I do appreciate the idea that they are working towards. Further revisions, better stocking, and better pricing could make this carrier a “Palmetto State” style plate carrier for the masses. It definitely isn’t that, but it could be with further iterations. I’m looking forward to what this idea grows into with Trex.
I really appreciate reviews like this. I like to know the pros and the cons about stuff I may buy. I did buy one of these, and it works fine for me and my expected use. I know there are better options out there, but I chose this one, because it was available when I was looking.
Thanks for the review, I'd been trying to narrow down a simple plate carrier to use when I just want to add plates to my chest rig moments, and glad I could take this one off the list when you pointed out those potential failure points.
@@DET_C0RD Ya that one has been gaining steam of late. I've been seeing alot more guys running them and liking it a lot. But it's not cheaper. It's actually more expensive bc you have to add a cummerbund. Slickster comes with it.
The front cell of the cummerbund is also marketed to hold a multi tool. I have no clue how, as there’s not enough retention to hold it. The quality is just meh
The AC1/AC Uno lacking features for its pricepoint is pretty apparent to me now. Bought an AC Uno on impulse and now have spent even more money on it to kludge together a solution to mount an EUD pouch and retain placard mounting capability. Granted, the whole EUD thing wasn't something I was concerned about at the time of purchase, but hey sometimes it do be like that. FWIW, I've managed to get the front/small cell on the cummerbund to hold GI, PMAG M3, and Lancers.
Ya that's the thing that gets me. For ~$200 I can buy any number of PC's with laser cut grids and quick don/doff systems. Then I won't even need to fuck with placards.
this plate carrier shown in the vid is an AC-UNO and you can tell by the "M" marked into the plate bag at 7:00 they did that to all of the AC-unos. they were markes with M's, U's, and a couple other letters.
I love my AC1. It fits super well, is comfortable and appears to have great stitching. My AC1 is more comfortable than my agilite k19 imo. Is it a little more expensive than your typical minimalist carrier? Yes, but considering how pleased I am with my ac1 $180 is well spent. I’m running 5.7 lb level 4 plates with the kywi placard and loving it. I could never get the carrier to move around the plate in a million years. The plates are very tight in the pockets and the chamfered corners make it impossible to fit in any way other than correctly. Only complaint I have is that the smallest cumber-band pouch is marketed to fit a pistol mag and it will never hold a pistol mag. It’s too big for any pistol mag.
I picked up a Shellback a tactical STEALTH slick carrier and plates back with the first stimulus. I put Velcro on the body side to run Qore vents and have the matching shoulder pads. Just run a Shaw v2 elastic placard, an elastic cummerbund and fake FS tubes, but it runs great for me. I think the MEPC is a better slick carrier as far as options, but when I bought the shellback, it was affordable enough that I felt it was worth it to tailor to my wants (also I trusted the company to give me a good quality base to mod)
For some users, this is nit picking, but for gear makers, your comments on products is good feedback for them to further improve their product n take points to include in their new future products.
I understand the AC1 has its "cons" but I have been wearing the AC1 for 8-12 hours a day for work and its been completely fine. I originally bought a T3 low viz plate carrier which is supposed to be a "reputable company" and it was falling apart after 6 months of wear. The AC1 does what it is supposed to do
EOD Fish I think most of the criticisms on this video were unfounded… especially considering what it was designed for and made in USA (or unintentional Mexico if AC Uno). The corner wear point is maybe the only legit concern, and if plate movement was issue in use. You gave no “usage” feedback!
Good video. Personally a plate carrier isn't something you go "budget friendly", save up & get it from a trusted company. It may possibly save your life.
I don't completely disagree. But really it's the plates that save your life more than the carrier. You could put level IV's in a cheapo airsoft carrier if you really wanted to
“ save up and get it from a trusted company “ as if T.rex isn’t a trusted company😂 The AC1 is just fine. It’s nothing special, but it works and its fine - it’s made nicely.
The big thing that bothered me is that the mesh does not play well with the velcro. It will tear it up and make it all fuzzy. When I contacted CS about it they said that's just how it is and to just avoid letting the velcro touch the mesh.
These critiques are pretty weak. I guess I agree on the price point part. It seems like you bought a slick carrier and were expecting a heavy load out carrier.
The nitpick on it not having side seams is a bit weird because the plate isn't going to rotate while you're wearing the carrier. Legit point about the bad seam on the flap. I like the cummerbund flap on the back, I've heard of them being pulled off by car seats and backpacks shifting around, so any extra coverage is good in my book. I'm not part of the T.Rex defence league, but when I was in the market for a slick carrier I went for the AC1 because it had all the features I wanted and was the most affordable. There were a bunch of slick carriers that were cheaper, but they didn't have swift clips, and if they did they didn't come with an elastic cummerbund that had integrated pouches. Adding one would tack on another 50-100 dollars, putting it above the price of the AC1. For example, a LV119 outfitted like an AC1 is $100 more and at the time they never had anything in stock. I looked into Perroz and one of his carriers would be over $300 and he takes six months to fulfill orders. Defense Mechanisms was about $230. A few other smaller companies either were just too expensive or didn't have anything in stock. At the time the WTF wasn't released, but I would go with that and sew a flap over the back cummerbund attachment. The only issue I had with the AC1 was that a medium didn't fit my plates + backers without using a mallet to jam them in. Thanks for reading my novel. :)
Just wish this AC1 came with quick release tabs and elastic (w/partial molle?) cummerbund vs buying that separately. Also heard concerns on shoulder straps being straight vertical vs angled and may dig into neck.
In defence for Perroz, he is a one man operation company, he is the tailor, he does the sewing, he is the purchasing dept, he is the marketer, he is the admin, he is the quality control, he is everything, that's why orders took longer for him to complete, but his quality work is very good. Compared to other company who had contingents of workers that can finish a product in short amount of time.
I appreciate the honesty in this review. It seems that alot of people who already reviewed this didn't have a carrier until this carrier came to the market. It's cool to have someone review it with experience. Every product has negative and positive sides to it. It's good to know both.
SPC (granted, minus cummerbund) is only $169. Also, I've found that putting an upside-down TQ on the 3oclock/9oclock cummerbund works out pretty nicely...but maybe my arms are also goofy
@@wardjm1 in terms of an "affordable" carrier concept, I think it shouldn't be too hard to pick up a featureless 1-band cb as a stopgap (bc let's be honest, most of us don't really need to be hanging much on our flanks)
@@victortorres1585 higher end kydex products are a “perfect competition” market. You can not up-sale trex products solely on their innate quality. They make higher levels of profit by distinguishing themselves with their marketing. Take for example the recent TA02 acog push. Prior to Lucas making their videos, they were very low demand this underpriced. Trex didn’t sell them at the lower market rate but wage a guerrilla marketing campaign in order to drive demand and sell them closer to msrp.
lol, so many dudes in symptoms at that 'peak' were harping on about how the boy wonder would save them all with constant in stock supply of PCs... now they say nothing about that particular episode. Hadn't seen inside one of these before but the construction really makes me appreciate more that the LV119 is a quality rig despite appearing fairly basic on the surface.
Great video to voice some valid opinions and criticisms. I disagree that its not a budget friendly option but there are some things I disliked about it enough to replace it. Comfort is #1 for me and this was not comfortable at all. It being velcro for the cumberbund is awesome for simplicity but makes a hell of a racket when putting on and off. Beyond that I dig it and dont regret my purchase. Also like supporting such a great company. One thing that TrexArms did that did indeed rub me the wrong way was them removing the video Lucas did on the Spiritus Systems LV119. It was a very in depth video that helped me learn a bunch on a minimalistic plate carrier. I get its in direct competition to their AC1 but it was a valuble resource to help people they took down for business reasons rather than caring more about educating and helping people on a different product. That still bothers me. I'm glad I have a habbit of saving videos and managed to save it before it was taken down.
