All posts tagged Tactical Vests

Agilite Hi Vest, pre-configured but still versatile

Agilite Hi VestI have been a fan of the Agilite Hi-Vest for a very long time, one of the only negatives about it is that it is made overseas and sometimes there are delays in getting inventory.   If you are looking for a good tactical vest, there are a lot of options out there but they can get expensive real fast once you add on the cost of the pouches.  Many people started out with Molle Vests but we don’t see much use for those since plate carriers have pretty much replaced them.  If you don’t want or need plates, you still have a molle vest.  For most deployments, you are going to want your gear high on your chest so its easy to retrieve withing your visible work space.

The best thing about the Agilite Hi-Vest is how comfortable it is to wear and you don’t feel your magazines, radio ect pushing into you.  There is a lanyard attachment if you choose to use it and we have found that a lot of United States Border Security like this vest because it’s more comfortable to wear.   You have much more mobility with all of your gear strategically placed.   One of the big features that several recent customers have told us the reason they wanted this vest was it had pouches big enough to stow a suppressor in.  That’s something I never thought about until now, and with so many purchasing suppressors, why not have a tactical vest you can stow an IFAK, Suppressor, Mags, paracord, batteriesIsraeli Agilite Hi Vest Storage and more.  There is also the Agilite Hi-Vest with the AMAP bag that you can always buy later but probable something you might want to get and take it off if you don’t feel you need it.  Check out the videos for the product.

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Agilite Gear a different way of doing it, magazine pouches and Hi-Vest

Agilite GearAgilite Hi-VestsWe’ve been eye balling the Agilite Gear product line for more than a year and at this stage of our business model, we don’t want to carry everthing because there is plenty of crap gear out there, and if you sell crap, a certain percentage of your customers are going to come back to the retailer and either want a refund or you’ll end up dealing with warranty issues or disappointed customers.   You get what you pay for in this industry and you need to know that before you make a purchase and the other major concern is know what something is used for and if you are going to be using the gear that can achiever your goals.    Standing in line at a IDPA match a few months ago I saw people compete with firearms that they knew nothing about but just shot the match anyway.   You can practice self defense when shooting IDPA but if you haven’t had much experience shooting different guns, how will  you know if you are even capable of shooting your best?   Trigger pulls andd sight radius are going to help you out big time and if you cut yourself short.

The Agilite Hi-vest was the first thing that caught my eye when looking over their product line because they are very much up to date on Multicam and A-Tacs pattern nylon gear.   In the United States most of the Police Departments we deal with are looking for outer carrier vests because as a police officer, your job is to serve and protect, and not look like an Army Soldier unless a SWAT call out is made or you are Patrolman that gets called to an active shooter situation.   The Agilite Gear Hi-vest is something that probable isn’t what Law Enforcement are normally going to do but we have several Border Patrol Personnel wearing these that have given us positive feedback.   Their Agilite Advanced Magazine Pouch is very different than most of the triple mag pouches we’ve sold due to the fact the 3 magazines would be stacked going forward and not across a tactical vest which really is smart because it leaves more space on a Molle system.   The first time I tried out the Agilite Hi-Vests it fell like I was being locked into some type of safety harness because it is extremely comfortable and since it is designed to sit high on the chest, you can easily access gear without having to look down and your ability to move your upper body around corners is not restricted.  The Agilite Hi-Vest is sold with and without the AMAP (Attaching Modular Assault Pack) which I personel didn’t feel I needed at the moment but you can also buy it separately later if need be.    This would be a very cool vest for a Contagion event also.

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Walking in and being able to walk out with what you want!

law enforcement supplies in Pennsylvania There’s been a lot of discussion on the news about internet taxes, sales taxes and other things that are very much in the minds of companies that sell online.  Ebay and amazon have differing opinions about what should be done, and States like Delaware aren’t going to be happy about it.   Now that we have an actually store in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, many local Law Enforcement and security companies have been very happy that we actually stock inventory and that we aren’t just a drop shipping company.   Many of the gun shops in the area sell ammunition, firearms and magazines but their prices are usually higher than what the  internet companies are selling them for.   An internet sales tax will have a big impact on what things are sold for online.   Things like tactical boots, ballistic eyewear, waterproof pants, rain gear, and SWAT Team gear is something you want hold in your hands and fit it to your body.

