FAQ

A single set of our stab resistant body armour can range from around £440.00 – £545.00, this is dependant on what type and style of body armour you’re looking for, such as overt or covert and other options you might want to include. You can contact our team to find out more.

Based on sizes S – 3XL, our body armour weighs between 1.7kg – 1.95kg.

Our stab resistant body armour panels come with a 10-year warranty and have no shelf life.

Our stab resistant body armour panels are made from a special lightweight and super tough carbon fibre composite called Fortiply™. Fortiply™ is exclusive to PPSS Group and can only be obtained from us, to learn more about why we chose carbon fibre, you can read our blog here.

Our body armour requires very little maintenance, the panels can easily be removed from the covers and wiped clean with a damp cloth. The covers can be machine washed up to 30°C (86°F) and we recommend air drying them, the body armour covers also have a six-month workmanship warranty.

We also recommend hanging your body armour up when in storage or not being worn, or standing it upright with the panels not resting flat on the floor.

Absolutely, our stab resistant body armour is fully certified, and most importantly meets the Home Office Body Armour Standard. This standard is there to assess and test the performance of body armour. The requirements for these standards were derived from a series of consultations with stakeholders including the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC), the Police Federation, end-users, manufacturers of body armour, accredited test facilities, the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) Physical Protection Group and other technical experts. Our body armour meets the following standards from the Home Office: KR1 & SP1.
If you want to check for yourself which body armour manufacturers have Home Office certifications and whether they are in date etc. You can do so very easily by searching the Police PED (Protective Equipment Database). The Police PED holds information on protective equipment that has met the test requirements and standards of the Home Office. Once there you can search for specific manufacturers or even search by specific certifications such as KR1 or SP1, here is a link to PPSS Group on the PED.

KR1 (KR = Knife Resistance) is part of the UK Home Office Body Armour Standards, where body armour is tested against the resistance of a knife. The testing body, which is the DSTL (Defence Science & Technology Laboratory) uses a test apparatus that drops a knife at several different velocities onto the body armour. Surprisingly, the body armour is allowed to be penetrated at KR1 testing, but by no more than 30mm. During the KR1 test, our body armour allowed 0mm of penetration. We’re more than happy to provide evidence of any of our certifications and test results. You can also learn more by reading our blog on ‘the global rise of knife crime’.

SP1 (SP = Spike Resistance) is part of the UK Home Office Body Armour Standards, where body armour is tested against the resistance of a spike. The testing body, which is the DSTL (Defence Science & Technology Laboratory) uses a test apparatus that drops a spike at several different velocities onto the body armour. Unlike the knife resistance test, the spike test allows zero penetration. Our body armour has the SP1 certification and we’re more than happy to provide evidence of any of our certifications.

VPAM (Vereininigung der Prüfstellen für Angriffshemmende Materialien und Konstruktionen) is a testing body based in Germany, like the UK’s DSTL (Defence Science & Technology Laboratory) who tests on behalf of the Home Office. The reason why we used VPAM for our blunt force testing is very clear to us. After extensive research conducted by us and with the help of the end users of our products and a huge worldwide survey. We have found that categorically the highest cause of injury and most risk to frontline professionals is blunt force trauma. So therefore, we needed the best available testing for blunt force trauma impacts for our body armour. Although the Home Office standards are very good, they only test up to 24 joules of impact for blunt force trauma. VPAM test to a standard called W5, which is equivalent to 100 joules of impact. To put that into perspective, a 100 joules impact would be equivalent to a typical blow from a professional heavy weight boxer. That’s why we chose VPAM for that certification, and you can read our CEO’s blog on ‘the dangers of blunt force trauma’ and our whitepaper which was born from our extensive research we mentioned above.

Yes, you can speak to our body team by contacting us, and we can discuss your requirements, there’s a whole range of modifications we can do. From extra camera clips, ID pockets, molle, zip up front, bespoke pockets for things like parking meters, radios etc. There’s also a whole range of colours and two-tone designs we can offer.

We are very flexible and are keen to work with clients on any bespoke design requirements, however, being fully transparent, we may require that there is an MOQ (minimum order quantity) for bespoke designs.

Body Armour can come in several types, formed or unformed for example. Formed means that the panels are shaped and rigid, unformed is flat panels that are not shaped but rigid. There is also ‘soft armour,’ which can be formed or unformed, but is not rigid and doesn’t contain any panels. We chose to use rigid formed armour as we believe it offers the best and most varied levels of protection. Due to extensive research conducted by us and with the help of the end users of our products and a huge worldwide survey. We have found that categorically the highest cause of injury and most risk to frontline professionals is blunt force trauma. As a result of these findings, we believe formed armour offers the best protection from blunt force trauma and other threats such as spikes. You can learn more about our findings and research by reading our dedicated blog clearly highlighting our reasons why we much prefer a rigid body armour design.

Absolutely, our stab resistant body armour is current and competently up to date with all regulations and in life monitoring procedures, such as UKCA and CE marking. As stab resistant body armour is Category III PPE, as per regulations we hold current module B and D certificates issued by our notification body. In the interests of transparency, we’re more than happy to provide evidence of all our certifications and regulatory body requirements.

You can watch a video here on how to correctly fit your body armour, we will also supply you with sizing charts and we’re more than happy to offer you best advice on fitting and sizing.

Yes of course, you can contact our body armour team. Our team will be happy to talk about options with you and dependant on the size of your order we may even be able to offer a discount.

Yes, our high visibility stab resistant body armour meets EN ISO 20471 standards. EN ISO 20471 is an international standard and testing method, that imposes requirements on visible workwear for employees in high-risk areas by visually increasing their presence. You can learn more about the importance of high-visibility standards by reading our hi-vis body armour blog.

Yes, our stab resistant body armour comes in two variants, covert and overt. Our body armour panels are also interchangeable between the overt and covert covers.

Yes, this is something we can do. However, we recommend if you are looking at bulk purchasing for your team or organisation. You can have a free no obligation meeting with our Director of Corporate Relations, Mike Bird. Mike is very experienced and spent 20 years in the prison service, specialising in the Use of Force and serving as a National Instructor at the National Tactical Response Group (NTRG). He has provided training consultancy and operational advice to Police and prison services in UK, Abu Dhabi, Oman, Macedonia, Nigeria and The Hague. More recently, he worked with Secure Children’s Homes and Young Offender Institutes in the UK, supporting senior managers and staff in managing complex young detainees. Mike is not a salesman, more of a consultant, he would be pleased to answer any technical questions or queries you may have and offer advise around risks and threats. To arrange a meeting with Mike, you can contact our body armour team.

Blunt force trauma is caused from an impact form an object, such as hammer, brick, or a baseball bat. Blunt force trauma is also caused from being kicked or punched for example. Our body armour offers certified protection up to 100 joules from blunt force trauma impacts. To put a 100 joules impact into perspective, that would be the equivalent of a typical blow from a professional heavy weight boxer. You can also learn more by reading our blog titled ‘Blunt Force: The Underreported Threat of Security Professionals‘.

Yes, that’s a possibility, we have a number of distributors and resellers we work with. We would need to have clear discussions around what you can offer us and how you could improve on our existing network and sales. If you’re interested in becoming a distributor or reseller you can contact our body armour team.

Yes, we have several delivery partners we use to ensure our products reach our customers wherever they may be. We can also help and advise around the correct documentations and incoterms that may be required for international shipping.