The Ouroboros is a constantly evolving creature with an interesting trait – to live, he must consume himself – so he is literally constantly recreating himself! For me this was an incredibly powerful concept on which to build U.S. Elite – constantly evolving, growing, dynamic – but making sacrifices to achieve the mission. This is what I strive for; the Team, Culture, and Community I want to build and be a part of.
A second meaning is from our heritage as ‘Snake Eaters’ (literally, some of my tastiest meals at certain points of my life). For those who choose to see it, there’s a third meaning deriving from ‘Don’t Tread on Me.’”
They put a lot of heart and soul into finding and testing the best gear available. Their team reviews and tests most products. We found their selection to be excellent.
Best Features and Products
The team at U.S. Elite is made up of veterans, gear junkies, shooters, athletes, and other people understand what it means to serve. This service mindset bleeds over to their products, customer service, and overall business practices. The staff is one of the best features of U.S. Elite.
They carry over 50 brands of gear from manufacturers like:
And many more
The brand selection alone speaks volumes to the care they put into selecting products. Beyond choosing affordable gear, they choose tested gear with a proven track record.
What About Prices?
Many of the products we looked at were discounted already. Compared to similar, or the same products around the internet, U.S. elite was the most affordable. The offer varying discounts for civilians and veterans alike.
Downsides
Some of the items we were interested in were sold out, and there was no indication of when these items would be in stock again. Adding a way to determine when these products would be available again would be a big plus. We don’t want to have to keep coming back every few days to see if a product is in stock, and we’re sure you don’t want to either. We could email them and ask, but we don’t feel like we should have to ask about a product.
The website is hard to navigate on mobile devices. There are limited search and filtering abilities built into the website. We like to search for a product, such as tactical gloves, and then be able to choose filtering options to refine our search based on popularity, price and customer reviews.
What About Customer Support?
U.S. Elite is not ashamed to show off customer comments and reviews. Every product page has reviews at the bottom of the page. There are a ton of reviews on their website already. They put great effort into responding to every customer as fast as possible and resolving any issues or answering any questions as fast as humanly possible. This is possibly one of the most important aspects of customer service.
We went through a lot of the reviews, so you don’t have to read them all. What we found was overwhelmingly positive. For example:
“I contacted U.S. Elite gear quite a few months ago, at the time they didn’t have my size but Kim got me all squared away, and now that my size was made available I did not hesitate to make the purchase.
I’m currently contracting in Afghanistan, and the terrain here is less than forgiving and boots that can take it and last (plus comfort) is a must”
“Great place to buy. Buy with confidence. Solomon boots are the greatest boots ever. Working on my feet for years and suffering from plantar fasciitis for about the last 7 years. I have not needed cortisone injections in the last year since these were purchased. I’ve tried all the high end brands and these are amazing. I will never buy another brand.”
“The team at US Elite are extremely knowledgeable and 100% service oriented. My Arcteryx LEAF gortex jackets have exceeded my expectations. In my opinion, US Elite is the best place to purchase the LEAF line – undoubtedly the best bang for the buck with unparalleled customer service!”
“I ordered the LEAF Arcteryx jacket for my husband as a surprise. They shipped it out immediately even though it was around the holidays and my husband got it before the estimated delivery date. When he received it, he loved it of course, but asked me if I let them know we were dual military for the 10% discount, I said now. So I emailed them and asked about it and they kindly refunded me the difference with no questions asked. Wonderful customer service and respect for the military”
“I needed my boots for some short notice training following the Thanksgiving weekend. When I didn’t receive delivery notification, I contacted customer service and promptly corrected the oversight. I only got a light break-in of the Salomon Sua Sponte before I ended up doing a 10-mile ruck with 40+ pounds in the rain. No blisters!”
“I am very pleased with the TR Mini-mil boots. Pros: They give just enough protection with great ground feel. They fit like I expected with wide toe box. Sturdy construction with no immediate issues of workmanship. Cons: Wish they had drain vents on instep like traditional jungle boots. I got blisters on first wear due to heel slippage…I did work through this and found solutions to limit slippage issue by modifing sock combination, adjust lacing tension, and applying lubricant to feet under socks (all techniques learned from 20 years in the Infantry). There also could be more snug in the mid foot section, as there seems to be loose material no matter how tight I pull the laces, this is not a major problem with comfort, just an initial observation.
Overall, I highly recommend this boot to anyone wanting a minimalistic duty boot that looks good, is comfortable, and durable for years of use.”
These reviews say a lot about how U.S. Elite treats its customers. We didn’t find any negative reviews at all save one that was still a four-star review but claimed shipping took longer than expected. It was unclear if the customer was told shipping would take a specific number of days, or if the customer assumed shipping would only take a few days.
Other than that, all the reviews were glowing. They also sport an A+ rating with the BBB.
Our Final Thoughts
The team alone is worth shopping at U.S. Elite. The put a lot of effort into helping you. Customers that mentioned their customer service in their comments on products always had great things to say about how nice they were, how fast they responded, and the problem, if any, was corrected right away at to the customer’s complete satisfaction.
The website left us wanting more, but overall it was easy to navigate on our desktop. We had a few issues with the mobile version. The menu was not always responsive, and the site was hard to navigate. We would prefer better search and filtering options when shopping.
They know what it’s like to need gear that stands up to pressure. A short piece of the CEO’s background from their website says a lot about how he and the staff understand dedication and commitment to serving, “Steve grew to manhood and earned his stripes in BCo 3rd Platoon 2nd Ranger Battalion 75th Ranger Regiment, where he was a founding member of the mighty War Toads. (He’ll take the Fifth on any rumors about why he’s called ‘The Godfather’.)
He has traveled extensively for business and pleasure, and can occasionally be found at a reclusive surfing spot, where it is rumored he inspired the song ‘Wipeout!’. He is the Founder of CrossFit SOAR and sometimes goes by the alias Kublai Khan when competing.” If nothing else, they seem like a fun group to hang out with, but we’ll stick to buying tactical gear for now.
You won’t find a team more dedicated to you and your tactical gear. We can’t say that enough. Check out their great prices and a huge selection of name brand tactical gear. They have everything from tactical flip-flops to holsters. We are curious about the use of tactical flip-flops. Head over to U.S.Elite.com and check them out for yourself.
