Making a decision about which armor to purchase can be a little challenging if you are new to this.
Step 1: Which ballistic threats are you trying to protect against?
It's important to know which National Institute of Justice 0101.07 Protection Level you need. A great place to start for basic information is The NIJ publication Specification for NIJ Ballistic Protection Levels and Associated Test Threats, NIJ Standard 0123.00
The 0123.00 Standard explains every threat level including the most common HG1 and HG2 (pistol threats), all the way up to RF1, RF2 and RF3 (hard armor rifle threats).
A brief description of the hard armor rifle threats are:
RF1: 7.62 x 51mm M80, 7.62 x 39mm MSC, M193
RF2: 7.62 x 51mm M80, 7.62 x 39mm MSC, M193, M855
RF3: (strongest NIJ protection level) 30-.06 M2 AP (armor piercing)
The majority of our products are RF2 and RF3 oriented. We do not offer Special Rifle Threat (SRT) plates due to the increased liability and underbuilding involved in making armor that does not meet one of the specified NIJ standard classifications.
Note that a higher protection level will also protect against threats in lower categories. For example, an RF3 plate will protect you against HG1, HG2, RF1, RF2, and RF3 threats.
Step 2: What size armor do I need?
Go to the below link to measure yourself (or whomever you are purchasing for).
Ceramic Armor Sizing Guide
70%+ will choose the 10" x 12" size.
Step 3: What armor shape (cut) am I most interested in?
We sell the following armor plate cuts: SAPI, Swimmer's, Shooter's and Full. Our armor models may not have all of the cuts available (see product listing for details).
SAPI (Small Arms Protective Insert) is the most common armor plate cut sold in the market. Lower corners are square and the upper shoulders are angled to allow shouldering of a rifle.
Image 1: SAPI Cut
The Swimmer's cut is not as popular but completely customizable in our armor. The top edge of our swimmer's cut armor is generally 4" (versus 5.5" in the SAPI cut). This cut permits flexibility but at significantly reduced armor coverage.
Image 2: Swimmer's Cut
Shooter's cut is a popular shape because it allows for some comfort on the lower corners instead of sharp edges. Keep in mind that the angled lower corners will result in less overall armor coverage.
Image 3: Shooter's Cut
The full cut can include shapes that are completely square on all four corners or corners that have slightly angled corners. This cut results in the most armor coverage but also has the least flexibility of the other shapes.
Image 4: Full Cut
Step 4: Flat, Single-Curve or Multi-Curve?
Bottom Line Up Front: For max performance, go with a single-curved mosaic ceramic tile array. For max comfort, go with a multi-curved plate. We do not generally offer flat backed armor plates but we can offer those in a custom format.
For more information about which Curve is best for you, please visit: Single-Curve or Multi-Curve
Step 5: How much ceramic coverage do I want?
Most manufacturers will not tell you that your armor plate may have a retracted ceramic strike face. Please click on the next link and learn about ceramic coverage and how this impacts protection and weight.
Ceramic Armor Weight and Coverage
I recommend that you purchase an edge-to-edge ceramic armor plate for the most protection. In cases where you are expected to encounter handgun threats, a great hybrid armor is our OA+ series. But, please be aware that our OA+ line is made with a retracted ceramic strike face. The OA+ is intended to offer hybrid protection against handgun rounds along the outer edges and rifle protection (at the stated threat level) over most of the plate.
So far, you have determined the threat level that you want to protect against, the size, shape and curve of the armor, and the amount of ceramic coverage you want. Now, you can navigate to the appropriate threat using our main navigation menu to select the armor you want.
Please use the chat button in the lower right hand corner of our website to request more information.
