Best Body Armor of 2024 [Tested]: Hard Plates & Soft Armor - Pew Pew Tactical

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Updated 03.12.24: Removed Advanced Slickster Plate Carrier

Updated 10.12.23: Removed AR500 Lightweight UHMWPE

Looking to prevent extra holes in your body?

The world of body armor is confusing…with misinformation abounding and tons of technical stuff. But we’ve got you covered.

The Pew Pew Tactical team and network have been wearing all different types of armor for years. And we’ve shot up a BUNCH of body armor.

And before we run through our recommendations…we’ll walk you through the important technical aspects so you can choose the best armor for your end-use and budget.

Ready? Let’s go!

Safe Life Multi-Threat Level IIIA Vest

AR500 Level III+ Lightweight Steel Body Armor

Spartan Armor Body Armor Single Plate Level III+

Spartan Armor Elaphros Level III UHMWPE Body Armor, Set of 2

AR500 Level IV Ceramic Body Armor

RTS Tactical Carrier & Armor Kits

Velocity Systems Special Threat Ceramic Plates

Mira Tactical Level IV Plate

The PPT editorial team and our writers contributed to this article. We have a combined shooting experience of 30+ years, including instruction, competition, and multiple shooting disciplines.

We’ve spent countless hours researching and analyzing guns and gear to determine which is the best when it comes to features, reliability, ergonomics, and bang for your buck.

We had to make some tough calls. If you don’t see your favorite budget blaster on here, it doesn’t mean we hate it, just that we couldn’t include it this time.

Almost all manufacturers are under a big lead time due to current events…so be aware!

Best Soft Armor for Civilians & Law Enforcement

A light and comfortable all-in-one solution that can be worn outside to be super concealable.

The Safe Life Multi-Threat Vest in Level 3A gives you a lot of coverage on your torso and sides. Check out the panels that go into the vest.

Plus, it’s strike and slash resistant…and doesn’t add too much width to your sides.

It comes in other variants such as First Response, Level 3A+, High-Vis, and Tactical Molle.

We’ve been wearing it around the office, and so far, it’s very comfortable as advertised.

Stay tuned for our shooting tests! But for right now highly recommend it for an all-in-one handgun-rated low-profile vest.

Use code PEWPEW10 for 10% off.

Safe Life Multi-Threat Level IIIA Vest

Prices accurate at time of writing

Prices accurate at time of writing

The FRAS system is much thicker/heavier compared to the regular Level 3A system above, but it’s still reasonably soft and bendy where it counts.

Keep in mind if you want rifle-rated armor, you’d have to go hard plates.

This system covers much more of your torso compared with plates.

The weight is around the same as going with a super light carrier and plates (small is around 15 lbs).

Check out the number of plates a single FRAS replaces…

We’re going to train with this one soon, but one possible drawback is that the cumberbund isn’t too stretchy and might inhibit heavy breathing. Oh, yea…and it’s a pretty penny.

We’ll report back with some testing, but this is really cool if it can replace plates in certain situations.

Use code PEWPEW10 for 10% off.

Prices accurate at time of writing

Prices accurate at time of writing

Next up…the ability to defeat rifle rounds!

Best AR500-Based Steel Armor Plates

We’re big fans of AR500 Armor (yes, confusing name), likely the largest player in AR500-based armor, and we’ve tested it ourselves.

Check this video out for all their offerings:

As well as our full review of all their products.

One of our favorites (and what we wear most of the time) is their Level III+ Lightweight Steel Body Armor.

As we mentioned, Level III+ isn’t an NIJ rating, so pay attention to the details. AR500 uses independent testing and is very clear about what its armor can and cannot handle.

Level III+ takes care of the zippy M193 5.56 rounds (which are standard NATO rounds).

Plus…it’s much more lightweight and thinner than its regular III+ counterpart.

We’d also recommend going with their curve for comfort and a build-up layer of Paxcon to mitigate spalling.

AR500 Level III+ Lightweight Steel Body Armor

Prices accurate at time of writing

Prices accurate at time of writing

What’s your take on the AR500 Armor Level III+ Lightweight? Rate it below.

Another big player in the AR500-based steel armor space is Spartan Armor.

Their plates look better, and they have more movement-inducing cuts compared to AR500 Armor.

They also use a nicer feeling/looking coating comparatively and a rubbery material on the back…if that matters.

Again, we’d go with their Level III+ plates for proper rifle protection.

They are NIJ certified, and we’ll be bringing their plates out to the desert soon for our own testing!

We recommend upgrading to the Full Coat Frag Mitigation Coating for additional protection from shrapnel. It will increase the weight of your plates a bit but will protect you from spalling.

Spartan Armor Body Armor Single Plate Level III+

Prices accurate at time of writing

Prices accurate at time of writing

How about something lighter but at the cost of a little thickness?

If you want ultra-light protection that still will defend you against rifle-rated threats, check out Spartan Armor Elaphros Lightweight Level III UHMWPE body armor.

These plates were designed for operators who needed maximum maneuverability but still wanted great protection at an extended distance. They’re also stab-resistant for close-quarters protection and are multi-shot rated.

Manufactured using Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) Hybrid Fibers, these plates weigh in at a mere 3.5 pounds per 10×12 plate.

We shot them up in our standalone Ceramic & UHMWPE Body Armor review.

It took Tula 7.62×39 strong and had some more extensive rear deformation from M80 (7.62×51). But you’d probably survive.

Stopping Wolf .223 was easy, and we actually had a difficult time finding the impact.

And although the Elaphros technically isn’t rated for the faster M193…it survived that as well. However, it did get stopped by M855 Green Tip.

The lesson here is…if Level 3 is all you need…this will do it.