@@EODFish This is going to sound stupid but I have one as a base for a backpack Virtual Reality setup. Eventually the GPU shortage will end and I can finally build the damn thing.
It was exactly the case. It is exactly what he’s said it was. A way to hold plates to your body. He’s stated a lot of times than you don’t have to buy separate pieces and that it’s meant to pretty much only hold plates and maybe add a placard. There’s no features on this carrier which is they way he designed it imo.
@@EODFish what are companies selling similar plate carriers that have a good reputation? I’m sure I can find a Rothco carrier for less. But the big brand people default to like LBT, Cryie, Spiritus usually have more going on with the carrier. T Rex has a reputation for being good stuff, and they made a good way to hold plates albeit a little pricy. I think their Ragnorok holsters work well but are pricy.
@@koltaire5938 TREX actually has a pretty solid reputation for products that are lacking in durability. Their holsters are notorious for being too thin. I have an entire story highlights section on IG of cheaper, better alternatives to the AC1. It is extremely overpriced.
Hi. A little off topic, but have you heard of Dayton Armor? They have a level 4 plate, less than .5” thick, that weighs like 3lbs or something crazy. Just wondering if you’ve ever heard anything?
Honestly I’m a huge supporter or Trex but I really don’t like most of the products I have from them. I hate the sling, the ifak unzipped on me and I almost lost all my meds, and the placard just isn’t that great
I went with the Defense Mechanisms MEPC and am very happy with the MEPC . That said I do run T-Rex Arm's Mars single pistol mag pouches on 2 of my gun belts canted for speed & pc clearance . I definitely support T-Rex Arm's and love their message but I found the AC1 lacking compared to the MEPC . Just my opinion.
@@EODFish & it didn't come off as that either . I think it's a fair review . I love Trex Arm's Mars pouches , Sidecar , & sling . In my opinion tho the MEPC is the superior piece of kit .
It's in stock now and it's been lowered to 160 bucks, making it probably a better competitor for its intended use. I'm sure it can evolve over time in future interactions.
@@EODFish got a brand you recommend. Simply googling us made pc comes up with a low of $140. Thats not even checking that its actually us made or a quality pc.
i just bought this plate carrier, the special threat plates and a placard for $700, as some one who has never had a carrier before i was expecting to pay more... but as a civilian im kinda of the though process some protection is better than none... which is what i did have ha ha! if i ever have the money to buy better plates i can still throw them in here. I thought this was a good option because all i want is a place to hold my mags, im not really trying to go full "spec ops" and have the latest and greatest i just need something that does the basics Im not a fan of over paying, but ive been known todo it haha even though this may not be the best "Value" i dont feel like ive been ripped off, maybe im just ignorant haha but so far ive been happy with it, i think its a acceptable entry level platform
I don’t get it, we are well past covid now and we’ll last supposed supply chain issues yet so many things are out of stock all the time, what is going on?
I went with an AC1 over the alternatives primarily because it was offered in a small size for use with 8x10 plates. Yes, people who wear 8x10s exist. Yes, we are vertically challenged. I would have loved to get a Slickster, or LV119 or JPC, or anything else...if they had sizes purpose-built for 8x10s. I tried the MEPC 8x10 but the shoulder straps are too close together to even put my head through. The AC1 is as as good as it gets for an off-the-shelf 8x10 capable PC, at least that I've found. Which is less an endorsement of the AC1, and more an indictment of the market for not having more and better options for battle gnomes.
@@EODFish At the time when I bought it, only the AC1 was specifically stated compatible with 8x10s. Cryes are made for SAPI sizes, and 8x10 is closer to an XS than even an S. I was not recommended to use 8x10s in a small JPC. The AC1 isn't a 100% perfect fit for 8x10s either. But I did make it work. If I get my hands on a small JPC to test, I'll probably edit this comment in the future.
@@EODFish It’s not swimmer cut. That said, there’s not a whole lot of material by the shoulder area, and I haven’t found it getting in the way of a stock or impeding my range of motion. I don’t think they would’ve been able to make it a swimmer-cut plate bag without giving up the vertical webbing for QASM buckles. The insanity of swimmer cut 8x10s is such that they get so narrow at the top that you can pretty much say goodbye to QASM buckles for placards unless you have a rectangular plate bag. The width of an 8x10 plate (where it starts tapering towards the top) is smaller than the width between the QASM buckles on my WTF accessory panel 04. The top edge of my Hesco L210 is barely 4.5” wide where it tapers to its narrowest point due to the aggressive swimmer cut. Btw I’m not trying to be intentionally obtuse and you probably deal with a bunch of slow people daily, it’s just been really fucking hard to find an 8x10 carrier that fits my horribly abnormal body. The AC1 fulfills this one niche for me better than any other carrier I have tried yet, which included a small LBT 6094, small AWS OCPC, 8x10 Defense Mechanisms MEPC, and S/M FirstSpear AAC. I have tried sizing up to a SAPI S but it just hasn't worked for me. What I would really like is a WTF Plate Carrier 13 with a tubes cummerbund. Anyways keep up the good work dude👍
the thing you call "cable management" I think it's for any extra shoulder strap you have you can just tuck it in the hole, because I have defesne mechanisms mepc and it has that hole also.
Also the flop in the back, is more useful then what you think, you could remove the cummerbund that T-Rex arms have and switch it out for a jpc cummerbund or anything else or use a mayflower chest rig and rig it to the plate carrier and use the rear strep that comes with the cheat rig and route it through the flop in the back of the plate carrier under the flop.
Thanks for the review. When it comes to T-Rex arms I enjoy his content and messaging and accordingly find myself wanting to use his products to support the guy. I don’t own one of these and prefer carriers with more structural style cummerbunds.
@@EODFish sure but maybe you like the simplicity and arent trying to attach a ton of stuff to it. I've tried it on a couple times, fits well and is comfortable with the upgraded shoulder straps. And affordable compared to crye lbt or haley.
Beez Combat APTUM PC. Look into that one. I built one out and it's much better than the AC1. I actually sold my ferro on ebay and used the money to go with the APTUM.
I'm calling bullshit on this one. I just spent $320 on an aptum front/back overt, ROC skeletal cummerbund and i am thoroughly disappointed. 1) there's not a single bar-tack to be found anywhere on this carrier. And for something that's supposed to survive combat use, that is unacceptable. 2) there are areas that have only a single row of stitching, and after 3 weeks of no more than donning/doffing, threads are already coming loose. 3) the cummerbund was 100% useless out of the box. It looks to me like it was the length of a velcro cummerbund, but with roc buckles attached. This rendered it entirely too long. Too long such that I had to cut material and modify it myself sewing in my own elastic in other places to make it even usable. 4) i mentioned this cummerbund issue in an email. I was perfectly polite, didn't criticize, I simply explained the situation, and asked if there was anything I could do that maybe I hadn't thought of before cutting into a brand new product. Their response was "Send us a pic when you do the mod." 5) general sloppy construction. Panels sewn on crooked, straps asymmetrical making it very difficult to get a good adjustment. I am sure other people have gotten decent gear. In my experience, this is airsoft quality for crye/spiritus money. For $320 and seven weeks lead time, none of these problems should exist. The customer is not responsible for quality assurance. The one thing I will say is good are the shoulder pads.
