Bulletproof vests and bulletproof articles provide safe and secure protection for wearers. If they find themselves unfortunately in any dangerous situation, especially with regard to gun shooting, they can protect themselves to the greatest extent.
It’s not just mass shootings that seem to be getting worse and more frequent year by year. Gun related risks take many forms, from crime on street corners and riots in dangerous communities to military threats and mass shootings, which remind us that self-protection awareness is very important and important.
Therefore, people are interested in investing in bulletproof equipment and clothing. Although many people do not know how bulletproof vests can protect them, they always think that these things will not happen to them. Why do we need bulletproof products? What’s the use of bulletproof vests?
As the name suggests, the bulletproof vest protects the wearer from ballistic threats. To what extent? This depends on its level of protection, usually in line with the level set by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ).
“Bulletproof” does not mean literally, because in some cases, users may still be injured by gunshot ammunition or bullet impact, but it is certain that this will be much better than no protection.
In addition, because it provides multi-layer protection, it can withstand other forms of body penetration hazards, but can only withstand a certain degree of impact and attack restrictions, but it is still necessary to select protective articles suitable for your needs.
Different Kinds Of Danger
Bullet
Different types of vests can resist the danger brought by bullets according to the bullet speed level, size and sharpness.
But this does not mean that low-grade bulletproof vests are useless. Some people may choose to wear vests as lightweight clothes and equipped with low-level bulletproof inserts. This set of equipment provides strong mobility, and when you can deal with the danger you face, the increase of mobility will also help you complete the task and survive.
Shrapnel
Grenades and other explosions may cause shrapnel to fly around and hurt people nearby. These broken shrapnel can sometimes be more terrible than an explosion. But the combination of bulletproof vests and helmets can protect their important organs from damage.
Knives and other sharp objects
Today, Kevlar is used in bulletproof vests ® As the main protective layer and production raw material, of course, this material is also used for stab proof vests. In some cases, especially those with higher protection range, the bulletproof vest can withstand stab wounds.
However, it’s best to decide whether you need a bulletproof vest or a stab proof vest in your daily life according to the danger you face, because you can’t expect the bulletproof vest to provide you with the best stab protection, and the professional thing still needs to be done by experts.
Animal bite
Security threats may be related not only to humans, but also to wildlife or stray animals. The bulletproof vest can just prevent the bite of animals carrying toxic toxins or diseases. Of course, in the face of animal bites, the position of the hand is mostly from the hands and feet, so the protective equipment of the whole body will be more important than the bulletproof vest.
Protection Level
In the ranking of bulletproof vests, the professional security field and different regions have their own different standards. However, the NIJ standard has been more widely used, especially for ordinary end users. Therefore, bulletproof vests are currently divided into the following categories.
Armor Level I
Armor Level II-A
Armor Level II
Armor Level III-A
Armor Level III
Armor Level IV
Special Level Armor NIJ
Level 1 armor has the lowest protection level, while the protection level of special armor exceeds the standard level. It is customized for different bullets. For more information on these performance levels, please refer to our NIJ protection level guide, which is also described in detail in our previous articles.
Bulletproof Protection Types And Components
Let’s deconstruct the bulletproof vest, understand what the bulletproof vest is made of, and better understand how it realizes protection. The following are the basic components of most bulletproof vests:
Soft ballistic plate
Bulletproof vests include soft bulletproof plates made of high-performance fibers. At present, the most popular is Kevlar And polyethylene fiber.
These are designed to be light, but still shield or reduce the power and impact of bullets, especially those with lower speeds.
Hard ballistic plate
Hard ballistic plates mean higher bullet speed for bulletproof vests (and therefore more dangerous situations). In addition to soft armor, hard ballistic plates can also be added.
Hard armor is usually made of ceramic, polyethylene, or a combination of both. Metal (such as titanium or steel) and glass fiber can also be used to upgrade products with only soft bulletproof plates.
Wound pad
Wound pads can be made of aramid or polyethylene fabric and other materials such as plastic. They are usually placed on the top of bulletproof plates on the chest and back.
The purpose is to reduce the physical trauma that bullets may cause to the wearer. They do not provide higher ballistic protection, but they can reduce the abrasion of the wearer and reduce the speed of the bullet.
Lining material
Some padding can be inserted to provide appropriate comfort for the wearer while protecting other layers of the vest. The filler shall have a mass that penetrates the body to a minimum to avoid aggravating human wounds.
Belt
The shoulder strap of the bulletproof vest should be able to fully cover the wearer’s panel, support mobility, and stably fix the vest on the wearer.
Check The Protective Ability Of The Vest
To understand what types of bullets the vest can withstand, you can check its specifications. At the same time, as you already know, bulletproof vests are actually simple bulletproof vests, so you should not expect them to fully protect you 100% of the time, even within the specified ammunition range. However, knowing this, using the right vest where possible may determine your survival.
In order to ensure that the bulletproof vest is always in the correct state, the buyer should check the warranty and guide of the bulletproof vest and understand the correct maintenance instructions of the bulletproof vest.
Identify And Invest In Providing You With The Right Protection
The bulletproof vest has a protective layer, so it can prevent different materials from easily penetrating the wearer. Of course, how the wearer deals with accidental hazards is more important. It is also wise to assess what type of protective accessories you need in your environment, as there are other options, such as stab resistant products
Therefore, before purchasing, what you should do is to evaluate your environment and the risks you are most likely to encounter and face, correctly understand and deal with them, which is the first step to buy a correct bulletproof vest.
