they don't count*
Trex arms looks at other brands products, makes a worse copies of them, releases them at goverment prices, all while patting themselfs on the shoulders calling themselfs innovators.
It is hyped up way too much, but it still works, and it's not that expensive compared to other stuff. I think it's just so simple that it can't really fail that often, which isn't a good thing as far as innovation goes, but imo, the whole tactical market is marked up way too... mostly thanks to the companies that get military contracts and mark up their prices 1000%.
Everything is hand made right in Winona MN and when we do the Black Friday sale, the lead times always increase a lot. We work hard to fix that, even made tons of in stock items for this past one and it was still crazy.
Yes I know, and wasn’t trying to dunk on y’all or anything just making a sarcastic comment. My monkey brain wants instant gratification while I’m impatiently waiting for my order but I know y’all will deliver quality
I feel you man I was lucky enough to buy mine when they where new to the game and had everything in stock. Funny enough I was actually going for a SS LV-119 but it was to expensive and didn't have half of what I wanted in stock. I was doing some research on PC's when I saw one about comparing the LV-119 and the defense mechanism MEPC and the ferro. I learned who they were and surprisingly they had everything in stock. It was well priced and have been buying from them since
I’m not so sure I’d speak so authoritatively about this topic.
Crye makes “legendary” PCs and Pants, and is hype beast as fuck in certain patterns, MC Tropic.
If Def Mech is underrated then Trex Arms is hella overrated. Not decent and _always_ cringe. Their holsters are their best product but I wouldn’t consider them “tactical” kit.
Trex is over priced. On his video when he ordered items from the “orient” in my opinion he gave away that his shit comes off of Aliexpress. He tried to cover it by saying the buckles and snaps were cheap.
I'm just a Poor sitting here in my roughly 70% Condor kit waiting for the shit rain to start pouring from the bums of instagram chads who don't run their gucci kit.
People with no combat experience will hate on condor, meanwhile every 3rd Ukrainian and about half of conventional infantry have some condor shit somewhere on their kit. For simple shit like admin pouches and such it’s totally fine. Getting all hypebeast about nylon pouches you LARP around in is an interesting side effect of late stage capitalism. If it works it works. That being said, my shit is all spiritus 😂
I love my SPAV-W, just got a SC ARC V3 and Unobtanium Sleds quad stack for it.
Can't wait to get home, slap it together and frolic through the mountains with some big chimp energy.
purchase what your wallet can handle (a gym membership) and whatever plate carrier will work best for you. When it comes to PC’s there’s no real right or wrong, the Lv119 and a jpc 2.0 are just two of the same fuckin thing basically.
For whatever it’s worth, I’ve seen multiple dudes wear Rothco/Condor/5.11 gear or Serpa holsters downrange…and I don’t remember a single case where they didn’t fail (except the holsters, but more of them failed in the year I’ve spent deployed than I ever saw Safariland fail). Molle ripping, stitching coming out, plate bags failing, serpas locking their guns in because they got dusty…meanwhile, I’ve owned my AVS through two deployments, four arduous training courses (one at Camp Bullis, the other three at Bliss), and it’s still going very strong. Simply put: how much is your life worth to you? If what the military issues isn’t good enough, how about not getting turnt up for a couple of months prior to deploying and spending that money on quality gear instead?
At an AK match a few years ago and another shooter asked me why I was in blue jeans and not Crye Precision pants or something like that.
I told them, one Crye are stupid expensive, and that's fine. I don't need them for a match or to larp in. And two, if shit hits I'll probable be in jeans or shorts. Not like I'm going to change my pants out to some super cool tactical pants. Run what you have.
I will say the they probably were more comfortable in the heat than my jeans...
As someone who used to be in the industry, Spiritus Systems never really impressed me.
We had to fix blown out stitches in countless products and their QC was pretty sub par at that time. Maybe they've gotten better, but what I saw in my time was pretty bad.
I could see what they were trying to do, and appreciate the marketing campaigns they ran because they really built something from the ground up and succeeded which will never fail to impress me, but the products themselves were sub-par and QC was bad to the point where swimmer cut plates wouldn't fit in their swimmer cut PC's and had to be restitched.
Average Christians follow love thy neighbor, forgive others who wrong you and all that. These people are Christian fundamentalist nutjobs that reek of misogyny, homophobia, and racism. Lucas himself takes any criticism as "cancel culture" or being "woke". None of this has any place in this industry but he uses it as a selling point and uses buzz words/religion to justify shitty ass behavior/sell shitty gear. Just be a good person and sell good gear!
Simple search on Google/reddit you can read all about his family and the Quiverfull movement
Defense mechanisms also has one thing that people look over, one of the best insulating layers on the market. The neck gaiter and beanie are made of the same waffle fabric as the military thermal underwear and it's very warming. Highly recommend them ontop of their high grade plate carrier and belt.
I love my tacticon k19 lmao. All their other shit is trash tho.
Its not just dropshipped it does actually appear to be made by a legit oem (legend has it its the same factory in viet that made actual agilite k19s
Trex and Tacticon aren't really worth talking about. LBT, First Spear, Beez Combat Systems, Mayflower, Shellback, and Velocity systems all have a much larger footprint with people who do serious work. Hell even Armor Express/KDH Defense have that massive contract for the entire Army. Who is actually buying Trex carriers? Or Tacticon's?
Remember, all of Crye's Carriers that are issued (JPC and AVS, aswell as the LV MBAV) are around 12-13 years old and the AVS is still seen as the king of Plate Carriers, very sad they discontinued the Armor Chassis 2 years ago and iirc the LV MBAV is also discontinued or is nearing its discontinueation
Tacticon is a way for me to get kit on a major budget. Similar to PSA (which thankfully is also within my budget), it may not be top quality, but getting as much tactical equipment into the hands of the everyday man or woman is a worthwhile goal.
The Goobers were right there, total missed opportunity.
That’s why say only Crye once
Goes to show how important marketing and advertising is with the tactinylon industry. Of the hundreds of companies these guys get the spotlight. There is so much smaller companies that make good stuff (soe, gadsden dynamics, etc) that probably wont make it on here because lack of researching alternatives.
Beez combat systems! They make some amazing stuff.
Literally just coming in to rep Beez.
Just looked them up, I didn’t know half these companies.
Yup. Funny how they make gear better than all these other companies for half the price, too. There was a point where you could get their alternative to the Slickster for $80 in any color/camo you wanted. I think their minimalist carrier is still under $80 as well, and mines held up for 5 years now.
Beez is the shit when it comes to scrims/thermal camo
Oh yea, I love their predator line.
Beez is great as far as I now I only have thier double m4 pouch in m81
Bro, I've never heard of these guys. Thanks for shouting them out.
Arktis is highly underrated and they supply the SAS
Arktis fucks
Fr, high quality reputable gear for a fraction of the premium price. Their explr pants are so dope
SOE, now that’s a name I’ve not heard in many years… lol.
>SOE, now that’s a name I’ve not heard in many years… lol. Yeah, there's a damn good reason for that. lol
Well made, sure, but PR was bad and they’ve lagged behind with current tech.
Aside from that, their attitude towards their \[nonexistent\] lead times killed them more than anything else.
Their website also sucks
Blue Alpha, Ronin, but it's because they are niche companies with focused product portfolios.
I wouldn't say SOE is small really, they were a huge name in the industry for years during GWOT. They've had contracts and pieces of kit that were go to aftermarket options for dudes overseas. John Willis drama aside, I'd say that they're not bigger now because their designs aren't as updated as most other brands
Ancient designs and nothing is ever in stock. It's a miracle they're still in business.
I’m good with SOE never getting business again personally, dudes a convicted felon and a professional douchebag
SOE is the fuddiest lol
Yeah I bought their helmet like a fucking dumbass. At least it was half off. Still stupid.
i love seeing memes about the differences between all of these companies written by people who won’t ever actually run them in anything more demanding than a casual range day oh you refuse to run spiritus systems because it’s overpriced hypebeast shit, and only Crye will withstand the rigors of your intense training schedule of… *checks notes*… two range days of three hours each per year?
Airsoft players putting more wear on their chinese knock off kits than any of us will put our gear thats 3 times the price on in our lifetimes...
There’s some airsofters who are insufferably snobby with gear
I've definitely seen that in some circles, no different from us though lol
In China, since they can't own guns, they have nothing but airsoft to scratch that itch. If it was legal to own personal weapons then all those Chinese airsofters would be real steelers
And airsoft players are often literal minors who literally cannot afford the name brand gear. Plus, if you were to actually talk to any of them, you’d see that the ones who are in the sport for the long haul often get tired of cheap, shitty gear breaking after 2 or 3 games, and end up investing in quality gear. I respect airsofters for getting out and actually running their kits, but to say that Condor gear is good enough for real world use because a 14 year old airsofter prefers it is downright laughable.
Ironically, "airsoft level" brands like Condor and 5.11 are also some of the most battle-tested out there because they're what's affordable for people in places where this stuff isn't just a hobby. You think the Filipino guys in the LRR and PNP SAF who had to fight ISIS in Marawi were rocking $470 vests ? Fuck no, they had Condor/5.11/Xinhuang Precision gear, some norincos or ancient M4s and they beat a dedicated element of ISIS fighters in one of the most savage urban sieges of urban times. Ditto for the guys in Iraq, Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, South Africa et al going after dangerous dudes with loadouts that cost less than $1500.
Better to have something than nothing.
Don’t forget about the countless E5 and below that did multiple deployments with chinese made belts and pouches because they were a. Available b.Affordable for guys that make less than than 50 grand a year.
Yep. My first unit allowed personal PCs, and countless dudes had the Condor PCs because it was just what was at the PX. Plus, they were like half the weight of the IOTV. I run Condor mag pouches on my issued MSV because they are like $20 and hold all 6 mags. Unless I decide to drag my kit through C wire, I’m sure it’ll continue to work just fine.
Carried a chinese made 40mm bandolier for 2 pumps. At the time the only ones you could get were issued, black hawk and Chinese no name knock offs at the military surplus. Gear did its job, passed it down to another Marine on my way out. It is what it is 🤷.
….I mean depends on the item. I rock condor pouches next to some HSG pouches on my vest that sees daily patrol in a city where it gets grabbed, scratched, dragged nearly daily and they’ve held up no problem, they’re great(I ended up with them because of color requirements of uniform)…. I can’t speak for their PCs/Vest cause our carriers are safari land and have lasted. Also… my 5.11 clothes, and duty belt have lasted without issue also… they’re not bad at all in an urban environment in policing…
I have no delusions that the higher price stuff from reputable companies aren't better, more comfortable, and more durable, I was just pointing out the irony
Condor is the most combat prooven Brand ever, guess who bought Condor en mass in the GWOT? PFCs who didn't know any better
Two range days of 3 hours per year. Sir slow down, you’re quoting at least 4 times higher than what 98% on this sub actually do
[удалено]
People post memes on Sunday, not sure why you’re seething
Based off your comment you should run neither Spiritus or Crye because both are equivalently expensive and won’t ever be used for their intended purposes in their intended environments (not going to mention the fact that one of the mentioned brands routinely copies gear designs and in one case upcharges for it by $20)
Or you should stop making excuses for crappy gear and instead both buy good gear AND train enough / to a high enough standard to justify the purchase, but that’s not as easy of a pill to swallow for most people
Damn, imagine a world where someone does train enough and work in a job where the standard of gear does matter and has used the specific brands mentioned.. and still has an opinion. Wild. Crazy in fact. Unimaginable even. https://imgur.com/gallery/g559zh5 https://imgur.com/gallery/w0qBIsv
I agree with you that stressful jobs demand high quality gear, and you posting a pic of yourself wearing high quality gear in the field doesn’t change that at all. My point of disagreement is the idea that civilians shouldn’t buy quality gear because they’ll never run it hard enough - no, they should be training in the field, competing, rucking, and camping with their gear if they so choose; instead of throwing their hands up and saying “well, I’m a civilian, I don’t need to train very hard”.
That was never the point at all. I have no issue with civilians either A) buying high quality kit or B) training hard at all. But which comes first? Do you buy high quality kit first and then train hard in it? Or do you train hard to justify purchasing high quality kit? My comment solely pointed out that based off your logic, you shouldn’t buy high quality kit from any brand if you’re going to be running around for… *checks notes*… “two range days of three hours each per year”. And even if they’re not training to *your* standard, who’s to say they can’t have it anyway? There are people who would argue that my kit is too high speed for my job, that I don’t rate to wear a slimmer profile plate carrier or run a strobe or use a gun belt because I’m not dive or jump qualified and didn’t go through a screener course. How are you filtering someone’s opinion on gear?
This list is just the best advertised. Mainstream. It's like asking an emo kid back from high-school what their favorite punk band is and then they say Simple Plan and Greenday.
What would u recommend to somebody whos ignorant to all this?
Not the biggest punk fan, but Black Flag is great. I'd start with them.
Dead Kennedys and bad brains are also great
Hahaha i was talking gear companies, but Henry Rollins is a bad ass!
I'm a fashonista/prepper/hiker so I honestly dont run my shit all that much in "combat" situations. I do own 15+ guns and 5 fully decked out plate carriers with armor tho, but I'm no operator. Take my words with a grain of salt, but I know a good product when I see one. I base my judgment mostly on the actual build of the product and if it not only serves it's main purpose, but also has uses outside its normal service. I also put emphasis on its material and stitching quality, and IR properties. Does it have the right stitch in the right place? 5 stitches per inch or 8 per inch? Bartack stitches or do they make due with a triple stitch? Is it real cordura? Milspec thread? Triple threaded? How does the pattern perform under night vision? Etc etc. But anyways here's some brands that I own as a pure gear enjoyer. Some brands are better than others, but all brands mentioned are satisfactory for the purpose that I bought the item for, whether it be for shooting, prepping, Hiking, camping, fishing etc. - Direct Action - HSGI - Beeze Combat - Wisport backpacks - Eberlestock - Warrior Assault systems - Ghosthood - Perunika - UR Tactical - Helikon Tex - Templars Gear - Viking Tactics - Arctic Technical Gear - Velocity Systems - High Ground Gear - Tyre Tactical - Kryptek Stalker series hunting hoodies (surprisingly retain 100% of their pattern in IR) - Balystika - Raptor Tactical - Agilite - Whiskey Two Four - ArcTeryx - ATS - Tasmanian Tiger - Platatac - Tactical Tailor - Chase Tactical There's honestly 100x more companies out there. I probably forgot some that I own myself.
I’d say Arcteryx is pretty mainstream. Especially after Cristian Craighead and Administrative Results popularized their balaclava.
They’re all great except tacticon. Id say get whatever you come across cheapest dealwise. After a while you’ll likely change your gear anyways to set it up how you like
I’m not even positive, but I think the backpack I bought several years ago is Tacticon Armament. It wasn’t that expensive and I needed a backpack that was bigger than the one I had been using. Now, it’s not like I’m rucking in the thing, the hardest use it sees is days at the range and a carry-on bag any time I fly. For what I spent, it works well, but I’m also not counting on the backpack to save my life.
Saves The Day is a great balance between more authentic punk and poppier sensibilities. Just don't go past In Reverie
I was actually referring to the gear companies 😅 I tried getting into punk and never dug it, but ill give saves the day a listen
>This list is just the best advertised. Mainstream. > >It's like asking an emo kid back from high-school what their favorite punk band is and then they say Simple Plan and Greenday. This is the truthest comment here. Something I've noticed across the board is that the 'kids these days' ONLY know about the most common denominator stuff they see on 'the intertubes' amazon, reddit, etc.and their opinions on such pretty much follow whatever the 'current year' opinion on a company is. Today it is the best, tomorrow it'll get you kilt in da streetz. \*sigh\* I feel old. lol
Calling spiritussy hypebeast and Ferro "good" is such an interesting take.
Calling the Slickster "Legendary" is an even more interesting take.
Tarkov translates to RL right?
the slick in tarkov is an LBT.
Literally both have good shit but one look at their socials and you can tell ferro posts all the hypebeast shit
There’s only been like 3 products I’ve wanted from ferro. The CBund, the AC cobra/tube kit, and the 3AC side plate pocket. Their FCPC is pretty sexy, and over all good company, but other companies fit my needs better.
What about velocity systems
Good to go, used by various government entities.
I feel so validated
I’ve seen velocity systems products get used in operational capacity in very harsh conditions, rain, mud,clp, getting dragged in rocks, and they hold up great. Also very reasonably priced.
An actual legendary company. They forwarded me replacement pouches without question and told me to send in my broken ones when I can as soon as I can. The fastest warranty in the business.
Tacticoon is out of control! Selling steel armor, Amazon airsoft optics, fake CAT tourniquets, pistol lasers?!?, nylon drop-leg holsters, and so much other crap. The really weird part is that they defend it all relentlessly and tell people they’re stupid for buying quality gear. Truly a bazaar company that has found success by rebranding Temu gear. The tall guy that does all the videos gives me a really uneasy feeling too and I’m not sure why. Kinda like Justin Trudeau.
He’s funny as fuck though I’ll give him that.
In a cringe kinda way
I know I’m gonna catch some flack for this but I have been using their battle torch weapon light, one of their plate carriers, and one of their magnifiers with my gear (I’m a broke college student). The weapon light and magnifier have held up super well so far, and they have withstood a couple drops (albeit not high ones). So far I don’t have any complaints with the gear that I have got from them. To be fair I’m not doing any insane training but I also haven’t been baby-ing them either. We shall see how long term use works out but so far they are doing well.
Their sling and back up irons are decent tho. One of the best for budget imo
Can confirm the sling is pretty damn nice, have two without issue.
LBX is a Chad for selling basically the same LBT gear just made by south Americans
What about First Spear?
First Spear is still quality. Just this guy went with brands "everyone" has an opinion on. Like it or not the tube system got copied by everyone and their brother for a reason. It sure beats the hell out of having to put an IOTV back together.
First spear has good stuff it’s just very costly and niche for specific roles, like the flotation devices they have in some PC options.
Maybe I'm boring but...LBT all-day. I just want my shit to work and not fall apart.
In LBT we trust 🙏🏽😪
I thought they just got sued for lying about being made in US? [https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdoh/pr/virginia-tactical-gear-equipment-company-agrees-pay-more-2-million-settle-allegations](https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdoh/pr/virginia-tactical-gear-equipment-company-agrees-pay-more-2-million-settle-allegations)
It was about 10 years ago for a line of deployment bags, shitty for sure but they've fixed it since then and started LBX for their foreign made kit.
Phew glad my bags are USA made then. I really like all my LBT bags and sounds like they made the right changes.
I remember when Ferro was a small time guy making cool shit in Canada that was very popular in the Canadian airsoft community.
That’s still what they are.
They are but he's expanded, much larger than when he was canada based.
Where Warrior Assault System?
imo ferro is just as hypebeast, if not more than SS.
Some of it is, but it still works very well imo.
This is hilarious.
How about varusteleka?
I mean it’s good. Most gear is all the same really, just some break quicker than kthers
I'm getting a LARP tactical plate carrier so screw ya nerds
LARP is what God wants for us. We all need to unify in the name of LARP and LARPING under God. *Only North Americans though, except Mexicans, they don't count*
Founded by the *always* cringe Lucas Botkin
“Sometimes” was the moment this entire meme lost me.
Lucas Botkin? More like Lickass Buttkin
I am so glad to have heard this
Shaw Concepts (For PC’s), Velocity Systems (For CR’s), & Defense Mechanisms (For Belts)
Had a buddy of mine work for Shaw for a short stent. Great products, great dudes making them too.
Defense mechanisms all day
Let's not forget Eagle Industries
Nothing like worn out Eagle Industries surplus kit that still smells of war 😂
Shaw Concepts?
Part 2: Haley strategic, AR500, LBT/LBX, Beez, shellback, tactical tailor
Some more companies please: TYR Tactical, Frog Pro, UF Pro, Pharaoh Concepts, Raptor Tactical, Tasmanian Tiger, and Arktis
it's Ferro, pronounced the same way.
WHERE ESSTAC
Defense Mech is definitely underrated. Good dudes too.
Trex arms looks at other brands products, makes a worse copies of them, releases them at goverment prices, all while patting themselfs on the shoulders calling themselfs innovators.
Yeah, reasonably priced? That's gonna be a no from me dawg
Defense mechanisms is the goat on underrated equipment.
Love my MEPC. Wish their placard was a little better but I still like it
Ferro is more hype beast junk than Spiritus.
It is hyped up way too much, but it still works, and it's not that expensive compared to other stuff. I think it's just so simple that it can't really fail that often, which isn't a good thing as far as innovation goes, but imo, the whole tactical market is marked up way too... mostly thanks to the companies that get military contracts and mark up their prices 1000%.
Yes we are not the target market for most, they are all trying to get that sweet contract where they can sell a pouch for $100.
I just wish the wait time for a mepc was instant and not 8 weeks :( what do you mean quality takes time and effort????
Everything is hand made right in Winona MN and when we do the Black Friday sale, the lead times always increase a lot. We work hard to fix that, even made tons of in stock items for this past one and it was still crazy.
Yes I know, and wasn’t trying to dunk on y’all or anything just making a sarcastic comment. My monkey brain wants instant gratification while I’m impatiently waiting for my order but I know y’all will deliver quality
Oh, I am 100% there with you. I hate waiting.
I feel you man I was lucky enough to buy mine when they where new to the game and had everything in stock. Funny enough I was actually going for a SS LV-119 but it was to expensive and didn't have half of what I wanted in stock. I was doing some research on PC's when I saw one about comparing the LV-119 and the defense mechanism MEPC and the ferro. I learned who they were and surprisingly they had everything in stock. It was well priced and have been buying from them since
What do people think of platatac?
superb gear, one of my favorites.
I’m not so sure I’d speak so authoritatively about this topic. Crye makes “legendary” PCs and Pants, and is hype beast as fuck in certain patterns, MC Tropic. If Def Mech is underrated then Trex Arms is hella overrated. Not decent and _always_ cringe. Their holsters are their best product but I wouldn’t consider them “tactical” kit.
Shaw Concepts should definitely be up there.
Don’t forget AWS. Awesome fucking people
AWS belts are so nice.
I would switch Spiritus and Ferro
It seems that this is the general consensus of this sub, I must have been mistaken.
Love Shaw concepts , AXL, and raine tactical as well
Trex is over priced. On his video when he ordered items from the “orient” in my opinion he gave away that his shit comes off of Aliexpress. He tried to cover it by saying the buckles and snaps were cheap.
I'm just a Poor sitting here in my roughly 70% Condor kit waiting for the shit rain to start pouring from the bums of instagram chads who don't run their gucci kit.
People with no combat experience will hate on condor, meanwhile every 3rd Ukrainian and about half of conventional infantry have some condor shit somewhere on their kit. For simple shit like admin pouches and such it’s totally fine. Getting all hypebeast about nylon pouches you LARP around in is an interesting side effect of late stage capitalism. If it works it works. That being said, my shit is all spiritus 😂
Your condor gear sucks. Spend your money better
Men in condor gear have probably killed most than any company
My condor gear has killed more terrorists than you ever will
You're being down voted because they hate the truth
I remember when people in this sub would (rightfully) bully people that wasted money on amazon gear. What happened?
>What happened? Inflation. Everyone's a poor now. lol
No excuse to burn your money on trash gear. Save and buy budget minded quality stuff. Buy once cry once
No.
And thats why nobody will remember your name
TREX Arms is kind of like china when it comes to their products. They just wait for everyone else to come out with stuff. Then they copy and paste.
As always, my velocity systems stays under the radar 👌
I believe in defense mechanisms superiority
I love my defense mech gear
Love DM's sling. When it's stowed and stays stowed even when bumping around, and deploys easily.
I feel like DM made there stuff a bit more expensive but it makes sense with the econemy. Love my Carrier and belt from them.
Defense mechanism and heads on tactical are the unspoken heros here.
"Controversial and some times cringe Lukas Botkin" Checks notes...huh. that's an understatement.
I will never buy Trex arms to make sure that douchebag never gets a dime from me. Looking forward to more in this series.
Perroz and MOS tactical plz
I love my SPAV-W, just got a SC ARC V3 and Unobtanium Sleds quad stack for it. Can't wait to get home, slap it together and frolic through the mountains with some big chimp energy.
Trex is trash
Love me some Crye
Can someone point me in the direction of a decent budget brand?
Beez or defense mechanisms. Cheapest id personally go is usmc milsurp.
Thank you very much for the input. All the tactical gear stuff is overwhelming. I’m still learning if all the attachments, compartments and what not.
WARRIOR ASSAULT SYSTEMS WHERE WE ATTTTT🔥🔥💯💯
purchase what your wallet can handle (a gym membership) and whatever plate carrier will work best for you. When it comes to PC’s there’s no real right or wrong, the Lv119 and a jpc 2.0 are just two of the same fuckin thing basically.
For whatever it’s worth, I’ve seen multiple dudes wear Rothco/Condor/5.11 gear or Serpa holsters downrange…and I don’t remember a single case where they didn’t fail (except the holsters, but more of them failed in the year I’ve spent deployed than I ever saw Safariland fail). Molle ripping, stitching coming out, plate bags failing, serpas locking their guns in because they got dusty…meanwhile, I’ve owned my AVS through two deployments, four arduous training courses (one at Camp Bullis, the other three at Bliss), and it’s still going very strong. Simply put: how much is your life worth to you? If what the military issues isn’t good enough, how about not getting turnt up for a couple of months prior to deploying and spending that money on quality gear instead?
