If your armor is expired and you cannot afford something new keep on wearing it.
Do ceramic armor plates expire.
This is because the chemical compounds that make up a vest such as industrial fiber or kevlar degrade over time.
Expired body armor may not provide adequate protection against deadly force.
Do they really stop working after that long.
Considering the price ceramic level iv plates are a better investment.
I literally only wear them once or twice a year for a class or match that requires them.
You won t be able to move as quickly or get in and out of shooting positions easily while wearing it.
So i have a pair of ar500 level iv ceramic plates in my plate carrier.
The soft armor isn t much more than about five pounds but it will wear you out if you aren t used to having it on.
You might have thought that expiration dates are limited to items like food and medicine but body armor and other similar safety products also have a shelf life.
Plate armor is really heavy.
1 body armor is heavy and hot.
However there are no guarantees and no official testing for expired armor.
They have a label that said expires in 5 years and their website says shelf life of 5 years.
No one wants to find out the hard way that an expired vest is no longer viable.
You should expect to wear expired armor at your own risk.
A pair of those plates will run close to 200 if you don t skinflint the process.
With the necessary spall coating maybe more.
Both are really hot.
It has been proven that body armor does maintain some of its ballistic properties long after the standard 5 year lifespan.
Although an expired vest may not be penetrable by a bullet or blade its internal components are more likely to warp crack or dent causing serious bodily harm to the wearer.