this post was submitted on 31 Aug 2025
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What kind of best would that be? Doesn't look like it could be remotely effective...
Yeah there's no way it would stop anything higher than 9mm, but that's often good enough
If it fits under a shirt that well, I feel skeptical it could even stop a knife
Stopping knives is actually way harder than stopping bullets.
They require something closer to the dragon scales used for big shrapnel. And even those then to deflect and allow the knife through.
Prison guards are the main market and it’s a specialty product.
That said I have no idea what the vest in the picture will do. Probably small caliber handgun protection.
Or maybe for when he gets hit by his comrades rubber bullets and tear gas grenades.
Since you seem knowledgeable in this arena...what about 10mm? Would that be effective in general?
Sorry I only have secondary knowledge from an acquaintance that used to work on knife proof vests. He built test rigs and when he inspected the spikes used for approval, he said the tip still looked like a single point no matter how much (optical) magnification he used.
Not the person you're replying to but this gives a good rundown.
Soft armour (ie what can be worn under a shirt without being TOO obvious) can be up to level 3a (HG2)
https://canarmor.ca/nij-level-meaning/
https://canarmor.ca/product-category/coverts/
10mm is a weird caliber that is kinda in a weird niche overlap where it's okayish at a lot of things but isn't great for anything in particular. Better to go for 9mm P+ if you are thinking 10mm hell even .357 magnum or .45 ACP would be better off as a whole.
Stab vest
Levels of protection
Level 1 vest would be just small and just shitty enough to fit the bill…
Dude, wrong link, that's armoured vehicle armour ratings
"NATO AEP-55 STANAG 4569 is a NATO Standardization Agreement covering the standards for the "Protection Levels for Occupants of Logistic and Light Armored Vehicles"
Body armour here
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_body_armor_performance_standards#NIJ_armor_standard_(United_States)
Level 1 got re-rated last year - so older than 2024 Level 1 will stop a .22 or .380ACP post 2024 Level 1 will stop a 9mm (the old lvl 2)
https://premierbodyarmor.com/blogs/pba/understanding-body-armor-ratings
Gracias