Lightweight level 4 plate recommendation?

[Wooohah]

What are some lighter weight level 4 plate options?
My budget is $1,000 for the set. I may... have a little bit of wiggle room.
My requirements are they have to be NIJ level 4, they have to come in Large (10x13) and be multi curve. They also must be standalone.

I'm looking for options under 8 pounds per plate for a large.

I'm having a pretty hard time finding anything.

[MegademiC]

Hesco 4600.

https://www.turnerarmco.com/Hesco-46.../hsc4600sa.htm

[SMFdarkangel]

FYSA

https://www.justnet.org/body_armor/a...ce-2020-01.pdf

Originally Posted By patriot_man:
It was due to a FIT test where one plate failed (out of four) for the M2 Armor Piercing.

Production has ceased for the investigation but I do know some people who have bought 4600 after all distributors/dealers were notified of this failure... I pull them from my site immediately but some choose to still sell their stock on hand. I've been told the 4600 will be back soon.

[Sparky5019]

I’ve got level 4 lightweight ceramics from http://www.bulletproofme.com and they’ve been outstanding. I think the set was about $500 IIRC. Triple curve “shooter cut” front and triple curve rectangle back. Good kit.

[omegajb]

Your criteria certainly narrows your choices. The silicone version of this plate comes in at just under 8lbs but it's not NIJ certified, but tested to their standards.
https://tacticalscorpiongear.com/tac...api-plate.html

Paraclete 9900SA would meet your size and weight requirements but I don't know what they cost.

Sent from my SM-T860 using Tapatalk

[El Vaquero]

I have the level IV Hesco 4600. But only because they were much cheaper than others. I have two rifle mags and a med pouch loaded on it. I’ve worn on it on a few classes and on critical incidents. It’s not light, but not super heavy. Definitely not running with it on. If I had your budget I would go with some nice Level III+ There are some fantastic lightweight options. Your Level III+ will really stop just about all of your common rifle threats. There’s really only one armor piercing round the Level IV is rated to that the III+ isn’t.

Is the Level IV requirement a Department thing?

[t1tan]

^agree

Unless Level IV is mandated for you for some reason, pick a plate based on your potential threat, there are a lot of good light and thin options that will stop a lot these days.

[Valhalla]

Check these out. It's not SAPI-sized (most NIJ plates are LE sized, aka 10x12) and only single-curve. But it weights whopping 5.4lb each... plus 10 year warranty. Most plates I've looked at only have a 6 or 7 year warranty.

https://hrttacticalgear.com/product/...s-armor-plate/

It's slightly above your budget I would pay that extra to shave off 4+ lbs...



Valhalla Tactical

[hotrodder636]

Another vote for Hesco.

Hesco 4600.

https://www.turnerarmco.com/Hesco-46.../hsc4600sa.htm

[Esquire]

Whatever you do, DONT go with hoplite, the plates are technically good to go as they are made by LTC, but the company is a bunch of jerks. Held my money for almost 2 months, lied constantly on updates, and then became combative over requests for an update and eventual charge back. There is an entire thread on them over at arfcom.