Kevlar Jeans - My comparison review - Sartso Vs Draggin

[The Tot]

Right,

Firstly, Big_Ham, Chris, would you be a gentle bear and find all my review vids and stick em onto your show and tell product review thread.

Now for the fun stuff.

St Paddy's day was my birthday and I got pretty trolleyed after getting home from work with mates. That's where the problem started. It's pretty bad when you know payday is coming up and you have a clean credit card with nothing against it!

So I went shopping... but as a result, I can give you a comparison of Old Vs New

Again, my reviews WILL get a lot of stick from people who normally think:
"you're stupid for spending silly money on this that or the other" or "tart"... so thank you , it only enhances my smugness!

The subject I'm going to talk about is KEVLAR JEANS

So why bother with kevlar jeans?

First and foremost, protection. Aramid to give it its proper name is highly abrasion resistant, so if you fall on your arse and happen to be sliding down the road, it'll be there to save a skin graft. I remember how much 20mph spills on the scooter felt on normal jeans! 2-5 seconds were all it took for my skin to graze away.

Secondly if you like riding in jeans on a sportsbike, I've gone through SO many guch rips on some expensive pairs of jeans to think there must be a better option.

Thirdly, you often want to arrive at your destination not looking like dayglo derek or the gimp from next door and want to have an air of inconspicuousness to you.

If you're a stunter, then great, they'll be right up your street!

Click HERE IF you want to see the in-depth video review and here me chat like a stoner

So, I give you my two jeans

Left is SARTSO KILLERS, Right is DRAGGIN BIKER

https://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/199571_10150176667735712_500990711_8364784_6480251_n.jpg

https://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/199476_10150176670025712_500990711_8364801_7883918_n.jpg

https://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/196519_10150176665240712_500990711_8364766_1483256_n.jpg

Both I purchased for approximately £130.
I've had the Sartsos for approximately a weekend now - but have already seen 400 miles of use. I've had the Draggins for 9 months, approximately 3000 miles on them.

The retailer (Onyerbike/Ducati Aylesbury) was very helpful in getting me sized and kitted up with the jeans and there was plenty of choice...Furygan, Draggin, Sartso. It's interesting how they stopped stocking red route (were they not a Frank Thomas brand?). They also said that the guy who makes Sartso is related to the folk who established Draggin. Suffice to say, at the end, after sitting on my bike with the rest of my kit on, the Sartsos were the ones to go for.

I'll try to summarise what I have said in the video but a picture tells a thousand words and from the images, you can see how different the fit is.

Draggin

The Draggin is a traditional low rise cut. This is where the problem is for me. The belt sits right on my waist and if you lean forward, unless you're wearing another t-shirt that's tucked in, the wind can go down your back.

Secondly, the flaring at the hems is not large enough to facilitate an alpinestars SMX-Plus boot! If you have large calves like me, it might be a bit of a squeeze.

Thirdly, the material is a stretchy denim. I'm getting pretty bulky recently and i find that it's pretty tight around my thighs. The lining material is a mix of dyaneema and kevlar and does not feel as smooth as the kevlar only lining on the sartsos.

Fourthly, the liner coverage is NOWHERE near as vast as the sartsos. It leaves your upper thigh exposed, the back of your knee exposed, and there is no provision for armour.

Lastly, the jeans developed a rip just below where the liner stops. This wasn't regarded as a design/manufacturing fault so I was pretty upset that they wouldn't stitch it up for me! More details on the video.

Sartso

The sartsos are more of a straight cut. Typical baggy style jean that's a bit long in the leg - 32" x 32" I believe but it feels so comfortable when on the bike. With boots or with trainers, it doesn't bunch up around your shin/ankles like I expected it to.

There is liner coverage on your thighs, backs of knees, pockets and has a mesh pocket for armour... which is also lined with kevlar.

The designs vary from plain to contemporary. It certainly didn't look out of place in the electric ball room on friday!

Summary

Considering that I pretty much wear these jeans whenever I head down to London on the bike and do everything with them (on a day to day basis or out clubbing - hardcore dancing/moshing etc), both jeans are very comfortable off the bike. I was disappointed as to poorly the draggin fabric came apart and their after support. I rectified the rip myself, but it's not ideal. The Sartsos are so new that I won't be able to give you as thorough a review of it. So far I have been impressed.