The thing is that they said the ones in Mexico were sometimes better than the ones not. Who knows how they compare to the ones made by the new place that is making them now.
@@EODFish Thats what I thought I remembered too. When they started saying how only a few things were actually made in house I thought I was going a little crazy.
I love T-Rex Arms for building their brand around empowering the average citizen, but I can't get down with this PC..and I really wanted to. Everything about it just seems like they wanted it to be an LV119, but it has none of the modularity or functionality of that design outside of the fact that you can attach a placard. I despise Spiritus' indifference to couch larpers like me, not to mention their drip marketing, but the AC1's lack of cable management and features is an atrocity for almost $200 when you take into consideration how much more you get for that extra $100 and change. It also seems like they are cashing in, and playing on people's lack of patience and panic. Good things come to those who wait, my people. Thanks for the honest review. You got a sub.
@@EODFish i saw your vid on the Otte gear LV pc after learning of the brand. That looks like a way better option vs say going straight to a crye jpc or whatnot. Would you recommend the Otte higher than this and maybe most others for a good low to mid price tier per options pc?
180 dollars IS budget for a plate carrier. Anything less than 200 dollars is a budget carrier, and anything in this price range is always made in china. This is also 170 including tax and shipping, so saying its 180 is just flat out wrong. You get a made in america product that works for under 200 dollars. Id love you to show me a non chinese carrier for under 200. Exposed hook or loop absolutely wears over time and gets hair and whatever else and smashed up in there. The back flap is one of the nicest features of the carrier! How can you have a complaint about saving your velcro? Ive been scouring the web for a flat (good looking) velcro rectangle to cover the front cummberbund. As someone who wears a plate carrier all day every day for work, youll quickly be extremely thankful that the cummberbund is covered in the back, especially if you have to sit down for any amount of time. Your velcro will be 100% useless in under a year of wearing it if there is no cover. Every single velcro related item in my kit has worn down to damn near useless.
11:00 The “cable routing” openings seem PERFECT for the excess of the straps. You criticize that yet it SOLVES one of the Biggest Issues I have with sizing down straps on other plate carriers… no place to hide the excess!
Didnt some of the qc issues come with the manufacturer making them in Mexico? I think you covered that in your video, but id like to see the AC uno compared to the AC1
Total difference of opinion, but to me, when I see a velcro flap holding the cummerbund in place it is a design aestheic / feature that shows up to date design and an understanding of what it's customer base wants. In my experience , It's much easier to adjust VS shock cord or nylon straps that can be difficult to adjust and ever get a customized fit. Some of the more premier manufacturers with end-users who are LE , such as, First Spear, Lionheart Alliance, Javlin Concepts, and A and A, you may notice they make plate carriers and cummberbunds designed for that rear attachment style. Maybe T Rex didn't make it as high quality but I think that design is easier to adjust and switch out with other products. You are the preeminent plate carrier reviewer so I am sure you have seen all this before. 😊
I have an AVS, JPC2, K19, and a bunch of shitty stuff crap I never use anymore (Not gloating or anything), and I also bought the AC1 when it first launched. Which I used for training... I'd throw in some junk plates I didn't care for and go running, go for a swim, larp at the range while doing stupid shit whatever. It is, or I guess was still just as good as it was when I got it last year. I did recently give it to one of my coworkers about 2 months ago since he wanted a PC and didn't have one. As for the side seam, that was literally a non issue for me - honestly, I didn't even notice it until you brought it up. Maybe that's cause I'm a bit thicker idk? But I never had any issues with any of my plates slipping around. And I wore it daily, or I guess I should say nightly for working out. The ac1 was my beater PC. It is a little bit more expensive, like sure you can go get a Veritas for $93. But would you really want to? jk jk lol but it's their first PC, there's a lot of R&D, testing, and work that goes into setting up and that of course goes into the msrp cause bidness be bidness. So, I don't really mind it. But I will say it is really made (imo) to go along with other things but actually because of that "stupid flap" in the back, it's actually pretty versatile... As long as you're able to not just strictly think of it like a traditional PC. As it is strictly by itself, it can be pretty underwhelming. It does work, and it's fine. But when I replaced their cummerbund with the HRT quick release cummerbund and that was pretty neat. But then I threw on one of the HRT placards and the harness and just used some shock cord to tie them together under the flap and it wasn't that bad. Was it as good as my AVS, or even my JPC with the avs1000 on it nowadays? Of course not. But it's not meant to compete with those. It's meant to be a relatiely affordable (Which, sure that's relative) but I personally think it is while at the same time, trying a bunch of "new" things - or at the very least... Non-traditional PC things. Personally I will never, ever be mad at a company for trying something new. If they want to take a risk and try something new, I'm all for it. Even if it doesn't work out because people learn from that, make things better, and then ultimately we get better products in the end. Or we learn what to avoid. Either way, it's a win win and should be cheered for imo ... Otherwise, we'd all be sitting around wearing some shit that's decades old and never advancing.
What are the 12 alternatives? I bought an ac1 about 3 months ago and really wish I would've seen this video before hand. To be honest I'm a big fan of trex arms. But this was my first experience with a plate carrier. So to me it seems to do the job but I did end up replacing the cummerbund for a quick detach one by coyote tactical. Looking to get one with more features, and maybe at a better price? I will bot as of writing this, trex lowered the price of ac1s to $165.
After years of using Spiritus Systems products, its great to see Lucas making his own cheap knockoff version selling it as his own. Its a pillowcase with shoulder straps! 😂
@@EODFish it holds plates, it looks cool, it's low profile, it's simple, it's modular, the ranger green + black is a nice color scheme, it's Trex Arms, and I can slap rifle mags to it or any other crap I want. Those are all selling points and probably similar to other reasons people have for choosing this carrier. No extra bla bla bla, can stuff it in a backpack and forget about it. No crazy buckles, no thick molle, no huge shoulder padding, none of that annoying velcro cable management
I’m really just trying to drive home that there are better alternatives at better prices. Several of the options in that story highlight have been reviewed by me though.
Although Lucas annoys me, his brothers more than make up for T-Rex as a corporation. I also approve of and support their ethos and business strategy. That said, when the AC1 came out, I was already knee deep in "nylon knowledge" so I knew right off the bat that it wasn't for me. With the tactical gear world, you sort of have to know where to look. Search engines aren't smart enough to accurately direct you to the best solutions (especially when you are new to the tactical nylon world and don't really even know what you are looking for in the first place). There were tons of quality sub $200 PCs available and in stock at "peak boogaloo". As far as T-Rex being the PSA of the "nylon essentials" world, I'm cool with it as long as they continue to make quality kit, offer great customer service and remain a champion of 2A related matters.
I think that is part of my issue with it, Lucas has MASSIVE reach so his community service at the time was to publicly put out this subpar rig for anyone incapable of researching the topic.
@@EODFish this is definitely a hit piece. The replies to this specific comment says it all. You borrowed the plate carrier from somebody you shouted out. How much use could you actually have with the AC1/ UNO? Not enough to comment on the durability of it. Also, at the same time, Lucas constantly makes UA-cam live videos on eBay sniping. If their is legitimate gripe with an item by an end user, I’m all for hearing about it, but speculation about durability based on construction alone is asinine unless you are seamstress, but even at that every trade I can think of has instances where “this isn’t going to work because this isn’t the way to do it” and yet it does in some cases. The only fair point to this video was being an “available” carrier at a reasonable cost, was complete dog wash. They were released, sold out instantly, came back 6 months later as the AC UNO and those sold out instantly as well, and then about 4 months later with the last batch of UNO as well as the legit AC1. Mediums are out of stock minus Multicam Arid and 80’s SWAT black, last I checked. Again, is this a reason to trash talk the actual durability of it? Not at all.
