[mattmansell]

Has Impact Armor actually gone through CE testing? I know that they say that they meet CE standards but don't believe they have actually gone through testing. I am sure it is good stuff but I would love to see how it stands up to the standard in testing. I have crashed in this stuff (Knox) and it works great, there are many other first person accounts that echo mine over on the WERA board. I have just not seen the testing certification against other brands that Forcefield and Knox have gone through and have not seen the same amount of personal, after crash opinions on IA either. Just because Nicky, Colin, and Corser wear IA and it is claimed they don't get paid (which I highly doubt) is not enough for me.

Now this was posted by STG (who sell the stuff and are trustworthy people btw) but it is an honest first person opinion nonetheless...

 

[Turbo329]

Unless you're getting complete rib coverage, no other chest protector can even compare.

 

[Turbo329]

When you finally have something like this on your body it's hard understand how one could spend so many years riding without the Proper Protection.

I'm sure the Impact Armor is an excellent piece of protection as well. Really, anything is better than nothing. But this Knox kit is the Mutt's Nuts!

 

[duc1036]

Agree 100% , once I was riding with the chest back combo I do not feel right without it.
Just found the custom sizing and fit of the Impact Armor best for me.
Both Knox and Force Field are very high quality. Both are CE rated even though they use different materials to achieve the protection.

 

[hank]

N8 - it was highly entertaining reading your opinion.....

FWIW, I've owned/tried numerous brands of back/rib/chest protectors over the years and for me, well, I use the T-Pro Forcefield stuff.

But whatever you believe works best for you - go ahead and have fun with it!

 

[drsus]

the big little scandal about how useless knox armor was in an actual impact is still pretty fresh to me, I'm sure by now they probably did something about it, and i hope they have, you seem pretty sticked about it....but it says something about a company that puts out something like that to begin with

 

[duc1036]

the big little scandal about how useless knox armor was in an actual impact is still pretty fresh to me, I'm sure by now they probably did something about it, and i hope they have, you seem pretty sticked about it....but it says something about a company that puts out something like that to begin with

News to me. Having used it and crashed an older style back protector, I am very interested in the above.
Can you elaborate or post a link please?

Thanks in advance.

 

[mattmansell]

Yes,

Please elaborate...

 

[drsus]

i just remember i few years back ( ok, maybe a decade or so....maybe some of the older poster here can help me find links) that a few articles surfaced about he Knox back protector ( and other brands) being nothing more than plastics molded into a shape and provided absolutely zero protection to the back during a direct impact to it. They were not certified by any agency and did little or no testing for it. I call it the big little scandal because it was very short lived and more than anything it brought to light how few "protection" pieces sold are actually certified or tested, not just Knox. I do remember since, Knox became very public about how out of many back protectors, they were the first to apply for all the certifications after the debacle. It kind of outed a bunch other companies that were making just a bunch of plastics with shoulder straps. Then again, at the time, a bunch of plastic was better than nothing.

I remember this clearly because at the time i had a Knox back protector and ended up stashing it and buying a Alpinestars brand one that had some certification labels on it, which made me feel a bit better.


i tried looking for some articles on this but not having much luck.

I did however find a good article with nothing to do with what I'm talking about but about back protectors in general on some not-so-official-test that does provide SOME clue as to which works better.

http://www.motorcyclenews.com/upload/Ride Magazine/Product test pdfs/6 JUN08 Back protector test.pdf

 

[duc1036]

I also remember something like this but I thought it was Bohn, who were selling Knox, started making their own back protector. It was a direct copy of the Knox model at the time but had none of the CE certifications. If I recall Knox kind of pulled out of the US market, redesigned their products, and returned.

 

[mattmansell]

Duc,

I think that you hit the nail on the head. I believe that he is getting the Bohn controversy confused. Bohn copied Knox and used some different materiels but the Bohn is a quality piece too btw.

 

[TrickLidz]

Trust me, the IA is custom fit and covers every area of my back, tailbone,ribs and chest completely. BUT, the chest protector (there's no proof that they also use the back protector) that the MotoGP guys slide into their leathers is very small. Example: Casey Stoner wears his very low, looks like it wouldn't protect his heart area.

 

[duc1036]

Always wondered about the way Stoner wears the "chest" protector.
Seems he is more concerned with the abdomen.
Or, now that I think about it, the protector might slide up into the position he favors once he is on the bike.

 

[drsus]

Duc,

I think that you hit the nail on the head. I believe that he is getting the Bohn controversy confused. Bohn copied Knox and used some different materiels but the Bohn is a quality piece too btw.

you might be right about Bohn, it was long ago, but i do remember Knox being a part of it only because i owned one at the time, also remember them pulling out and coming back with redesigned stuff.