BlackHawk
Industries
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Why
BlackHawk? I have been buying Army surplus gear since I was
knee high to a sparrow, so I am not unfamiliar with what is available and
what certain equipment is good for or not. I have always gone for the British
DPM/OD issue gear because I was in the Cadet Forces for a long time and I
am now in an URNU (University Royal Naval Unit) and I can cross use the equipment,
therefore saving me money (good thing!). However, since getting into skirmishing
coming up three years ago, I have been constantly impressed by the American
manufacturer: BlackHawk industries. All of the hardcore skirmishing types
seemed to be using and raving about it, but it was always way outside of my
budget, which is small and rather pathetic, I'm a student after all! I considered
purchasing replica BlackHawk gear, e.g. Guarder
(available from RedWolf
etc.), but I decided that I would only bitch about the quality, so I saved
my pennies for the real thing....Originally started by a US Navy SEAL, BlackHawk Industries have become the defacto standard in tactical load bearing and other equipment. The sheer reputation puts them heads and shoulders above similar manufacturers like Eagle. You may have see a lot of BlackHawk equipment being used in films like BlackHawk Down and the TV program Combat Missions. US Army Delta Force, the US Army Rangers and countless other groups from the around the world swear by BlackHawk kit. I figured if it was good enough for these distinguished warriors, then it was good enough for me!
Making
a choice...the research There
are currently around 20 different vest products for operations ranging from
Chemical Munitions to general infantry tasks. How does one make a choice from
all of these?!? Well, I wanted something that would be able to carry about
6 M-16 magazines and my pistol. So the choice was narrowed to one of the cross
draw vests, of which there are four: Omega Cross Draw/EOD Vest (for general
purpose missions), Omega Cross Draw/Pistol Mag Vest (three extra pistol magazine
pouches), Omega Cross Draw/Shotgun Vest (lots of shotgun shell pouches (shockingly;)
and finally the Omega Tactical Vest : Cross Draw.
The Omega Tactical Vest: Cross Draw was originally designed for team leaders, according to BlackHawks website. Three of the magazine pouches on the right hand side of the vest have been replaced with a quick-draw pistol holster. I am sick and tired of holsters. I have tried two or three of them, all good ones, and I have never been comfortable with them. I find that they are constantly trying to pull my trousers down and they flap about when they are on my thigh. So I loved the idea of having my sidearm on my chest. A lot of the time I would put my sidearm in a pouch on my chest rig. Many said that it was a bad place for it, as it would get muddy etc etc, but hey, it happens.
The thing that finally swayed me was when I spoke to an ex-USAF Para jumper. These are the guys that go in behind enemy lines to pull out aircrew. They spend two full years training before they are allowed out on missions, so to say they are rather good is an understatement. When I spoke to this rather scary man, I brought up BlackHawk and how I was thinking of buying a vest. He recommended the very vest I wanted straight away and said that he used one when he was operating whilst serving. Again...good enough for him, good enough for me.
Where
does one buy BlackHawk kit from? Well,
I started in the logical place of their website (http://www.blackhawkindustries.com),
after that I looked at some US suppliers and came to the conclusion that there
really wasn't a great deal in price (when shipping is thrown in), so I decided
to buy direct from BlackHawk themselves. The website is quite easy to use,
my only criticism would be that they don't show all the different colours/patterns
available for the various vests in their product line. It is quite difficult
to imagine what a black assault vest will look like in OD or BDU. I originally
wanted a BDU vest, but due to a 4 week back-order, I changed the order to
an OD one, figuring that I would be able to use it for both woodland and urban
skirmishing.
I placed the order through the website with no hassles and received a timely response confirming the order. A number of days later, a shiny box came through my door in America. I ripped it open and pulled out the vest....the heady smell of new gear filled my room (nothing better ;)). The vest was well packed and prepared with a receipt and guarantee, no catalogue though which was a little disappointing, oh well, you can't have everything.
