Q. MY BODY ARMOR EXPIRES IN 5 YEARS? TRUE OR FALSE?
A. FALSE
1. Soft Body Armor is like any other type of equipment;
it requires
maintenance and care. Of course, these factors exert great
influence on its usable life cycle. Officially, producers
of ballistic materials have recommend five (5) years of
usable life. This is due to the fact that soft body armor
is a relatively new technology and until the mid-1980's,
there was no formalized scientific process to measure armor
longevity. The number one enemy of soft body armor is moisture.
If armor is not damaged it will perform well beyond 5 years.
If you were to take a 10-15 year old vest from your storage
room and shoot it, you would be surprised at the old vests
stopping power.
2. The cost of owning a vest is directly related to how
many years
of service you obtain from it and how much you spend to
keep it looking and performing at peak condition. Compare
the costs of purchasing from Reliance Armor Systems, Inc.,
with a 12-Year Warranty to the other brands industry
wide traditional five-year warranty, you will find that
the typical purchaser will save approximately 55% or more
over the life of the vest.
3. Vest Refurbishment includes all of the following services:
· Disassembly and Inspection
· Repair or replacement of defects due to NORMAL
WEAR*
· Cleaning the ballistic materials
· Ballistic panel sonicly resealed with a new pouch
to prevent moisture penetration
· New outershell standard carrier or a TRANSPOR®
carrier if originally purchased
* May be additional charges for ballistic layer replacement
4. Individual vests are normally returned within five business
days after arrival at our factory, NO UPFRONT COST.
|
Purchase Year
|
5 Year Purchase
Program
|
Cost
|
Purchase Year
|
Reliance Armor
|
Cost
|
| Year 1 |
Purchase Armor |
$500 |
Year 1 |
Purchase Armor |
$500 |
| Year 2-3 |
Purchase Carrier |
$50 |
Year 3 |
Refurbishment |
$125 |
| Year 5 |
Repurchase Armor |
$500 |
Year 6 |
Refurbishment |
$125 |
| Year 6-7 |
New Carrier |
$50 |
| Year 10 |
Purchase Armor |
$500 |
Year 9-12 |
Refurbishment |
$125 |
| Total Cost in 12 Years |
$1600 |
Total Cost in 12 Years |
$875 |
| Other
Brands Vest Cost Per Year |
$113.33 |
Reliance
Armor Cost Per Year |
$72.91 |
Savings
Summary
The savings per year of $40.42 per officer adds up quickly: