Forcefield Back Protector HD Vid Review

A recent addition to the RevZilla lineup, Forcefield armor has received a warm welcome from the motorcycle community. Their back protectors, the Forcefield Pro Sub 4 and the Forcefield Pro L2, cut the necessary rating of the CE 2 certification scale in half (or nearly in half with the Pro L2). That's some serious impact protection.

The qualification for CE Level 2 Back Protector Certification is very simple: the armor must allow less than 9 kiloNewtons of force to be transmitted to the body. The Forcefield Pro Sub 4 gets its name for a very simple reason. On average it transmits less than 4kN of energy to the body, generally around 3.38kN, less than the medically-defined average level where injury can occur. That's absolutely astonishing.

The Forcefield Pro L2, on the other hand, delivers only 4.93kN to the body, an equally amazing number for a consumer-level day-to-day rider's back protection. RIDE Magazine, a popular motorcycle gear and bike reviewing outfit, designated the Pro L2 a "Best Buy" in 2008. At the point, the protector was still up around 5.6kN of force transmitted to the body. Improvements over the last couple years have brought that number down even further which is impressive to say the least.

Forcefield's impact protection comes from a material they refer to as Armourflex, which is essentially a combination of two materials: a triangular next-generation shock absorbing material fused with a base layer of soft Nitrex foam. This design allows force to evenly spread across the surface reducing direct impact to any one area. It is also super flexible and comfortable. Any part of the back protectors that come in contact with skin are wrapped in BeCool fabric, a polyamide fiber that pulls hot air away from your body and allows cool air to circulate through. Pretty high-tech stuff.

Lastly, and possibly most importantly, is the fact that every piece used to construct Forcefield back protectors is CE approved. That means from the armor itself to the straps all the way down to the rivets; all CE certified. This gear will withstand the test of time and perform tremendously. We think you'll be pleased.

You can compare it to other back protectors by visiting the back protectors page at RevZilla.com.

-RetroZilla

Don't miss our full overview of the Forcefield lineup:

Forcefield Armor Overview

Forcefield Armor is Here

Since Forcefield landed in the US market in 1999, their protective gear has started to gather serious steam. And the reason is simple: Forcefield creates the most innovative and technologically-advanced armor on the market. With their roots in equestrian protection all the way through to their newest venture into the motorcycle armor world, their protection is proven to keep you safer than the competitors. At RevZilla, we're proud to have brought this product into our lineup.

With a lot of armor available on the market, only the actual impact areas will be CE approved. That is to say, in a back piece, only the back will be CE rated; in Forcefield armor, every single item used to manufacture the product is CE approved. From the straps to the rivets to the lining to the armor itself, it is all CE-rated. This stuff withstands the test of time, bottom line.

Another aspect of Forcefield that sets it apart is its ability to withstand repeated impacts. In other words, you crash once in this gear and its not "bye-bye old armor, time to buy something new." Instead of using technology that absorbs the blow of an impact and crushes, rendering it unusable, Forcefield's Armourflex engineering basically slows the rate at which the impact is transferred to the rider, minimizing the damage, rather than directly absorbing all the blow. The energy is slowed and dispersed, and the harm to the rider and armor is minimized.

The Forcefield gear is comfortable as well. Every piece of armor, from limb tubes to strap on protectors, is lined in the area that contacts your body with BeCool™ fabric. This polyamide fiber offers breathability and comfort superior to basic lining. It's essentially constructed with a four-channelled thread weave that creates a surface area 3x greater than cotton. In layman's terms, the fabric forces hot and humid air from your skin and through the membrane while letting cool and dry air circulate from outside through the fabric and to your skin. Again, this is next-level.

In 2005, RIDE Magazine selected the Forcefield Pro Sub 4 back protector as a "Best Buy." The Pro Sub 4 transmits a mere 3.38 kN of energy to the body, a staggering number when you consider that the CE requirement for back protection is less than 9 kiloNewtons of energy transferred to the body. If you don't know, RIDE conducts rigorous tests when comparing products. To receive this designation, your apparel has to seriously hold up. Forcefield did. Their pro back protector alone, cuts the CE requirement in more than half. That's serious.

To compare with other products, visit the motorcycle protection and armor section of RevZilla.com.

Stay safe. Time after time.

-RetroZilla

Summer Heat!

