Armory Sponsor
Posted: 7/19/2026 7:23:16 PM EDT
| My church is looking into getting our security response guys some type of soft body armor. I know nothing about armor so I'm looking for suggestions. Just needs to be concealable and comfortable if possible. |
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Are they looking to put them in external carriers or are they looking for something more covert? Protection level vs. bulk is the main tradeoff, and while higher end (cost) models can mitigate that somewhat its usually harder to conceal the higher level you go so thats one thing people would want to know before recommending any particular model. As far as brands, I wore Point Blank for many years professionally. They are a serious manufacturer, and I always found the amount of lot testing and product development that they do to be impressive. The total opposite of fly by night. I've cut them open before, and its amazing how many layers are sandwiched and sewn together with some serious precision. |
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Check out the site bulletproofme. Not a manufacturer, but they do sell refurb police soft vests at around $250. I don't know who is paying for yours, but that might be a good place to start if you need low budget options. If the budget is higher they also have new vests or you could start looking around at other vendors. Your local cops might know some places nearby that they do business with. You just really don't get a feel for a vest until you put it on. I wore a IIIA level concealed vest (agency decision- no one cared what I thought about threats or comfort), but you need to look up the NIJ protection values and do that balancing act of weight/thickness vs. comfort based on your perception of the threat level. None of the soft armor (II, IIIA, II) is going to stop a bullet out of an AR for example. Higher priced options can give you similar or better protection with less weight and thickness but there really aren't any free lunches. |
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A level 2 would be thinner and cheaper. And will be less visible under a shirt. New point blank 3a lighter and thinner than most 3a stuff now. But it is expensive as hell. A proper fitting vest and carrier will make it be much more comfortable and concealable. It’s not a one size fits all kind of thing. |
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