A**R
Can't beat it for the price!
As a uniformed security patrol officer, I made the decision to purchase this vest after being impressed by the quality of the Brifield-branded X1 body camera. The vest was a very competitive price – it’s certainly within the price bracket affordable to most patrol security officers and door staff who don’t have the luxury of being provided such items through their employer. It arrived quickly, and most impressively, was in a large, flat box. Stab-vests aren’t designed to be folded or crumpled up, so knowing it’s been stored correctly in the Amazon warehouse was a big bonus for me.The vest itself was stored inside the supplied black carry bag – which is, as explained above – a great way to store it when it’s not in use. It has carry handles and a reasonably decent zipper to keep the bag closed and the vest free from dirt and dust when stored away. I examined the stitching of both the carry bag and vest very closely, and I was pleased to find it was of a high quality. There were no loose threads or ends, which is often quite common when purchasing mass factory-produced clothing.The first thing that instantly struck me about the vest was the weight. I used to be a Special Constable (back in 2001) and was a regular Police Officer for over a decade (2005-2016). Accordingly, I’ve seen my fair share of stab and ballistic vests, and the various incarnations they’ve gone through. This vest clearly takes advantage of modern technology and design, and is thin and reasonably light-weight. The product page lists the weight as 2.5kg overall, which surprised me as it feels much less! Three of us at work all passed it around between us and every single one of us was surprised at quite how light it feels. For comparison, the military ballistic plates issued in the 70’s weighed approximately 4kg per plate!As a result of the lighter-than-expected weight, there’s a clear opportunity to use the vest as an under-garment. It would sit quite unobtrusively underneath a sweatshirt, jumper, jacket or fleece, however it would need a fair amount of wear until it moulded enough to your body-shape before it could be worn under a standard work shirt. Furthermore, due to the fabric being black, it couldn’t really be worn under a white shirt, you’d really have to be wearing blue, grey or darker colours for it to properly blend in.As far as design goes (it’s mostly explained elsewhere so I won’t repeat the information unnecessarily) there’s a large pocket on the front of the vest which provides ideal storage for a pen and notebook if you do patrol work. Sadly there’s no radio loop(s) but there is plenty of available space if you wanted to add your own iron-on badges for identification purposes, and any radio could be clipped onto the edge of the pocket, the shoulder straps or kept on a waist belt.The vest is obviously a one-size-fits all, and I’m 6ft1 and weigh fifteen stone… It fits me well, and there’s plenty of room in the “wrap around” straps which secure in place using Velcro. There’s no stab-proof padding in the shoulder arches, however I personally see this as a positive – it’s more comfortable to wear and helps to maintain an unobtrusive appearance when worn under casual clothing. You’ll find many nay-sayers who bleat about shoulder protection or side/armpit protection, however they forget that your head, groin and legs are also potential targets! At the end of the day, you need to obtain a fine balance between affordable, reliable protection for your vital areas and doing your job in a full suit of steel armour, which would (obviously) be impossible!Overall I’d offer my genuine recommendations for this product – there’s nothing hidden, and the seller appears to be very professional and quick to respond to any queries. Regrettably, we do live in a dangerous society nowadays, and whilst there’s nothing that will protect you 100% from the threats out there, this vest, along with a good dose of common sense and an ability to keep your wits about you, will protect you pretty well overall.
C**R
Impressive for the price and worth having.
Firstly great customer service, willing to answer questions and be helpful. Quick delivery too.We don't live in a perfect and safe world. This stab vest is like an insurance plan you pay for one time and never have to pay again. It can give you those crucial seconds to react to defend yourself or to survive a vicious quick stab-and-run attack.I have seen stab vests before they they looked flimsy. This, I can assure you, is not the case with this one here that I am leaving a review on. It has overlapping metal plates inside it to protect you from knife attacks on both the front and back. Not only that but it has the correct sized pockets on the front and back so that you can transform this stab vest into a bulletproof vest by adding metal inserts.It's also relatively light, at about 2 kilos or something. This weight is evenly distributed over your body, making this a good choice for someone who wants to dip their toe in on a protective vest that is not expensive and that's comfortable, but also a vest you can at your own leisure, as and when you want to spend, choose to make it bulletproof for a few quid more if you choose by making use of those front and back pockets.Everything is nicely made, good quality and switched well. It is also comfortable. It allows me to have good movement all around, so it does not feel constrictive. Also, because this primarily a front and back stab vest, you can still access gear on your belt that is to the side very easily.Also, the way this vest is made, the internal overlapping metal plates do not cause any discomfort at all, in fact you'd be hard pressed to even find them. As they are only for stab protection they are nice and thin and give you a very comfortable experience while wearing with effective stab protection due to the overlapping nature of the design of this particular vest. Although I can imagine if you choose to add bulletproof plates, it will cause more rigidity, as you would expect. I have seen bulletproof metal inserts around for £25 - £60 depending on how much protection and weight you are comfortable adding after the fact.On a side note, you can also use this as a weight vest for walking off extra calories and building stronger muscles and bones if you add bulletproof metal plates into this. The extra artificial weight makes your body adapt to be stronger to deal with the extra weight.I can recommend this vest for anyone who is wanting stab protection. I can't say the same for the cheap copy vests that are spewed out on the market, but I trust this brand and seller and after inspecting this garment closely myself, I trust it and will be keeping this one... Keep your blood inside your body. Stay safe.
L**4
... level 1 stab vest I am going to be pretty realistic about what you can expect from this vest
Being a relatively affordable level 1 stab vest I am going to be pretty realistic about what you can expect from this vest.This vest is well made, a good fit for me (XL) and will fit anybody from a xxl to a medium. The steel plate coverage covers your centre mass for the most part. You may need to wiggle the plates around to ensure you've got good coverage over your vital organs.The plates cover both front and back, your sides are open but this is to be expected from a lightweight vest.This vest will do the job against degenerates with kitchen knives, stainless steel blades, machetes and the likes. I wouldn't rate it against people armed with puncture specific weapons which can defeat lower grade body armour.There are additional pouches for you to add your own protection. You can either buy stab/puncture panels of various grades or buy Kevlar lining from surplus police stab vests. Both would do a good job of reinforcing this vest.The vest fits well under a standard waterproof coat and movements are not too restricted.Sadly products like this are a necessity in this day and age.
D**N
Good vests, Hope I don't try them out.
The Vests are exactly as described and Im happy with them.The srorage bags however are rather flimsey and the zip broke on one of them on the third use
K**M
its ok
this is ok and fits fine but i do find it a bit heavy .so for wearing for long times i would say dont as it becomes heavy. but it is a good fit and ajustable
A**R
Apperance and quality made, but cannot feel tungsten protective strips.
This item is very well made, it does claim to have internal tungsten protective strips inside, I cannot feel them so they must be under wadding, I hope they are there otherwise it would give little protection.
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