It's that time of year again: the haze is in the air, the pools are open, you could fry an egg on the pavement. In other words, it's the perfect time to rev up your motorcycle and hit the open road. Staying in line with the heat theme, we have some smoking hot deals for the the month of July. New products, blowout savings, restock of gear that was too third-degree to stay on the shelves long; you get the point. Featured in this week's exclusive email blast (go here to sign-up) are the following products:

Forcefield Armor, out of the UK, offers protection that is almost double the safety level as its competitors. An extensive video overview of the armor is in the works, but in the meantime you can check out a brief look at it in the video. This armor is no joke.

The Arai RX-Q Helmets are fully back in stock. The inventory was spotty on this game-changing helmet from the time we got our first shipment. But now we've got a boatload of them in stock, in colors and graphics, and all sizes. This is the street riding helmet that sets the barometer for the rest.

The Klim Adventure Rally Jacket & Klim Adventure Rally Pants are also back in stock. The ultimate for bombproof ADV Touring & Offroad riding, the Klim is Gore-Tex ProShell from top to bottom, utilizing the newest technologies for weather-proofing and protection. Inspired and built for the Dakar Rally riders, the Klim Adventure Rally Outfit is a must-look-at item for any serious ADV / Off-road rider.

You've also got the Bell Photochromatic Shield which will be shipping in late July. We're currently taking pre-orders on this transitional-lens-technology shield that fits both the Bell Star Helmet & the Bell Vortex Helmet. Not having to change shields when the ambient light changes? That's money.

Ongoing, we've got our Patriotic Spectacular, our July featured deals & savings video including the Shoei TZ-R Helmet, Nolan Helmets, the Cardo Scala G4 and the Sena SMH10 Bluetooth Communicators. The video features our favorite Uncle Eli going absolutely haywire with excitement over the July specials. Check it out if you haven't already.

Finally, we've got our ongoing Moto Music Video Contest. We've already made an awesomely absurd video (in our opinion) exhibiting the things we love most: metal, bikes, chicks & Dio. This is your chance to make your own video featuring what you love for a chance to win a very expensive and exclusive jacket, cash, and other great prizes.

You can see the full email blast here. Don't let the summer heat burn you out.

-RetroZilla

RevZilla's New Motorcycle Gear Guide July 2010

New product overview from RevZilla for the month of July 2010. We feature some brand new gear as well as some products that flew off the shelves when we first got them in. They are fully back in stock.

We just got a ton of Arai RX-Q Helmets. When these first shipped earlier this year, we sold through our stock in a hurry. For a while all you could get were Smalls and Extra Larges. Now we have a full supply in all sizes and colors.

The Klim Adventure Rally Jacket & Adventure Rally Pants, an absolute bombproof dualsport all-season outfit, is fully back in stock as well. The original production wasn't enough as this best-in-class outfit didn't stay in the warehouse very long. The good news is it's back, and we have a lot of them.

On the stylish riding shoe front, Puma has just released a black-white version of the very popular Puma Flat v2 and an all-blacked-out version of the brand new Puma Testastretta II. These boots are sweet and they look great on and off the bike.

Brand new to the RevZilla lineup is Forcefield armor, a premium protection option from the UK. Forcefield is worn by a number of top pros, and they utilize advanced technologies and intense R&D to make some of the best motorcycle armor we've seen: flexible, comfortable, lightweight, but offering exceptional protection that sets it apart from the rest of the pack.

Last but not least, the Bell Photochromatic Shield will be shipping from RevZilla in late July. We're currently taking pre-orders. The Photochromatic Shield fits the Bell Star & Bell Vortex helmets and utilizes the Transitions lens technology to automatically adjust to light conditions. In low light, the shield is crystal clear but in the sun, it darkens to a black smoke.

Check out all of the new products at RevZilla by visiting the New July 2010 Motorcycle Gear segment of our site.

-RetroZilla

Don't miss some related posts:
http://blog.revzilla.com/2010/01/arai-rx-q-helmet-video-review.html
http://blog.revzilla.com/2010/01/arai-helmet-buying-guide-2010-model.html
http://blog.revzilla.com/2010/06/puma-testastretta-ii-boots-finally.html
http://blog.revzilla.com/2009/12/puma-boots-puma-flat-v2-boot-video-at.html