Do Ceramic Armor Plates Expire
Both are really hot.
Do ceramic armor plates expire. You won t be able to move as quickly or get in and out of shooting positions easily while wearing it. It has been proven that body armor does maintain some of its ballistic properties long after the standard 5 year lifespan. You should expect to wear expired armor at your own risk. Again they do not expire and a pair will probably cost about 300 350.
However there are no guarantees and no official testing for expired armor. 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. Does body armor actually expire. With the necessary spall coating maybe more.
I literally only wear them once or twice a year for a class or match that requires them. 1 body armor is heavy and hot. Steel plates are easily 8lbs or more each. Considering the price ceramic level iv plates are a better investment.
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. Do they really stop working after that long. Expired body armor may not provide adequate protection against deadly force.
A pair of those plates will run close to 200 if you don t skinflint the process. If your armor is expired and you cannot afford something new keep on wearing it. 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. This is because the chemical compounds that make up a vest such as industrial fiber or kevlar degrade over time.