what`s the best bulletproofvest in 2004 ?

mohr

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hi,
i need your help, what is the best bulletproofvest that i can buy in year 2004. i work as a german policeofficer and it scares me that i carry a 250 $ flashlight for my safty but still use my old vest that is over 3kg in weight and is made of twaron/kevlar. the panels that are used in this vest are made in 2000 but are testet with the old technicalguiding from 1994. so whats the best money can buy in the 2004. i found some german dealers that sell the new Z-shield vests but they are over 1500 $.
please let me know what you guys wear at duty.
greetings from oldworld
christian
 

DavidTHR

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Oct 14, 2003
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I checked with my good friend, who is a LEO here in the USA.

He was recently issued a Safariland Zero-G vest, and so far he really likes it much better than his old vest.

His Safariland vest is certified to the newer .04 NIJ standard.

Stay Safe!
 

Joe Talmadge

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It may be worth checking out the latest on the controversy of spectra and zylon. There have been claims -- and some evidence that the claims are serious enough to be worth investigating -- that the lightweight fibers lose their effectiveness over time when subject to moisture and heat (exactly the conditions the vest is subject to if left in a trunk, etc.). Kevlar is thick and heavy, but does not suffer from these problems.

The first guy I saw level these claims is Kevin McClung from tacticalforums.com. As I said, since he went public, there's been evidence that his claims could be true. You might duck into tacticalforums.com, probably the "MD Labs" or "Ground Zero" forums (or use the search function) to find the latest. I'd research this very carefully before committing to the lighterweight hightech fibers.

Here's one of the more recent threads and here's another


Joe
 

drchow

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The correct name is ballastic vest, body armor or bullet resistant vest/armor. It's not "bulletproof"
 

ErickThakrar

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"ballastic"???

Joe, kevlar is far more susceptible to aging and rot caused by moisture than spectra is. Kevlar is notorious for weakening when wet. Spectra or polyethylene is on the other hand not subject to such weakening. Nor does it rot, or deteriorate under UV. Zylon on the other hand (who the hell had the bright idea of naming it after the villains from BattleStar Galactica anyways?) is evil garbage that deteriorates VERY quickly.
 

mohr

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hi,
i know that there is no such thing as a bulletproofvest but thats what they are called from normal people. i need a vest that stopps the faster 9mm para stuff fired from a submachinegun (mp 5) it has to stop bullets that go faster than 500 m/s. the vest should not be over 2kg and must have a new carrier that can handle bodyheat and moisture better than my old cotton carrier.
christian
 

Joe Talmadge

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Erik,

You could be right. My memory could be failing, but I thought McClung & Co. found Spectra to be not much better than Zylon, though they seem to be focusing on zylon at the moment. AGain, it's worth a search on tactical forums, they were the first I've seen to bring these issues up.
 

ErickThakrar

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While I agree that there are numerous issues with Zylon and it's without a doubt a lethal product, I am still inclined to be skeptical when it comes to Mcclung and anything regarding materials. After all, this is the same guy that claims O1 is the best steel ever, that his "proprietary" composite handles are stronger than any other handle materials out there (They're G11 by the way) and that hardchroming is an adequate rust preventative. (it's not, it's a capillary surface and as such can allow moisture to penetrate.) And there are other things that I don't care for about his marketing. Just a personal opinion, that's all.
 

ho71ko

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Hello all,
I'd suggest not to discuss a Police Officer security related Topic in an open Forum.
Just a suggestion. Think about it /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

Holger
 

Joe Talmadge

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The general problems with Spectra are discussed in open forums all over. And, since private citizens sometimes buy these vests for their own defense, they have every reason to see what's going on. I understand your concern, but in this case, it's important that this issue is seen by anyone thinking of buying a vest. And doing so does not threaten officer safety at all -- in fact, it offers a better chance an officer will learn of (say) the problems with Spectra.

Joe
 
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