1. No bulletproof vest is 100% stab-proof, no matter which manufacturer it comes from
The vests you find in Elite Armor's webshop with EA-TEX inserts are stab-proof to the extent that in 95% of cases they will protect against knife stabs. In fact, if you wear a vest from Elite Armor, you will be better protected than 41.4% of American police officers! You can read more about this here.
When we say that no vest is 100% stab-proof, it is because you can potentially penetrate the vest if you have a "truly" razor-sharp weapon that can pierce the vest because it is so thin that it can break the otherwise tight weave.
In our test videos, you can see how our vests handle knife stabs from a utility knife, a butcher's knife, and a survival knife - watch the video below.
2. How the projectiles are absorbed
The inserts in a bulletproof vest are extremely strong, crosswoven fibers. The fibers stop projectiles in the same way that a tennis net stops a tennis ball. The network of fibers distorts the projectile, which reduces the projectile's speed and sends the energy from the projectile out into the insert. When you buy a bulletproof vest from Elite Armor, you can choose fibers made of EA-TEX or Twaron. Regardless of which fibers you choose, you get protection at the NIJ IIIA (3A) level.
3. All pistol shots are (still) deadly
Even if you wear a bulletproof vest, you should never forget that pistol shots can still kill. A bulletproof vest only protects your torso, so the rest of your body is still exposed. Furthermore, a bulletproof vest does not protect against ALL weapons. A vest at protection level IIIA protects, among other things, against .44 Magnum and 9 mm, but for example not against automatic rifles.
4. The durability is limited
A bulletproof vest cannot protect you forever. Each time a bulletproof vest absorbs a projectile, the vest weakens. As a rule of thumb, you can expect that a bulletproof vest can absorb 5 projectiles before you should replace it.
Additionally, a bulletproof vest has an "expiration date." If you choose the fiber type EA-TEX, there is a durability guarantee of 5 years, and if you choose Twaron, there is a durability guarantee of 10 years. This means you should replace your vest after 5 and 10 years respectively.
5. Wash the cover of your bulletproof vest
You should at least have two covers for your bulletproof vest. If you have an extra cover, you can use the vest even when your original cover is in the wash.
A clean cover is important to ensure that the insert is not exposed to dirt, which can shorten the lifespan of the insert. By keeping your cover clean, you also maintain the 5 or 10-year guarantee.
6. Take care of your bulletproof vest
A bulletproof vest should never be left in direct sunlight or under UV lighting, as the ballistic properties can be degraded by UV radiation and heat. The inserts should therefore never be bleached or cleaned with chemical agents, as bleaches and other chemicals break down the synthetic fibers.
7. NO bulletproof vest protects against AK47
We often get questions about our vests' resistance to shots from an AK47. No vest can withstand projectiles from such a caliber without a special hard armor plate/trauma plate - you can buy a trauma plate here.