Review: Dainese Wave Air Back Protector

Did you know that Dainese invented the back protector? Over the years, Dainese has perfected the back protector, protecting riders from serious spinal injuries, it's no wonder some of the top riders in the world choose Dainese.

In the pursuit of my new Dainese track gear, I bought the Dainese Wave Air back protector.

The Back Protector
This is the exact same back protector that top level riders, such as Valentino Rossi, wear for racing. Even though no one is going to see your back protector under your race suit, Dainese made the extra effort to make the Wave Air look absolutely gorgeous, like all of their products.

Fit

The fit feels similar to my retired Alpinestars Bionic Back Protector, except that the Dainese Wave Air is a little more comfortable because I bought the correct size this time. Ask your sales person for advice on the size that you should be wearing. A good gauge would be to put on the back protector, with the waist strap comfortably secured to your waist, the top of the back protector should be about 2 inches below the collar of your t-shirt.

The waist strap is a double velcro system, like majority of the back protectors in the market. Wear the long waist strap around your waist, and use the short elastic waist strap to secure the position.

Protection
The back protector serves only a single purpose, and that is to protect your spine. What you don't see in the photo below is the honeycomb core that is between the 3D bubble liner and the plastic outer shell. The honeycomb core is designed to crumple in the presence of impact. Hence, the back protector is a crash-and-done protection.

After a crash, check the plastic outer shell for cracks, and inspect the honeycomb core for dents. If you find either one of those two symptoms, throw the back protector away and buy a new one, it did its job.

The Wave Air also has energy-absorbing foam along its circumference. That's the webbed looking material surrounding the darker 3D bubble liner in the photo below.

Features
Now, here's something I personally like about the Wave Air. The shoulder straps can be a little uncomfortable to wear under a race suit, so Dainese made them removable. Such a simple idea with so much ergonomic benefits. Under a race suit, there is no need for shoulder straps because the back protector is not going to go anywhere. Two thumbs up to Dainese for this ingenious idea.

Price
JR sold me the Dainese Wave Air for SGD$250. On the official Dainese website, the back protector retails for USD$199.95, I think I got a decent deal.

Verdict
The fit and features are fantastic in my opinion, there is nothing much I could ask for, really.

I can't rate the back protector much on its protection because I don't think I want to crash test it, let the experience of dozens of top level riders who wear the Wave Air and walked away from terrible crashes speak for itself. I am sure the protection is top-notch.

There are more technical back protectors out there which also include neck and scapula protection, but that wouldn't be a fair comparison, well because, the Wave Air was designed to just protect the back.

Overall, it is a great back protector and you should definitely consider it if you're looking for one.

RB Rating: 9 / 10

Finally, the review of the race suit coming next!

Signing off, ride safe.