(Arnie's note: If purchasing in the UK it's worth bearing in mind that any warranties aren't valid unless you buy from an official BlackHawk UK supplier)
The Vest: Features and potential problems The first thing you will notice about the vest is the overall sturdiness. They really feel like you could kick the living $%& out of them for a decade and you wouldn't be able to damage it. The base of the vest is formed by double mesh tactical nylon, which is apparently the strongest nylon in the world (according to BlackHawk anyway..I cannot vouch for that). Attached to the front of the vest on the left handside are the three magazine pouches. Each takes two M-16 magazines comfortably. The pouches are secured by velcro and are kept taut by an elastic strap. Although designed for standard 30 round NATO magazines (M-16, SA80, FAMAS F1 G2 etc etc), I found that it is not a problem to fit 30 round HK MP5 magazines in them too. Bargain, since I have an MP5!
The
holster is sewn at an angle to the right hand lower chest area of the vest,
allowing you to reach with your right hand across your chest to draw the weapon.
I have not been able to test it with my nice new Mauri M92F TAC Master yet,
as it is sat in a box at Tonka's house (fellow WASP)
in England. However, I intend to put a real steel one in it to test it soon
(after all, I am in America, it would be rude not too!), when I do, I will
get pics. The holster boasts an extra pistol magazine pouch attached to the
top. I have heard of a number of problems from people concerning Glock 17's,
18C's etc with magazines falling out of the pistol. I will investigate this
problem and get back to you ASAP.
Moving up, there are two utility pouches, one with Velcro (right hand side one), the other without. The vest comes with a Velcro shotgun shell attachment. I doubt I will use this as I do not own or wish to own a shotgun, but I will hang onto it just in case. From a skirmishing point of view, you should be able to fit about 1500 rounds in each pouch in a bag without too much hassle. So 3000 rounds in the vest: a full days skirmish for me.
One of the many features of the vest is the "Sniper Shoulder". This is basically a padded area for where you would put the stock of the rifle when in the aiming position. I had a good go with this and found it to be comfortable, although it will take some getting used to. However, it has been known for me to come home with a sore shoulder from being in the aim the whole time, so this will loose that problem.
Note: BlackHawk make left handed versions of all of their vests
Across on the left shoulder is a small field dressing pouch, but it looks perfect to my eye for a Motorola Talk About radio or similar. This is a good thing, I am always trying to find somewhere to stick the radio!
When you open up the vest, there are two large pockets suitable for maps etc on the inside next to the zip. The back panal is actually one large pocket which is capable of carrying a Hydra Storm or Camel pack. I have a Hydra Storm Torrent Extreme (recommended by BlackHawk for all their vests) on order which should arrive in a few days. This is a major advantage. Excellent though my aging Camel Pack is, I am sick of it coming off my shoulders, this feature will allow me to keep a water supply secure and accessible at all times.
Comfort When I put the vest on over my combats for the first time, I found myself completely converted from my chest rig. The vest is so totally comfortable. After some minor adjustments of the side securing lines, I was happy as Larry. The vest is very comfortable, everything is very easily accessible, which is always a bonus in a stressful skirmish situation (mag changes being the main one). The Velcro makes the magazines easy to get at and the cross draw makes drawing a pistol as rapid as possible.
Conclusions Well, impressive, very impressive. The service from BlackHawk was acceptable, even though there was a short delay due to the 4th July celebrations, but I guess I can live with that! When I spoke to them on the phone asking for advice, I was suitably impressed with the reps knowledge and manner, so no complaints there. The product arrived safe and sound, well packed complete with a packing list/receipt and guarantee card, so that was fine. Price wise, the vest was acceptable to me at $135 US dollars, which equates to 86.8446 GBP (approximately ;)) not including shipping. For me, being in America, the shipping was around $15-20 (can't quite remember), I am not sure how much the shipping to the UK would be.
This is by far the most expensive item of skirmishing gear (other than AEG's and pistols of course) I have bought. I am very pleased with the vest and think it is a good sound investment. Like I said, the build quality is so high, it will last for ever. If it doesn't, I will send it back and get a new one, a nice perk of BlackHawks after sales service! So yeah, happy with it, buy one, you know you need it!.....
written by James Elliott (aka Walking Target)