Originally Posted by
turnburglar
...
4. Laser cutting is terribly misused in this industry. As someone with formal training in garment construction it kills me to see all the exposed laser cutting in high wear and high load bearing areas. Flat out: Laser cutting is the cheapest and easiest and least durable way to make a plate carrier. I have seen multiple Crye JPC's tear on their hypalon shoulder straps and laser cut molle is also garbage. When you see a plate carrier with a lot of laser cutting be weary if it's something you expect to actually last. Using laser cutting to actually cut fabric before sewing is a completely different story, and something I am a huge fan of.....
Originally Posted by
turnburglar
Correct. I just looked up the SKD/First Spear STT; and that's exactly the crap I'm talking about. It is the flat out laziest way to do molle.
Ok, hold up there and clarify that for a second, cuz maybe I'm missing something. I was under the impression that, if done well, laser cutting is just fine - case in point, First Spear's been doing that since forever with their carrier (Strandhogg, etc), as has BlueForce, and I've never heard a complaint.
I have heard of some issues with delamination[?] with some of the cheaper methods/materials.
So what exactly am I to look out for?
Is there different angles that laser cutting bears weight better at? For example, if I have standard horizontal laser-molle (FS STT/'Hogg) with a 5lb pouch on it, or the front of a PC with a 5lb placard attached to vertical laser-molle (current edition Ferro Slickster), which is more like to fail if yanked on and abused?
... When these tactical gear companies are putting laser cut parts; they are literally betting that the edge of the laser cut fabric will not receive a lot of load or stress. This is exactly the opposite mission profile of Molle webbing. The only way it really ends up working at the end of the day is because the interwoven Molly strap will put a lot of stress on the first loop and then dissipate the load over the rest of the loops. I'm sure this method is 'good enough' for most users; but truly isn't built to last......
Here's the other question I have - I was under the impression that there are different "versions" of laser-cut when it comes to molle panels. As I mentioned before, one thing I heard was some sort of material issue, where if poor cordura[?] was used, it can delaminate at the cut edge, BUT the correct material/production methods alleviated that. Yes or no?
I have also seen a couple physically-different versions of laser-cut molle - the usual slots, and then slots with stitching around them. Is the stitched version somehow better/more reinforced/durable, or simply an attempt to CYA for poor materials and that delam issue?
There is also the usual straight-slots (FS and most others), and the ones with a a little angled cut at the corner of each slot (Beez and a few others); I'm guessing one of those is probably less durable than the other...?
Also, I kinda hate you for saying this, because I really like laser-cut for it's less "overt" look/lower profile/less weight than webbing, so my disappointment is measurable and my day is ruined.
Last edited by Jellybean; 06-01-21 at 23:10.
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