Press release [via Ammoland.com]
A bullet proof vest is designed for bullets. This may seem obvious, and it is true, yet a bulletproof vest can protect you against a wide range of threats. Of course, protection against firearms is its main purpose, but some people will not feel that guns are a major threat, and will therefore not consider wearing a bulletproof vest. However, the unique threats body armor can protect you against mean that anyone and everyone can benefit from a bullet proof vest . . .
Sticks and Stones
Rocks, stones, and fists can all cause an immense amount of damage, and perhaps the easiest weapons to wield. Of course the range and power of each varies greatly, especially when it comes to fists, but all of them are capable of causing you an injury you may not be able to treat, particularly in the midst of an attack. Surprisingly, body armor can help protect you against these weapons, as the Kevlar in the vest will absorb and disperse the energy of the impact, significantly reducing the damage it causes.
Swords and Shields
Indeed, any handheld weapon with an edge or a spike, as humanity has proven over millennia, weapons like swords, axes, pikes, maces etc. can be used to deadly effect in even the most unskilled hands. These may be a rarity in modern society, but improvised weapons can mimic their design and purpose, and what they lack in range they more than make up for in damage. A bulletproof vest CANNOT protect you against these weapons, as they will bypass the protective fabric. However, by simply adding chainmail or plastic laminate, a stab/spike proof vest will help stop you from being injured.
Bows and Arrows
Similar to the previous category, these spiked weapons- and others like it, such as spears or even improvised paper crossbows– are well-known to be deadly, though they do require far more skill to be used to their full potential. Their advantage over swords and maces, of course, is their range. You could find yourself seriously injured by one of these weapons before you even knew you had been targeted. Just like the previous category, a bullet proof vest CANNOT protect you; though the Kevlar in protective clothing will mitigate some of the damage. Nevertheless, you will need a spike proof vest.
Claws and Teeth
It may seem ridiculous, but many attackers may be under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or simply desperate, and someone’s teeth can in fact cause a serious injury. Even without considering the risk of infection, a bite would be very powerful and potentially serious. Moreover, you may find yourself facing attacks from animals, and dogs in particular are extremely powerful and dangerous. While it is highly unlikely that you will choose to wear a stab proof vest specifically to protect against dogs and people’s teeth, it is useful to know that your body armor WILL help keep you safe against attacks like this. Kevlar vests can help protect you against the worst of these attacks, as the Kevlar can mitigate the impacts of attacks, while stab and spike proof vests will stop teeth, claws, and horns from penetrating.
About SafeGuard Armour:
Leading body armor manufacturers and premium body armor designers www.safeguardarmor.com & www.safeguardclothing.com has been established online for about 10 years. They specialize in combining soft Kevlar armor with hard armor plates to their carrier designs. For more information, visit: www.SafeGuardArmour.co.uk.
Please fix the f@$cling clickjack bug you guys got going.
Something that might help although an inconvenience would be to turn off java script in your browser.
Respectfully, they need to fix the damn problem. It’s not up to us to develop workarounds so we can continue to visit their poorly designed and maintenanced website.
Yeah – recently I’ve been getting redirects on my phone from TTAG pages.
Directly to the appstore for junk. I don’t visit on my phone any more, it’s obnoxious.
Yes, they can protect you from edged weapon much like a gambeson or buff coat did in the days of old. As with bullets they are just not proof against them. Really good slices and or multiple cuts will eventually get through. Thrusts with less acute points may also be stymied by them. Of course varying degrees of blunt force trauma will get through with any of these weapons. Youtube it and see.
It’s been over 40 years since I wore body armor. I’m not restarting now.
I believe these things will prove useless against the famous .9mm.
It appears that marketing for kevlar has entered the ‘solution seeking problem’ state in order to get more civilian sales. Wearing a helmet would probably provide much more protection against daily threats to injury than a ballistic vest. But people want to feel tacticool, not like they ride the short bus.
Ummm, no. You are more likely to be stabbed than shot, and as this ad suggests, you need something else to defend against stab wounds. (Either of my swords will go through one of these like a hot knife through butter.) Chain mail usually weighs in at 25 lbs or more. Any takers? Second, dogs will attack arms, legs, faces and throats, none of which a vest protects against, and all of which areas can lead to death through blood loss. By the time they go after your guts, you are already dead. So again useless. Third, I do not live in Chiraq, and the chances of being shot at, much less shot, are slim. Plus the summer days are often over 100 degrees. Fourth, I am not going to keep one of these by my bedside and slip into one if the alarm dogs go off. No sale.
“I am not going to keep one of these by my bedside and slip into one if the alarm dogs go off”
Actually this seems like a no-brainer use for one even if you never wore one otherwise. Your other points were great though.
I am not trying to dispute your overall point that armor is of very limited value to you or most of the rest of us, but I am not able to resist slinging a few caveats. It is much harder to cut or thrust through soft armor if the target is trying to defend itself. Also, if that target has a gun the attacker probably won’t get many tries. The type of person who is likely to assault someone with an edged weapon is, I imagine, unlikely to also be the type of person to employ (much less be skilled with) a XVa longsword, tuck, rapier, spear, warhammer, etc.
