Bulletproof Vests or Ballistic Armor Plates: Which Is Better?

The debate between ballistic armor plates and bulletproof vests is based on durability, protection, and convenience. While both gears are great for keeping bullets out of the body, there are different factors that one must consider when choosing between both. Now, let’s do a comparative analysis of both gears.

• Bulletproof Vest

Bulletproof vests are designed to stop a bullet from piercing through your skin and visiting your rib cage. It is specifically designed to protect your vital organs, but not the whole body per se. An average bulletproof vest would protect your torso and everything behind it. 

A bulletproof vest can either be soft or hard armor. For soft armor bulletproof vests, the materials are often very pliable. You can easily bend them in various directions. Most soft body armors have NIJ ballistic ratings of levels II, IIA, and IIIA. This means that they are only able to repel common handgun rounds.

• Ballistic Armor Plates

On the other hand, if you face serious ballistic threats such as powerful projectiles, your best bet is to get armed with hard armor. This kind of armor is stuffed with ballistic armor plates. Most ballistic armor plates are composed of compressed polyethylene or ceramic, plus a steel sheet in front. Therefore, they can provide high-level ballistic-rated protection against all handgun rounds.

A ballistic plate is as strong as the material used in making it. So, if a ballistic plate can repel high-caliber rounds, you have the sturdiness of its materials to thank. Two common materials are used for creating ballistic armor plates today. They are ceramic and polyethylene. While both materials perform brilliantly in real-time ballistic threats, polyethylene is much lighter in weight than ceramic plates. This makes it more of a better choice. 

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