The first difference you'll notice between the 2010 speedball and V-Tac lines, aside from being able to blend in to your environment while wearing one of them, is the material they are made of. The speedball gear is 60% nylon and 40% polyester, giving the gear a very tarp-like feel. Not in the crinkly way, but in the synthetic, impermeable to water way and feels a lot like wearing the outer material of a winter coat. The V-tac line is made of a different blend: 40% cotton, 27% polyester, and 33% nylon, and I have to say, the addition of cotton to the pants makes them quite a bit more drafty which is nice on those hot summer days. They also make less of a swishing sound when your legs rub against each other as you run so the stealth aspect is a plus.
The second thing anyone going from the speedball line to the V-Tac line will notice is how much harder the knee pads are. I'm sure mine will become a lot more flexible as the season wears on, but at the time of first try-on, you'll find they're a far cry from the poofy, brown-black, kevlar padded knee pads on a lot of paintball pants. I can understand this being a turn off to some particularly competitive players since this surface certainly doesn't encourage ball bounces. However, there's a difference between the knee pads on the V-cam and Tactical black Zulu pants, and the knee pads on the other four camo schemes. The older ACU (pictured), Marpat, Woodland, and Tiger Stripe models from 2010 all have the old kevlar knees, identical to those on the 2010 speedball gear. V-cam and Black and most runs of the other camo's made in 2011, despite having hard knee pads get a plus one in my books because their profile isn't broken up by a large obnoxious brown-black knee pad in the middle of your leg. I rather like the black highlights of the old model Zulu pant since it helps highlight the cool features of it for reviews sake! The camouflage on the latest runs of the pant goes right over top of the padding unlike the first four camos that were released in 2010, and this applies to both the Zulu and Sierra pant. I'm not sure what the hard knee pads are made of, maybe a dense neoprene or gel but the pants need more of it in the knee. I'm the only guy on my team to complain about it so far, but when you smack into a rock with these pants, there's just enough padding to take the bite out of the collision but if the hit is hard enough, you will be painfully aware of it. That said, it's only terrifically rotten terrain where this is a problem. The pants are still perfect for crawling around behind the vast majority of bunkers without feeling the texture of the surface you're on. The Zulu pants also have two large cargo pockets for carrying extra odds & ends, as well as a somewhat hidden place behind these pockets to slide a barrel swab away for later use. The waist area of the pants have some nice big belt loops for adding a duty belt to your loadout but if belts are of no interest to you, there are also two velcro tabs on either side of the pants for tightening them around the user's waist, same as on the 2010 Redemptions.
The two last noticeable difference will be a moot point for some but were kind of big deals to me. The first is buttoning up at the waist. On the 2010 Redemption pants, you zip up, then snap together two brass buttons. With the V-Tac Zulu pants, you zip, and then have a large, sewn on button you pass through a loop, much like those on dress pants. I'm really not sure how I feel about this, on the one hand you don't have to worry about unsnapping at the waist so much but I can see the string holding that button on snapping after enough movement in your midsection. The other major difference is your means of tightening the pants at the ankles. On the 2010 Redemptions, there's an elastic cord with a squeeze tab for adjusting the tightness in the ankle area above your footwear of choice. The Zulu pants have a thin piece of folded and sewn fabric. It doesn't feel cheap but it also doesn't feel like the best design choice in this area either. I would have preferred the elastic cord from the other pants here and because I'm too lazy to tie them up every time I play, I've opted to pull them out of the ankle area entirely.
In regards to similarities, the overall design is close to identical. Slide panels are in the same places, the knees are the same size, shape, and design, you have stretch panels in the same locations in the crotch, and squeegees can be stowed in the same general area on the user's hip as on the 2010 Redemption pants, and branding is also in the same place. In the Zulu pants' case, the barrel swab pocket is hidden behind the large cargo pockets on the thighs. The last similarity in the design somehow managed to be improved on for the V-Tac line: the venting up and down the back of the legs... I don't know how they did but it's in the same place, made of the same material but somehow they managed to make air flow even better than they managed to before, so with any luck you'll feel quite naked on those hot summer days.
Valken's Page (Link) also has some nice pictures showing some of the things I mentioned such as button and the ankle area.
Valken's Page (Link) also has some nice pictures showing some of the things I mentioned such as button and the ankle area.
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