ktech wrote:I think some folks are missing important points.
First, Jake: if the plates you have aren't standalone rated, they won't stop anything worth crap - I don't think you're following what Pinnacle is saying.
Plates that aren't standalone do not work without soft armor under them.
Furthermore, plates and soft armor are two different things, and there are two (major) types of plates - ceramic and steel. Ceramic plates can be compromised by fractures invisible to the naked eye if they have, at any point, been dropped or struck on the edge in some way. That's the military standard plate, and is one of many reasons it's not recommended to buy mil-surp plates (aside from the fact that they've been stolen or "lost").
Most of the tests involving old body armor still working are inapplicable to this discussion for a couple reasons.
First: stopping the projectile does not guarantee survival. There's still lots of energy there that has to be transferred somewhere, and if the armor weave has degraded, it'll get transferred to you.
Second: all of the "old body armor" tests I'm aware of involve soft armor, which is arguably less susceptible to full failure along the lines of ceramic hard plates, but is prey to a slower more gradual failure of the armor weave.
tl;dr
Buy new armor from a reputable dealer who knows what they're selling you if your life depends on it, because you don't know as much as you think you do about body armor.
Not at all bad:
A Couple of points -
1. ALL Personal armor - plates or soft armor is prone to degradation over time die to environmental factors and just age.
2. Plates and Soft Armor are tested substantially differently
3. Military I, E and X-SAPI threats are NOT Published - they are CLASSIFIED - anything you read on the internet is questionable at best.
4. Buy New Armor (a point made above) if you are going to be a cheapass, you are going to get armor that may not work all that well.
5. If you feel the need to wear rifle plates for whatever reason, you are in the wrong business or neighborhood.
6. ICW plates DO NOT work without the REQUIRED level of Soft Armor behind it - period
7. Most Ceramic plates might not hold rounds within the first 1.5" of the edge of the plate - full circumference.
8. If someone offers to sell you E-SAPI US DOD issue plates - they are STOLEN - the Government does not surplus this armor doe to the sensitive nature of the threat specifications.