Opinions on Teknic Back Protector?

license2ill said:

Worthless.

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So that would mean you're better off not getting it and using nothing????? Right.

Ok so I have one and use it under my SpeedStar. I haven't crash tested it yet but it's pretty nice. Probably not as good as say a Bohn. What I can tell you is it's made pretty much of their dual density type foam on both sides of the core material (whatever that is) The plastic bits are screwed into the core material and are lined up so it bends forward but not back. (Plastic is hollow so each peice fits into itself.)

Since it connects inside to some straps in my suit I don't have to wrap it around myself so I can't say about it moving around under a jacket. But I just did a track day with it in and had no troubles. Allows for plenty of movement but you can tell when you sit down there's no way your back will bend backwards without a fight. The little tailbone protection area is nice too.

I got mine for free when I got the suit but $40 doesn't sound bad. I know A*'s also came out with this new armour shirt thing that has everything in one. Looks pretty nice. Otherwise I wouldn't say this is any worse or better than say a regular A*'s back protector.

Read the sticky at the top. Look for CE approval.

There is truly no such thing as "something better than nothing" when speaking about impact protectors. They either reduce impact energy to forces trnasmitted to the body that are less than injurious or more.

THat item isn't CE-approved, and understnading the designs and history of back protectors, it likely transmits a lot more force than currently approved items.

Look for CE 1621-2 Level 2 performance.

Bohn is no better, at all, and have a shady history of lying about CE-approval. They recently started offering a rebadged Soul Race Level 2 rated CE-approved piece, but I wouldn't buy anything from them.

The Astars Tech(not Race) is CE-approved Level 1, but there are much better options out there for hte same money that are more protective, more comfortable, and multiple impact-use items now. THe Joe ROcket Speedmaster/T-Pro forcefield is at the top of the heap, the NEW Spidi Warrior is Level 2 approved, for inexpensive the Velocity Gear can't be beat, also level 2 approved.

The thing to understnad about the level 2 approval is that most of those options trnasmit less than half the force of level 1 rated pieces, and even level 1 rated pieces are mcu hbetter than a non-approved piece. However, in the case of back protectors, the levels need to be as low as the lowest of options can provide, as it only takes 4kN to break ribs, and that is what these things are actually designed to accomplish through a range of impact energy. Most fail to reach that goal at higher energy levels, which is why Level 2 Ce approval is the only worthy option to spend any money on or put faith into for real results.

albinohickey said:

So it's not worthless and CE this or that it still limits impact to the rider. $40 is a good price for something that works. I'm not saying it's anything special by any means but not worthless.

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There is a threshold of the amount of force the ribs/vetebra can withstand without breaking, that is up to 4kN of force. If that is surpassed, you will likely break ribs, Level 2 CE-approval is what guarantess products that get the closest to that threshold for injury, which is stil lminimal considedring the hopes of protection that no back protector can offer. An old desgin that has been discarded for designs that manage energy more effectively is simply not going to be a worthwhile purchase, when even the newer designs are stuggling ot get forces low enough to truly be effective. The CE standard was compromised to accomodate inferior, existing designs, of which the Teknic and others like it were never approved to.

It's just a waste of $40 bucks for the protection you should be getting out of that piece over your back. The Velocity Gear is a much better inexpensive option, as it has been shown to provide that higher level of impact performance. The other options menitoned that are Level 2 Ce-aprpoved are also worthy of the purchas price, but anything uncertified to any standard or with unknown protective value is "less than ideal" at any price.

albinohickey said:

OK fine I give in. You must be a hit at parties :lol Still think it's a nice piece of gear I use a lot and have had no troubles with. If I wreck and my back makes it I'll let you know

So just out of pure curiosity I went to a few sites online and normally a manufacturer only says CE approved. Where are you finding what level they are certified to away? Like let's say you need a new jacket, says CE approved armour in the shoulders/elbows. That's about all you get. But I guess it goes without saying you'd want some better protection on your back than say your elbow. That's just an example, but they don't indicate Level 1/2 certification on say the A*'s site. Or maybe I'm missing it.

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All of the level 2 protectors say so on their website info. Joe Rocket hasn't figured it out yet on the website, but I emailed them for confirmation, since it was an obvious rebadge of the T-Pro Forcefield. The T-Pro has been verified through Satra, the testing body, and a number of magazine article test compaisons have shown it's numbers, along with a couple others. The Velocity Gear was also verified with Satra through email.

As part of the CE compliance, the pieces are supposed to be labeled with the proper standard number, and any levels met, and size if that applies(in the case of limb protectors), and should have some literature accompanying it, explaining the testing requirements and results, etc. Most of them don't add the literature, but will have a reference number at mininum on the label. The tag for a properly certified motorcyclist back protector should read EN1621-2 Level 1 or Level 2.

Limb protectors should be stamped with EN1621-1 Type A or B. A lot of the limb protectors out there are undersized within their garments, in the name of comfort or cheapness. The preferable size is Type-B, which requires a larger coverage area, and is most appopriate for better protection. There is only one level of passing here, 35kN is the compromise, again at 50Joules of impact energy.

This is bettered to arguably more protective levels again, by the Cambridge high-performance standard. It requires less than [email protected] for "high-performance" approval, and [email protected] for "extreme-performane". There is only one comapny currently producing Cambridge-certified pieces, T-Pro. All of their stuff is also batch tested by Satra, again, the only company I know of that does batch testing of their products to ensure quality control. There is no Cambridge standard for back protectors.

Other torso protector standards take levels of rib protection down to the more appropriate 4kN level, like the CE standard for horse rider's body protectors, EN 13158(BETA 2000). Those horse rider vests are relatively inexpensive and provide muc hlarger coverage including ribs, clavicle, kidneys, and chest, but they are a bit bulky for under leather use(20-24mm thick all over).

The information is an issue, most companies only procide asmuc has we ask for, and since the EU has laws regaridng statements or implications of protection that lead to CE-certification, they tend to shut up and let you assume. The reason compliance is more popular with "armor" is that they can't easily get away with providing non-tested or proven "padding" as "armor" or "impact protectors". There are standards that cover other issues and garments, but they like to let you make assumptions of what matters. And half the time the companies are jsut checking a box of specs and more worried about graphics and colors, when they send their order to the sweat shop.