Paintball

[JKR]

I recently ordered a custom vest from Spec Ops following the receipt of some gift certificates at Christmas. I wanted to give everyone a brief history of the process and my initial impressions of the vest. I will endeavor to add more to this thread in the future (including some pictures for those about to tell me "this thread is worthless without pics!")

I ordered my custom Dagger-style vest on December 26, 2007. About two days after ordering, I decided to change the name tag on the back. I emailed Spec Ops asking if it was too late to change it. They said it would be no problem to change it and my vest came with the correct name tag - no problems here. About three weeks after ordering, I decided to call on the status as I had a game coming up. When I called, I was told that they had no Multicam material and that it would be another couple of weeks before they had it. No email or call prior to this to give me a heads-up that there was a problem...sort of a bummer but whatcha gonna do? Can't blame them too much if a supplier isn't coming through with material. Another week or so passes and still no material. I decide that I should have probably ordered OD instead of Multicam anyway. A call to customer service and an email to Coroner and the order is changed to OD - goes with any camo that way!

Came home on the rainy evening of February 12, 2008 to see a box from Spec Ops at my doorstep wrapped in a plastic bag. Not sure if that was done by the shipper or by Spec Ops but I was glad to see it bagged as the box would have been soaked through. I tore into the box later in the evening after the kids were in bed. Overall, I was impressed with the vest's construction. It seems to be well made and after the necessary adjustments to the straps, it fit well. I must say that the way the vest is made that it would fit a WIDE range of body sizes. I am a fairly hefty guy and it has PLENTY of strap left over for someone bigger than me. I must say that the comments about the Dagger's not fitting small people very well might be warranted.

The vest wasn't without problems, however. I ordered 4 + 2 vertical pod holders and although I got four vertical pod holders, it was missing the "+2" and has no elastic straps for the additional pods. It would have been nice to have the extra capacity if needed but I don't go through alot of paint. Although I am disappointed, I don't think I will be sending it back because of this.

I also ordered the vest to the new Dagger 7 specs. I got the velcro tabs on the sides for taking up the excess strap material, but the water bladder holder is made like the older vests - mesh inside the vest instead of an integral pocket. Minor gripe but still isn't what I ordered...

Lastly, I ordered a Sabre-spec'd 8" x 8" zipper pocket on the front of the vest instead of a grenade pocket and paid an additional $15 to do so. The vest came with the pocket but it doesn't have an elastic strap inside as mentioned in the product description of the Sabre vest. Yes, another minor gripe but again, it isn't what I ordered...

Although the vest will serve me well, I am a bit disappointed that the above three issues and feel that my $170 should have got me a vest EXACTLY as I ordered.

As to how it performs in a game and holds up, well this thread is to be continued...

Cross-posted at the Spec Ops forum

Related thread...
Beginning the search...vest and pouches

[idkfa]

Nice review. It sounds like typical Spec Ops: They get everything half right. I would send it back if it is not exactly what you ordered. Those are some pricey vests, don't settle for something less than you paid for.

[Rogue]

Originally Posted by idkfa

Nice review. It sounds like typical Spec Ops: They get everything half right. I would send it back if it is not exactly what you ordered. Those are some pricey vests, don't settle for something less than you paid for.

I concur. Dang near $200 with shipping and still not what you ordered. Call 'em, get a return postage paid label, and have them ship out the correct vest...I might even push for the Mulitcam if you really had your heart on it. If they start giving you gruff, get a supervisor on the line.

[sparky]

I've had the same issues the Spec Ops stuff. Order one thing, get something else in a different color.... good thing I acually don't on what something looks like...

Dagger style vests seem to fit better on persons with a bigger belly... I have a hard wear mine wearing mine.

They really need to redesign how the Hydro bladder fits in the vest. Whatever you keep in the bladder gets really warm really fast as it's kept right against your body.

[JKR]

Well, as for the color, I was waiting out their receipt of the Multicam material and I changed the order to OD. Yes, I didn't want to wait any longer but I decided that I would rather have OD. I was sort of torn between OD and Multicam from day 1. I can't fault Spec Ops for the material - aside from not having better material scheduling. In the end, OD was the best way to go for me despite my initial excitement about Multicam. I guess having a material problem wasn't so much a problem after all.

The thing about the hydro bladder holder...the new Dagger 7 design changed that from the mesh pocket inside the vest to an integral pocket in the vest itself. Hard to describe, but see pics here...

OMNIPAT dagger - Special Ops Forum


Not too worried about the bladder pouch. I seriously doubt that it would help much with the water warming up from the surrounding temps and body heat. Plus, the mesh pocket would likely dry out better.

I still haven't made up my mind if I will send it back. I have read that the "+2" elastic straps are kind of worthless for getting your empties back in and I seriously doubt if they would get much use. Although, it would definitely be nice to have them there if I need them.

I will try to get some pics up soon.

Oh, one other thing. The internal elastic belt really is a nice feature. When you strap it on without the belt fastened, you can tell that with a full load there would be much more movement than if you use the belt. Kudos to them for the belt. The internal belt was one of the reasons I went with a Spec Ops vest.

[French t0ast]

Did you talk to Coroner at SOP about it?

[JKR]

Yes, I did email Coroner about it a couple of days after I received it.

Here is a link to a thread at the Spec Ops forum - complete with pictures.

