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