I’ve been making foam armor for 10 years and the difference in materials is wild

Back when I started, all we had was that craft foam from the dollar store and a heat gun that would burn through it if you blinked. Now you can get EVA foam with different densities, pre-sealed edges, even stuff that cuts clean on a Cricut. Walked into a shop in Atlanta last month and the kid behind the counter showed me a 3D printed helmet with a working LED setup. Felt like a caveman holding a smartphone. Has anyone else noticed how much easier this hobby got since like 2015?

2 comments

2 Comments

xena_jackson8d ago

Yeah but dollar store foam taught me more patience than any Cricut ever could.

jennifersmith8d ago

The old dollar store foam had a learning curve that made you earn every curve. But the real game changer nobody talks about is how contact cement got better. Used to have to wait forever for it to tack up and if the weather was humid you were screwed. Now there's spray adhesives that bond in seconds with no fumes. Even the cheap stuff from Harbor Freight works better than the fancy brands from ten years ago. The materials got smarter, not just easier. That's the part that makes me feel like I'm cheating sometimes.