May 11, 2015: In the wake of school shootings and terrorist attacks, Miami based Armour Wear, LLC has set out to solve a problem: How to create lightweight and unobtrusive ballistic protection for everyday use that anyone can afford.
In late 2014, Armour Wear, LLC launched its own line of American made hard and soft body armor, as well as tactical nylon to the US market to make sure the people of the United States have the opportunity to protect themselves and their families with the best quality at a reasonable price. With prices starting at $35.99 for soft armor panels and $114.95 for hard armor, protecting yourself and those you love has become a reality.
Learn more at: www.armour-wear.com
Tags: Armour Wear
The 11X14 Carbon Nanotube Ballistic Shooter’s Cut Soft Panel looks interesting at 1.4 lb, $160. This 3A lists threats of .380, 40 S&W, .45 ACP, 357 Sig, 44 Magnum. But 9mm isn’t on the list. I guess if it can stop a 44 magnum, it can also stop 9mm.
maybe, maybe not. Depends on a few factors. The equation for impact force is:
force = speed x mass / surface area.
The faster, lighter round may be able to defeat the armor where a slower, heavier round could not by lowering the surface area of the striking surface. Think of it like a baseball bat and a knife. You can’t swing a baseball bat fast enough to cut through a t-shirt, but a knife can cut through one at almost any speed. Because the striking surface is virtually nothing any combination of mass and speed is enough to defeat the cloth.
Now just translate that to bullets and body armor and you have how something can be rated for .44 but not .9mm.
Any nano-tubes will be very strong in one direction (pushing or pulling on the ends of the tube) but fragile when bending. It would make really strong rope, but rope isn’t good at stopping bullets…
However, it also says it’ll stop .357 Sig, so it shouldn’t have any problem stopping 9mm.
What I’m curious about is where those prices (starting at $36 for soft armor, $115 for hard armor) come from. I didn’t see prices quite that low on the site. Maybe I’m looking in the wrong place.
The lowest price 6×8 side panel is $69. I thought maybe there would be a $36 trauma pad or some similar cushion to be worn under the plate. But I didn’t see anything at $36 either.
Yes, Sir we, don’t offer our 5×8 Trauma Panel that retails for $35.99 it will be up soon though. We have really only kept it for LE orders.
It will be added tomorrow and if you like you can send us your email address and we will send you NIJ lab tested panels with 9mm
Been looking at these for awhile but not a lot is out there about them.
III+ stand alone plates say 6 rounds of m855…4.5 lbs…$220??? I’m listening…
Matt, I was looking long and hard at those plates as well. If you dig into the company they are affiliated with a textile company that legitimately did nylon work for the Corps. So their nylon stuff is likely on point. The owner of the company is also listed on the LLC filing for a “ceramiche” company so they are likely manufacturing their own ceramics for their plates.
The sticking point with the plates is that they aren’t NIJ certified. There is nothing saying that they have to be certified. If they stop the rounds, they stop the rounds. That is all that matters. They claim that they will provide testing reports upon request. I requested and while I got a response I didn’t receive the report as I had asked. In fairness it was SHOT show week so stuff gets lost…
The other thing, and decide whether this matters to you or not, they have Yeager wring their stuff out. You either love the guy or hate him. To me he’s like the Tom Cruise of the tactical world. Either you like his work or you think he’s the world’s biggest tool bag. That’s up for you to decide and then how that influences your decision about the plates.
The soft plates claim NIJ certification, the hard plates list “levels,” which if isn’t in fact NIJ recognized “levels” is disingenuous at best. I believe at one time the NIJ listed all the armor they had certified, I’ll try to find the motivation to look for it.
Armor fit is so critical, I’m not sure it’s something I want to skimp on, but I also can’t afford the armor I want. I’d really be concerned about the generic sizing, and it doesn’t appear light at all.
Thanks JD, I’ve been looking around tonight as well….a lot of “this looks promising” comments on the forums, but no real end user comments. That said, there isn’t anything I’ve seen saying they don’t work as advertised.
I’m a bit concerned about the fit being true as well.
This is so inexpensive I imagine lots of people will actually sacrifice a plate for the sake of Youtube testing fame, so we’ll get volume testing.
Their prices have been low for quite some time, but I’ve only seen two videos recently.
“To me he’s like the Tom Cruise of the tactical world.”
Thank you.
You’re exactly correct, and now I have a great way to explain why I don’t like the guy. He IS the couch-jumping, scientoligist of the tactical world…
JD I can respect your reservations sorry the test report was not sent out if you give me your email address I can send it to you tomorrow morning first thing.
JD that’s some good digging. Your spot on. Please call me in the morning and I will answer your questions personally and send out the test reports that will satisfy your curiosity. Actually our last test on the 3+ plate was shot 7 times instead of 6 because the first shot was under velocity by 20 fps. It still passed with flying colors. Hope to talk to you soon.
I have two of their plates…got them when they were $185 a plate…makes life much better
How does the +/- of 10% in the weight department factor in when we are talking about standards, certifications and ballistic resistance. I could be totally off base here but that seems like a pretty wide margin, no?
Also, does anyone know if there is any sort of serialization or backwards trackability for lot testing/reports? My understanding is that this should be pretty standard in the armor industry.
Can anyone with a deeper understanding of the armor world chime in and let us know what questions we should be asking?
As it pertains to law enforcement:
Here: http://nij.gov/topics/technology/body-armor/Pages/welcome.aspx
and here: http://www.nist.gov/weapons-protective-systems.cfm
I don’t know how the military does it, but the companies try to sell us what is ostensibly military grade plates with NIJ ratings. I would think the .mil medical and logistics community would have a huge data pool of testing and armor effectiveness under real-life conditions.
Glad you caught that. It should read 01 I guess our web guy has dyslexia. It will be fixed in the morning.
I own 3 sets of these plates, they stand up to the claims and then some. The 3+ lightweight plates are perfect for everyday duty use. I use a triple curve “Shooters cut” front and back I never knew a triple curve in the back would be so comfortable. Now getting replacement plates just got easier for me.
I have had questions in the past and was on the fence, what sold me was the owner (Robert). I met him at SHOT and he answered every question and made the plates for me personally. Gotta appreciate a business owner that works to earn your business.
By “everyday duty use,” are you wearing them in a concealed carrier?
I saw their plates tested at a show and they live up to what they say. They also have videos on Youtube of them being tested. I’ve purchased a few things over the year and all have been 100% legit and worth the buy. I own their Level 4 plates (multi-curve) and they’re not heavy at all and contour to the body really well. The new carbon fiber they add on it Their USMC Carrier is pretty damn comfortable and fit the plates amazing. I did try on their Spartan vest at the show and although I didn’t purchase it, it wasn’t really visible under clothing and felt good to wear all day.
The owner is also down to earth and answers every question as honest as possible. I saw him at SHOW show and had a good 15 minute conversation.