1. Materials are so important when consider a product that may be called upon to save your life. We use the best and highest performing materials on the market, Spectra II and Kevlar XP comprising our latest NIJ certified design, the Quantum KXP 3-A.
Our 9mm V-50 is 1901 Ft./Sec at only 1 Lbs/Sq. Ft.. That's extreme performance, and it's due to the fact we use the highest performing ballistic materials. Stick with the HIGH PERFORMANCE NUMBERS and Proven materials! We do have economy vests, and they are just as nice looking and functional, but not as light or as extreme performing as the Quantum KXP 3-A system. We use the same outer cover materials for all concealable vests so you can expect great comfort and features no matter what ballistic systems you choose
We fired two SS 197SR rounds with the blue pointed polycarbonate tip
from this FN57 firearm 1" apart at our Quantum KXP 3-A, and 2 Ft from
the panel; both rounds stopped exactly in the same place, the second
layer of the Kevlar XP material! This round penetrates better than
the 44 magnum and the steel cased lead core Tokerov pistol round also
known as the 7.62mm x 25mm. This round rips out at 1900 Ft/Sec, and it's
no problem for the Quantum KXP 3-A. This is why when choosing your armor
stick with the High V-50 numbers. There are so many vests out there that
can't stop this round. The P-90 tends to fire this round faster so we
don't guarantee the system against that weapon, Also the SS190 is the AP
version and you need Skaalar Exo-Skin Gen 2 for that projectile fired from
any weapon.
Although no soft armor is guaranteed to work on the edge you can
clearly see that this Tokerov pistol round travelling at 1438
Ft./Sec hit less than an inch from the edge and is caught
safely in the Kevlar XP flattened and contained.
These are 5.7mm x 28mm SS197 SR rounds that travel over 1900 Ft./Sec
from a the FN57 pistol, they are very hard to stop.
Above left ~ The contact shot is the police officer's worst
threat, because the accelerated gasses cause more damage to the ballistic system
before the round impacts the vest. Normally as you see in the
pictures above these pictures you would see two clean holes, but the
gasses really make a mess of the ballistic materials. Above center ~
However, so long as you have a well designed system, and
with enough margin of safety, the bullets don't really penetrate any
further than a regular shot, and it tends to tear apart the bullet easier, although this phenomenon may vary
with different bullets. Above right ~ There is still over 57% of the ballistic material that is untouched and can still absorb a
large amount of energy. This laminate vest is overdesigned, and that's
the key when using a 100% laminate materials, even though it's over
designed it's still 25% lighter than a typical 100% plain woven Kevlar
vest. Lighter and higher performing in all categories.
This is a popular Law Enforcement round, and in the picture to the far
top left shows a 9mm Sig 226, and you can see the two holes on the
right side of the panel. This is the strike face and these rounds are
travelling fast; true level 2 threats, and typical of an LE hand gun
round. The picture at the top right shows that the first pack of Spectra
is a mess, but as you can see that first 7 layers even though badly
disorientated from the hot gasses preceding the bullet, it still does
enough to effect the bullet, and these fast +P 9mm rounds stop easily in
the first layer of Kevlar XP. Why not, after all the the Kevlar XP and
the final pack of Spectra on the wearer's side is an easy level II in
weight. The idea that a laminate vest of proper design and materials
can't deal with a realistic contact shot is ridiculous. The Quantum KXP 3-A is up
to the task, and will protect you from pistol threats, even contact
shots. Notice these bullets hit the Kevlar XP and after the first pack
of Spectra II they are flattened and in pieces, they have no chance of
penetrating the unit, and as for the NIJ 124 gr. 9mm FMJ, well 1901 Ft./Sec V-50
speaks for itself.
To the left top picture you can see the CZ52 pistol that fires the
7.62mm x 25mm pistol threat, which is a speedy little hard cased
pistol rounds at velocities that are regularly over 1425 Ft./Sec. As you
can see we really tried to fail this system on a contact shot with a
triangle of muzzle contact shots 1.75" apart. The 1st and 3rd rounds
made it only into the 2nd layer of Kevar XP, while the second round
was able to pass into the first layer of the second pack of Spectra,
which is the biggest pack of the system. Also interesting to note is
the fact the bullets rip themselves apart in the contact shot
scenario. In the second picture the bullets are nothing but pieces.
If you look up at previous picture above you will see that normal shots
from a distance of 2 - 15 Ft. leave the bullet in a mushroom shape.
One of the reasons why this system also is good against fragments is
the ability to tumble a hard steel fragment before it enters the
final Spectra pack; against bullet constructions that are softer the
first pack of Spectra absorbs the muzzle gasses and saps the bullet's
energy, while the Kevlar XP rips the bullet apart and/or flattens
it, and then the final pack of Spectra picks up the remains if
necessary. By the time anything gets to the final pack of Spectra
there are no more muzzle gasses, and the bullet is severely damaged
or in pieces, which makes for an easy stop by the last pack.
TRITON® HANDGUN AMMO
| 9 mm+P | 125 | HV-JHP | 1,250 | 434 |
2. We also use the best wicking and sweat removal material on the market, "Drifire Exstatic". This new material is used by the military fire fighters and possesses excellent anti microbial properties. If you forget or have no time to wash your cover(s) don't worry your vest won't stink the next day as "Drifire Exstatic" inhibits bacterial growth that causes the bad smell, and really feels nice and dry on the body.
3. One of the most important issues in concealable vest design is where the coverage is. Most manufacturers and we won't call them out by name, but they know who they are, make equal or near equal coverage in the width of the front and back panels. This is just wrong. A notable scientist Gene Wolberg of the San Diego P.D. back in the early 1990's envisioned the idea of the San Diego coverage vest, this is where the front panel is the widest portion of the vest because cops face the danger most of the time, and leaving the seam at the side of the body doesn't address the statistics of what your going to face as a cop. You want the side coverage to be without gaps and to have any seams as far to the back as possible so the addressed angle of incidence of a potential attack is in your favor. Here's the real issue though, this cost more to do, and is harder to get good efficiency on the cutting table, and this is all about money and medium to big sized companies and their bottom line, and it has nothing to do with your safety, think about it!
4. Over site of what's being made in a factory is very important, and unfortunately most companies are more about trying to be big instead of responsible. Look at Second Chance, DHB enterprises, and most companies with respect to the Zylon debacle; that was mostly about greed and having a place so big and departmentalization that removes knowledgeable eyes from one of the most important decisions you'll ever make, what armor you are going to wear. "Less really is More" especially when it comes to life saving equipment, companies that are spread out over a football field are a recipe for a disaster, it is just impossible to have expert over site on critical aspects of the manufacturing and to maintain quality of the performance of the production line product. Every big company has had major re-calls.
It's pretty clear we've made a good case for choosing Evolution brand armor, we never get them back, all we ever hear is "Thanks, this is best armor I have ever worn", but we do have a 30 day return policy, but have never had one sent back except for occasional alterations. That says a lot; the San Diego style vest has been manufactured since 1992, and we are making it again with all the right stuff!
