Steel Vs. Ceramic Body Armor - Separating Fact From Fiction  

Ceramics don’t go bad that quickly that’s just when the warranty expires, if u take care of them they’ll last longer

Lol... Exactly

@@noahmcdonald5208 yup, always do the tap and torque test 👍

I'm happy it helped! Thanks for watching!

Thanks! There's a bunch of links in the description. But there's a ton of options out there.

Thank you!

I'd rather have the juice to hire somebody like Bobba Fett. In the fictional and real worlds, one pattern you see consistently is that the people really in charge of things rarely ever have to put themselves in the line of fire.

Stuff blocks lightsabers! Only beaten by the mysterious invisible plot armor you see on Finn :D

Thank you! I also have honest videos shooting both steel and ceramic that backs up a lot of what I've said and debunks basically all of the scare tactic anti-steel maniacs out there. Again..thank you!

Do you have bag for Your plates ans stop fragmentation?

I'll get some UHMWPE plates one of these days. It's just out of my budget for now. Thanks for watching.

It is more of a liability limit rather than an operation or function limit. That's not to say that degradation isn't a thing though. But yes, assuming you've taken care of your plates, the "limit" can be more of a gray fuzzy line. My ceramic plates basically live in my truck and are worn 6 to 10 times per month. So mine will degrade faster than many.

A different company told me the problem is that even on the shelf, the adhesive used to bond plastic or fabric layers will break down and separate.

That idiot is what spawned this video.

@@RTTGunsGear oh, I’m sure. As soon as I saw your thumbnail I knew it. 🤣.

@@DesertTactical I just love it when people try to act as an authority on an item because they buy expensive things...that aren't that item. Like that idiot literally said, I own expensive night vision and that's why I know about body armor.

@@RTTGunsGear 🤣🤣🤣. Facts.

I'll be getting 4 of them soon hopefully.

Side plates add weight and bulk and can hurt mobility. However, they also add protection. I don't run them, but it's going to depend on your perceived threat and what you believe the likelihood is of getting engaged from all sides.

@@RTTGunsGear I’m more worried about shrapnel from missiles and the fallout that ensues than direct fire. Good to know about the mobility. Just felt rather naked on the sides when wearing normal plate on front and back.

Ceramic tiles for something like your bathroom or kitchen are a bit different ceramic, but they're also sealed from moisture from the manufacturer or sealed after installation. Everything has a shelf life on a long enough timeline. Steel armor can even "go bad" (get rusty) if improperly stored. Which means it loses some of its capabilities.

Yeah dingleberry, that's the basic anti rust coating. The actual build up coating will catch as many rounds as ceramic is rated for before failure and rounds passsing thru

Plates (and shields ) can be made from fiberglass welding cloth and epoxy resins. You can add porcelain tiles to the face as well.

Well said

One could do 100 different things to mitigate that. You could wrap the edge in duct tape as well. For this video, it's not so much about the what could be. But what is. Thanks though.

It doesn't expire per say. It's fragile and prone to cracking if dropped and needs to be x-ray around the "expiration" date

Many years ago I did a test with steel plates from Scorpius Tactical. And made a jig with 5/16 wooden dowel rods to represent ribs. Check that out.

@@RTTGunsGear I'll definitely have to look for that 👍

It probably depends on the scope and nature of what's actually hitting the fan, so to speak. We tend to think of SHTF only in terms of some global civilization-ending collapse, some sort of instant total reversion to medieval times. Nothing's impossible of course, but chances are far greater that it would be something very different from that. Something is always in the fan blades somewhere in the world at any given time, and even in failed states, the market for weapons and other military hardware is always functional. Supply always finds demand, and if economic and manufacturing systems came apart at a wider scale, someone somewhere will find themselves in control of a warehouse full of un-issued ceramic plates, anything else you can think of, and some things you can't. They would want something you have, or something a middle man has who trades with you.

If SHTF ever happens they'll likely make body armor illegal and seize it along with firearms. Look up New York's S9407B or Congress's failed attempt Responsible Body Armor Possession Act.