Special Ops Custom Vest - Dagger - Special Ops Forum


Anyone who doubts Spec Ops customer service might want to think again! I am totally impressed with MOATI and his handling of this matter. Actually, I feel a little guilty about getting two vests out of this. MOATI and I exchanged a couple of emails too and I have to say that he impressed me and I have every intention of giving them more of my business. Any problems that they have had in the past seems to be something they are working hard to correct!

Field testing and more thoughts on the vest to come...

Justin

[jason_finnie]

I have had nothing but positive experiences with all my Special Ops vests. Chad from SpecialOps Paintball has always been my go to guy.

My most recent purchase was the Alias vest. I absolutely love it, except I noticed it had significantly less velcro on the name tag area on the back than my previous Dagger vest.

I shot Chad am email and told him I was a little disappointed that the pics and description of the Alias didn't show how little velcro it actually had compared to the Dagger. I told him my team name tag was too big to fit on the velcro that was included.

He offered to take it back and sew on a larger patch of velcro for me. I simply had him send me the velcro and I sewed it on myself.

The SpecialOps vests have always held up very well for me and I've been very pleased. My only real gripe is that they charge a bit much (in my opinion) for shipping and handling.

[JKR]

I played last weekend and used one of my new Spec Ops vests. Posted over at the Spec Ops forum but thought I would put the post it up here too. Cut and paste directly from the Spec Ops forum...

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Yesterday was my first day on the field with my Dagger-style vest. I used the first vest I received with 4 vertical pod holders that does not have the "+2" as I knew I wouldn't need to carry that much paint. I was impressed with the vest and it's performance and have a few thoughts on it.

First, having not worn a vest before and only had a two pod holder attached to a belt, the extra baggage will take a little getting used to. When sitting on the field while waiting for a game to start or during the game while moving to take position, I found that the pods in the back will take some time to adapt to. When I sat, I kept finding myself in a position where the pods were digging into the ground. Not the vest's fault at all - just will take me a little time.

Second, the elastic internal belt is wonderful! When I tightened it up, the vest stayed in place and did not move around much at all when I ran. There were a couple of times I really did forget that I had the vest on. Granted, I didn't have any water in the pouch and was only carrying two 140 round pods for the low-turnout walk on games yesterday but it was still very comfortable. Just a side note on the elastic belt. My first vest has an elastic belt that has much more adjustability to it that the second vest (fully Dagger 7 specs). Granted, I could stand to lose a few inches from my 38 in spare tire but the vest's belt just has little adjustability as compared to the first vest I received with the mesh water pouch pocket (aka old Dagger style).

Also, I found the pockets to be easily accessible and perfectly positioned on the front of the vest. Getting into both pockets was quick and easy after a short adaptation to the zipper closure on the 8" x 8" pocket. I removed the radio pouch and the ID holder on my first vest as I am going to use it for recreational and walk-on play. The second vest will be reserved for larger games where I need to carry more paint and need the radio and ID pouches. I found that by removing the radio pouch and the ID holder that the strap going across the front on my chest had nothing to keep it in place. I have since put some small caribiner style clips on the strap and through the MOLLE loops on the suspenders to keep it in place. It also gives me a place to hang my goggles between games that way!

The OD green goes very well with my Multicam ACU pants and shirt. I am very pleased with my decision to switch to OD green (although reading the status on Multicam material, it would have been a necessity anyway!).

I had no problems shouldering my 'gun or moving around while playing. I was concerned that my mobility might be hampered and aside from the above mentioned issue with sitting with the vest on, I found it to be very comfortable in all respects. I can tell for sure, however, that my back will be sweating a great deal in the heat of the summer this year! Even yesterday with the temperatures in the low to mid 60s, my back was very hot after playing with the vest on. That should be expected, however considering the design of the vest and came as no surprise.

Well, that is it for now but I do plan on making future updates. I am very pleased with my vest and will be using every day of play. I am looking forward to really loading down a vest with a full load of paint and water and see how it feels then!

[JKR]

Well, two more games under my belt with the Spec Ops vests and I am very glad I made the purchase. I had used a Camelback when bike riding in the past and having water on you while playing paintball is very nice. There have been many occasions in the past on long games that I wished I had water with me before. The webbing on the straps offer an excellent point to which to secure your water tube.

I have used both the first vest I received and the second "Dagger 7 spec" vest in the field. While both are comfortable, the lesser adjustability of the elastic belt in the "Dagger 7 spec" vest is an annoyance. I don't know if it is just my vest or the nature of the design itself. Nonetheless, I may use it as a motivational tool to try and drop some of the excess baggage that has found its way to my body in my years sitting behind a desk!

Both vests are extremely comfortable in the field and securely keep your gear where it should be. I have gotten used to the zipper pouch (ala the Sabre) that I had put on the vest and it affords a good amount of storage space.

Having used the water pouch on the older Dagger vest and the new Dagger 7 design, it is a toss up really as to which is better. The integral design of the Dagger 7 pouch should offer a longer period of cold water reserve but in reality I doubt it does much. Both designs hold the water bladder securely which is really all anyone cares about.

Other than the somewhat short elastic belt on the Dagger 7 vest that I own, I have no complaints and feel that it is a good investment. Yes, they are pricey but the quality is good and functionality is high.