@@bf4chode2 what if I told you I started my career in the AF as a “seamstress”? That’s fair if you want to think of this as a hit piece but it isn’t. I even mentioned a few things about the carrier that I like.
I'm not him obviously, but for a slick plate carrier the Perroz Designs LPSPC is a really good option. Serves the same role as this one but is definitely better.
I have a conder PC i use for work & it’s been used and abused everyday & yeah it shows wear and tear but it’s has held up to a good standard and I’d buy again
I think it’s a well thought out piece of gear that has its place in the market and for a quality piece it is not expensive in the least just my 2 cents
I like most of his stuff (other than the cult ownership) but that looks amateurish. LBT was selling QRCv2's on a half price promotion when Lucas announced this thing.
definitely not into the guy or his homophobia, but the other Trex products are generally pretty good, especially their mounts and such, not just good quality but also typically smart ideas or novel things, so i was really bummed to encounter the AC1 in this video and see how bare it is and how slapdash. i've had this axe to grind for a while that it seems there are so many very simple sandwich boards on the market, and that they get pitched as everything from "slick" to "modular/expandable" to "duty" carriers with pretty minimal overhaul of their webbing or capabilities. I don't want a plate carrier to be something a company just DOES if they hit a certain size, and they kind of craft some narrative around it, like the thorax, because i think what these things really do overall is confuse consumers and make it difficult to assess your needs.
I agree that it was a bit overhyped vis a vis availability. However, Lucas used to sell Spiritus carriers on his website, and the AC1 was an attempt to bring production in house as opposed to relying on a vendor. On the consumer side of the issue, the lack of availability is the same either way. However, I can understand Lucas's enthusiasm as a business owner for having control over production of his own product.
I feel that for what T rex arms is trying to do that is provide low cost gear for the average American he should just have these made in Mexico and bring the cost down. If hes not making them then what does it really matter? If you arent offering top tier high quality gear then the emphasis to be "American made" is kind of irrelevant. The mexican made ac1 unos wete noticeably better quality as well so youre not even providing a better product.
If you have to make an excuse for any negative comments concerning a review of a person or company's product its a tell tall sign of pre conceived bias. a few more minutes into the video and it becomes perfectly clear. You follow every critic with a defensive comment to assure the audience there is no bias lol come on man just tell the viewers how you really feel.
A lot to be said for people who have done work and produce goods and people who have never done real work and try to produce things and sell them as good as the people who have the real world experience and knowledge. They saw an opportunity to cash in on their followers more and took it. More then likely burned some of their bridges in doing this...
Ya, I never understood all the hype around this either. The only unique and/or interesting feature is the cummerbund. Other than that it's just a more expensive slickster. And less quality.
@@EODFish Huh? You sure had a lot of criticisms about the plate bags in the video. I didn't say it was low quality, I said it was less quality than a slickster. It's essentially the same thing except for the cummerbund. But not designed as well. That's just my opinion.
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I do appreciate the idea that they are working towards. Further revisions, better stocking, and better pricing could make this carrier a “Palmetto State” style plate carrier for the masses. It definitely isn’t that, but it could be with further iterations. I’m looking forward to what this idea grows into with Trex.
I really appreciate reviews like this. I like to know the pros and the cons about stuff I may buy.
I did buy one of these, and it works fine for me and my expected use. I know there are better options out there, but I chose this one, because it was available when I was looking.
Thanks for the review, I'd been trying to narrow down a simple plate carrier to use when I just want to add plates to my chest rig moments, and glad I could take this one off the list when you pointed out those potential failure points.
I’m no expert by any means but I have the Defense Mechanisms MEPC. Super similar to the Ferro Slickster but cheaper and better in my opinion.
MEPC is very high quality with much more options and they're good dude's just like the guys at Trex Arm's . I absolutely second the MEPC .
@@DET_C0RD Ya that one has been gaining steam of late. I've been seeing alot more guys running them and liking it a lot. But it's not cheaper. It's actually more expensive bc you have to add a cummerbund. Slickster comes with it.
The front cell of the cummerbund is also marketed to hold a multi tool. I have no clue how, as there’s not enough retention to hold it. The quality is just meh
Actually it’s modeled to fit a civilian radio, he just said it can also fit a multitool. It works fine but you need to have a pocket clip
The AC1/AC Uno lacking features for its pricepoint is pretty apparent to me now. Bought an AC Uno on impulse and now have spent even more money on it to kludge together a solution to mount an EUD pouch and retain placard mounting capability. Granted, the whole EUD thing wasn't something I was concerned about at the time of purchase, but hey sometimes it do be like that. FWIW, I've managed to get the front/small cell on the cummerbund to hold GI, PMAG M3, and Lancers.
I always put my 4th pmag in the front smaller cummerbund pocket works really good actually
Ya that's the thing that gets me. For ~$200 I can buy any number of PC's with laser cut grids and quick don/doff systems. Then I won't even need to fuck with placards.
@@poisonouslead85 for example?
Check my IG Stories, I give no less than 12 examples.
EOD Fish Would you please add those 12x alternative IG stories to a video here so we can reference and review???
this plate carrier shown in the vid is an AC-UNO and you can tell by the "M" marked into the plate bag at 7:00 they did that to all of the AC-unos. they were markes with M's, U's, and a couple other letters.
Still the same rig with respect to all identified concerns.
The trouble also with the cells is there is not top retetion to it and they are forcing you into what to use.
Thanks for taking a look at the AC1.
I love my AC1. It fits super well, is comfortable and appears to have great stitching. My AC1 is more comfortable than my agilite k19 imo. Is it a little more expensive than your typical minimalist carrier? Yes, but considering how pleased I am with my ac1 $180 is well spent. I’m running 5.7 lb level 4 plates with the kywi placard and loving it. I could never get the carrier to move around the plate in a million years. The plates are very tight in the pockets and the chamfered corners make it impossible to fit in any way other than correctly. Only complaint I have is that the smallest cumber-band pouch is marketed to fit a pistol mag and it will never hold a pistol mag. It’s too big for any pistol mag.
I picked up a Shellback a tactical STEALTH slick carrier and plates back with the first stimulus. I put Velcro on the body side to run Qore vents and have the matching shoulder pads. Just run a Shaw v2 elastic placard, an elastic cummerbund and fake FS tubes, but it runs great for me.
I think the MEPC is a better slick carrier as far as options, but when I bought the shellback, it was affordable enough that I felt it was worth it to tailor to my wants (also I trusted the company to give me a good quality base to mod)
For some users, this is nit picking, but for gear makers, your comments on products is good feedback for them to further improve their product n take points to include in their new future products.
I understand the AC1 has its "cons" but I have been wearing the AC1 for 8-12 hours a day for work and its been completely fine. I originally bought a T3 low viz plate carrier which is supposed to be a "reputable company" and it was falling apart after 6 months of wear. The AC1 does what it is supposed to do
I’m glad it is serving you well. Where did the T3 fail?
EOD Fish I think most of the criticisms on this video were unfounded… especially considering what it was designed for and made in USA (or unintentional Mexico if AC Uno). The corner wear point is maybe the only legit concern, and if plate movement was issue in use. You gave no “usage” feedback!
Good video. Personally a plate carrier isn't something you go "budget friendly", save up & get it from a trusted company. It may possibly save your life.
