Can anyone suggest a top of the line bulletproof vest. We are looking for something that is light weight and not too bulky? Any help is greatly appreciated...thanks joe

What level vest are you looking for?  Do you need full side protection or just front & back?

Yeah I was going to suggest a level IIIa vest by point blank.  Look at the countour fits, they are light, breathe fairly well and are overall comfortable depending on the type of carrier you get with it.

Since you are not verified LEO yet, just curious on why you want to know about "bullet proof" vests.  Which vest are you currently wearing?

It depends on who they buy them from. Many places on the internet require proof of occupation to order a vest, such as galls and quartermaster.

Sorry guys been on days off.  Thanks for the info on vests. I'm actually in the process of purchasing 11 vests for our department..I found level IIIA vests were a little higher than the level II we currently wear..thanks again for the help.

How confident are you that your Level "III" HALO will meet the new NIJ requirements?

ElizabethC says ...

How confident are you that your Level "III" HALO will meet the new NIJ requirements?

what are the new nij requirements?

this is off the web

THREAT LEVEL
THINNESS / WEIGHT
9MM V-50
MAGNUM V-50
Avg. 9mm BFS
Avg. Magnum BFS
MODEL #

RAMROD1979 says ...

ElizabethC says ...

How confident are you that your Level "III" HALO will meet the new NIJ requirements?

 

what are the new nij requirements?

 

this is off the web

 

THREAT LEVEL THINNESS / WEIGHT 9MM V-50 MAGNUM V-50 Avg. 9mm BFS Avg. Magnum BFS MODEL #

II
IIIA
II FEM
IIIA FEM
.20 inches /.89 lbs/ft²
.26 inches /1.15 lbs/ft²
.23 inches /.98 lbs/ft²
.29 inches /1.24 lbs/ft²
1680 fps
1750 fps
1710 fps
1768 fps
1592 fps
1621 fps
1626 fps
1653 fps
30 mm
27 mm
29 mm
25 mm
39 mm
39 mm
35 mm
37 mm
CLAE II 501590
CLAE IIIA 502280
HALO II FEM 501021
HALO IIIA FEM 601290

 

RAMROD, the fast answer is that the bar for vest performance/quality is being raised significantly.  The good news is that this will result in a better vest for officers.  But it is a double edge sword in some ways....

1.  There will be a handful of manufacturers who cannot, or will not, be able to produce a vest that meets the new standard.  My concern is that it's going to leave some officers wearing vests that are no longer supported by a manufacturer.  Not a big deal ...unless there needs to be a recall while the vests are still in service. 

2.  The new certification process will be very expensive.  Someone is going to have to pay for that.  You can expect the new 06 certified vest to cost alot more.  If a department's vest budget is determined on current prices... will they be able to adjust their budget or will they have to buy fewer vests for their officers?

You'll find some general information from the Responder's Knowledge Base:

https://www.rkb.us/contentdetail.cfm?content_id=206236

Or you can use this link to review the pre-release version of the new 06 Standard requirements:

http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/223054.pdf

Hope this helps!

I just received a replacment vest.  It's an American Body Armor Xtreme HP Level III-A. It was tested by NLECTC and meets NIJ 2005 interim requirements.  This is a very comfortable vest.  Along way from my 1st vest 20 years ago.  A used Second chance t-shirt style, front panel only.

ElizabethC says ...

RAMROD1979 says ...

ElizabethC says ...

How confident are you that your Level "III" HALO will meet the new NIJ requirements?

 

what are the new nij requirements?

