The guys questioning our statements about current A* quality...it's mainly JUST the gloves that have gone downhill significantly.
Countless incidents of people busting seams from 1 day at the track, plus they lack adequate palm protection (palm is the first thing to hit, there should be sliders there).
Their boots are meh when it comes to street stuff, even the Supertech R have issues. The suits are still top notch from what I'm hearing from other guys...my 6 year old A* suit has been for quite a few off the bike adventures and it's still got plenty of life in it.
All their lower Tier sub 200 dollar shit, their tech 7's and 10's are still really good, but they are 300+, from what I have heard their cheaper boots have inadequate ankle protection and a couple of acquaintances have suffered some broken ankles with them. I think that pretty par for the course on Dirt Bike boots though, you totally get what you pay for.
I went mostly Dainese. Very impressed with their quality. There was definitely a lack of color options for what I was interested in. So I’ll just suck it up. Plus, there’s plenty of cooler weather along the coast. Just about an hour from my house.
For the boots, I went with another brand. Mostly from personal recommendations by a couple buddies who ride a lot. They also just fit my foot better.
This is obviously gonna be my gear for the road. My goal was simple. Buy the safest and most quality gear (within reason) I could afford. That lead me to go for leathers. The mesh gear just didn’t inspire much confidence. I’ll put up with more sweating in exchange for better protection. I can confidently say that most major injuries and fatal crashes I’ve been on scene for have happened to riders who were NOT in full protection.
At this point, I’m only debating if I want to exchange the boots & gloves for a different color scheme. Thanks for the advice everyone.
Okay I broke down and returned the Alpine Stars. My OCD couldn’t take the mismatch. So I drove two hours into the Dainese Flagship store and tried these bad boys on! I hadn’t had these as an option at the last place I went. They fit like a glove. I bought them immediately. Extremely satisfied.