I don't completely disagree. But really it's the plates that save your life more than the carrier. You could put level IV's in a cheapo airsoft carrier if you really wanted to
“ save up and get it from a trusted company “ as if T.rex isn’t a trusted company😂
The AC1 is just fine. It’s nothing special, but it works and its fine - it’s made nicely.
It’s not though.
as long as it doesnt sag its fine the plates is the issue
That’s frankly a stupid low bar to set.
The big thing that bothered me is that the mesh does not play well with the velcro. It will tear it up and make it all fuzzy. When I contacted CS about it they said that's just how it is and to just avoid letting the velcro touch the mesh.
Honestly a TON of carriers have that mesh and issue
These critiques are pretty weak. I guess I agree on the price point part. It seems like you bought a slick carrier and were expecting a heavy load out carrier.
The nitpick on it not having side seams is a bit weird because the plate isn't going to rotate while you're wearing the carrier. Legit point about the bad seam on the flap. I like the cummerbund flap on the back, I've heard of them being pulled off by car seats and backpacks shifting around, so any extra coverage is good in my book.
I'm not part of the T.Rex defence league, but when I was in the market for a slick carrier I went for the AC1 because it had all the features I wanted and was the most affordable. There were a bunch of slick carriers that were cheaper, but they didn't have swift clips, and if they did they didn't come with an elastic cummerbund that had integrated pouches. Adding one would tack on another 50-100 dollars, putting it above the price of the AC1. For example, a LV119 outfitted like an AC1 is $100 more and at the time they never had anything in stock. I looked into Perroz and one of his carriers would be over $300 and he takes six months to fulfill orders. Defense Mechanisms was about $230. A few other smaller companies either were just too expensive or didn't have anything in stock. At the time the WTF wasn't released, but I would go with that and sew a flap over the back cummerbund attachment. The only issue I had with the AC1 was that a medium didn't fit my plates + backers without using a mallet to jam them in.
Thanks for reading my novel. :)
It was a good novel.
Just wish this AC1 came with quick release tabs and elastic (w/partial molle?) cummerbund vs buying that separately. Also heard concerns on shoulder straps being straight vertical vs angled and may dig into neck.
In defence for Perroz, he is a one man operation company, he is the tailor, he does the sewing, he is the purchasing dept, he is the marketer, he is the admin, he is the quality control, he is everything, that's why orders took longer for him to complete, but his quality work is very good. Compared to other company who had contingents of workers that can finish a product in short amount of time.
Is anyone else laughing at him taking the plate out then trying to install it wrong after his demostration of the plate shifting didnt work
Yeah, it won’t shift, Velcro flap wont allow it.
I went too extreme in my demonstration. I very regularly see off center AC1s and other PCs of similar construction due to a lack of edge.
I appreciate the honesty in this review. It seems that alot of people who already reviewed this didn't have a carrier until this carrier came to the market. It's cool to have someone review it with experience. Every product has negative and positive sides to it. It's good to know both.
Thanks man. That’s all I’m trying to be in these.
Love the honesty
Thoughts on the Beez American Sentry GRID, and the ROC buckles?
SPC (granted, minus cummerbund) is only $169. Also, I've found that putting an upside-down TQ on the 3oclock/9oclock cummerbund works out pretty nicely...but maybe my arms are also goofy
Took me 4+ months to find a cummerbund though. But its fantastic once you can find what you need.
@@wardjm1 in terms of an "affordable" carrier concept, I think it shouldn't be too hard to pick up a featureless 1-band cb as a stopgap (bc let's be honest, most of us don't really need to be hanging much on our flanks)
Lol bro- look up whiskey two four. The same Minimalistic plate carrier but for $99
The same as what?
@@EODFish crye SPC is the comparison i think.
Everyone needs to realize trex arms is a marketing company
How so
@@victortorres1585 higher end kydex products are a “perfect competition” market. You can not up-sale trex products solely on their innate quality. They make higher levels of profit by distinguishing themselves with their marketing.
Take for example the recent TA02 acog push. Prior to Lucas making their videos, they were very low demand this underpriced. Trex didn’t sell them at the lower market rate but wage a guerrilla marketing campaign in order to drive demand and sell them closer to msrp.
Google this:
"aliexpress ac1 plate carrier" and you will see this exact carrier for around $60.
It's the same im every detail and even colors..
That does happen to sell a lot of good, market standard, stuff.
As always good stuff man!!!
I’m so glad I went with Defense Mechanism MECP instead of this.
MEPC all the way. Can't really beat the price and quality. I've paid double and gotten less.
lol, so many dudes in symptoms at that 'peak' were harping on about how the boy wonder would save them all with constant in stock supply of PCs... now they say nothing about that particular episode. Hadn't seen inside one of these before but the construction really makes me appreciate more that the LV119 is a quality rig despite appearing fairly basic on the surface.
Yeah, a poor man’s 119 this is not. It’s more so how to spend 119 money without getting a 119 in return.
Great video to voice some valid opinions and criticisms. I disagree that its not a budget friendly option but there are some things I disliked about it enough to replace it. Comfort is #1 for me and this was not comfortable at all. It being velcro for the cumberbund is awesome for simplicity but makes a hell of a racket when putting on and off. Beyond that I dig it and dont regret my purchase. Also like supporting such a great company.
One thing that TrexArms did that did indeed rub me the wrong way was them removing the video Lucas did on the Spiritus Systems LV119. It was a very in depth video that helped me learn a bunch on a minimalistic plate carrier. I get its in direct competition to their AC1 but it was a valuble resource to help people they took down for business reasons rather than caring more about educating and helping people on a different product. That still bothers me. I'm glad I have a habbit of saving videos and managed to save it before it was taken down.
Not about the AC1, but do you have any experience or input in regards to the Eagle H-Harness?
It’s a pretty good base for real recce kit.
@@EODFish This is going to sound stupid but I have one as a base for a backpack Virtual Reality setup. Eventually the GPU shortage will end and I can finally build the damn thing.
@@poisonouslead85 not stupid at all man, that’s really cool.
So you are saying... its an airsoft level carrier?
there are some airsoft plate carriers that can kick this thing's ass for half the price...
It’s not even that good.
@@EODFish shots fired!! but thank you for your honesty
Dude WHAT IS THAT SWEATSHIRT YOU ARE WEARING!? DOPE.
My understanding was it was more affordable than similar US made carriers and didn't need to be pieced together. Maybe I'm wrong though?
100%. Check my IG stories. It was marketed exactly as you interpreted without actually being the case.
It was exactly the case. It is exactly what he’s said it was. A way to hold plates to your body. He’s stated a lot of times than you don’t have to buy separate pieces and that it’s meant to pretty much only hold plates and maybe add a placard. There’s no features on this carrier which is they way he designed it imo.
@@koltaire5938 what similar carrier is it more affordable than?
@@EODFish what are companies selling similar plate carriers that have a good reputation? I’m sure I can find a Rothco carrier for less. But the big brand people default to like LBT, Cryie, Spiritus usually have more going on with the carrier. T Rex has a reputation for being good stuff, and they made a good way to hold plates albeit a little pricy. I think their Ragnorok holsters work well but are pricy.
@@koltaire5938 TREX actually has a pretty solid reputation for products that are lacking in durability. Their holsters are notorious for being too thin. I have an entire story highlights section on IG of cheaper, better alternatives to the AC1. It is extremely overpriced.
Hi. A little off topic, but have you heard of Dayton Armor? They have a level 4 plate, less than .5” thick, that weighs like 3lbs or something crazy. Just wondering if you’ve ever heard anything?
I haven’t but I’m really not much of an armor nerd.
I have a rma 1105 and a phocus research ifak insert and I still feel like my front plate bag is kinda baggy.
