Ranger_Captain
Pissin' people off one post at a time
Registered: July 2005
Location: West Point, New York
Posts: 1,229
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Review Date: 12/7/09
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: £45.00
| Rating: 7
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Positive aspects of the product (pros):
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Very durable, Strong build, Retention straps, Decent amount of MOLLE straps, Light Weight, Extra pockets
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Cons:
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Cheap straps, Straps loosen easily, M4 Mags are a very tight fit
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Black Hawk ARPAT Low Profile Modular Chest Rig
First Impressions
Chest rigs are not something I usually get as I’m a big fan of MOLLE gear or tactical vests, and since a chest rig is usually worn either by itself or over a non-MOLLE plate carrier, I didn’t see the point, but after buying two MP5’s and having no pouches to place the magazines in I figured it was high time I got a chest rig that I could quickly through that had magazine pouches built in to it. That and I didn’t want to buy MP5 pouches for any of my MOLLE vests (or use M-type pouches for them).
Thus going to my local tactical store with an MP5 mag in hand I tried out various chest rigs until I settled on the Black Hawk Industries Low Profile Modular Chest Rig in ACU pattern. I brought it home and quickly set it up for a fast approaching match.
Appearance
True to the nature of chest rigs, the LPMCR is rather simple. Three rows by eighteen PALS strips wide there is just enough real estate on this rig to affix a few weapon magazine relate pouches and/or a few grenade pouches.
“Inside” the rig there are six magazine pouches, designed to fit M-Type mags although I find it to be a quite tight fit and instead MP5 type magazines fit like a charm. The pockets come complete with retention straps to wrap over the top of magazines which is a nice feature.
Additionally there are two pockets on each side of the rig that you can use to hold little odds and ends. I put water bottles, bb bottles, and speed loaders in them and it’s a nice little addition on the rig.
The pattern printed onto the rig is very impressive, looking just as good as that on my Armor Chassis and of course, my issue ACU’s and related equipment.
Lastly I’ll mention the straps which are foliage green in color. They look rather crude and simple but blend in fine on ACU type equipment.
Look Grade: 7/10
I give this rig a seven out of ten based on the beauty in simplicity but because it really is a no thrills chest rig the LPMCR doesn’t deserve an above average rating.
Feel/Aesthetic
This is about the only thing I didn’t like about this chest rig, the feel of wearing it. It might just be my inexperience with chest rigs but this rig felt as though it was never right enough. Even being worn over another vest, in my case using an IBA II, it still never quite felt right and I was always worried it was going to fall off.
I believe this is because of the seemingly shoddy straps used on the rig. Granted the material used feels very strong, it’s about as no thrills as it can get, being more or less the same material used to make the PALS strips.
When strapped on it feels… a bit weak, as though it’s going to slip off very easily. I do the crisscross method in the back and try to tighten all the straps as tight as possible but still they seem to not feel right. Moreover the straps are obscenely too long. My only guess for this is that Blackhawk wanted a one size fits all so they gave it plenty of room to fit even the biggest of operators.
As far as aesthetics goes there’s not much more than I’ve already mentioned. The retention clips are about as heavy duty as they come and they shouldn’t snap or break even with heavy use.
Feel Grade: 7/10
Aesthetics: 7/10
Average grades for an average feeling and looking chest rig.
Use
I found this chest rig to be fairly useful. Since it takes MP5 mags and it’s very light, it lets you take advantage of the lightweight SMG and stay quick and quiet. Additionally the vest has just enough real-estate to keep you happy.
During the match though I did have the slight issue with the straps loosing as they didn’t seem to want to stay in place so I would suggest wearing it over some sort of plate carrier that has some sort of snap straps on it, such as those found on the IBA, that will keep the straps from sliding off your shoulders.
Use Grade: 8/10
I give it an eight as it’s very light and very durable so it’s quite useful for airsoft purposes but its few cons somewhat reduce its usefulness during a fast paced match.
Conclusion
Pros:
Very durable
Strong build
Retention straps
Decent amount of MOLLE straps
Light Weight
Extra pockets
Cons:
Cheap straps
Straps loosen easily
M4 Mags are a very tight fit
Overall Grade: 7/10
Overall I’d give this a seven, as the chest rig is just about average. Nothing too special about it in either direction but if one needed a small, lightweight chest rig that gives the user a limited but useful amount of MOLLE strips, the Black Hawk chest rig is a good answer.
Credits:
http://www.blackhawk.com/
http://www.blackhawk.com/product/Modular-Low-Profile-Chest-Rig,854,2.htm
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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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Registered: July 2005
Location: West Point, New York