1) Armor from China= Run away! Run away! You have literally NO guarantee what you're getting.
2) If you have no idea what role the armor is going to fill, or what it needs to do for you, than how can you be looking for armor?
But since this is stateside, your major rifle threats are going to be 5.56 M193/M855, 7.62x39, .308, 7.62x54R (because everyone and their goddamn uncle with a Mosin for their SHTF rifle) and 5.45, probably in that order.
If whatever plates you want are not gonna stop 193, 855, x39 and .308, IMHO, there's really no point in buying it.
And yes, you want triple curve. Trust me.
After those considerations, it's merely a consideration of the weight and thickness Vs Price ratio. Short answer, the heavier and fatter the plates are, the less they cost, the thinner and lighter you go, the more they cost. Yes, life sucks.
After that, Get a GOOD PC (not some other chinese ripoff), and do NOT overload it. If you need help picking one out, I have owned (or handled/borrowed) most of the major market options, and also have a worm-like physique.
Unfortunately, I assure you this will likely cost you more than the $500 you want to spend.
I'm not sure why people keep coming up with this number as their "all-in-one" price tag, but you're not the first I've seen ask this same question in the last month alone... I think most folks are spending to much time looking at AR500 or Chicom offbrand "plates+carrier" options and think they can get something better for a similar price point...
Let me put this in perspective- you're looking at around $2-300 for a decent PC alone, likely $4-500 PER plate minimum, if you want something multicurve with reasonable stopping properties and doesn't weigh 9 lbs each.
That's just how it is.
Bookmarks