How to choose bulletproof clothing based on weapon type?

Security personnel must ensure their own safety in order to hope to protect anyone else. Due to inherent occupational hazards, bulletproof vests and other forms of protective clothing are important equipment for safety workers. When purchasing bulletproof clothing, you should consider which weapons you need to protect yourself and whether you want your armor to be visible.

1. Choose bulletproof clothing based on weapon type

You may find that you need to protect yourself from bullets, knives, needles, or other deadly weapons, so before purchasing a vest, you should consider potential threats to ensure optimal protection.

Bulletproof vests should be considered as the basic level of protection for security personnel, as they can protect your vital organs from bullet damage in hostile situations. Although bulletproof vests can protect you from deadly artillery fire, due to the use of soft materials, they cannot resist threats such as knives. To withstand these weapons, please choose a vest that can withstand blade weapons.

Like a blade weapon, sharp weapons such as needles or screwdrivers can penetrate bulletproof vests, passing through small fibers and rendering the vest useless. To withstand these weapons, please choose a vest that can withstand pointed weapons. The stab proof vest remains bulletproof and will use the same fabric to help mitigate the impact of attacks. However, they also include a layer of chain armor and/or plastic laminates to provide a sturdy surface to resist spikes and blades.

2. Protection level of bulletproof clothing

After considering the weapons you need to protect, you should consider the level of protection you need. Bulletproof protection is tested and graded by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ). The tests conducted by NIJ are considered the best in the world, and their standards are classified as NIJ level. Each level provides an accurate overview of what threats ballistic suits can protect you from.

Each level takes into account the size and strength of the ammunition used in the experiment. For example, the IIa class bulletproof vest can block 9mm and 0.357 bullets, while the IV class bulletproof vest (the highest available level) can block 7.62x51mm NATO bullets, even in armor piercing models.