FIE Plastron

Last year, I decided to replace my old, HOT, denim plastron with something lighter. PBT has their USA branch in Charlotte, where I live, so I decided to try working with a local vendor, instead of having to send things back-and-forth as with mail-order, if things don't fit exactly right.



The plastron is fairly light. The issues I have with it are two fold; 1) It seems a bit big. Going down a size makes it TOO small and uncomfortable, so I had to go with an extra large. 2) As another poster said, the neck strap is a bit uncomfortable. It usually doesn't bother me when fencing, but it does while I'm putting on my unifrom. PBT would be better off replacing the velcro strap with a second plastic buckle around the waist, or modifying the top strap to have a buckle that goes down instead of across, as with the velcro that the currently use.

The plastron fits fairly well except for the top neck velcro strap thing which always seems a little too loose for me. Its decently breathable but as expected its a little thicker than your basic nylon non-FIE or cotton plastron. I find its actually thinner than some of the stretch non-FIE plastrons at local clubs. Overall, nothing spectacluar about it but I'd buy it again.

I looked at and tried on many of the vendor's FIE plastrons. PBT had the only one that was suitable for me. I have a small frame so I wear a size small. It covers the torso well and fits snug in the shoulder area. Many of the plastrons same labelled size were too large in the bicep and shoulder. This caused excess bunching under the jacket. The PBT fits snug but still allows mobility.



I would prefer the velcro fastener on the neck be changed. The hook side is on the strap and faces the skin. If I don't fasten it low enough the hooks irritate my neck.



The interior lining is cotton while the exterior is nylon. Turn the cotton side out to allow for faster drying. The neck strap is elastic. The torso strap has a plastic fastener and is adjustable. Thankfully I have not had to test it's safety capabilities yet!



Overall, I would buy another if needed.