Is there 3 plate carriers in similar price range you can recommend? Or link to reviews you've done?
Check my IG stories.
Whiskey two four. It’s 99
Honestly I’m a huge supporter or Trex but I really don’t like most of the products I have from them. I hate the sling, the ifak unzipped on me and I almost lost all my meds, and the placard just isn’t that great
I went with the Defense Mechanisms MEPC and am very happy with the MEPC . That said I do run T-Rex Arm's Mars single pistol mag pouches on 2 of my gun belts canted for speed & pc clearance . I definitely support T-Rex Arm's and love their message but I found the AC1 lacking compared to the MEPC . Just my opinion.
Thanks for being reasonable. This isn’t an anti TREX Arms video.
@@EODFish & it didn't come off as that either . I think it's a fair review . I love Trex Arm's Mars pouches , Sidecar , & sling . In my opinion tho the MEPC is the superior piece of kit .
For a little more than $20 you can get a mayflower APC…
The letter on the flap indicates it is an Uno, I believe.
Where did you get that hoodie you are wearing?? Definitely like that. Thank you man!
All skill no luck.
Off the topic of your video. Who makes the hooded sweatshirt you are wearing?
All skill no luck
I’ve had a AC1 for year half and it’s starting to rip on the sides.
It's in stock now and it's been lowered to 160 bucks, making it probably a better competitor for its intended use. I'm sure it can evolve over time in future interactions.
160 is still $60 over what it should be.
Compared to what, exactly? The LV119 is more than that for just the *front* bag, no cummerbund and no back bag.
@@EODFish i feel like youre asking for chinese slave made at that point.
@@dar5647 plenty of US builders have figured it out with more complicated construction. This is an incredibly simple build.
@@EODFish got a brand you recommend. Simply googling us made pc comes up with a low of $140. Thats not even checking that its actually us made or a quality pc.
i just bought this plate carrier, the special threat plates and a placard for $700, as some one who has never had a carrier before i was expecting to pay more... but as a civilian im kinda of the though process some protection is better than none... which is what i did have ha ha! if i ever have the money to buy better plates i can still throw them in here.
I thought this was a good option because all i want is a place to hold my mags, im not really trying to go full "spec ops" and have the latest and greatest i just need something that does the basics
Im not a fan of over paying, but ive been known todo it haha even though this may not be the best "Value" i dont feel like ive been ripped off, maybe im just ignorant haha but so far ive been happy with it, i think its a acceptable entry level platform
+1, well said man!
More importantly, what is that badass sweater you’re wearing!?!?
All skill no luck Cali combat hoodie
I don’t get it, we are well past covid now and we’ll last supposed supply chain issues yet so many things are out of stock all the time, what is going on?
Where did you get your hoodie? Great video.
All skill no luck and thanks.
I went with an AC1 over the alternatives primarily because it was offered in a small size for use with 8x10 plates. Yes, people who wear 8x10s exist. Yes, we are vertically challenged.
I would have loved to get a Slickster, or LV119 or JPC, or anything else...if they had sizes purpose-built for 8x10s. I tried the MEPC 8x10 but the shoulder straps are too close together to even put my head through.
The AC1 is as as good as it gets for an off-the-shelf 8x10 capable PC, at least that I've found. Which is less an endorsement of the AC1, and more an indictment of the market for not having more and better options for battle gnomes.
Literally all Crye options have a small size.
@@EODFish At the time when I bought it, only the AC1 was specifically stated compatible with 8x10s. Cryes are made for SAPI sizes, and 8x10 is closer to an XS than even an S. I was not recommended to use 8x10s in a small JPC.
The AC1 isn't a 100% perfect fit for 8x10s either. But I did make it work. If I get my hands on a small JPC to test, I'll probably edit this comment in the future.
There is a swimmer cut AC1?
@@EODFish It’s not swimmer cut. That said, there’s not a whole lot of material by the shoulder area, and I haven’t found it getting in the way of a stock or impeding my range of motion.
I don’t think they would’ve been able to make it a swimmer-cut plate bag without giving up the vertical webbing for QASM buckles. The insanity of swimmer cut 8x10s is such that they get so narrow at the top that you can pretty much say goodbye to QASM buckles for placards unless you have a rectangular plate bag. The width of an 8x10 plate (where it starts tapering towards the top) is smaller than the width between the QASM buckles on my WTF accessory panel 04. The top edge of my Hesco L210 is barely 4.5” wide where it tapers to its narrowest point due to the aggressive swimmer cut.
Btw I’m not trying to be intentionally obtuse and you probably deal with a bunch of slow people daily, it’s just been really fucking hard to find an 8x10 carrier that fits my horribly abnormal body. The AC1 fulfills this one niche for me better than any other carrier I have tried yet, which included a small LBT 6094, small AWS OCPC, 8x10 Defense Mechanisms MEPC, and S/M FirstSpear AAC. I have tried sizing up to a SAPI S but it just hasn't worked for me.
What I would really like is a WTF Plate Carrier 13 with a tubes cummerbund. Anyways keep up the good work dude👍
What would you recomend? I want the same style, around the same prices.
Check my story highlights on IG
the thing you call "cable management" I think it's for any extra shoulder strap you have you can just tuck it in the hole, because I have defesne mechanisms mepc and it has that hole also.
Also the flop in the back, is more useful then what you think, you could remove the cummerbund that T-Rex arms have and switch it out for a jpc cummerbund or anything else or use a mayflower chest rig and rig it to the plate carrier and use the rear strep that comes with the cheat rig and route it through the flop in the back of the plate carrier under the flop.
The flap is irrelevant for both of those uses and there are much better ways of mounting both of those on bare Velcro.
@@EODFish I rather have the flop then not have it and need it type thing.
sorry if it's been asked, but who makes that rug you're wearing?
All skill no luck
Thanks for the review. When it comes to T-Rex arms I enjoy his content and messaging and accordingly find myself wanting to use his products to support the guy. I don’t own one of these and prefer carriers with more structural style cummerbunds.
i always saw the AC1 as a good starter plate carrier, affordable and a good entry point.
It’s really only affordable if you are considering yourself in a vacuum devoid of other options.
@@EODFish sure but maybe you like the simplicity and arent trying to attach a ton of stuff to it. I've tried it on a couple times, fits well and is comfortable with the upgraded shoulder straps. And affordable compared to crye lbt or haley.
Beez Combat APTUM PC. Look into that one. I built one out and it's much better than the AC1. I actually sold my ferro on ebay and used the money to go with the APTUM.
I'm calling bullshit on this one. I just spent $320 on an aptum front/back overt, ROC skeletal cummerbund and i am thoroughly disappointed.
1) there's not a single bar-tack to be found anywhere on this carrier. And for something that's supposed to survive combat use, that is unacceptable.
2) there are areas that have only a single row of stitching, and after 3 weeks of no more than donning/doffing, threads are already coming loose.
3) the cummerbund was 100% useless out of the box. It looks to me like it was the length of a velcro cummerbund, but with roc buckles attached. This rendered it entirely too long. Too long such that I had to cut material and modify it myself sewing in my own elastic in other places to make it even usable.
4) i mentioned this cummerbund issue in an email. I was perfectly polite, didn't criticize, I simply explained the situation, and asked if there was anything I could do that maybe I hadn't thought of before cutting into a brand new product. Their response was "Send us a pic when you do the mod."
5) general sloppy construction. Panels sewn on crooked, straps asymmetrical making it very difficult to get a good adjustment.
I am sure other people have gotten decent gear. In my experience, this is airsoft quality for crye/spiritus money.
