Armor Life Expectancy?

[WhiteWalker[TK]]

My Anovos TK armor is about a year old now since assembly and I've got about 25 troops in with it over that time. I'm probably a bit biased but I'd say it's still looking pretty sharp, no cracks, no visible damage, and still nice and clean. I've noticed some other troopers armor lately though around the same age and wear that looks like it's been through actual battle. Lots of small cracks, scratches, discoloration, repairs, etc. I'm fairly active when I troop so I don't think I'm treating it overly gentle that way, and I always give it a good once over quick cleaning within a day of wearing it. I don't feel like that's too crazy with the care of it, but it does have me wondering if there is there any particular 'life expectancy' with our armor? If we take reasonably good care of it, will it look good indefinitely for as long as we want to wear it?

Edited May 22, 2017 by mkjava

[ukswrath[Staff]]

My Anovos TK armor is about a year old now since assembly and I've got about 25 troops in with it over that time.  I'm probably a bit biased but I'd say it's still looking pretty sharp, no cracks, no visible damage, and still nice and clean.  I've noticed some other troopers armor lately though around the same age and wear that looks like it's been through actual battle.  Lots of small cracks, scratches, discoloration, repairs, etc.  I'm fairly active when I troop so I don't think I'm treating it overly gentle that way, and I always give it a good once over quick cleaning within a day of wearing it.  I don't feel like that's too crazy with the care of it, but it does have me wondering if there is there any particular 'life expectancy' with our armor?  If we take reasonably good care of it, will it look good indefinitely for a long as we want to wear it?

 

Thanks for the feedback Mike. With all the negative that Anovos gets hammered with this is refreshing. Not that I'm a huge fan of Anovos but there's hundreds if not thousands of individuals that bought this armor in hopes it will stand the test of time.

 

As for life expectancy it doesn't matter if it's Anovos, RS, TM, ATA or other, different strokes for different folks. What may work for some may not for all and there's no life expectancy with any armor mfg that I'm aware of. I will say if you assemble it correctly and maintain it regularly most armor will (should) last you a few years. That said, we've had a few more mfgs pop in the last couple years. It will be interesting to see how they hold up compared to vetted versions. 

[Tisco2k[TK]]

Lol i take more care of my armour when im not wearing it than i do when im in it. Ive had mine about 3 weeks and done 6 troops in it so far. It will eventually end up a sandy when its got that beat up look to it

[Shanester[TK]]

I have an Anovos TK and now that I've done a few troops AND had a chance to inspect armor of other makers, I think the Anovos stuff is not bad. I did a lot of extra work to try and get as much life out of the armor as possible, but I also realize it won't last forever if I am wearing it and trooping.  I have one minor crack that I caused myself, but otherwise things are holding up well.  I feel the kit was not real hard to assemble, but I didn't use the Anovos instructions either.  I did a lot of research and read other builds before I even began trimming.  I would probably buy from them again, as long as I was not in a hurry for the kit.

[tydirium1[TK]]

From what I hear, there is no such thing as being in a hurry for a kit. The demand far out weighs the supply.

[tydirium1[TK]]

Good to hear that Anovos makes a decent kit. Seeing how bought one this makes me feel easy. I've also being reading some negative post about Anovos.

[Wodaz]

Well this is refreshing to hear. After all the negative things I've heard about the Anovos kit I'm glad to see its performing well. I'm still waiting for mine and the more I read about other Anovos builds the more comfortable I feel about my decision to buy it.

Edited May 22, 2017 by Wodaz

[WhiteWalker[TK]]

I can't speak for everyone of course but I've been very pleased with my Anovos armor.  I'm by no means 'babying' it and it's holding up very well and I plan to keep trooping in it as long as possible.  In theory it's plastic which means it should outlive all of us, but I know in practice that won't happen.  However I would expect things like straps or snaps to wear out over time more quickly than the plastic would, and those are easy fixes.  Also I followed Tony's build thread when I assembled it (don't use the Anovos instructions!) and I feel like I've got a really good solid build.  I would definitely buy from them again.

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

I have a set of ATA, it is now 5 years old and still doing well, I troop @ 35 - 45 times a year in it

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

Trooping in any kind of armor will take it's toll.  Things come undone, crack, get scratched and worn, so it pays to be proactive rather than reactive.  I inspect my armor after each troop to check for anything that may be a potential problem and nip it in the bud before it becomes an issue.  One of the main things I have seen is yellowing due to excessive sun exposure.  This can be remedied by using something like Armorwhite from Trooperbay https://trooperbay.com/trooperbay-armorwhite-plastic-whitening-gel.  

