Armored Republic Body Armor Matrix
Industry jargon can make shopping for body armor a confusing challenge, so we've designed the Armored Republic Body Armor Matrix, which is a product identification framework to make your journey easier.
At Armored Republic, we want you to be able to quickly identify the right armor for your needs. The simpler the process is for you, the quicker we can achieve our mission of equipping free men with the Tools of Liberty to protect their God-given rights.
With that goal in mind, we've simplified our body armor lineup to just four categories organized around the material used for the strike face of each product. We now have 4 unique series of body armor plate types to choose from:
So, what's the difference between each series in our body armor matrix? Keep reading to get an overview of what you’ll find in each category.
S Series: Soft Body Armor
Our S series encompasses soft armor ballistic fabrics, such as aramid. These are soft armor products made of ballistic fabrics, such as aramids. The most well-known material in this category is Kevlar®, which is a branded aramid similar to what Kleenex® is for tissues.
If you’re looking for lightweight body armor, this is the lightest. Soft body armor is generally the only body armor you’ll find that’s flexible. It’s comfortable and easily concealable under clothing. It’s a great option if you want pistol-rated protection you can wear for an extended period.
One of the downsides to soft armor is that you don't get rifle-rated protection like you usually do with hard armor. It also has a 5-year shelf life, shorter than some of the alternatives we're about to cover.
The rest of our categories fall under the classification of hard body armor, which tends to offer increased (rifle-rated) protection, as well as slash and stab protection. Of course, you're going to have to give something up for that benefit. Hard armor tends to be heavier, bulkier, and less concealable than soft armor.
Learn more about the Pros and Cons of Soft Armor.
P Series: Polyethylene Body Armor
Our P series stands for polyethylene. You’ll sometimes see this abbreviated as PE or as UHMWPE, which stands for Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene.
Polyethylene armor gives you rifle-rated protection while remaining lightweight, durable, and capable of taking multiple hits. Their buoyancy makes them ideal for anyone working around water. There's also a minimal risk of fragmentation with PE.
On the negative side, polyethylene armor (PE) often has high amounts of backface deformation and is susceptible to mild steel core projectile penetration. It's also more expensive, so this may not be the option for those working within a restrictive budget.
Polyethylene can degrade in hot and humid environments, like the trunk of a car, so it's important to store them in a cool dry place to get the most out of their usable life.
One other point to be aware of is PE plates can be ineffective around the edge of the plate. This is because PE is essentially multiple layers of polymer pressed into a solid strike face. Any hit around the edge of the plate will cause the layers to separate and will lead to the premature ejection of the projectile towards the path of least resistance. This will typically be in the form of an exit out of the plate's lip at an angular trajectory, possibly into the wearer.
Learn more about the Pros and Cons of Polyethylene Body Armor.
A Series: Alloy Body Armor
The A series consists of our classic rifle-rated steel alloy plates. We've come a long way since our first piece of Armored Republic in 2012 and we now utilize custom metal alloy blends to achieve better characteristics than the commonly available steel used in targets and other armor plates.
A series plates offer full edge-to-edge protection, perform great against steel core "penetrator" rounds like the M855, and have the least backface deformation of any category. They also boast a 20-year shelf life.
When it comes to multi-hit protection, there's nothing close to monolithic alloy armor. While other materials can often handle several hits if they're evenly spaced across the plate, you do not want to get hit in the same spot twice. Alloy plates don't have that concern. They can take dozens of rounds in a close group and maintain their integrity. That's why they often make sense for close-quarters scenarios.
While the alloy armor A series offers many benefits, it is heavier and bulkier than the other rifle-rated choices. That said, the affordability of steel may allow you to move up a bit in price for a lightweight model with the same level of protection.
One of the criticisms of steel armor is fragmentation. However, this is not a concern if you are using plates with a proper anti-fragmentation coating such as our Fraglock Build-Up coating. For more on that, check out our FragLock Fragmentation Coating page.
Learn more about the Pros and Cons of Alloy Body Armor.
C Series: Ceramic Body Armor
Our C series strike face is ceramic - a hard, mid-weight material designed to stop the highest threat levels. Ceramic armor is what you'll find if you're shopping for level IV-rated plates, capable of defeating 30.06 armor-piercing ammunition.
However, the weakness of ceramics is that they're fragile and can crack when dropped. Plates with monolithic strike faces, depending on manufacturing methods, can stop either a single or multiple hits of 30-06 M2 AP. Most ceramic armor is single-hit rated, however, manufacturers who produce multi-hit level IV plates typically do so with the discretion that the hits are spaced at a minimum of a few inches apart. Multi-hit ceramics often cannot take the same round in the exact same spot more than once despite being able to stop multiple hits across its strike face.
Despite ceramic having a harder strike face surface and being more expensive than alloy plates, ceramics typically only have a 5-year shelf life. Inconsistent edge protection is another concern with these plates.
Learn more about the Pros and Cons of Ceramic Armor.
What are the Levels of Body Armor?
Now you know how to easily navigate the categories of body armor based on their material components. But what are the different levels of body armor? And how do we indicate the protection level within each category?
Elsewhere, we’ve described the body armor protection levels as rated by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ). You may have seen these levels listed as level II, III, and IV. The NIJ sets the testing standards for these levels and published them in their official performance standard, NIJ 0101.06.
Within each category of our product identification framework, we number our armor inserts to reflect their relative performance rating. For example, you'll see two alloy armor inserts, labeled A1 and A2. The A1 insert is your entry-level A series, while your A2 insert is an alloy upgrade with additional benefits.
Learn more about the Levels of Body Armor Ballistic Protection.
Conclusion
So, what’s the best type of body armor? It’s the one that best fits your needs. It’s the one you can afford. It’s the one you’ll wear. You’re the only person who can determine which type of body armor is best for you.
What we hope we’ve done with our body armor product matrix is to make this process more comprehensible for the average citizen. For more information on the basics of body armor, head over to our Body Armor 101 page.