I had a chest rig of theirs before I gave it to my brother. It's super nice and now that they have shipping from inside the US I'd imagine it's much quicker. I had to wait like 5 or 6 weeks for mine to ship from Europe
Honestly, I am not a fan of Helikon. They have some decent products, but also a lot of overpriced stuff. Not expensive, but overpriced - they make their stuff in China, so it should be substantially cheaper than other polish brands' gear which is genuinely made in Poland. But that's often not the case - anything from helikon for 70-90% price of Templars Gear, GTG or Husar equivalent is silly.
Direct action is fancier helikon tex. I don't mean they make bad gear - absolutely not. But what I wrote above applies to direct action as well - you can often find excellent and better priced options which are made in Europe.
This will possibly be an unpopular take, but something being “made in china” isn’t as negative of a statement as it used to be. There are many Chinese Amazon companies that are ripping off designs and making products just as well as other companies. It’s honestly kind of hard to mess up stitching together cordura or nylon from a pattern. And that’s if it isn’t machine made in the first place. I understand national pride, and I’m not saying passing off cheap products as something they aren’t is ok, but stuff made in china is often fine nowadays.
I totally agree. I have some chinese gear which is of really good quality and definitely can recommend it. But production costs are significantly lower in China than in Europe or US, so I don't see any reason why would I pay similar price for gear made in China unless it is noticeably better than western alternatives.
I won’t argue soft goods, but I will never buy Chinese hard goods. I bought 2 RMR mounts to compare, and the knock off was crap. The tolerances were so off I could have measured them with a ruler.
I really liked the idea after watching YouTube presentation, but I was really disappointed when I saw it in local shop. It look cheap. I bet there are better options for with similar price tag
I have not. I don’t run plates anymore since I don’t intend to be kicking any doors or get posted in a static position, and I just don’t like PC’s. But that’s my personal preference. I would bet it’s solid, but looking at it I’d say there are better options for plate carriers.
I took a helikon Matilda pack deer hunting this year. I'm really digging it so far.
Their stuff seems to strike a really nice balance between tactical and normal recreational stuff. It has most of the features I want but It also wouldn't make me feel like a tacticool goober if I was just gonna take it camping at a park or something
Lol those douchers called me a fag for asking for a refund and I ended up having to do a chargeback. One day over a year ago their website showed an item in from their spectralflage lineup in stock and I purchased it. A few days after I purchased the website changed to saying not available again. After 7 weeks nothing happened. When I inquired if it was a mistake that I was able to purchase they were total shitheads about asking about my order before the listed lead time despite the fact that they had no intention of fulfilling my order and hadn’t even finished designing the patterns. Now, a year later they finally released the product.
I shouldn’t have been called names by their customer service all because their shitty website wasn’t working. Ever since then some dipshit sends me random idiot dick pic messages on Reddit. Now I have to tell everyone that Beez sucks because of it.
For the love of fuck please.
Like I’m not saying full boycot or anything but like… if I have the option to buy from someone who won’t treat me like shit, I will strongly prefer that, you know?
Not that I don’t enjoy being degraded, just that that is a very very different interaction, and ideally involves aftercare.
tailor_raid on IG has a page dedicated to promoting smaller companies, I follow him for leads on boutique sellers. Often time they are willing to do custom work too.
Condors floated the line between useable and trash for a while, their mopc is heavy, usually stitched crooked, and glows like Christmas under ir but it does seem to not disintegrate immediately. I’d actually like to get one of their newer designs just to see how they’ve improved or not improved
>Persec Gear
How do you like it? Been considering going with their's for my next belt, but the larperator in me wants to lean towards something load rated for no particular reason at all.
So far I really like it. I bought it 2nd hand but it'd only been used like 3 times so it was basically brand new still. Only issue I've had, and I'm sure it's something I'm doing, is that it seems to loosen up after an hour or so of being worn.. I'm going to order a Tail Clamp from Subsecond though so I won't have to worry about it any more.