So, if you're buying steel and soft armor, you may as well buy level IV ceramic. If I were to layer soft and monolithic steel armor, I'd put the soft armor on top of the steel. With the trauma pad obviously under all of it.

No one seems to have a video on this. Its all im looking for

yes it does ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Dt6KLDPlGAg.html

@@zachbartlett2829 yes

The plate itself would hold up very well, the issue you'll have is ricochets which could bounce that incoming round to somewhere that's not great. The ceramic will catch it somewhat and create a large gouge on really oblique shots but usually wont completely ricochet, although some really oblique shots could end up ricochet off the ceramic plate, cracking it in the process. So ceramics are going to generally be much safer at more off-nominal angles of impact versus steel but at least the steel itself wont physically fail from said shot but the results are not going to be as great for the person getting shot.

Here's some very nice ceramic armor bit.ly/3ZZfecb

I think Demo Ranch did something like that.

I made my own plates using only materials found in a general dollar store, with a spending limit of $15.00. (On a challenge & for fun) These were not expected to stop anything, other then maybe .22 long lol. They were much lighter then AR550+ Would I depend on these in a combat environment, no…hell no! There’s no replacement for the real thing however, I would use them if I had to…absolutely. These plates totally blew us away! Using green scour pads under the mastic truly caught every piece of fragmentation, the common ceramic tiles over the two hard cover books stopped everything listed below easily. So I absolutely believe that flex seal, especially the spray would work well! Try it! Side note, we lit up one plate with 5.56 rounds and absolutely no stopping that speed! Especially at that range. But, it worked great for high caliber hand gun rounds as well as lower caliber eg 9mm FMJ through a 16” barrel. So, LVL IIA perhaps? In synopsis, this plate stopped repeated close range shots of multiple calibers with barely any deformation at the back. We were all totally surprised, nothing made it through! Materials used listed below: 2-1” thick hard cover books, spline to spline, sitting in pan. 2-11”x11” baking pans (books fit into pans after tin snipping baking sheet high sides) as general carriers for the books, one baking sheet per back of plate 9-common counter top style ceramic tiles atop the books. (3 running up the left, 3 up the right side & 3 up the center & atop of all the tiles behind) Adhesive used just to pin down the tiles Tightly wrapped electrical tape around the books, pans and tiles 5-green scour pads atop the wrapped materials above (as secondary anti spall agent) 1- thick coating of duct sealant (as used in HVAC applications) over everything as primary anti spall agent. Finished the experiment with a roll of green colored duct tape to wrap everything, more for looks as it made everything look as one piece. This garbage stopped everything from both hand guns & rifles, starting with .22 lr , .380, 9mm from 16” barrel, 45 acp, .45 long & .44 magnum were shot using only hand guns running FMJ ammo from a distance of 15’. I believe I was trying to mimic realistic distance according to FBI data, which was I think 11’ at the time. All for $12 bucks, some crap laying around the garage, and a fun experiment!

@@BluesStraightFromTheHarp instead of books, use fiberglass welding cloth

I think indefinite is a bit of a push. But yes, the lifespan can absolutely be lengthened without use. But long exposure to humidity can still effect the ceramic, even without use. Just like in a very humid environment, even coated steel plates can start rusting.

@@RTTGunsGear Thanks for the response. Your analysis certainly makes sense, and it's very clear that there are pros and cons of each type. I also like your recommendations to get the buildup with steel, and that both types can safe your life.

thanks for the laugh. I can't wait for those bullet proof ironman suits to come out.

I went with steel for vehicle ops and stationary duty. If I am patrolling on foot, I won't wear any armor.

It’s funny because you’re wrong and you don’t understand anything really, yet you call me uninformed. You’re as bad as the idiot that tells someone how dumb they are when misspelling everything.

I don't know what you mean by "generally manufactured."" And there are three basic sizes... 8x10, 10x12, 11x13. I'm sure if you're willing to pay out of the nose, a company somewhere will make a custom set of plates. But I've never heard of it.