New race suit company Axcel Sports

[Hartley]

Anyone buy one of these suits? Very little internet presence. Managed to find them on FB with a very poor rating ie. quality, fit etc. They offer discounts on suits if you put ads on suit and car. $800 for a supposed $2000 value.

[Jtovo]

I am no expert. When it comes to safety, I buy from reputable companies that actually do the testing. I saw them on FB too. Really doubt they have an R&D center. Seeing that a good suit costs about the same as a new set of tires on the low end and a new set of wheels on the high end. But will last for years....

[CTR28]

Caveat emptor.

Anyone buy one of these suits? Very little internet presence. Managed to find them on FB with a very poor rating ie. quality, fit etc. They offer discounts on suits if you put ads on suit and car. $800 for a supposed $2000 value.

[E1pix]

Anyone buy one of these suits? Very little internet presence. Managed to find them on FB with a very poor rating ie. quality, fit etc. They offer discounts on suits if you put ads on suit and car. $800 for a supposed $2000 value.

I love it when truly bad people in racing are exposed.

But in this case, two ill-written FB “reviews,” and four that don’t seem to even discuss this company, aren’t enough for me to throw any company under the bus.

One of many reasons I despise Facebook, especially when the company’s page show people like Travis Pastrana and others from over a dozen professional racing disciplines touting this company.

Personally, I do my homework before marginalizing anyone’s work in a particularly-difficult time to do business in a competitive field. That they’re willing to semi-sponsor users at likely a loss is good for our sport, and shows commitment, not impropriety.

[Hartley]

Yes I agree and I am not trashing the company only repeating what we read on FB because there is very little written about the company online. I am only throwing out what I have read to hopefully have someone reply that they have done business with the company and they are happy. Part of my concern is that there is no ‘bricks and mortar’ address given. Only a phone number in NY that the ‘owner’ gave me on the phone. The phone number and address is not written anywhere. I guess what sold me on the company is a supposed premium suit and they offer a discount for signage to get a new company known to the US market. However the owner told me that they have an office in Miami. A review of Sun Biz records shows no such company listed anywhere in Florida. Of course it is always BUYER BEWARE and that is why I am doing my due diligence before parting with my hard earned cash.

[DaveW]

I.e., use caution.

[E1pix]

Yes I agree and I am not trashing the company only repeating what we read on FB because there is very little written about the company online. I am only throwing out what I have read to hopefully have someone reply that they have done business with the company and they are happy. Part of my concern is that there is no ‘bricks and mortar’ address given. Only a phone number in NY that the ‘owner’ gave me on the phone. The phone number and address is not written anywhere. I guess what sold me on the company is a supposed premium suit and they offer a discount for signage to get a new company known to the US market. However the owner told me that they have an office in Miami. A review of Sun Biz records shows no such company listed anywhere in Florida. Of course it is always BUYER BEWARE and that is why I am doing my due diligence before parting with my hard earned cash.

Thanks Hartley, appreciate the clarification.

Totally respect the “no address” concern. Sadly, that’s getting really common, and these are difficult days to trust for sure.

I hope to buy a suit soon myself, and may well at least approach them to get a personal feel.

Edit — I started a thread on suit suppliers last year, and think there are some good leads here:
https://www.apexspeed.com/forums/sho...nd-Safety-Gear

Thanks again for the candor.

[lowside67]

The fact that their "brochure" is just literally a bunch of graphics without a shred of relevant information about materials, construction, etc is beyond a red flag. Frankly, there are lots of suits made to some very low pricepoints by reputable businesses - why even take the risk?

-Mark

[billtebbutt]

"Price is what you pay. Value is what you get"

When every other established suit manufacturer is selling suits at $2,000 to $3,000, why would you even consider an $800 suit? Human nature isn't so altruistic that this guy is willing to ship you $1,000 cash for every suit you buy.

A decent suit, well cared-for, will last you a long long time and provide the best protection in the event of a fire. Its not even worth considering discount suits in my view. However, if cost is an issue (and I respect that it certainly can be, and has been for me at times in my life) find a used name-brand suit that is in great shape. There are some listed on this very site right now. You're worth it!

best
bt

[cory mcleod]

When every other established suit manufacturer is selling suits at $2,000 to $3,000, why would you even consider an $800 suit?
bt

Because there a smaller companies making quality custom suits for that price or close to it. Velocita is one of them. Great quality. Great customer service. Great price.

Not affiliated, just a happy customer.

[stonebridge20]

1985 I drove out to Long Island. Got measured up for a custom suit in a guy's living room. Waited two weeks and went back and picked up the best suit I ever had for a fraction of what other suits cost off the rack.

Victor was a good man. I miss him.

[Agitator]

"Price is what you pay. Value is what you get"

When every other established suit manufacturer is selling suits at $2,000 to $3,000, why would you even consider an $800 suit?

Sorry, but there are LOTS of established companies making high quality suits for less than $2000. Sparco, Alpinestars, OMP, etc, all make very nice suits (that are safe and fit well) under $2K. And before anyone replies with "Is your life worth buying an $xxx suit?" - spare me. Unless you work for a suit manufacturer, and tell me (with facts) that your $1500 suit isn't one you'd drive in, then it's just speculation.

[billtebbutt]

[/QUOTE]Sorry, but there are LOTS of established companies making high quality suits for less than $2000. Sparco, Alpinestars, OMP, etc, all make very nice suits (that are safe and fit well) under $2K. And before anyone replies with "Is your life worth buying an $xxx suit?" - spare me. Unless you work for a suit manufacturer, and tell me (with facts) that your $1500 suit isn't one you'd drive in, then it's just speculation.[/QUOTE]

The original poster referred to the suit he was looking at as a "$2,000 value" for a price of $800, hence the context of my response. No need to get snarky.

And I respect your right to choose whatever you want to wear. For me, I have an affinity for companies that have been around a long time, and put their money "wear" their mouth is:




And yes, you can definitely buy a Simpson race suit today for under $1,000, and I'd have no problem doing that. But when someone says their $800 suit is a $2,000 value, I don't buy it.

cheers,
bt

[Jerry Kehoe]

I found out years ago buying my suits from Demon Tweeks in the UK saved me a huge amount for the same suits here and the freight cost is about $25 and the savings are in the 50% range. We are talking about the same brands, models, etc . And at the end of the year since most of the manufacturers introduce "new,improved" designs the savings for last years suits can be substantial.

[Agitator]

I agree that the company in the original post is probably suspect. However, they are using an old selling technique of "retail" price vs "sales" price. I wonder how many people would have more faith in the company if they sold their "$2000 suit" for..$2000?

I get snarky because this topic (safety equipment) comes up every 4-6 months, and there's always someone that chimes in with "you have to spend X to get something worthwhile". There's rarely any info to back it up, and it just turns away new drivers, who assume we're just a bunch of elitists. When you infer that you need to spend 2-3 grand to get a decent suit, it's just not true. It's also not true that you have to spend 2 grand on a helmet. But that doesn't stop people from telling others they're foolish if they don't.
Why would Simpson risk their reputation selling a $1000 drivers suit if they didn't feel it offered the protection most drivers need?