Along with many tactical products like Magpul, VLTOR, AR15 upper receivers and magpul pmags, we stock gun parts and magazines for Glock, magazine springs and followers from Wolff gun springs.   We have an expanding showroom of law enforcement supplies in pennsylvania where our 1500 sqft showroom is expanding every year.  This year we will be bringing in products from Tactical Tailor, 5.11 tactical and more Tru-Spec and Blackahawk tactical clothing.   We expand our products based on customer feedback and our ever growing tactical apparel and gear are the best there is.

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Looks like Woolrich Inc is out of the tactical apparel market

Tru-Spec 24/7 series tactical clothingWe were the first dealer in Pennsylvania to carry the Woolrich Elite Series product line and I can’t think of much out there other than 5.11 tactical products, but Woolrich Elite Series products were very well received.  At the time the economy was better and people were willing to spend $50 for a pair of pants, but now things are really crazy and many of our customers are telling us they are dropping over $60 a pair of pants for 5.11 tactical stuff.   We’ve seen the ceiling be about $50 for pants and once we go over that for a product, we basically loose out to 5.11 tactical or some other company.  I have no idea what people are going to do if they liked Woolrich Elite Series products or the Eotac line because after checking out the Vertx, Tru-Spec and Blackhawk Product lines, they are all overy different.

There is a whole bunch of drama that went down with the guys that original came up with the idea for the Woolrich Elite line and in the end it lost out to the competition because it just couldn’t keep up with the times.   Our best best right now is to sell what our customers want and the Tru-Spec 24/7 Series tactical clothing has a great quality product for about 20%-40% less than their competitors.  There are the new Truely Tactical products coming out that are less than $40 and we expect that this is a great idea considering the economy and the market drive.  There are several companies making stuff now but nobody likes to buy online for new clothing and most walk to walk in a shop and try them on.

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Tactical vests for range use and for low profile LEO’s

Woolrich Elite tactical vestsWe have seen the tactical clothing market explode in the last 10yrs and have seen companies come and go.   Some of the companies we sold products for were really original and well made but they just didn’t get their foot in the door and gain traction.  Some of the products were, even though well made, not easy to sell online because people wanted to hold it in their hands or try it on to make sure it fit them.  Some of the sizing issues aren’t just about chest sizing it’s also arm lengths and waist tolerances.  I have been using the Woolrich Elite 44903  tactical vest for almost 8yrs and it has very good durability and very comfortable compared to some molle vests.

The 44903 vest is a cotton canvas tactical vest and has so many  pockets that only a well organized individual won’t have problems losing his gear in it.  You will have a place for a radio, water bottles and the Woolrich Elite Series tactical vest has plenty of room to hold 4-8 magpul pmags depending on how  you stack them.  The new Gen 3 pmags are a little thinner so you will easily be able to stack on 8 magazines and even more depending on how crafty you are with your pocket usage.  The rear pocket, I find is good for elbow pads and gloves.

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Woolrich Elite nearing the end?

Its looking more and more like the Woolrich Elite Series Tactical product line is no more.  We’ve seen several clothing companies and various other tactical gear manufacturers pull out of China and the task of retooling the the machines and launching the products in a bad economy have been rough.   We recently heard that Tru-Spec is now making their clothing in Honduras which is a major shift from our standpoint because just about everyone making tactical clothing came in from somewhere in Asia.   India, Cambodia, Vietnam, China it seemed like everyone had a manufacturer over there, but cost increases have really hit some companies and from what we see it can cause a certain percentage of your customers to switch to another brand.

Now that we  have such a large Law Enforcement customer base, many of these guys and gals have a clothing allowance and increase the cost of tactical clothing by $10 per item means they may can few items.   The differences between 5.11 tactical and TruSpec shirts are considerable as far as pocket designs and such, but many of the Tru-Spec and 5.11 tactical clothing products are made of similar materials.   The differences are quality control and sizing consistency.  We here so many complaints about 5.11 products getting expensive and the truth of the matter, they are not the only ones, Vertx pants are usually over $60, Woolrich Elite $50 and from what we see Tru-Spec products from Atlanco are the best priced products.