So to summarise, if you were to spend £130 on a pair of kevlar jeans... Head over to any stockist and get the sartsos!

I am expecting the typical replies now

____________________
The Tot 2007 Yamaha R1 4C8 2002 Yamaha FZS1000 Fazer &
www.youtube.com/Titot182 for your bike gear reviews and pop punk covers
Earl Of Easycore Pop Punk Will Never Die!

[Howling Terror]

Nice 1 Teflon-Mike.

Will read later.
____________________
Diabolical homemade music Bandcamp and Soundcloud
Singer songwriter, Artist and allround good bloke Listen to Andrew Susan Johnston here
The Harry Turner Project

[lllN30lll]

[bacon]

Every pair of my normal jeans end up torn up the crotch area, pisses me right off!

If these style jeans are reinforced there then this could be an ideal solution, cheers

edit: squatted on many birds titot?

[Howling Terror]

Urine will rot the stitching.
____________________
Diabolical homemade music Bandcamp and Soundcloud
Singer songwriter, Artist and allround good bloke Listen to Andrew Susan Johnston here
The Harry Turner Project

[Handsome]

Tidy, saved me asking...

You dont half waffle on though Tot ...
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Previous Bikes...Honda NSR 125 RR...Kawasaki Zephyr 550...Suzuki SV 1000 S...Yamaha FZ8...Current Bike...Suzuki GSX-R 750...

[pinkyfloyd]

[The Tot]

Nah bacon, I ain't squatted on a bird before! I've teabagged a few of the lads though! It was a messy birthday in Camden and the jeans sustained a lot of self-inflicted abuse on the dancefloor!

Anyway, for the Pièce de résistance. Or just sheer outright smugness because everybody knows how much of an alpinestars tart I am!

That ebay & credit card mishap that i was alluding to earlier was referring to this

The Alpinestars Tech 1-R racing jacket

https://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/198043_10150176590755712_500990711_8364037_5503161_n.jpg

As you can see, I've already made the thing unsellable by sticking some £2.99 patch on the hump!

Click here to see me give a head to head review with my old SMX jacket which the Tech 1 R intended to replace

Some head to head shots - Old SMX in silver with external armour - New Tech 1 R in black/white.

https://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/189167_10150176658905712_500990711_8364739_5216956_n.jpg

https://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/189737_10150176656715712_500990711_8364720_8153817_n.jpg

PROS

Got the Tech 1R off ebay for £250 - RRP £500. Brand new, 1/2 price ex stock, so it was a total steal!
Comfort is superb due to the stretch panels and perforation. The armour is positioned so that it aids movement when in the crouch or 3/4 position. Similarly, vents work equally well when in the tuck. Ideal for spring/summer/autumn. If you're feeling cold, then don on a base layer.
Feels relatively lightweight meaning that it won't fatigue you over long distances. The old SMX jacket was rather restrictive from this point of view. It felt tight across the chest and gut. The Tech 1R is the same size but fits more comfortably
Colour scheme and design - it is very smart in black and white and would go with any bike/helmet combination.
The race hump does not restrict the possibility of riding with a backpack. It works perfectly fine with my Kriega R30.
I could buy a used set of alpinestars pants and have myself a third race suit, albeit a 2 piece!
Provisions for a Tech Race back protector (which I already have!)

CONS

RRP! £500 is way too much to pay for a jacket!
The zipper pulls could have been larger in size to allow the jacket to be zipped up easier.
The 3D liner is pretty rough and abrasive - think Arai Dry cool interiors which they have on their RX-GP lids. It chafes around the neck. This liner is also non-removable.
No thermal liner included - it's not designed to have one because it's fully perforated. That said if you want windproofing and warmth, then you clearly picked the wrong jacket. Nothing that a set of £15 nike baselayers wouldn't solve

Summary

Yes I am a serious alpinestars tart and a hoarder of anything with that logo. You can say anything you want and I probably won't take heed! Fair enough some of you might think I'm paying for the brand name etc and I'm waiting for you guys to come out and say it. Is it also necessary to have all that gear knowing that you can only wear it one at a time?

