7 Things You Should Know Before You Buy

1. No bulletproof vest is 100% stab-proof, regardless of the manufacturer

The vests you find in Elite Armor's webshop with EA-Tex implants are stab-proof to the extent that they will protect against knife stabs in 95% of cases. 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 it here.

When we say that no vest is 100% stab-proof, it’s because you could potentially penetrate the vest if you have a "real" razor-sharp weapon that can pierce through the vest, as it is so thin that it can break the otherwise tight fabric.

In our test videos, you can see how our vests handle knife stabs from a Stanley knife, a combat knife, and a survival knife - see the video below.

2. This is how the projectiles are absorbed

The implants in a bulletproof vest are extremely strong, cross-woven 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 transfers the energy from the projectile into the implant. When you buy a bulletproof vest from Elite Armor, you can choose fibers made from EA-TEX or Twaron. Regardless of which fibers you choose, you will receive protection at the NIJ IIIA (3A) level.

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3. All gunshots are (still) deadly

Even if you wear a bulletproof vest, you should never forget that gunshots can still kill. A bulletproof vest only protects your torso, so the rest of your body is still exposed. Additionally, a bulletproof vest does not protect against ALL weapons. A vest at protection level IIIA protects against .44 Magnum and .9 mm, but not against automatic rifles, for example.

4. 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 a "shelf life." 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 that you should replace your vest after 5 and 10 years, respectively.

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5. Wash the cover for your bulletproof vest

You should have at least 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 implant is not exposed to dirt, which can shorten the implant's lifespan. By keeping your cover clean, you also maintain the warranty for 5 or 10 years.

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 degrade from UV radiation and heat. The implants should therefore never be bleached or cleaned with chemicals, as bleach and other chemicals break down the synthetic fibers.

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7. NO bulletproof vest protects against AK47

We often get questions about the resistance of our vests 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.