C&A Question: Hyperlite v. EFlex 5

[jrutherford]

Hey everyone,

Long-time lurker, but haven't posted much. I'm hoping to pick the forum's collective brains on a C&A question.  I used a Vaughn V9 Pro Carbon C&A last season and wasn't a huge fan.  I felt like the shoulders sat up too high and the new velcro strapping system rode up way too high and did not hold the bottom of the unit tight to your torso. It was tied down to the pants, but I don't tuck the C&A in.  

I need to get to a shop to try some options on, but I wanted to see if you guys had any impressions/opinions/experience with either the Hyperlite or EFlex 5 units? They seem like the shoulders sit a little lower and have some nice features.

Any info is greatly appreciated.  Thanks, boys.

[coopaloop1234]

I personally don't have a lot of experience with the Vapour C/A's or Eflex's, but lots in Vaughn/Warrior/and Bauer's Supreme line. Velocity C/A's are among the most sweater like C/A's there are and were some of the least bothersome floaters I've used. My Warrior GT1 was similar in it's feel, but it was a bit bigger. 

Looking at Vasy, who uses a stock Hyperlite and doesn't tuck, there's a good chance this won't meet your requirement for low shoulders, tight fitting. However, since you don't tuck anyways, you're probably going to always face this issue.

Honestly, your best bet is to bring your breezers to the store and try on every single C/A you can to find the right one. You may end up choosing something that you never would have considered initially. I'm an example of this. I had never considered the Supreme line of C/A's and now I'm in a 2S and it's serving me well.

Go try some stuff on. It'll do way better wonders than any of our lousy opinions.

[Maxpower29]

Curious to how you found the V9 for protection wise? Most reviews say it's more protection than normal stock Vaughn c/as but I've never tried it 

[jrutherford]

Thanks, Coop.  Appreciate your insight.

Max, I found the protection to be quite good.  Never had any problems, especially coming off a bunch of stingers from the V7 I was using previously.  The mobility was good too, just difficult to turn my head and needed too many jerry-rigged mods to make it fit/stay where I needed it to. 

[Chenner29]

On 8/25/2021 at 2:26 PM, jrutherford said:

Thanks, Coop.  Appreciate your insight.

Max, I found the protection to be quite good.  Never had any problems, especially coming off a bunch of stingers from the V7 I was using previously.  The mobility was good too, just difficult to turn my head and needed too many jerry-rigged mods to make it fit/stay where I needed it to. 

Hey, welcome to the board.

RE: your shoulder floater issue - do you wear suspenders?  I started wearing them last year with my CCM unit. 
I ended up sewing some velcro loops on top of the shoulder floaters.  When I dress, I secure the suspenders into the velcro loops so they stay in place and hold the floaters down. I also found that a fight strap on the backplate secured to the back pant loop helps keep the unit centered.

Here's a pic I posted in another thread to illustrate how I was able to get mine to sit. 

Of course, if you've already decided to move on from your V9, that's another discussion

[Teezle]

I currently use a Hyperlite C/A with beefed up Ultrasonic arms and I am loving it. It is very light and mobile while still being protective; haven't had a stinger yet. This chest protector also comes with a loop at the bottom of the spine, which you can attach to the back of your pants. This will help prevent the back part from riding up and pushing the shoulders up. I also wear mine untucked and haven't had any issues when using this method. I circled it on the picture below.

[Yzueblin]

1 hour ago, Teezle said:

I currently use a Hyperlite C/A with beefed up Ultrasonic arms and I am loving it. It is very light and mobile while still being protective; haven't had a stinger yet. This chest protector also comes with a loop at the bottom of the spine, which you can attach to the back of your pants. This will help prevent the back part from riding up and pushing the shoulders up. I also wear mine untucked and haven't had any issues when using this method. I circled it on the picture below.

Omg thank for the answer here ! Did you lost any arm mobility with the ultrasonic beefed arm ? 

its exactly what I’m looking to order at this moment 

[ThatCarGuy]

I have a retail hyperlite chest protector and the unit is outstanding. Even as a former warrior chest user this is the most flexible and most protective chest protector I’ve ever used. 

[seagoal]

3 hours ago, Maxpower29 said:

Curious to how you found the V9 for protection wise? Most reviews say it's more protection than normal stock Vaughn c/as but I've never tried it 

I own it and that is true.  I've only ever used Velocity c/a units and the V9 is the most protective and has the most beefy, stiffest padding. I guess theoretically that would mean it lost some mobility but I have not found that to be the case in any specific sense.

The OP mentioned the shoulders riding up high.  I also found that too, but, the shoulders on it are highly customizable and there is a lot of variation on how they can sit.  I cranked mine down pretty tight, so much so that the velcro adjuster sticks out the back.  I just bought some velcro tabs to match it so the teeth aren't exposed and now it works great for me.  I wear a dangler on my helmet and have no issues with interference.

[Teezle]

3 hours ago, Yzueblin said:

Omg thank for the answer here ! Did you lost any arm mobility with the ultrasonic beefed arm ? 

its exactly what I’m looking to order at this moment 

No, the Ultrasonic arms (even beefed up) are very mobile.