What is a bulletproof vest?
A bulletproof vest is a vest designed to protect you from bullets and thus help save lives. The vest is designed to catch and encapsulate projectiles from firearms.
There are vests for different tasks, and they come in 6 different protection levels.
A bulletproof vest can be made from different materials, and all will protect you according to the standard they are specified within. Common to all of them is that they are made from fibers that the various manufacturers combine based on what they want their vest to be able to handle.
There are typically 2 types of fibers used in bulletproof vests: Aramid and Polyethylene. Their purpose is to absorb and encapsulate projectiles to stop them and thereby save lives. These fibers can be manufactured and woven together in many different ways; here, flexibility, weight, and thickness of the vest are typically important factors.
However, there are other equally important things to consider. If you are hit by a bullet, it is important that the energy from the shot is distributed outwards to minimize damage to the internal organs. You may be protected against penetration from a bullet, but the impact from the shot can also be harmful, and in some cases fatal.
What is meant by bulletproof?
Here are, as before, 6 different levels that classify a bulletproof vest. It is important to know that a bulletproof vest is fundamentally only bulletproof within its classification.
The different protection levels range from Level I to Level IV.
Here is Level I to Level IIIA within what is called soft body armor, in other words a soft bulletproof vest, which protects you against a .44 Magnum.
Level III to IV is where an extra hard plate is added that can protect you against armor-piercing rifle ammunition.
Are you then protected against all handguns if you, for example, have a Level IIIA which is the highest level for soft vests? The answer is both yes and no!
If, for example, specially manufactured projectiles with a pointed metal tip are used, and shots are fired from a different angle and speed than that for which the vest is classified, there is a possibility of penetration.
The same applies if you are shot multiple times in the same place. Calling a bulletproof vest bulletproof must be related to the classification the vest has.
Bulletproof vest for military and police
Previously, a bulletproof vest was associated with use in the military and police. Today, the picture is quite different, and a bulletproof vest is used by many different professional groups.
People with an increased risk of attack today use bulletproof and stab-resistant vests. Security guards use bulletproof and stab-resistant vests for tasks such as standing at the door of a nightclub or at events, and they are also used for patrolling.
Journalists previously only used bulletproof vests when they were deployed. Today, they are used for completely normal tasks both domestically and abroad, where there is an increased risk of attack.
People in the public sector who work with vulnerable groups also use vests. Gangs and criminals use bulletproof and stab-resistant vests in their fight against each other, but ordinary people have also started to protect themselves.
In the USA, there are bulletproof vests for children and there are also bulletproof plates that can be inserted into children's school bags.
Bulletproof vest - cheap or used?
If you want a cheap bulletproof vest, then ask yourself one question: What is your life worth?
A bulletproof vest is a life insurance, intended to save your life.
Therefore, never buy a used bulletproof vest. You can find bulletproof and stab-resistant vests cheaply on sites like e-Bay, where it is strongly advised against buying used.
You do not know how the vest has been treated and therefore there is no guarantee for the safety it is supposed to provide.
There is typically only about 1,000 kr. to save by buying a used cheap bulletproof vest. So ask yourself the question, is your life not worth that?