Any cracks/splits can be repaired by adding a piece of ABS to the rear side of the problem piece for support.

If treated right and taken care of, your armor should last a very, very long time.

[magni[TK]]

I agree with Joseph. I check mine after every troop before putting away. I have to aay my RT is a tank. After 100+ troops I've only had one shoulder bridge crack which was fixed with braces. If your armor is sized and constructed properly it should last 100's of troops. Glad to hear so many are happy with their Anovos. A few Garrison mate's have it and it seems like the thinness helps to let it flex and come back.

[allan1313[TK]]

I have an Anovos and after about 25 troops its holding up fairly well. The only issue I have is 3 cracks in the chest piece. 1 in the neck area, and 1 in each curve of the arm. I just reinforced behind those areas and it hasn't been an issue. Other than those small cracks its going like gang busters.

 

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[WhiteWalker[TK]]

On 5/23/2017 at 9:22 AM, allan1313 said:

I have an Anovos and after about 25 troops its holding up fairly well. The only issue I have is 3 cracks in the chest piece. 1 in the neck area, and 1 in each curve of the arm. I just reinforced behind those areas and it hasn't been an issue. Other than those small cracks its going like gang busters.

 

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Just curious, how exactly did you reinforce the cracks?  I'm about 40 troops in with my armor and the first small crack has appeared down near the bottom of the butt plate.

 

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

3 hours ago, WhiteWalker said:

 

Just curious, how exactly did you reinforce the cracks?  I'm about 40 troops in with my armor and the first small crack has appeared down near the bottom of the butt plate.

 

You can either use some spare ABS or even a heavy plastic "For Sale" sign available at Lowe's of the like.  Just cut out a section about half an inch or so larger than the area in question and reinforce it from the back using E-6000.  If you have the Anovos kit I would recommend this as a preventative measure on the neck and arm curves on the chest piece.

[WhiteWalker[TK]]

38 minutes ago, justjoseph63 said:

You can either use some spare ABS or even a heavy plastic "For Sale" sign available at Lowe's of the like.  Just cut out a section about half an inch or so larger than the area in question and reinforce it from the back using E-6000.  If you have the Anovos kit I would recommend this as a preventative measure on the neck and arm curves on the chest piece.

 

Thanks!  I've got plenty of extra ABS and that's what I did, seemed like the logical approach.  I'll take your advice and do a preemptive strike on the chest piece!

[allan1313[TK]]

Yeah what Joseph said. I used some scrap abs and glued it in the back of the chest plate. This should stop the cracks. There is a more hardcore solution, but this is much easier and not so drastic.

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[Spliedt729[501st]]

I’m still a newbie with trooping only about 20 troops in my kit. Being my first build and also loving them I went straight for TD. It set my mind at ease when building my kit first because it was completely new to me and with a Sandy imperfections can be hidden. Not saying I just threw the kit together but having a small child constantly wanting to help will leave gluey fingerprints on a white TK lol. I am going for SWAT approval soon and hope to see some of you in the sandbox after trooping takes its toll:)


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[ukswrath[Staff]]

13 minutes ago, Spliedt729 said:

I’m still a newbie with trooping only about 20 troops in my kit. Being my first build and also loving them I went straight for TD. It set my mind at ease when building my kit first because it was completely new to me and with a Sandy imperfections can be hidden. Not saying I just threw the kit together but having a small child constantly wanting to help will leave gluey fingerprints on a white TK lol. I am going for SWAT approval soon and hope to see some of you in the sandbox after trooping takes its toll:)

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Good info Josh thanks. What kit do you have?

 

Hope to see you at SWAT, officer #32 here 

[Spliedt729[501st]]

AP and it was pretty straight forward putting together. I love the quality plus the wait time was reasonable which was good because I could only watch other people build their kits a few more times before going insane lol


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[sandtrooper[501st]]

Joshua, good luck on your TD journey.  Hope you push to SWAT status.

[Crusader_6[TK]]

My armor is over 2 years... it is very resistant but it has a lot of damage. I have repaired it the best I can, replaced all elastic parts and it keeps trooping. Just repair as you go and replace what you need when needed and it will be fine.


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