 

this is off the web

 

THREAT LEVEL THINNESS / WEIGHT 9MM V-50 MAGNUM V-50 Avg. 9mm BFS Avg. Magnum BFS MODEL #

II
IIIA
II FEM
IIIA FEM
.20 inches /.89 lbs/ft²
.26 inches /1.15 lbs/ft²
.23 inches /.98 lbs/ft²
.29 inches /1.24 lbs/ft²
1680 fps
1750 fps
1710 fps
1768 fps
1592 fps
1621 fps
1626 fps
1653 fps
30 mm
27 mm
29 mm
25 mm
39 mm
39 mm
35 mm
37 mm
CLAE II 501590
CLAE IIIA 502280
HALO II FEM 501021
HALO IIIA FEM 601290

 

RAMROD, the fast answer is that the bar for vest performance/quality is being raised significantly.  The good news is that this will result in a better vest for officers.  But it is a double edge sword in some ways....

1.  There will be a handful of manufacturers who cannot, or will not, be able to produce a vest that meets the new standard.  My concern is that it's going to leave some officers wearing vests that are no longer supported by a manufacturer.  Not a big deal ...unless there needs to be a recall while the vests are still in service. 

2.  The new certification process will be very expensive.  Someone is going to have to pay for that.  You can expect the new 06 certified vest to cost alot more.  If a department's vest budget is determined on current prices... will they be able to adjust their budget or will they have to buy fewer vests for their officers?

You'll find some general information from the Responder's Knowledge Base:

https://www.rkb.us/contentdetail.cfm?content_id=206236

Or you can use this link to review the pre-release version of the new 06 Standard requirements:

http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/223054.pdf

Hope this helps!

Elizabeth you are a priceless member of this site, and your efforts and insight continue to be very much appreciated.

GirlInBrown says ...

I was just going to say...elizabeth is at it again......and NOT getting paid by the way.....Thanks Elizabeth.....

I'd even make a nomination for ElizabethC to be moderator over gear and equipment when there is an opening.

ElizabethC says ...

Thanks for the kind words you two.  I don't always speak up on some posts but sometimes I can't keep quiet.  Armor is one of those topics that poke me like a stick.  :-)    It took me over two years before I would even agree to sell it.  Vendors are the last line of defense for officers equipment.  Vendors must be responsible to go beyond the manufacturer's spin and conduct due diligence on the products they sell to officers - ESPECIALLY armor.  It is my opinion that any vendor who are willing to sell you anything you ask for is doing you a great disservice! 

Armor is the one thing that each agency should allow some latitude. Give me an allowance towards body armor and let me go purchase my own, I would be willing to throw in a few hundred extra for top of the line.

I totally agree elizabeth, and it's pretty disheartening seeing how smaller depts. can't afford the best to issue their officers, seeing how many officers are killed or wounded in action.

What may meet NIJ standards today may not tomorrow, and it's impossible for everyone to keep up on that. If only every few years we could keep up on it, we'd be just that much better off.

Your knowledge is priceless here. 

RAMROD1979 says ...

Allen705 says ...

RAMROD1979 says ...

I just purchased a HALO vest from Express Armor.  It is a level III and it is just as thin as the level II crappy vest that the agency was issuing.  It has wrap around protection and is lighter (IMO) than the level II vest we were getting from GatorHawk (DON"T EVER BUY FROM THEM)!  Express Armor is owned by the original guy of second chance.  They are worth a look and are really affordable. 

We just got our new vest yesturday, full wrap around protection and made by Second Chance. I don't know what model they are, but it's a II and were custom made. I was just curious, what's wrong with GatorHawk?

The second chance vest seems to be half the weigth of the US Armor i was wearing.

 

The GatorHawk was a lower class of vest.  The level II that the agency issued is thicker than the level III I bought from Halo.  The vest from GatorHawk was very uncomfortable and bulk and did not breath well.  The Halo vest has been good so far, breathable, moves well with the body and is very light.  I have been happy with it so far.  For the new standards that Elizabeth talked about, I am not sure what the best vest would be.  It kind of puts a hardship on small agencies and harder for officers to buy their own. 

Elizabeth, thanks for all the information, just has me worried about the quality of my vest and about Halo going under. 

Well RamRod, as someone had mentioned before, any vest is better than no vest so at all.  Only time will tell what is going to happen to the various models that are currently on the market.