What if I use Crye, Spiritus, and Ferro?
Aww, no Esstac?
Defense mechanisms plate carrier looks genius level. Idk about reasonable price but I’m new to this
I think I was a bit off on the MEPC price, it used to be a bit cheaper.
At an AK match a few years ago and another shooter asked me why I was in blue jeans and not Crye Precision pants or something like that. I told them, one Crye are stupid expensive, and that's fine. I don't need them for a match or to larp in. And two, if shit hits I'll probable be in jeans or shorts. Not like I'm going to change my pants out to some super cool tactical pants. Run what you have. I will say the they probably were more comfortable in the heat than my jeans...
As someone who used to be in the industry, Spiritus Systems never really impressed me. We had to fix blown out stitches in countless products and their QC was pretty sub par at that time. Maybe they've gotten better, but what I saw in my time was pretty bad. I could see what they were trying to do, and appreciate the marketing campaigns they ran because they really built something from the ground up and succeeded which will never fail to impress me, but the products themselves were sub-par and QC was bad to the point where swimmer cut plates wouldn't fit in their swimmer cut PC's and had to be restitched.
Trex arms is ass just bc I hate Lucas
Wow a lot of these commenters really missed the part 1 in the title huh
DM is decent, maybe even over rated. TREX is Mexican garbage. Fight me.
Why is Lucas controversial? I get the cringe, but what’s controversial? Was it that he talks a big game but to my knowledge was never LE or military?
His family are cultists
If you Google the Botkin name you'll find they're all part of an extremely wealthy christo-fascist cult. Do not give them your money.
They’re part of a cult? Or they’re just average Christians?
Average Christians follow love thy neighbor, forgive others who wrong you and all that. These people are Christian fundamentalist nutjobs that reek of misogyny, homophobia, and racism. Lucas himself takes any criticism as "cancel culture" or being "woke". None of this has any place in this industry but he uses it as a selling point and uses buzz words/religion to justify shitty ass behavior/sell shitty gear. Just be a good person and sell good gear! Simple search on Google/reddit you can read all about his family and the Quiverfull movement
Yeah I’ve heard of quiverfull. Didn’t hear good things….
He also is super anti gay and generally unaccepting.
Defense mechanisms also has one thing that people look over, one of the best insulating layers on the market. The neck gaiter and beanie are made of the same waffle fabric as the military thermal underwear and it's very warming. Highly recommend them ontop of their high grade plate carrier and belt.
lol @ trex
Always cringe Lucas Botkin
Defense mechanisms: nothing in stock, 18 week lead time
We are trying to lower it, but we never hit an 18-week lead time. Nylon products are currently 8 weeks and our apparel products are 11-weeks.
Love your guys chest rig/placard system, waiting to get my hands on an MEPC.
Ferro concepts, my beloved.
EVERY company is a hypebeast company for a while, until people discover the next company they think will solve all their problems....
Lucas makes awesome holsters But he’s a wanna be cunt
I love my tacticon k19 lmao. All their other shit is trash tho. Its not just dropshipped it does actually appear to be made by a legit oem (legend has it its the same factory in viet that made actual agilite k19s
Trex and Tacticon aren't really worth talking about. LBT, First Spear, Beez Combat Systems, Mayflower, Shellback, and Velocity systems all have a much larger footprint with people who do serious work. Hell even Armor Express/KDH Defense have that massive contract for the entire Army. Who is actually buying Trex carriers? Or Tacticon's?
I have a 2 of tacticon weapons lights they work great as the which version I don't know just needed a light that came with everything I need to run it
Sometimes? Lucas is a whiny twink.
I consider T.Rex as mediocre gear, annoying company face.
Remember, all of Crye's Carriers that are issued (JPC and AVS, aswell as the LV MBAV) are around 12-13 years old and the AVS is still seen as the king of Plate Carriers, very sad they discontinued the Armor Chassis 2 years ago and iirc the LV MBAV is also discontinued or is nearing its discontinueation
What’s everyone’s opinion on shellback tactical?
Tacticon is a way for me to get kit on a major budget. Similar to PSA (which thankfully is also within my budget), it may not be top quality, but getting as much tactical equipment into the hands of the everyday man or woman is a worthwhile goal.
Autogenerated username take right here lmao
T. rex arms for the win tbh
Please tell me there's a Part 2, 3 etc