This might seem totally subjective, but seeing that I spend 20% of my life on my bike, it's a pretty sizeable portion. I'd like to have the most affordable and comfortable kit around. Fair enough I've been let down by A* quality in recent times ( despite being their top drawer stuff), but hey, I don't go out drinking or trying to score an ounce of weed every week so the money I've saved goes to something I really enjoy. When I see a bargain, I just go for it. I don't have a bird to moan at my collection just yet, so whilst I'm still living life as a 13 year old bachelor who still laughs at beavis and butthead and will never really grow out of listening to Blink182 and New Found Glory, then I will always have my alpinestars!

Here's a parting shot


https://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/189503_10150176580825712_500990711_8363960_1818068_n.jpg
____________________
The Tot 2007 Yamaha R1 4C8 2002 Yamaha FZS1000 Fazer &
www.youtube.com/Titot182 for your bike gear reviews and pop punk covers
Earl Of Easycore Pop Punk Will Never Die!

[The Tot]

Yeah, I love my waffles sprinkled with runny brown bullshit! ... If you want me very succinct, it will probably cost you a few jaeger bombs. I would be very pepped up and to the point!
____________________
The Tot 2007 Yamaha R1 4C8 2002 Yamaha FZS1000 Fazer &
www.youtube.com/Titot182 for your bike gear reviews and pop punk covers
Earl Of Easycore Pop Punk Will Never Die!

[pinkyfloyd]

[Handsome]

[The Tot]

I originally wanted to put my name down for

https://www.hoodjeans.co.uk/acatalog/nd4-motorcycle-jeans-mens.html

The Hood ND4 jeans, straight cut and very plain looking - perfect for work. However, they deal directly to customers so I wouldn't have been able to try it on.

Top to the bloke that was helping me out at the store.

Unfortunately, the real reason why I was there was because it was one of the few places that I know stocked the Tech 1R jacket so I wanted to make sure I made the right choice in sizing. Buying the jacket blind on ebay when you were in a state could spell bad news. I didn't even register whether it was 52 EU or UK in which case it would have certainly been a waste of £250 quid.

Feeling guilty that I wasn't going to spend £500 at the store, and knowing that I wanted to get sartsos or any suitable kevlar jeans at some point, I bought it there and then.

I would have otherwise got it from Alex (Technomoto) because he's pretty helpful and a decent bloke. He recommended me Sartsos after he told me that Draggin were only being distributed exclusively via Fowlers. But it was a case of "I wanted the jeans there and then! My draggins were soaked since I got caught out in some heavy showers near Burford on the A40. I cleaned myself up at Bicester, but i knew my jeans wouldn't dry out before I went out at night and they were the only pair I had!
____________________
The Tot 2007 Yamaha R1 4C8 2002 Yamaha FZS1000 Fazer &
www.youtube.com/Titot182 for your bike gear reviews and pop punk covers
Earl Of Easycore Pop Punk Will Never Die!

[L4Isoside]

Love my hood jeans, you should so do a review!

[The Tot]

Ill have to wait until my next bonus to come through before I even consider getting hoods. ND4's seem very likely.
____________________
The Tot 2007 Yamaha R1 4C8 2002 Yamaha FZS1000 Fazer &
www.youtube.com/Titot182 for your bike gear reviews and pop punk covers
Earl Of Easycore Pop Punk Will Never Die!

[lihp]

Don't want to jinx you, but would be good for crash comparison between brands and compared to leather and textiles.

[The Tot]

Had a near miss today coming home from work when a range rover pulled out of a give way sliproad without looking! I wouldn't have been a happy bunny but would have see how well it abraded.

Anyway,

here's the offical test by startso on their killers... done by a bunch of stunt riders.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgAQbL-AroQ
____________________
The Tot 2007 Yamaha R1 4C8 2002 Yamaha FZS1000 Fazer &
www.youtube.com/Titot182 for your bike gear reviews and pop punk covers
Earl Of Easycore Pop Punk Will Never Die!

