Body Armor Suggestions

[TEnlow714]

I have been tasked with suggesting what kind of body armor my department is going to go to for our next budget year. We are looking for level IIIA. Any suggestions on a great brand that won't break the bank, should also be NIJ certified and eligible for grant funds. Thanks in advance.

[Resq14]

Consider armor that also passes the newer FBI armor test protocol... there are many NIJ vests out there that will not pass this test because of real-world evaluations such as contact shots.

DBT/First Choice, PPE, and US Armor would be the companies towards the top of my list.

Good info below:

http://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=19912

[gwashburn355]

Level IIIA is pretty heavy. It might be a bit much for some officers, especially the older guys. But, if you are looking for good, solid, no BS armor made from 100% aramid fibers AND at a reasonable price I would suggest U.S. Armor in Cerritos CA. They make the body armor for the LASD. I'm on my third vest from them now and they are great. I'm wearing their Eagle Enforcer series vest in level II. U.S. Armor tends to make their vests a little over built for safety so my level II is closer to a level IIIA. The price at the time was $540.00 and it was custom fit. They do have standard sizes though.

www.usarmor.com

Brian

[M1garand]

I just ordered PACA level IIIA. I've never had this brand before so I am also curious to see how it is. People who have used PACA brand tells me that it served them very well. We'll see.

[MNCountyCop]

I just replaced my ABA Extreme. My new new vest is a 2nd Chance. The 2nd chance seems to be better quality and has a lot better protection. Spendy though...

[M1garand]

Didn't 2nd chance body armor had some issues and didn't do what it was claimed to do?

[Resq14]

Yes they did. And there are questions whether officer safety was intentionally overlooked for the bottom line.

[swat_op506]

Body Armor

Last year we went through our four-year cycle and replaced 80% of our vests. I was charged with finding a new vest due to problems we experienced with ABA.
I (we) ended up going with First Choice Body Armor.
Reasons:
1. Very well made product.
2. Very customer service oriented - they sent info, kept in close contact, and even sent a rep to meet with us (we were only ordering 25 vests).
3. Rep took the time to take detailed measurements for each person
4. Custom made and quickly delivered

We liked them so much that we ended up also ordering out tactical armor (ahead of schedule) from them.
PRO TIP: Your buyer can haggle with them, not over the price, but for freebies. We got a tee shirt and very nice carry bag for each vest, and we got three ceramic trauma plates for the 12 tac vests we ordered.

[Maverick1701]

X2 on US Armor

I have 2nd chance right now but Im going to switch to US Armor after a few years when this vest has run its course

[355339]

After wearing several different brands over the years, I don't even need to think about the worst, definitely Gator-hawk. Heavy, stiff, like wearing a oven. My favorite would have to be Paca. I'm refering to the comfort level, as far as testing stats for protection, I never had a recall or issues for the ones I wore.