I once read a very interesting question in reference to the issue of used overt or covert body armour: Would you buy a second hand parachute that you didn’t know the history of, strap it onto your back, jump out of a plane and hope for the best?
What a great question, and I very much hope I know your answer.
The English saying ‘better safe than sorry’ makes more sense within personal safety than in any other field. Professionals whose responsibilities include dealing with potentially hostile members of the public simply should not gamble with their lives.
Just like the previously mentioned parachute, a used body armour could have been stored inappropriately, it could have been mistreated, or it could have just passed its shelf life. Never mind the fact that the previous owner might have suffered from an assault wearing the very same body armour.
Any of these issues could potentially lead to a major performance loss and lead to the defeat of such body armour… which could subsequently end your life.
Well, you might say, money is a major issue in today’s financial climate and body armour are not the cheapest of all products. Yes, you are certainly right with such statement, but gambling with your life cannot be the solution. There is another saying, which makes quite a bit of sense: “You pay peanuts you get monkeys’, meaning if you expect from a product to save your life and if your life might well depend on it… you will have to pay a certain price for it. Explain your situation to your supplier, and if your supplier is compassionate they might well offer you a slightly better deal. You could try?
Many people have recognised the potential financial gain used body armour can make via eBay and many army surplus stores have now seen the business opportunity behind the sales of such products. But let us forget the financial gain for a second and think of the morals behind it. Are these individuals not gambling with our friend’s, associate’s, colleague’s or family member’s lives? Whatever they state and whatever they claim they have apparently done to ensure the quality of their used body armour… I personally do not believe a word. Not because I believe they are all bad people, but simply because in my professional opinion it is impossible to guarantee the protection level of a used body armour without extensive and costly testing.
A used body armour, older than five years old should be returned to the original manufacturer for a professional re-evaluation, using up-to-date technology in order to re-issue a manufacturers warranty.
In case you have any technical question in reference to body armour please comment on my blog and I will get back to you shortly.