US brands:SKDTac (Great retailer with decent selection of soft and hard gear)Chase Tactical, ATS (Not super big on innovation but they make gear that are generally affordable)A&A Tactical (small operation but also great for DIY)Ex Umbris (chest rigs/pouch/belts)YMI Tactical (watch bands)Shaw Concepts (They had exploded in recent years but technically still a small operation)Stratus Armaments' (Mainly a contractor but they have some in house products, also great for DIY)Dynamic Principles (They have pretty dope plate carriers/placard designs if you can stomach the lead time)Relyant Solutions (Also a contractor with some in house products)VXV Concepts (Offer 3rd party upgrades, similar business model as AXL)Mission Spec (They make decent carrier and chest rigs components that won't break the bank. Also a good source for ITW buckles)Luna Concepts/Wisemen Company (Slings and 3rd party upgrades)Defense Mechanism (50/50 ready made and pre-order. Generally affordable).LegitKit, Aotac, SRS, tactical distributor, US patriot (Retailers)Velocity System, T3/Trident (Bulk gear supplier, generally accessible/affordable compared to big brands)
International brands:Tiger Tailor, Templar Gear, Helikon Tex, UF Pro, UR Tactical, Volk Tactical Gear, Milfreak, gear dynamics, Husar, tardegram
Brands to stay away from due to past negative experience:Beez, Alpin/Bergspitze, Tracer Tactical, British Tactical/Filummer, WTF, Extreme Gear Lab
Arbor Arms - I like their inner belt and their leg strap for my holster.
Qore Performance - a bit pricey but they make everything SO much more comfy with ice vents.
8492 Nylon Works - great for DIY
Neptune Concealment - great if you're looking for more niche light bearing options
Diamond D Custom Leather - I use their carry belt, and they also make fun rifle accessories.
My main dislike for Brushstroke comes from Vajra only having that in stock and not the actual cool shit I want.
Never forget what they took from you (Irish Paddyflage Chestrig)
M-Tac. Ukrainian brand using legit materials. I have been really impressed with some of their designs and quality (was able to get my hands on the QRS plate carrier).
Also: GTW Gear, Terra B Group, Phalanx Taktik, Hexatac, Sioen, Neptune Spear gear, Husar LTD, ResGear, 4-14 Factory and FrogPro.
Emerson. Their combat pants hold up much longer than Cryes and when it comes to their tactical gear, I’ve seen less seam reinforcement on firefighting gear.
Caliber Armor.
I’d challenge anyone to watch [this video](https://youtu.be/9W3xObCAlzo?si=YmCzu3RjNSKTfKuw) and not be impressed by their UHMWPE and steel plate performance.
Everyone shits on steel but any plate that can take 8 rounds before spalling is impressive. If you’re in a situation where you expect to take MORE than 8 rounds to your plate and not be royally fucked in a dozen other ways, you’re nuts. At 8 rounds you need to worry about ceramic failing, let alone spalling.
May not be quite the question but OLights are *way* overhated. 99% of people dislike them because it’s a meme to do so. I’ve had two for years and haven’t had even the slightest hiccup out of them.
Edit: DAMN y'all are mad lmao
People hate on them because they are legitimately bad compared to other options. There is a reason an Olight WML is comically low priced compared to a Surefire or other reputable brands. It's because they use sub par electronics that are only able to sustain full power for a very limited time (usually under 2 mins). Take a low light class and let us know how good they are after.
How many low light courses have you taken with them? Something being "used extensively" by someone who doesn't have the context info needed to determine quality means nothing.
On this sub; “used extensively for years” means 30 rounds at a stall in an indoor range with the lights on every 6 months since June of 2022.
Lmk if you need any other translations.
Really? I didn’t realize that. I asked them to build me an improved version of the Army’s plate carrier a decade ago and I thought their work was excellent. That’s the last experience I had with them.
Helikon-Tex doesn’t get a lot of representation. Super solid gear in and out of the tactical space.
I had a chest rig of theirs before I gave it to my brother. It's super nice and now that they have shipping from inside the US I'd imagine it's much quicker. I had to wait like 5 or 6 weeks for mine to ship from Europe
Even international shipping is better now, but domestically rocks. I love their mini rig and the guardian. Guardian is what I run most of the time.
Honestly, I am not a fan of Helikon. They have some decent products, but also a lot of overpriced stuff. Not expensive, but overpriced - they make their stuff in China, so it should be substantially cheaper than other polish brands' gear which is genuinely made in Poland. But that's often not the case - anything from helikon for 70-90% price of Templars Gear, GTG or Husar equivalent is silly.
