BULLET-PROOF VESTS OF VERY HIGH QUALITY

In the field of bulletproof vests or rather, bulletproof vests and products, there is a lot of tampering not only with the quality and thickness of the materials, but also with the promises to what degree of protection these products offer. SurvivalJack has selected the 2 best-performing vests for you.

For a consumer it is almost impossible to check to what extent a bulletproof vest or bulletproof vests offer protection, against which caliber of bullet. And with what specific material this protection is guaranteed; Kevlar, Aramid or Dyneema ? The consumer is bombarded with all kinds of convincing statistics and claims regarding protection levels and so called prooven results !  However, as it turns out to be;…those claims and promises are often false. There are 5 levels of body armor protection worldwide. Protection level 1* is the lightest (.22 cal)  Protection level 5* is the heaviest (.460 Magnum cal.) and (.50cal.)

Reality is often different… SurvivalJack founder Edward Vlasveld has already learned the well-known American saying on his first survival trip; “Assumption, is the mother of all fuck-ups” Freely translated;… Always check everything ! Certainly with items such as a bulletproof vest where the difference of life or death can be involved ! If things turn out for the worst, you will not get a second chance.

 

ALL 32 DIFFERENT BRANDS OF BULLET PROOF VESTS ARE TESTED ON THE SHOOTING RANGE

The only way to find out if the manufacturer is actually providing the correct information is to check it yourself ! Well… Our findings were as follows;  In particular, the Canadian and Czech body armor products performed very well with frontal protection/back protection and side protection combined. The latter is also largely due to the design of the vest and not only to the protection quality ! The American brands were surprisingly bad with one exception, but this particular brand of bulletproof vest did not achieve the required qualities in terms of design and fit.  Our tests were assessed on the comination of the following criteria;

• Front protection level
• Rear protection level
• Protection level both sides
• Total area of ​​protection
• Material of protection
• Design
• Fit
• Functionality of extra features such as;  bags, pockets, tabs etc.
• Wear resistance from the outside
• Weight
• Stiffness
• Comfort
• Strength of stitching
• Abrasion resistance of stitching
• Service level of the manufacturer

 

ARAMID, THE BEST CHOICE FOR BULLET-FREE VESTS AND BULLET-PROOF VESTS

Of all types of protection materials for the bulletproof vests, the Aramid fiber came out as the toughest. This fiber required the least amount of material for the same degree of protection. The Kevlar vests performed moderately to well,… the 6 Dyneema variants were disappointing. These performances were in one particular case not 1 but 2 whole protection categories lower ! The claim of any manufacturer that states it can produce a bulletproof vest with a protection class 5 without the use of hard plates, is simply not realistic and downright nonsense !  Such a claim belongs in a fairytale book ! The highest protection that can be achieved with a soft vest is protection class 4 !  Our 2 best cardigans from the test, visible in the photos as; bulletproof 1 + 2, gave just enough protection against the caliber (.457cal). This has been tested with both the “flat-top” and the “hollow point” version.

 

A BULLET-PROOF VEST IS NOT YET ANY WARRANTY OF INJURY SAFETY

It should be remembered that with a shot of a (.457 cal) caliber bullet or larger, the energy transfer to the vest is so great, that the risk of internal injury is almost certain as your body will suffer a massive impact. A shot from a (.460 Magnum cal.) Or a (.50 cal) rifle, will most likely not be survivable, just through the sheer power or energy transfer onto the body ! That is if,…theoretically spoken, your vest could handle it.

 

THE ADVANTAGE ON YOUR SAFETY

A bulletproof vest is of course not only effective against bullets, but against all forms of impact or power transmission to your body that is not constant. Imagine being attacked by an aggressive bear… Well, using your sleeping bag or mattress as protection does not help much against sharp teeth or claws, also trying to defend yourself with a knife or axe, or bow, or if necessary a survival or outdoor shovel or folding saw is also not very useful … a tent offers no protection either.  Trying to run away to reach your kayak isn’t going to be of much use either, because a Grizzly bear runs faster than an average horse !  A thick coat doesn’t help  against the jaws of an adult pissed-off Grizzly either… A bulletproof vest is the only thing that can realistically protect your vital parts. In such cases however, it is more likely that hands, arms and head or neck are the first bodyparts to be attacked.   For more information on protection against wild attacks, you can go to books in the menu.

 

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