“Either of my swords”
LOL do you have a ponytail by any chance?
Morning coffee is much less pleasant when it’s in my nose…
I also have several swords and armor. My hair is very short.
“However, by simply adding chainmail”
Yes, simply add 20 pounds of metal to a heavy, bulky, and hot Kevlar vest, and now you’re safe from sword attacks (to the torso)! It really is that easy!
This whole thing reads like a really bad infomercial…
“How many times has this happened to you?”
[black-and-white footage of a frazzled housewife making a comically exaggerated frowny face while being run through with a katana by a ninja]
“Now there’s SafeGuard armor! For twelve low payments of $29.95*, your worries about being stabbed or stoned to death are a thing of the past!”
* plus $39.50 processing and handling fee
“Call now and we’ll double the offer! That’s right, you’ll get coats of mail for the price of one!
Justpayseparateshippingandhandling.”
I believe when the day comes that you need to wear all this crap to protect yourself you will be so weighted down with defensive gear you will become a liability to yourself.
This doesn’t make any sense. Cops wear soft armor everyday and are of use to themselves.
This doesn’t make any sense. Cops wear soft armor everyday and don’t become “liabilities to themselves.”
Officers by profession and assignment insert themselves with BG situations frequently and vests like duty belt and gear just become normal. I never met a cop that wore a vest off duty unless he was moonlighting. You get use to the weight and bulk but it does limit mobility, torso twist and you 100 yard dash times (BGs sagging pants level the playing field). I bought and wore one years before they became Dept issue and everybody had to wear a chicken vest. Lol
Civs encounter BGs when they target you or when you are in proximity of the primary target. There are odds on crime statistics but where and when you go places combined with situational awareness provide a buffer, your CCW provides the response.
I believe a vest can greatly reduce injury from sword slashing.
Stabbing with sword or knife will go right through.
I am not so sure about the thrusting being so easy unless the weapon point is very acute in profile taper and sharp. I wish I had something sharp other than an expensive custom made spadroon. Even though it is much better for thrusting than the infamous British issue ones, I am not willing to risk it. I have a longsword class tomorrow morning and I will see if anyone has a sharp that they are willing to try on a 3a groin protector I have for testing purposes.
I think I’d like to know the back story on testing a groin protector….
I regularly wear a level II vest when I’m RSO or teaching – under my clothing, not to look tacti-cool. And I wear it for my inner-city commute under my motorcycle jacket for 1) random bullet protection and 2) blunt force trauma protection while riding.
Kinda like carrying a pistol in the first place. I own one, I will probably never need it, but needing it and not having it could be catastrophic.
“the Kevlar in the vest will absorb and disperse the energy of the impact”. — Disperse, yes. Absorb, no. The Kevlar simply prevents the projectile from penetrating your body, it does nothing to lessen the amount of kinetic energy you receive — it’s not “padding” in any significantly measurable sense.
Hold on – let me just drape some chain mail over me.
Lol.
A major advantage of chain mail over densely woven Kevlar, is that the former breathes. It’s heavy, though, especially in a full trench coat cut for maximum coverage. Even if done in Titanium, which would cost a bloody fortune, but does have the advantage of not corroding and/or discoloring garments worn under it, or even skin in direct contact. Plus, while you may avoid the “Tacticool” stigma, I’m not sure looking flat out crazy as you stroll down Main Street is much of an improvement.
Bring a knife to a gunfight and the gun will win most every time. Get your CCW, practice and STAY ALERT.
I wear a vest for work, and occasionally while I’m out around town. It gets more comfortable as you get used to it. You may have to spend a little cash to get a comfy vest that doesn’t significantly restrict movement, but it’s not undoable. There once was a time that no self respecting man of means would be caught dead without his armor and his weapon. To me it’s less about the unlikelhood of a violent interaction than a mindset. A man should always be ready, mentally and physically, to do battle. Society always has need of such individuals, and I fail to see why outsourcing that responsibility to people of unknown virtue is considered a good thing. To be Fair, I am not bad mouthing the professional soldiers and law enforcers of society; many are quite motivated to serve their people. I simply think that it is not healthy for a people to abdicate their responsibility to be ready to defend their home and nation to others. This leads to the people being easily taken advantage of by the unsavory “10%”, and easily manipulated and controlled by the amoral “1%”.
I wear mine as a chest protector while riding my motorcycles, weird things happen when you get off when you dint intend too.
Just one question, gentlemen… how do you get the attacker to concentrate on the area covered by the vest? A head shot, or a good swing of the sword against an arm or a leg would probably put most anyone out of the fight, armor or no.
Well, if things get sketchy enough in my neighborhood, I’m gonna pick up a personal body shield on my next trip to Dune.
Do sandworm teeth show up on those airport TSA sacnners? Anybody know?
Yes – they look like a boner, so TSA agents are particularly adept at spotting them.
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