Inspires confidence in the user.
Slight additional protection from welts.
Weaknesses:
Not firm enough to stop all bruises.
Limited Adjustment.
Review:
This is an easy to find and inexpensive product for a little added protection.
I purchased this to give my girlfriend a bit more confidence on the field. And for that it has worked beautifully. She has the confidence now to play an offensive game instead of only defensive.
This has had the added benefit of allowing other friends new to paintball to start out with a bit more confidence. The small thin and light nature of the vest makes it very easy for new players to fit it under a large sweatshirt with relative comfort.
Now onto the problems:
The actual protective nature of this vest alone is pretty limited. It's quite thin in many areas. The true protective nature of the vest comes in with the layering. Many new people want to use the vest ... but don't want others to see it. So they use it under a sweatshirt or a BDU/Camo top. This actually makes it very effective. Multiple layers really help to cushion the impact of a hit.
The other issue with the vest is that the adjustments are pretty limited.
Conclusion:
This is a great inexpensive product to give those who are shy about paintball a bit more confidence.
If someone were looking to purchase this for someone that bruises so easily there's actually a medical term for it ... I'd recommend not playing paintball. There are plenty of other activities out there.
I'm giving it a 6 out of 10 ... Since without layering it doesn't do much for protection, and the limited adjustments can make a comfortable fit difficult without modification.
Even with the problems … Thanks to the low price this can be found at, I'm considering purchasing another 2 to use as loaners for friends, coworkers, and family. The confidence it gives the inexperienced player is worth it.