Spartan Armor Elaphros Level III UHMWPE Body Armor, Set of 2

Prices accurate at time of writing

Prices accurate at time of writing

Spartan offers a 5-year warranty, and these plates have a 5-year shelf life. But if you’re looking for a little more protection…check out…

Best Ceramic Level IV Body Armor

If you’re looking for a little bit more serious protection and don’t mind the bulk, AR500’s Level IV Ceramic/PE armor might be what you’re looking for.

Like the AR500 steel plates, you can find ceramic plates in a variety of cuts and sizes.

You’ll pay a little more per plate than you would for similar steel plates, but you do get an extra level of protection from high-powered rounds.

These plates run about an inch thick and weigh about 8.3 pounds a plate. They also come with a 10-year manufacturer’s warranty and have a 10-year shelf-life.

Oh, yeah…and they stopped a couple of shots of 30.06 M2AP armor-piercing rounds.

If you’ve got the dough…

AR500 Level IV Ceramic Body Armor

Prices accurate at time of writing

Prices accurate at time of writing

RTS Tactical is a relative newcomer, but they’ve made a name for themselves with ultra-affordable ceramic level IV armor at ~$150 a plate.

Scary…having affordable and level IV in the same sentence…

One thing that’s different is that they are some thicc bois at 1.1″ and 6.3 lbs.

The weight is actually ok, but you’ll need a more conventional carrier rather than something more minimalist since it likely won’t be able to hold it. My Crye JPC 2.0 did not like it at all.

But there are enough YouTube videos out there showing decent punishment. And I received a third-party ballistic test result from them.

We finally got the chance to test them in our Ceramic & UHMWPE series.

An initial 7.62×39 shot landed dead center, and the plate has very little cavitation.

However, additional hits from M80 ball caused severe damage and effectively put the plate out of the running.

Some .223 rounds after started deflecting, and the final Black Tip rounds cut the plate in half…something we didn’t see in other Level 4 plates.

Unfortunately, our sequence of rounds didn’t lend the plate well to a direct Black Tip hit to start off with…but for the price, it did really well against 7.62×39.

RTS Tactical Ceramic Level IV Plate

Prices accurate at time of writing

Prices accurate at time of writing

If you’re going the affordable route…check out their plate/carrier combos so you can be sure it will fit.

The carrier is decently built but a little cumbersome by today’s standards. Still good if you aren’t using it day in and day out.

RTS Tactical Carrier & Armor Kits

Prices accurate at time of writing

Prices accurate at time of writing

When price is no object for the right protection.

Their body armor is top-of-the-line and trusted by law enforcement and military personnel, and it’s for a good reason.

The Velocity Systems Special Threat Ceramic Plates are multi-strike rated and tested against 7.62×39 Mild Steel Core, 7.62×51 M80 Ball, 5.56×45 M855, and 5.56×45 M193, which puts this armor at around a level III+ (though Velocity doesn’t specify).

These plates only come in a 10×12 inch traditional cut size, but they’re triple curved to hug the contour of your body and are 0.60 inches thick.

Each plate weighs 6 pounds, which does put them on the heavier–but more protective–end of things.

Velocity Systems Special Threat Ceramic Plates

Prices accurate at time of writing

Prices accurate at time of writing

It can be hard to get ahold of Velocity Systems armor since the company will only sell directly to law enforcement or the military, but it can be found at other retailers.

Is RMA really the king of armor?

Their Level IV’s come in at a super hefty 8 pounds per plate and are 1 inch thick.

Off to the desert for testing!

Our first 7.62×39 round took a good chunk of ceramic but didn’t manage to fully penetrate …on all other plates, we could see the backing material.

Plus…no backface deformation that we could tell.

Our M80 7.62×51 shots managed to sneak one round through when it was very close to a previous hole.

The same thing occurred with Wolf .223 as the end of the strings got through as the plate got more and more damaged.

However…the M2AP Black Tip was stopped…and with almost no rear deformation.

A second round of Black Tip was not a good time, though…

The price is good at ~$160 a plate for certified Level 4 protection. It’s a little heavier, but rear deformation is almost nonexistent for the shots it stopped.

But if you’re looking for good multi-hit protection, you might want to move on. We reached out to RMA, and we’ve got you a 5% discount with code PEWPEWTACTICAL5 .

RMA Armament Level IV Multi-Curve Plate

Prices accurate at time of writing

Prices accurate at time of writing

We love our Mira gas masks, as reviewed in our Best Gas Masks article.

But how does their armor fare? Specifically their Level IV.

Again…take a look at the details in our Ceramic & WHMWPE test in the desert. But here’s the gist.

It was the only Level IV plate to take two direct M2AP hits.

But let’s back it up… They are pretty light at under 6 pounds per plate and .9 inches thick .

Our starting Tula 7.62×39 rounds didn’t cause any issues, although a good amount of ceramic was blown out…par for the course.

The next M80 shot took out another chunk of ceramic but had no rear exit hole. However, there was a decently noticeable distension in the back.

The second M80 shot somehow got deflected upwards. Commendable in stopping two 7.62×51 rounds when others failed.

Onto four rounds of .223…only the last one got through after the previous three seriously compromised the area. Not bad.

At this point, we were afraid the plate was not going to survive any M2AP Black Tip rounds.

It caught the first one, which tied it with the previous ceramic plates.

And amazingly caught a second round.

If you’re looking at an all-around Level 4 ceramic plate …the Mira Tactical Level IV is a great choice.

We’ve got you a discount as well…save 15% off armor with code PEWPEW15.

Mira Tactical Level IV Plate

Prices accurate at time of writing

Prices accurate at time of writing

We’ve gone through all our civilian options…

Now, how about something for law enforcement?

These are from well-known companies that sell exclusively to the police and military. Sorry, normies!

Tactical Panel They are usually custom-fit since they are meant to be worn all day long.