[colin1]

There are some second hand ones on ebay for anyone who is interested

https://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SARTSO-8-SKULLS-KEVLAR-JEANS-44-/260755752957?pt=UK_Motorcycle_Clothing&hash=item3cb64107fd#ht_500wt_1038
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colin1 is officially faster than god

[Rogerborg]

Agree with this review, at least about the Draggins. I just got some 2nd hand black Draggin's and was surprised that they didn't have armour pockets - I'd just assumed it.

It's not much work to sew in pockets for armour, but I was also disappointed with the kevlar coverage. It's good quality knitted stuff (so less likely to tear than woven) but if I were buying new, I'd look at Sartso or Hood.

On the upside, the actual denim is decent stuff, close weave and a solid black - I can get away with them for office wear.
____________________
Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[dragstaar]

I've had my Sartso Killers for about 2 months now, and they are still as good as new. They're incredibly stiff for the first few rides, but then they loosen up and are brilliantly comfortable. Haven't crashed in them yet, so that will have to wait

[ryhardcastle]

Good little review tot. Looking for some kevlar jeans at the moment so I'm glad you've made this. Also looks like you've got shit loads of other useful videos. Subscribed!

PS, what's your favourite lid? See that you've got a fair few!

I've had my HJC for nearly 3 years now and it's still okay but I need to get another one as the HJC is going to be used for pillions. What do you recommend?

[The Tot]

Favourite lid? Err, I love both of the Arais. Fit and comfort are second to none. Wear earplugs and you can forget about the noise. I always liked Hayden as a person so I got his race rep at the NEC just gone for £450 including dark visor! Also, when I opened an issue of Bike in 2000, I saw Nakano's lid with the Moon Eyes and I HAD to have it. To be fair, yeah you're a bit of a flash git if you're wearing a race rep, but I see helmet designs as a form of art. I love all of Aldo Drudi's designs so when the Nakano rep came up back in 2007, I just went for it. Nothing beats an Arai and I don't care what other people say. Those who slag it are probably the same guys who wish they could have an arai but cant fit or cant afford it. None of them have spent the better part of 40k miles wearing one on their head (I've clocked about 4k on my RX-GP and a good 40K on the older Corsair in all weather conditions).

Nothing wrong with HJCs mind. I had an AC10 about 8 years ago and that had 2 years of abuse out of it before i made some mistakes and ended up with a KBC AR1... then Shoei XR, then Arai Corsair, then shoei XR again, then Arai RX-GP.

With helmets, it's all about fit and budget. I'm a tarty git so I always buy race rep arais. Conveniently they fit the best! It's all about what you feel comfortable with. I try to outline the best and worst points of a product in my review because I feel that if I've spent all that money, I'd like to let people know about it so that they can make informed purchases or stay away from them! They can sometimes be a bit biased depending on my mood, but the fact that I DID spend money to purchase the stuff in the first place means that I'm not bigging up the item because I want to sell bucketloads of the stuff and get my profit margin in the black.

I'd be opening a can of worms if I were to recommend a helmet, and obviously there has been many heated discussions about it. Mid-price, if you can fit into an XR1100 and find it comfortable, they are good helmets. Arai is getting ludicrously expensive and the ONLY time I WILL recommend an Arai is if you can get it at 25% discount. I can't say I got on with the shoeis. They started to niggle me after 5 or so months so I ended up back with my arai!

But nothing's better than going to a shop to try it on for size!
____________________
The Tot 2007 Yamaha R1 4C8 2002 Yamaha FZS1000 Fazer &
www.youtube.com/Titot182 for your bike gear reviews and pop punk covers
Earl Of Easycore Pop Punk Will Never Die!

[c-m]

neither of them are fully lined.

[The Tot]

Nah they aint . Does anybody have a pair of Hoods that they can offer feedback on?
____________________
The Tot 2007 Yamaha R1 4C8 2002 Yamaha FZS1000 Fazer &
www.youtube.com/Titot182 for your bike gear reviews and pop punk covers
Earl Of Easycore Pop Punk Will Never Die!

[L4Isoside]

[mark_13]

Pleased I found your review (and you don't look too stoned). Was checking out the Draggins and RST jeans, then came across Sartsos. Off to HG at the weekend to spunk my weeks money on goodies!!
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Yamaha YBR Custom 125. Mod1 booked for mid-May, got my eye on a Hornet