For $320 and seven weeks lead time, none of these problems should exist. The customer is not responsible for quality assurance.
The one thing I will say is good are the shoulder pads.
You got an Uno there my friend (M mark inside the flap). Love from Cali.
The thing is that they said the ones in Mexico were sometimes better than the ones not. Who knows how they compare to the ones made by the new place that is making them now.
The whole Mexico conversation is fun because when these were released, TREX said they were made in house.
@@EODFish Thats what I thought I remembered too. When they started saying how only a few things were actually made in house I thought I was going a little crazy.
How do you like that hoodie, btw?
I really dig it
Great review!
What do you mean by "12 days of alternatives to the ac1"?? Is that a video series you did? I don't see anthring named such
It’s a stories highlight on Instagram.
the tactical lamb is so cute
I love T-Rex Arms for building their brand around empowering the average citizen, but I can't get down with this PC..and I really wanted to. Everything about it just seems like they wanted it to be an LV119, but it has none of the modularity or functionality of that design outside of the fact that you can attach a placard. I despise Spiritus' indifference to couch larpers like me, not to mention their drip marketing, but the AC1's lack of cable management and features is an atrocity for almost $200 when you take into consideration how much more you get for that extra $100 and change. It also seems like they are cashing in, and playing on people's lack of patience and panic. Good things come to those who wait, my people. Thanks for the honest review. You got a sub.
It's a minimalist carrier what did you expect?
Quality construction
@@BezmenovDisciple any cummerbund mounting at this point that doesn’t include shock cord is likely subpar.
@@EODFish i saw your vid on the Otte gear LV pc after learning of the brand. That looks like a way better option vs say going straight to a crye jpc or whatnot. Would you recommend the Otte higher than this and maybe most others for a good low to mid price tier per options pc?
@@Mike_Jones68 the otte is significantly better than the AC1 but there really isn’t a reason to not just jump to a JPC 1.0.
Is that a custom hoodie ?
All skill no luck drug rug.
Sound level and quality are better than ever
iPhone 13 straight into iMovie. The files sizes are getting silly big for such short videos.
What is the shirt or jacket you are wearing? I need one immediately.
Allskillnoluck drug rug.
@@EODFish nice. I thought it was a wrmfzy drug rug at first but they don't have the sleeve pockets. Thank you!!
180 dollars IS budget for a plate carrier. Anything less than 200 dollars is a budget carrier, and anything in this price range is always made in china. This is also 170 including tax and shipping, so saying its 180 is just flat out wrong. You get a made in america product that works for under 200 dollars. Id love you to show me a non chinese carrier for under 200.
Exposed hook or loop absolutely wears over time and gets hair and whatever else and smashed up in there. The back flap is one of the nicest features of the carrier! How can you have a complaint about saving your velcro? Ive been scouring the web for a flat (good looking) velcro rectangle to cover the front cummberbund. As someone who wears a plate carrier all day every day for work, youll quickly be extremely thankful that the cummberbund is covered in the back, especially if you have to sit down for any amount of time. Your velcro will be 100% useless in under a year of wearing it if there is no cover. Every single velcro related item in my kit has worn down to damn near useless.
Check out my IG story highlights. There are loads on comparable options in the price range.
This AC1 also wasn’t made in America.
11:00 The “cable routing” openings seem PERFECT for the excess of the straps. You criticize that yet it SOLVES one of the Biggest Issues I have with sizing down straps on other plate carriers… no place to hide the excess!
Yes… I think you were being overly hard on that aspect.
Except it’s on both bags and doesn’t work in both directions.
Didnt some of the qc issues come with the manufacturer making them in Mexico? I think you covered that in your video, but id like to see the AC uno compared to the AC1
really well said. Good video. We need more articulate people in this community.
Well thank you kindly.
Pencil thin plates relax. It’s a minimalist pc. Key word minimalist
What’s the best $100 plate carrier?
Company track record and US made as factors, probably the WTF PC13
Yes but how many chicken nuggets will it hold?
That's a awesome hoodie
They meant for half inch plates
Bro where did you get that hoodie
All skill no luck.
Total difference of opinion, but to me, when I see a velcro flap holding the cummerbund in place it is a design aestheic / feature that shows up to date design and an understanding of what it's customer base wants. In my experience , It's much easier to adjust VS shock cord or nylon straps that can be difficult to adjust and ever get a customized fit.
Some of the more premier manufacturers with end-users who are LE , such as, First Spear, Lionheart Alliance, Javlin Concepts, and A and A, you may notice they make plate carriers and cummberbunds designed for that rear attachment style. Maybe T Rex didn't make it as high quality but I think that design is easier to adjust and switch out with other products.
You are the preeminent plate carrier reviewer so I am sure you have seen all this before. 😊
I have an AVS, JPC2, K19, and a bunch of shitty stuff crap I never use anymore (Not gloating or anything), and I also bought the AC1 when it first launched. Which I used for training... I'd throw in some junk plates I didn't care for and go running, go for a swim, larp at the range while doing stupid shit whatever. It is, or I guess was still just as good as it was when I got it last year. I did recently give it to one of my coworkers about 2 months ago since he wanted a PC and didn't have one.
As for the side seam, that was literally a non issue for me - honestly, I didn't even notice it until you brought it up. Maybe that's cause I'm a bit thicker idk? But I never had any issues with any of my plates slipping around. And I wore it daily, or I guess I should say nightly for working out. The ac1 was my beater PC. It is a little bit more expensive, like sure you can go get a Veritas for $93. But would you really want to? jk jk lol but it's their first PC, there's a lot of R&D, testing, and work that goes into setting up and that of course goes into the msrp cause bidness be bidness. So, I don't really mind it.
But I will say it is really made (imo) to go along with other things but actually because of that "stupid flap" in the back, it's actually pretty versatile... As long as you're able to not just strictly think of it like a traditional PC. As it is strictly by itself, it can be pretty underwhelming. It does work, and it's fine. But when I replaced their cummerbund with the HRT quick release cummerbund and that was pretty neat. But then I threw on one of the HRT placards and the harness and just used some shock cord to tie them together under the flap and it wasn't that bad. Was it as good as my AVS, or even my JPC with the avs1000 on it nowadays? Of course not. But it's not meant to compete with those. It's meant to be a relatiely affordable (Which, sure that's relative) but I personally think it is while at the same time, trying a bunch of "new" things - or at the very least... Non-traditional PC things.
Personally I will never, ever be mad at a company for trying something new. If they want to take a risk and try something new, I'm all for it. Even if it doesn't work out because people learn from that, make things better, and then ultimately we get better products in the end. Or we learn what to avoid. Either way, it's a win win and should be cheered for imo ... Otherwise, we'd all be sitting around wearing some shit that's decades old and never advancing.
What are the 12 alternatives? I bought an ac1 about 3 months ago and really wish I would've seen this video before hand. To be honest I'm a big fan of trex arms. But this was my first experience with a plate carrier. So to me it seems to do the job but I did end up replacing the cummerbund for a quick detach one by coyote tactical. Looking to get one with more features, and maybe at a better price? I will bot as of writing this, trex lowered the price of ac1s to $165.
Check my IG story highlights.
After years of using Spiritus Systems products, its great to see Lucas making his own cheap knockoff version selling it as his own. Its a pillowcase with shoulder straps! 😂
thankfully they've dropped the price to $160 recently which makes it the same price as a slickster
Thanks for the review! Going forward with the purchase, love this carrier
Why? What possible selling point does it have?