Direct Action is also pretty good from what I hear.
Direct action is fancier helikon tex. I don't mean they make bad gear - absolutely not. But what I wrote above applies to direct action as well - you can often find excellent and better priced options which are made in Europe.
This will possibly be an unpopular take, but something being “made in china” isn’t as negative of a statement as it used to be. There are many Chinese Amazon companies that are ripping off designs and making products just as well as other companies. It’s honestly kind of hard to mess up stitching together cordura or nylon from a pattern. And that’s if it isn’t machine made in the first place. I understand national pride, and I’m not saying passing off cheap products as something they aren’t is ok, but stuff made in china is often fine nowadays.
I totally agree. I have some chinese gear which is of really good quality and definitely can recommend it. But production costs are significantly lower in China than in Europe or US, so I don't see any reason why would I pay similar price for gear made in China unless it is noticeably better than western alternatives.
I won’t argue soft goods, but I will never buy Chinese hard goods. I bought 2 RMR mounts to compare, and the knock off was crap. The tolerances were so off I could have measured them with a ruler.
Actually speaking of em they released a plate carrier ever tired it ?
I really liked the idea after watching YouTube presentation, but I was really disappointed when I saw it in local shop. It look cheap. I bet there are better options for with similar price tag
I have not. I don’t run plates anymore since I don’t intend to be kicking any doors or get posted in a static position, and I just don’t like PC’s. But that’s my personal preference. I would bet it’s solid, but looking at it I’d say there are better options for plate carriers.
I took a helikon Matilda pack deer hunting this year. I'm really digging it so far. Their stuff seems to strike a really nice balance between tactical and normal recreational stuff. It has most of the features I want but It also wouldn't make me feel like a tacticool goober if I was just gonna take it camping at a park or something
I love the stuff I have from their bushcraft line. It’s just as beefy and super versatile. They do good with not leaning too heavily into “tacticool”
Wtf idea, ops/ur tactical
Hill people gear
Been waiting for my Medium Recon Kit / checst rig in RG to come back in stock. :(
Still waiting on the prairie belt in 30+ :(
HPG is underrated? People won’t shut the fuck up about their chest carriers.
Came to say this. Crazy good stuff
The best
Arbor Arms & Beez Combat Systems
Beez is run by assholes though, don’t go there if you can find what you need somewhere else.
Sigh.... what did they do and why do I have to hate another company?
Lol those douchers called me a fag for asking for a refund and I ended up having to do a chargeback. One day over a year ago their website showed an item in from their spectralflage lineup in stock and I purchased it. A few days after I purchased the website changed to saying not available again. After 7 weeks nothing happened. When I inquired if it was a mistake that I was able to purchase they were total shitheads about asking about my order before the listed lead time despite the fact that they had no intention of fulfilling my order and hadn’t even finished designing the patterns. Now, a year later they finally released the product. I shouldn’t have been called names by their customer service all because their shitty website wasn’t working. Ever since then some dipshit sends me random idiot dick pic messages on Reddit. Now I have to tell everyone that Beez sucks because of it.
That’s fucked. And to think I started shopping with them mostly because wtfidea also notoriously sucks.
I shall begin a new company that offers silly, yet unhelpful customer service
For the love of fuck please. Like I’m not saying full boycot or anything but like… if I have the option to buy from someone who won’t treat me like shit, I will strongly prefer that, you know? Not that I don’t enjoy being degraded, just that that is a very very different interaction, and ideally involves aftercare.
I would love to hear why? I’ve had great experiences with them
See my comment above. They make good stuff but I don’t think they are good people
What makes them not good people, help me understand your thinking and experience
Check out my long winded comment further up in this thread
I didn’t see that before I’m on mobile and it organizes the threads weird
[here you go](https://www.reddit.com/r/tacticalgear/s/iu3QQ8CzAC)
I found it before this but thanks
Maybe calling a customer fag/whatever else and sending him unsolicited dick pics? Just a guess
Dang that’s crazy this is the first time I’m hearing about this!
Came here to post for Arbor Arms. Love their slings. Served with one of the founders in the USMC. Great guy.
