I mentioned a little bit of this in @Goofyfoot2001 ’s thread about his 8lb AR500 III+ plates, but thought I’d start a new thread to share some info on lighter weight plates that won’t break the bank.
Since I recently grabbed a set of the Botach Battel Steel plates, I considered ditching my LAPG level III. The Battle Steel’s multicurve is really nice plus I like that it has a full strike face, not 1” of foam like the LAPG. These are both aggressively priced at around $100/ea so it’s a great comparison.
Because I’m a numbers guy, I weighed and measured both along with my SKD set.
LAPG Lvl III 5lb 1.2oz, 0.98” thick, single curve, shooters cut
Battle Steel Lvl IV 5lb 11.6oz, 0.87” thick, multicurve, shooters cut
SKD Lvl IV 6lb 11.8oz, 0.72” thick, single curve, swimmers cut
In the end, I’ll be keeping them all. Never hurts to have options
. If I were to need more or recommend to a non-door-kicker friend, I’d get the Battle Steel.
None of these are NIJ tested/rated, but all have some decent videos of backyard tests that I think are pretty impressive. Yes, the sample size is 1, so take that for what it’s worth.
LAPG III $115 (10-15% coupons are out there)
https://lapolicegear.com/lapg-level3-plate.html#
Battle Steel IV $99
https://botach.com/battle-steel-level-iv-10x12-ballistic-plates/
SKD IV $199
https://www.skdtac.com/SKD-Armor-10-x-12-Level-IV-Stand-Alone-Plate-p/amr.905.htm
Since I recently grabbed a set of the Botach Battel Steel plates, I considered ditching my LAPG level III. The Battle Steel’s multicurve is really nice plus I like that it has a full strike face, not 1” of foam like the LAPG. These are both aggressively priced at around $100/ea so it’s a great comparison.
Because I’m a numbers guy, I weighed and measured both along with my SKD set.
LAPG Lvl III 5lb 1.2oz, 0.98” thick, single curve, shooters cut
Battle Steel Lvl IV 5lb 11.6oz, 0.87” thick, multicurve, shooters cut
SKD Lvl IV 6lb 11.8oz, 0.72” thick, single curve, swimmers cut
In the end, I’ll be keeping them all. Never hurts to have options
. If I were to need more or recommend to a non-door-kicker friend, I’d get the Battle Steel.None of these are NIJ tested/rated, but all have some decent videos of backyard tests that I think are pretty impressive. Yes, the sample size is 1, so take that for what it’s worth.
LAPG III $115 (10-15% coupons are out there)
https://lapolicegear.com/lapg-level3-plate.html#
Battle Steel IV $99
https://botach.com/battle-steel-level-iv-10x12-ballistic-plates/
SKD IV $199
https://www.skdtac.com/SKD-Armor-10-x-12-Level-IV-Stand-Alone-Plate-p/amr.905.htm
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