Hi I’ve been looking at body armor for a bit, trying to figure out everything but it seems like there’s a lot I feel I’m missing. I started looking at AR500 plates a few years ago and they seem cheap but steel doesn’t seem like the best option. I found SKD tactical and they have house brand plates that seem good for the $$$, ceramic, etc, but then I find other companies that are much more expensive like hesco. I saw a video of a hesco III+ take something like 23 rounds of m855 before penetration, which is awesome.

Is there a primer on this subject for noobs like me? What am I missing when looking at armor? Seems like everyone focuses on one or two brands of plates, I want people to throw out the variety of manufacturers that seem to be doing armor right, so I can understand what the market looks like.