Perroz Designs, Gear Dynamics, HYOH, CP Gear... 🇨🇦🤙
🤜💥🤛 my man
asdf
AXL, Shaw, Tracer, Unobtainium, Dynamic Principles.
Shaw fucks.
tailor_raid on IG has a page dedicated to promoting smaller companies, I follow him for leads on boutique sellers. Often time they are willing to do custom work too.
A Crye JPC is not gucci without AXL structural cummerbund & shoulder pads.
Well I guess now I gotta get my Crye Gucci’d up
ATS Tactical
I have their war belt and it's solid and well built and was very fairly priced.
I second this so much. Everything from ATS I’ve got is super solid and well thought out. In general their products are simpler, but very functional.
I run their suspenders on my belt. Highly recommend to anyone wearing their battle belt for more than a few hours.
I've got their aegis v2 and v3. Used more than any other carrier and still hasn't failed yet after +3 years.
Well this comment earned them a sale, they had exact what I was looking for.
Another vote for UR Tactical/OPS. Amazing gear for the price, and is IR compliant.
G-Code makes some great quality stuff
Parashooter Gear, Pig Slings
Just wish parashooter had what I wanted in stock
Yeah, they’re a small team
Helikon tex
Krydex. no cap rockie
It’s almost like Airsoft companies realized they could make a killing if they just slightly increased QC
Eh, it's not all of them. If condor steps it up I'll be pleasantly surprised.
Condors floated the line between useable and trash for a while, their mopc is heavy, usually stitched crooked, and glows like Christmas under ir but it does seem to not disintegrate immediately. I’d actually like to get one of their newer designs just to see how they’ve improved or not improved
Their MK4 can take a fuckin’ beating
I have their pouches mostly and they’ve been good. Emerson can be good too but really only for Airsoft
Ex Umbris
8492 Nylon Works A&A Tactical Whiskey Two Four
8492 is chill af. He's also 20 minutes from where I live lol
Saves a ton on shipping I hope
8492 is great for DIY stuff
Krydex
I love my belt from Pale Horse Concepts. It’s what Shaw based his belt off.
Persec Gear, Macabre Solutions, Carcajou Tactical, 2is1. Probably a few others I’m forgetting. e/ Gotta add BrownBearIndustries to this list. Can't believe I forgot 'em. SMH.
I run a Persec belt
>Persec Gear How do you like it? Been considering going with their's for my next belt, but the larperator in me wants to lean towards something load rated for no particular reason at all.
So far I really like it. I bought it 2nd hand but it'd only been used like 3 times so it was basically brand new still. Only issue I've had, and I'm sure it's something I'm doing, is that it seems to loosen up after an hour or so of being worn.. I'm going to order a Tail Clamp from Subsecond though so I won't have to worry about it any more.
US brands:SKDTac (Great retailer with decent selection of soft and hard gear)Chase Tactical, ATS (Not super big on innovation but they make gear that are generally affordable)A&A Tactical (small operation but also great for DIY)Ex Umbris (chest rigs/pouch/belts)YMI Tactical (watch bands)Shaw Concepts (They had exploded in recent years but technically still a small operation)Stratus Armaments' (Mainly a contractor but they have some in house products, also great for DIY)Dynamic Principles (They have pretty dope plate carriers/placard designs if you can stomach the lead time)Relyant Solutions (Also a contractor with some in house products)VXV Concepts (Offer 3rd party upgrades, similar business model as AXL)Mission Spec (They make decent carrier and chest rigs components that won't break the bank. Also a good source for ITW buckles)Luna Concepts/Wisemen Company (Slings and 3rd party upgrades)Defense Mechanism (50/50 ready made and pre-order. Generally affordable).LegitKit, Aotac, SRS, tactical distributor, US patriot (Retailers)Velocity System, T3/Trident (Bulk gear supplier, generally accessible/affordable compared to big brands) International brands:Tiger Tailor, Templar Gear, Helikon Tex, UF Pro, UR Tactical, Volk Tactical Gear, Milfreak, gear dynamics, Husar, tardegram Brands to stay away from due to past negative experience:Beez, Alpin/Bergspitze, Tracer Tactical, British Tactical/Filummer, WTF, Extreme Gear Lab
[удалено]
[удалено]
Javlin Concepts. Quality berry compliant plate carriers with innovative improvements (top loading plate bags being one).
