Cheap tac experience.

[Crashtest33]

Hi peeps.

Does anyone have any experience of cheap tac on eBay.

I'm looking at Oakley SI gloves in this months Ai for £44!!

Can buy a tactical glove from China with the 'O' embroidered on it for £6.

Pro Striker combats for £159!!

Genuine UK issue Gore-Tex MTP £25.

Is anyone using cheap stuff and had any problems?

 

[Dentonboy]

Buy cheap, buy twice.

IMHO:

Get Mechanix gloves for around £15.

Get Propper/Massif Multicams for around £50 a set on eBay.

I would avoid ACM tac' gear.

Look at Helikon, Flyye, Condor and Bulle for decent low/mid range tactical brands.

 

[TheFull9]

Is 'cheap tac' a seller or by 'tac' do you mean all tactical type equipment?

High end, real world tactical gear is generally aimed at SF and the like, so there's a lot of reasons it costs a bomb. There's plenty of reasonably priced stuff that'll do the job for airsoft, you just have to pick and choose carefully. A lot of the real bargain bucket stuff will literally fall apart on you in no time, but surplus/issue CS95 (and to a slightly lesser extent PCS) apparel is good value if you find it for good prices; as 1 example.

 

[PT247]

Mechanix gloves are no better than motocross gloves.... they fall apart so poss best just getting some MX gloves

 

[Crashtest33]

Ok, cool. Just getting people ideas on it. By 'Tac', I do mean tactical gear.

 

[djben9]

go for Helikon, i use it, although i woulnd class it as cheap, depends what you actaully after as SFU combats are around £25 for basic plain colours where as the Atacs/Camogrom etc are slightly higher, also depends on the style as well......still worth it though

what about popping to a local surplus store, prob find most of the stuff there similar to ebay, like the UK gore tex?

 

[Samurai]

I don't buy expensive stuff. For example, I used a pair of cheap chinese gloves for about 4 years (ok, it actually died after 2 but I sewed it up a bit) and I ordered new cheap gloves just this week. An expensive pair of gloves would last for the whole 6-8 years but still... We don't abuse the gear very much.

However don't go very cheap on gear that we do abuse.

You can buy a chinese battle belt for pennies but the molle is not sized correctly, and the stitches tear under the average pouches. Better airsoft gear is enough though. I've been using a Classic Army battle belt for some years and I bought it second hand. It's still working good.

I wouldn't trust chinese boots.

 

[Crashtest33]

Boots, I'm good. Got some totr Bellevilles from the States when I joined the RM.

I've got an issue belt which has been fine for years.

Gloves and an Assault vest are my main concerns.

 

[TheFull9]

Gloves are rather hit and miss, it's tricky. I love these:

http://www.tactical-kit.co.uk/pig-fdt-alpha-gloves-14265-p.asp

Got a few pairs and never had issues (as you'd expect for the price) but some people have had problems. On the other hand (ho ho) a lot of people have Mechanix that they've used and abused for years and they've held up even though they're comparatively fairly cheap, yet some of my Mechanix have failed after almost zero use. Realistically the main thing is to just buy from a good, reputable retailer so that you're covered in the event of some kit failing prematurely.

If you want any sort of vest/rig and pouches, either check flecktarn.co.uk for the BULLE gear or watch the bargains thread here for discount codes over at UK Tactical (or subscribe to their e-mail list yourself) and get some Warrior. Or, again, nab some PLCE or an old issue chest rig off ebay; that shizzle never dies.

 

[Doomentia]

Mechanix gloves are no better than motocross gloves.... they fall apart so poss best just getting some MX gloves

Ive binned a bike wearing mpact mechanic gloves and they held up just fine , still in service on hot days on all my bikes.

 

[Lozart]

Ive binned a bike wearing mpact mechanic gloves and they held up just fine , still in service on hot days on all my bikes.

Pushbike or motorbike?

 

[PT247]

Ive binned a bike wearing mpact mechanic gloves and they held up just fine , still in service on hot days on all my bikes.

have had 2 pairs and through airsoft use the velcro has fallen off

 

[TheFull9]

As we can gather, some people's Mechanix suck, some hold up (as I said). As with any fairly cheap brand, their issue is quality checking, so as with all the rest of the equivalents it's always a bit of a dice roll hence why I advised buy from a good retailer. No one person's experiences prove anything about an entire brand one way or the other because there is always somebody else with a different, opposing story. Unless you shell out for Arc'teryx (which is obviously OTT for most of airsoft) you're always taking a bit of a risk, that is just the way of it.

 

[Dentonboy]

Flecktarn.co.uk I can second as a great source of kit.

I really love Nomex flight gloves: pretty hard wearing and go with everything!

 

[Giliador]

I'm using fox racing, had them for 5 years now, great fit and very durable

 

[Doomentia]

Pushbike or motorbike?

Motorbike's dont own a pushbike or car, been wearing mechanix gloves in summer for years , they wont offer bugger all in way of protection from broken bones , but have held up to a "30mph" off , Ive had one pair two years I average 18,000 miles minimum a year , be more if the old harleys didnt break down so much ha

 

[Lozart]

Motorbike's dont own a pushbike or car, been wearing mechanix gloves in summer for years , they wont offer bugger all in way of protection from broken bones , but have held up to a "30mph" off , Ive had one pair two years I average 18,000 miles minimum a year , be more if the old harleys didnt break down so much ha

Blimey. Can't say I'd want to crash in a pair of Mechanix but then I always rode sportsbikes...

 

[Crashtest33]

Blimey. Can't say I'd want to crash in a pair of Mechanix but then I always rode sportsbikes...

Double that!

 

[Darkmikey22]

I got caught out a year ago on Ebay. I already had a pair of Oakley SI assault gloves, yet were starting to smell quite bad. So I thought it may be wise to invest in a second pair. Found a seller claiming they were official Oakley's, payed what I would expect for the genuine item. Yet once they arrived, and upon closer inspection, they were nothing alike.

Obviously started a paypal claim. But if you buy with places like Ebay or alike, then always be careful as what's advertised is not always what you receive.

So those of you that have mechanix gloves that didn't last long, if you bought off ebay I would be very wary on if they are genuine. As there are a lot of fakes out there.

But as for cheap gear, I would have to agree with Dentonboy. Some time it works out cheaper buying good stuff that lasts a long time than buying cheap and replacing it a few months later.

But also as CK says, there are plenty of decent kit out there that doesn't cost the earth, yet is reliable too.

 

[Doomentia]

Blimey. Can't say I'd want to crash in a pair of Mechanix but then I always rode sportsbikes...

Did the whole sports bike thing years ago (makes me sound old I'm only 38 haha) , got bored of them. Commute on a hornet 600 or crf250l , then occasionaly the gods of combustion decided that the shovelhead will run and I can take the old chopper out haha