Currently wearing the RevIt Airwave.
My impression from riding in an ambulance for a long time is that people around here (when they wear gear at all) are overdressed for the slide that never happens, but underdressed for the crash that almost always happens.
Most accidents I see are low to moderate speed and the person hits something long before they can slide very far. Leather may be more abrasion resistant, but that makes no difference if you slam into a curb shortly after going down. City streets are not a track and long-sliding leather may not matter very much.
So my advice (around here) is always dress for the CRASH, not the slide: CE armor at all joints and improved back protector. I've upgraded my RevIt with the Forcefield back protector. Shoulders and elbows were good right out of the box.
If I were riding a lot of high speed on relatively flat roads with few obstacles around them, I'd consider perforated leather. But I find it's really pretty poor for stop and go traffic. It needs good speed to ventilate well.
To some degree your choice will depend on your needs. I use the bike to commute. Arriving at my destination covered in sweat or wet from a cooling vest is not an option. On the other hand, I'm not worried about a high-speed crash because I don't even see a freeway most of the time. Your needs may be different.
Finally, I'll state what I do see hurt all the time: hands and feet. I know this goes against a lot of what many people think, but I'd say that jackets are over-emphasized while good gloves and boots are under-emphasized by far too many people. For my needs (which again, may differ from yours), I'd put the big bucks into the best boots and gloves I can get and go with a cheaper jacket so long as it had the proper protective elements.
And yeah, most textile jackets are only good for one crash. But then again, my motorcycle insurance will cover replacement, so I can live with that.