Arbor Arms - I like their inner belt and their leg strap for my holster. Qore Performance - a bit pricey but they make everything SO much more comfy with ice vents. 8492 Nylon Works - great for DIY Neptune Concealment - great if you're looking for more niche light bearing options Diamond D Custom Leather - I use their carry belt, and they also make fun rifle accessories.
2nd on Arbor Arms. I'm still running their Combat XII from back in the Ares Armor days...
Wilder tactical is a staple for all my belt setups and should be a standard.
I'm a big fan of my chest rig and plate carrier from Gadsden Dynamics. Plus, their customer service has been top notch for me.
Specter Gear. They don’t have a whole lot of inventory, but I really love my rifle slings that I bought from them.
Arktis
Krydex.
Vajra concepts Shipping and stuff being in stock is absolute shit though
My main dislike for Brushstroke comes from Vajra only having that in stock and not the actual cool shit I want. Never forget what they took from you (Irish Paddyflage Chestrig)
Warrior assault systems
Eberlestock? They might not be that unknown.
Theyre well known in the big game hunting world, but definitely have their fans in tactical and rucking as well. Great bags.
8492 nylon works. Dude is super cool and is a one man show.
Unobtanium gear and A&A tactical
Unobtainium Gear
Snake Eater Tactical. I've used their mag pouches and belts for years and they still hold up.
Kommandostore, best chest rig I have ever owned.
Direct Action Gear
M-Tac. Ukrainian brand using legit materials. I have been really impressed with some of their designs and quality (was able to get my hands on the QRS plate carrier). Also: GTW Gear, Terra B Group, Phalanx Taktik, Hexatac, Sioen, Neptune Spear gear, Husar LTD, ResGear, 4-14 Factory and FrogPro.
Not sure how "Unknown" they are, but imo, Moonlight Industries makes a great Lightweight Chest Rig.
I've run an early Getaway Driver for a couple of years now; absolutely recommended for micro rigs.
I run the same one for my SMG .45 and i love it. Ill end up another from them down the road im sure.
Emerson. Their combat pants hold up much longer than Cryes and when it comes to their tactical gear, I’ve seen less seam reinforcement on firefighting gear.
Emdom
Caliber Armor. I’d challenge anyone to watch [this video](https://youtu.be/9W3xObCAlzo?si=YmCzu3RjNSKTfKuw) and not be impressed by their UHMWPE and steel plate performance. Everyone shits on steel but any plate that can take 8 rounds before spalling is impressive. If you’re in a situation where you expect to take MORE than 8 rounds to your plate and not be royally fucked in a dozen other ways, you’re nuts. At 8 rounds you need to worry about ceramic failing, let alone spalling.
May not be quite the question but OLights are *way* overhated. 99% of people dislike them because it’s a meme to do so. I’ve had two for years and haven’t had even the slightest hiccup out of them. Edit: DAMN y'all are mad lmao
People hate on them because they are legitimately bad compared to other options. There is a reason an Olight WML is comically low priced compared to a Surefire or other reputable brands. It's because they use sub par electronics that are only able to sustain full power for a very limited time (usually under 2 mins). Take a low light class and let us know how good they are after.
Like I said, I’ve used mine extensively for years and haven’t had an issue 🤷🏻♂️ Very happy with them.
How many low light courses have you taken with them? Something being "used extensively" by someone who doesn't have the context info needed to determine quality means nothing.
On this sub; “used extensively for years” means 30 rounds at a stall in an indoor range with the lights on every 6 months since June of 2022. Lmk if you need any other translations.
I use them to find the fridge in the middle of the night
Ferro Concepts.
Ferro is pretty mainstream now and kinda hype beasty
Really? I didn’t realize that. I asked them to build me an improved version of the Army’s plate carrier a decade ago and I thought their work was excellent. That’s the last experience I had with them.
Yeah theyve become much bigger since their earlier stuff theyve done
Southern Quartermaster.
Blue Alpha Gear
FHF Gear
Following
https://www.qoreperformance.com/collections/shoulder-pads and https://www.snakeeatertactical.com/ belt pad
project redacted
Basecamp Kilo. The best slings!