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CAVALVY Bowman Headset Elite II
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Reviews
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Views
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Date of last review
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1
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2322
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13/4/09
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Recommended By
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Average Price
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Average Rating
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100% of reviewers
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£67.00
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10.0
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Author
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Ranger_Captain
Registered: July 2005
Location: West Point, New York
Posts: 759
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Review Date: 13/4/09
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: £67.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Strong build, Comfortable, Highly Adjustable, Can be worn with multiple setups, Looks Great!
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Cons:
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I personally don’t like the color of the head straps, Can be loud if you don’t properly adjust your radio’s output
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Cavalvy Bowman Type Elite II Headset
Introduction
Radios are a somewhat dubious item in the airsofting realm. My experience has shown it’s almost a 50/50 use among players and among those that do only a small percentage actively use them despite lugging around the radio set. This ratio goes up within teams who really rely on teamwork but it seems the general community wants to carry radios, and even does a lot of the time, but neglects to actually use them.
Well many of those issues stem from cruddy radios or incompatibility between sets (many of us have had those days we show up with a FRS and find everyone using GMRS with channels we can’t even touch) but some of these issues simply come from the lack of user friendliness in the radio system. Well the headset solves many of these issues and the wreath of the “god” of the headsets seems to have been placed on the Cavalvy line of radio headsets.
Real Steel History
As far as I can remember reading, headsets were, in the military sense, developed for tank and air crews to communicate with one other when out of line of sight and so that they could hear each other over the sound of the high powered engines used in both vehicles. It wasn’t until the late Vietnam war that true “personal” headsets (notwithstanding sticking the microphone up the side of one’s helmet  ) were developed with the intent to allow total or at least semi hands free radio communication.
With the dawn of the modern and now future age of combat however there has been an equal boom in headsets and COM gear to allow total hands free communication and aid in better coordination between units.
Faster paced fighting and urban ops demands constant and clear communication without sacrificing combat effectiveness so a hands free, always present, durable headset is a God send to any trooper.
Thus we see the Cavalvy headset, what is considered by many to be the bar for what a headset needs to be. Actively used by US Army Infantry, MP, Armour, and Special Operations troops, the Cavalvy brand is clearly finding a niche on the heads of soldiers.
*Note I realize they are used by other branches/countries but my personal experience is that I’ve only seen them on MP’s, IN’s, AR’s, and SO’s in the Army, since I rarely see Navy or Marine units in field gear.
First Impressions
I picked this headset up in the feeding frenzy of the last holiday season’s sales off of eHobby’s website for about $100 shipped. Getting proved to be an issue (no part on eHobby) because the post offices just LOVE their days off (I’m a government employee too and I don’t get NEARLY as many days off  ) I didn’t get it until about the first week of January. Be that as it may, I opened up the fairly plain packaging, having just a sticker with Cavalvy’s info on it and description of the headset, and removed my new piece of kit.
At first I was worried. I knew it was a plastic headset but by mere appearances I thought the plastics used were crud. Upon picking it up though I realized this was no cheap Chinese replica. The plastics feel great and it’s got quite a solid build.
Appearance
With the various options available from Cavalvy, I choose the Bowmans basically all on its appearance. I preferred the Bowman over the swimmer because I just didn’t like the way it looked and the TASC was too… out there, as in it seemed way to susceptible to damage by an errant close range BB. So instead I choose the Bowman which has a total hard plastic covering around the vital areas.
Thus I got the Elite II Bowmans and boy can I say I’m happy. This thing looks great when mounted. Since I’m an ACU guy… and in the Army, I opted for the OD version, which I found to actually blend it quite well with my EI OD Land CIRAS.
Look Grade: 9/10
The only reason I give it a 9/10 is that I dislike the coloring of the head straps, I feel they could have been done in OD or maybe even a very earthen brown (RG would have worked as well).
Comfort
I’ve found this headset to be particularly useful. I use it with a Cobra radio set (1, short Pin type) and in the past I used to Velcro the radio to my chest admin pouch, but thanks to this headset I can store the radio in a more secure spot where it won’t fall off, get lost, or have settings changed by being laid on or pressed on.
Moreover the headset itself is very well designed and very comfortable. The three Velcro adjustable head straps allow it to fit a variety of head shapes and, most importantly, a variety of mounting options. I’ve used this under a helmet (see pic), on plain head, under and over a patrol cap, and under the classic “contractor” cap. Each one fits stably and comfortably.
Stand Alone
Under Helmet (my issued ACH)
Under Patrol Cap (not advisable but doable)
On top of Patrol Cap, actually very comfortable (note: you can still see any rank insignia on the cap as well as the name tape on the rear)
What aids in these various mounting options is the mod-ability of the straps and the very flexible boom mic attachment. You can put every kind of kink or twist in the mic’s shaft, swing it around or weave it through any type of head gear with relative ease, always getting that perfect distance between the mouth and the mic.
Moving to the speaker, the foam surrounding the speaker is very comfortable and while soft enough to conform to the side of your head it’s ridged enough to keep itself in place around your ear.
One final note on comfort, sorta, is the speaker volume. This has been stated by many users of both the real versions and the replicas, the speaker on the Bowman’s headset is LOUD, really loud. Loud enough that when I use it I have to set my radio to the lowest volume setting to stop it from being almost painful. Now this can be considered a drawback in airsoft but I imagine that the sound boosters that are in the headset are present with real combat in mind. Even on the react to contact range firing blanks I found myself needing to up the volume much higher than I usually do so if you’re actually considering this (to those fellow service members out there) and aren’t issued one, this will be something you can hear over the wire.
Comfort Grade: 10/10
Use
How useful is this device? Pretty damn to be honest. I usually use mine with VOX on since the threshold on my radio is high enough to prevent “breathing” and it’s served me quite well and actually made games more interesting as I can now report targets and direct my squads fire much more easily while not completely disarming myself by lowering my gun or looking away.
Similarly, if you opt to use the PTT button, the mechanism where its mounted is extremely sturdy and the button is heavy duty itself. Additionally, and I found this to be a nice feature, the PTT button housing and attachment cord is removable from the headset’s overall cord, allowing you to use an alternate pin setup if you own more than one type of radio or purchase a new on in the future, thereby preventing you from buying another $100 headset. I believe the replacements sell for about $45 on Redwolf and I would imagine there are many other dealers who carry them.
Use Grade: 10/10
Conclusion
Pros:
Strong build
Comfortable
Highly Adjustable
Can be worn with multiple setups
Looks Great!
Cons:
I personally don’t like the color of the head straps
Can be loud if you don’t properly adjust your radio’s output
What can I say? I love this headset. It’s been a perfect addition to all my loadouts and has worked its way into another vital piece of equipment that I bring to every match. I’ve heard various things, good and bad, about the Chinese knock offs but as far as I can see, if you’re looking for a great, comfortable, strong headset, look no farther than the Cavalry Elite II Bowman.
Credits:
http://www.redwolfairsoft.com/redwolf/airsoft/NewsDetail?newsID=856------------------------------ Never argue with a gun, it may argue back... United States Corps of Cadets, USMA Cadet, United States Army 2012 "For More Than Ourselves"
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