This has worked for me:
Nowhere have in stock Bengio, only made to order and delivery time propably 20/25 days. So I guess I’ll have to buy FreeM Brave. From what I’ve read here, it’s also pretty good.
I originally had the Astars Bionic vest and it did not protect me from my local track’s punishing surface (it’s one of the toughest in Oz). The Bengio delivered a night-and-day difference
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They stock a good range and ship quickly.
I put a link in here somewhere, 20 day delivery but if you can wait it’s worth it
He’s paying in Polish currency (PLN) so maybe local stuff make this complicated?
Only one store sells Bengio, they have nothing left in stock and waiting for delivery. This may take a long time. I do not have many stores in my country, the assortment is small when it comes to such specialized karting equipment.In stock there are protectors of popular brands (sparco, omp, speed) that stores have it because these companies also make many other products. FreeM or Bengio must be imported from abroad.
I have experience with several. Of the ones you showed, the alpinestars was good and comfortable. It isn’t as strong and thick, but it’s still effective (and a lot less expensive).
Either way, strongly recommend any rib protector vs. none. Don’t get into kart without for first time.
Literally the first day karting, I mangled my ribs.
Fashion tip: wear rib protector under race suit. Looks goofy on the outside and gets all beaten up.
Which track is this?
Oakleigh Go Kart Racing club. It’s a popular circuit, where recent F3 winner Oscar Piastri started out, and it has a reputation of being one of the most physical tracks in Victoria, let alone Oz, since the track is built on landfill (or so I’m told), so there are a number of depressions, bumps and steps that you really feel
Hi guys
I’m using a BOXs similar to FreeM posted above since 2009.
Never had any issue except from one time that it damaged my ribs after making a mistake on a curb but I think it happened because I didn’t have it secured correctly.
The problem with this is that it’s too hard, so I’m looking for something softer. I think I will also get the Bengio myself.
The only problem with this is the shoulder straps they slide up sometimes for me but I just didn’t have it adjusted for me so now it will work as intended. Works well for me no rib pain.
At the advice of nearly everyone on this forum, I recently bought the Bengio Carbon rib protector, at first I was amazed with it then after 2 straight days in the kart, my ribs started to really hurt (a week later they still do). My chest is more barrel shaped, than the stadard eliptical model that apprently the Italians think I should be. After really looking at it, the radius of the carbon bits is tighter than the radius of my torso, so the front edges really dig into the front of my ribcage. By the end of the feature I was cringing every corner.
As it turns out, I must’ve used a potato to measure myself when I ordered the large, for I am right on the line between an XL and 2XL. Does anyone know if the larger vests actually have larger carbon pads with a bigger radius, or did they get cheap and just put longer straps on the same parts? Also given that I am right on the crossover point between the 2 sizes, would you err to larger or smaller?
Thanks for your help!
Iirc the FreeM is also designed for svelte Europeans.
What’s a good American fit product? @tjkoyen
Armadillo?
I can photograph my bengio and freem tonight to show curvature.
While the alpinestars wasn’t thick, it was indeed a comfortable fit and was pretty good.
I think the general rule of thumb is to err smaller… can anyone confirm? I think larger tends to shift and ride up.
I’m also told it’s important to see how it fits in a seated position as opposed to standing.
I found while in 206 the armadillo was fine, but when I moved up to x30 and shifter it was non existent. Now granted I’m a bigger guy with a large rib cage but it didn’t work for me. Switched to a stilo carbon curva and have liked it better, the only downside is I find it rides into my armpits sometimes and can bruise even with an adjustment. But overall it’s been good to me.
The Tillett P1 would be my next suggestion. It’s a bit more flexible than the Bengio so might conform better.
Yes the curvature of the Bengio is different for different sizes. I tried on a L and XL back to back and had the same experience where the L would dig into my sides and the XL did not.
A side effect I didn’t realize though is that the XL tends to want to “ride up” on me during sessions where my Alpinestars did not. If unchecked it’ll get high enough that it starts to contact the undersides of my arms and I’ve left some race weekends with bruises on the bottoms of my arms due to that. Ribs are perfectly fine though!
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Going to go a bit side topic for a second, I just got a nice rib injury this past weekend when I decided racing 3 classes was a good idea. I use a Bengio and since getting that rib vest a few years back I haven’t had any rib issues other than normal muscle fatigue. Fortunately we don’t believe them to be cracked, but bruised and the transition from bone to cartilage in the front might be damaged some (one of the pain points). Fortunately on a recommendation from my buddy Race I looked up and found a chiropractor locally that does Laser therapy, and holy hell does it work. I’ve only been 3 times, but the relief already has been huge and I plan to keep going over the next month to get these ribs healed up before Rok Vegas. Definitely recommend it for anyone who has a rib or other injury.
What’s the therapy like?
Pretty basic really, go in and they use a machine which will shoot you with laser over a certain area. They seem to be able to adjust how large an area it goes over. You just sit, or lay there while it sounds like a printer and works its way over the defined area. For me it takes 3 rounds, one on the front of my ribs, one on the side, and one on the back. Each of these only lasts a few minutes, and the tech has a hand gun they can use to get additional areas. I was surprised even after the first session how much it knocked the pain level down. Over three days I went from basically moving would take my breathe away, to a low dull pain and maybe an occasional wrong movement (like sneezing) makes the pain spike but much less so than before. The chiropractor says 4 weeks worth of laser and I should be 100% easy, and it’s fairly reasonably priced in my opinion. Pricing probably varies I’m sure depending on where you are, but it’s $360 for 6 sessions. So i’ll spend $720 over the next 4 weeks, but will allow me to get back in the kart and get some seat time again before Vegas. I’ll probably keep doing the laser all the way up until Vegas to keep them in top shape, I’m fortunate to have a health savings account that i’m using to cover it. It’s called MLS laser therapy if anyone wants to look it up.
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