@@EODFish it holds plates, it looks cool, it's low profile, it's simple, it's modular, the ranger green + black is a nice color scheme, it's Trex Arms, and I can slap rifle mags to it or any other crap I want. Those are all selling points and probably similar to other reasons people have for choosing this carrier. No extra bla bla bla, can stuff it in a backpack and forget about it. No crazy buckles, no thick molle, no huge shoulder padding, none of that annoying velcro cable management
I like the hoodie... I want one
What Hoodie is it? I want one too.
All skill no luck
@@EODFish What color is that? Not seeing it on their webpage. Man, you are looking FRESH in that!
I grabbed one of the AC uno’s for 130$. At that price it is a good value.
At that price it is ok
@@EODFish I could not find the 12 plate carriers better than the ac1 on your Instagram. Where do I go?
I thought I would find individual videos, but I found the short video. jesus how many times did you post that? haha. whatever brings you views...
I’m really just trying to drive home that there are better alternatives at better prices. Several of the options in that story highlight have been reviewed by me though.
looks like a carrier a skinny guy that like to shoot fast would use.
I see what they're going for but the lack of MOLLE anywhere really hurts for mounting stuff like water, radios, legacy pouches, etc.
It's not ment for that. It never was
This isn't meant for a heavy load
@@Atmos486 4 mags and a CamelBak isn't a heavy load
For the 100 dollar plate carrier idea you should check out the UARM hybrid plate carrier
Yes but eastern bloc.
Although Lucas annoys me, his brothers more than make up for T-Rex as a corporation. I also approve of and support their ethos and business strategy. That said, when the AC1 came out, I was already knee deep in "nylon knowledge" so I knew right off the bat that it wasn't for me. With the tactical gear world, you sort of have to know where to look. Search engines aren't smart enough to accurately direct you to the best solutions (especially when you are new to the tactical nylon world and don't really even know what you are looking for in the first place). There were tons of quality sub $200 PCs available and in stock at "peak boogaloo". As far as T-Rex being the PSA of the "nylon essentials" world, I'm cool with it as long as they continue to make quality kit, offer great customer service and remain a champion of 2A related matters.
I think that is part of my issue with it, Lucas has MASSIVE reach so his community service at the time was to publicly put out this subpar rig for anyone incapable of researching the topic.
@@EODFish ...and net sum, that is a good thing.
I disagree. He could have used his platform to support the used gear market and put better gear in more hands for less.
@@EODFish this is definitely a hit piece. The replies to this specific comment says it all. You borrowed the plate carrier from somebody you shouted out. How much use could you actually have with the AC1/ UNO? Not enough to comment on the durability of it. Also, at the same time, Lucas constantly makes UA-cam live videos on eBay sniping. If their is legitimate gripe with an item by an end user, I’m all for hearing about it, but speculation about durability based on construction alone is asinine unless you are seamstress, but even at that every trade I can think of has instances where “this isn’t going to work because this isn’t the way to do it” and yet it does in some cases. The only fair point to this video was being an “available” carrier at a reasonable cost, was complete dog wash. They were released, sold out instantly, came back 6 months later as the AC UNO and those sold out instantly as well, and then about 4 months later with the last batch of UNO as well as the legit AC1. Mediums are out of stock minus Multicam Arid and 80’s SWAT black, last I checked. Again, is this a reason to trash talk the actual durability of it? Not at all.
@@bf4chode2 what if I told you I started my career in the AF as a “seamstress”? That’s fair if you want to think of this as a hit piece but it isn’t. I even mentioned a few things about the carrier that I like.
I would never believe anything T-Rex arms says.
man that looks like it was made by condor. unfortunate.
The Chinese kids that Condor implies do better work than the materials care about. Modern condor is pretty ok.
I'm not him obviously, but for a slick plate carrier the Perroz Designs LPSPC is a really good option. Serves the same role as this one but is definitely better.
@@TonioD49 Insanely better than the ac1!
I have a conder PC i use for work & it’s been used and abused everyday & yeah it shows wear and tear but it’s has held up to a good standard and I’d buy again
Condor is made in china and uses child labor like most other Chinese products but the quality of the products is really good and affordable obviously
I think it’s a well thought out piece of gear that has its place in the market and for a quality piece it is not expensive in the least just my 2 cents
Dude! Where did You get that bad ass sweater?
what shirt
I like most of his stuff (other than the cult ownership) but that looks amateurish. LBT was selling QRCv2's on a half price promotion when Lucas announced this thing.
definitely not into the guy or his homophobia, but the other Trex products are generally pretty good, especially their mounts and such, not just good quality but also typically smart ideas or novel things, so i was really bummed to encounter the AC1 in this video and see how bare it is and how slapdash.
i've had this axe to grind for a while that it seems there are so many very simple sandwich boards on the market, and that they get pitched as everything from "slick" to "modular/expandable" to "duty" carriers with pretty minimal overhaul of their webbing or capabilities. I don't want a plate carrier to be something a company just DOES if they hit a certain size, and they kind of craft some narrative around it, like the thorax, because i think what these things really do overall is confuse consumers and make it difficult to assess your needs.
lolbert
@@booba8930 p a r d o n ? are you calling me a libertarian? those are fighting words
i'll have you know i'm an ardent communist.
@@madeleineoiseau4676 condolences
I agree that it was a bit overhyped vis a vis availability. However, Lucas used to sell Spiritus carriers on his website, and the AC1 was an attempt to bring production in house as opposed to relying on a vendor. On the consumer side of the issue, the lack of availability is the same either way. However, I can understand Lucas's enthusiasm as a business owner for having control over production of his own product.
Alright, so riddle me this. If production was being done in house, how is the AC Uno even possible?
The plate roll…nahhhhh
TA Ac1 $160
Ss lv119 $300
Ok?
@EODFish would you say the spiritus is worth it over the ac1 for entrylevel weekend warrior civilian.
Planning on ac1/mk5/ccs pouch
Get better plates 😂
Better than ESAPIs? To fit into an AC1? You wouldn’t shove Kate Upton into a shot box Geo Metro.
I need that hoodie....where did you get it
I feel that for what T rex arms is trying to do that is provide low cost gear for the average American he should just have these made in Mexico and bring the cost down. If hes not making them then what does it really matter? If you arent offering top tier high quality gear then the emphasis to be "American made" is kind of irrelevant. The mexican made ac1 unos wete noticeably better quality as well so youre not even providing a better product.
I run a shellback tactical rampage 2.0
If you have to make an excuse for any negative comments concerning a review of a person or company's product its a tell tall sign of pre conceived bias. a few more minutes into the video and it becomes perfectly clear. You follow every critic with a defensive comment to assure the audience there is no bias lol come on man just tell the viewers how you really feel.
I have been very upfront about how I feel, it isn’t a good plate carrier.
A lot to be said for people who have done work and produce goods and people who have never done real work and try to produce things and sell them as good as the people who have the real world experience and knowledge. They saw an opportunity to cash in on their followers more and took it. More then likely burned some of their bridges in doing this...
Ya, I never understood all the hype around this either. The only unique and/or interesting feature is the cummerbund. Other than that it's just a more expensive slickster. And less quality.
It’s not a low quality rig or just a more expensive slickster. The bags are fantastic.
@@EODFish Huh? You sure had a lot of criticisms about the plate bags in the video. I didn't say it was low quality, I said it was less quality than a slickster. It's essentially the same thing except for the cummerbund. But not designed as well. That's just my opinion.
@@charlieghague my bad man, I thought this was on the FCPC video. The AC1 is still trash.
@@EODFish LOL. No worries man. I was thinking you must've thought it was a different review.