But, my first nice surprise happened when I opened the box: The Max DOES have back armor (at least mine does). Thought I'd throw that out there in case anyone else is on the fence between the Max and the 5.0 like I was. Corazzo's website lists elbow, shoulder, and back armor for the 5.0, but only elbow & shoulder for the Max. I almost went with the 5.0 just for that reason. So I was really excited to find the Max also has the back armor!
So since I've gone and started writing early, more initial impressions:
Fit: good. I'm 5'6", ~140lbs. I wear a size 36 suit jacket. The Max, size Small, fits well. The sleeves are a hair longer than needed (a good thing, IMO). The fit around the middle is snug - just like a soft shell should be. But if your build is more... stocky... than mine, you might want to go up a size. I should start running to make sure I can still wear the Max next year.
Ventilation: seems good so far. Large pit zips, as advertised. As a bonus, the front pockets are mesh-lined, and ride a little high and inside - with the pockets zipped open, they serve as additional vents on the front. This is probably most effective without a windshield - seemed to work well for me at 6am. It's supposed to be 94 degrees for my commute home. I'll let you know how that goes.
The reflective piping seems to throw a good bit of light back at the camera - nowhere near the retina-burning effect of the 5.0, but noticeable. At least it's noticeable in the viewfinder of the DSLR. Not so much on the screen. Stupid Nikon, always compensating to avoid blowing out highlights. (yes, I tried manual settings, but I may have forgotten to turn off auto ISO - I'll try again when I have a minute).
The only negative, right out of the box, is that the neck digs into my throat when it's zipped up all the way. It sort of curls inwards. I'm hoping that's a function of being folded up for shipping, and that it'll work itself out in time. If so, then the snug neck should be perfect for keeping light rain out, which is the main reason I wanted the Max over the 5.0.
As for the gloves, they are as advertised in every respect. "The glove for people who do not want to wear gloves, but know it is the right thing to do anyway." Yup. Not a ton of knuckle protection, and no edge(?) protection (what does one call the part of the hand you karate-chop with?), as the sides of all the fingers and the edge(?) of the hand is a spandex or lycra material - no abrasion resistance there. The palms and back of hands are more durable materials. The palm has extra thick skid pads in the areas that always got chewed up falling off my bike as a kid. Seems right.
They're very snug (again, size Small for me) without being overly restricting. This morning I was able to buckle my helmet strap with the gloves on. I was able to dig my parking pass out of my pocket with the gloves on. I could feel the turn signal switch, I could tie my boots. Etc.
If you routinely travel at higher speeds, I might pick something with more protection. But if your commute is low-speed and fishing small items from your pockets is a big deal, these gloves are just about perfect.
Only negative - the very first time I put them on, I snagged the spandex/lycra on the wrist velcro, and it roughed it up a bit. I'm careful now to pull the opposite glove on by the leathery part next to the velcro, and avoid snagging the side of the finger.