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100% cotton ripstop pants and comfortable tactical pants

We’ve tested the waters in the last year after Eotac faded away, and we have over a years worth of feedback about customers that have moved on to Blackawk tactical pants, TruSpec tactical pants and even Vertx.   Vertx seems to have gotten great reviews but not everyone is moving in that direction.  I have found the Vertx product line to be the most well received tactical pants amongst our window shopping operators.  You should see more and more products like this on our inventory in 2013.  In the meantime, most of our customers have told  us that they want cotton canvas pants, 100% cotton ripstop pants or the poly/cotton ripstop.

There are always slight differences with each pant that make it a selling point to a certain market.  Most of military contractors prefer the 100% cotton ripstop cargo pants from Woolrich Elite Series Tactical Clothing because it is really the only tactical pant to go back to or stay with since Eotac has gone. Many of our Law Enforcement Officers need a pant that has some time of lining in it to keep your pants tucked in, those customers go to 5.11 tactical pants or Blackhawk tactical pants.  Some tactical  pants are good for the office and others for Iraq.

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Not happy about this but get them while you can

Everyone once in awhile we are extremely disappointed to hear about a product being discontinued but right now it seems the Woolrich Elite half zip sweat shirts are being discontinued.   We’re clearing out our inventory of them right now and discounting them to $39.99.   These are great CCW outwear because the sweatshirts are cut long and great for covering full size autos.  We have a good bit of the small size sweatshirts which are great for keeping your girlfriend warm.   I’ve had more than a few of them stolen from my wife.

Woolrich Elite products have a rock solid reputation for holding up and the Elite Series stuff I had years ago is still in good condition.   The half zip sweatshirts I own have faded, but they have not shrunk as far as I can tell.  I personally prefer the Woolrich Elite Tactical Clothing especially  Half  Zip Sweatshirts to most jackets because of the long length and the fact they are more comfortable than a long coat.   At this time of the year when I have to go in and out of malls, having a medium layer over me and not some thick winter jacket makes the difference.

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TruSpec pants in stock

We are now a stocking dealer for most of the TruSpec 24/7 Series which was brought about by customer feedback.   There aren’t many companies that have done very well in the clothing business over the last couple years and it’s very well know that a few companies have already fizzled out.   There has been an increase in quality clothing from many brands so there is no way we would claim that one company is better than the other.  5.11 tactical is a monster of a company and is #1 in many things, but Glock still doesn’t outsell all of the competition because sometimes people just want something else.

TruSpec from Atlanco does more military apparel than Eotac or Woolrich does and expands our product line into a whole new market.   Also, these tactical pants are Gunny approved and featured by the NRA.   The reality of the tactical clothing market is simple this, the customer will determine what is good based on quality and pricing.   Plenty of people refuse to spend more than $30 on a pair of pants, but people doing the hardwork and every day use of clothing will gladly spend $50 or more for a good pair of pants.

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Where to go after Eotac?

We are now being bombarded with questions from our customers about what happened to Eotac.   We are out of various sizes of tactical pants from Eotac, but we still have a lot left and lots of people don’t believe we have it.    It’s almost like Eotac tactical pants are more popular and sought after now that nobody can get them.  It really is sad that the company was barely around for 2yrs and just when people are getting to know the product line it goes belly up.   We’re still waiting to hear from somebody at Remington on what the situation was.   We don’t know if they went out of business, were bought out, or merged with someone else.

After Fernando Coelho left Eotac last year, it’s no surprise that investors may have been concerned about it’s future.   Recently Fernando mentioned on Facebook on the Eotac page that if people are looking for something similar your best bet is with Woolrich Elite pants.   The fit is different and we’ll leave it up to our customers to say which is better, but considering how many disgruntled 5.11 customers we have, Woolrich Elite products are top notch and I would never bash them.   Designs are debatable and Woolrich Elite series shirts, pants and vests have a 95% satisfaction record with our customer base.

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