The armoured-vests are all the rage at the moment, as they offer a nice compromise between the full protection of a leather suit, and sod-all protection with a t-shirt. We don’t get much hot weather here admitedly, but when it does come, it’s torture sitting in traffic waiting for the lights to change when you’re sweating cobwebs in a leather jacket, or suit.
I’ve personally been using an armoured-vest and love it, it has a full-length back protector in, which is my main concern, as well as protection on the major joints which seem to be the vulnerable areas when it comes to sliding down the road.
These jackets are never going to be as good as a full leather suit, but will no doubt save you from many injuries that you could sustain from a spill in town. Hopefully you’re not going to be riding at warp-speed 10 in town, so their effectiveness shouldn’t be a problem. They’re unlikely to protect you from broken bones if you take a serious impact, but I would wage some money that they’ll protect you from nasty rash and offer substantial back protection, over just a t-shirt.
As for the differences, there is some. The jacket I have is a relatively cheaper one at £120, made by an MX outfit called Six Six One. Whilst it has a full back protector, it doesn’t have as much covering protection as the full on professional Dainese suits. If I was buying again, I wouldn’t blink twice at the Dainese ones, they are excellent quality. Our Ghostie has been using one for a couple of years for his stunting, and it’s done him proud.
If you’re in the market for one Crazy Eyes, you get an LB discount with Adrenalin X, to the tune of 15% off, so it could well be worth looking at the Dainese ones first. As stated, they have more overall protection, thicker construction and work with the leg pieces they make as well.
In the heat, you can’t beat these jackets, they keep you really cool and you feel suitably protected, I love it.