AR500 ARMOR—BANSHEE PLATE CARRIER Review

AR500 ARMOR—BANSHEE PLATECARRIER

                I was lucky enough to be able to test and review the AR500 Armor Banshee PlateCarrier w/Armor and Pouches Item #AR500-Banshee-MC-Armor. I have seen many of the AR500 Armor reviews that they themselves conducted with numerous projectiles of different calibers and have been blown away at their reliability to keep the wearer safe. I ordered my plate carrier and with me being a (plus size) man, I worried that I would not be able to find a carrier in my size. Many of their products for plate carriers come in different sizes that accommodate from Medium to Double Extra Large. While I think that it fits smaller than I had hoped, it still does the job of protecting the vitals which is what all body armor was designed to do. If you notice in the picture below, as per their instructions, you want to wear your plate carrier just below your windpipe, this allows the plate carrier to fall exactly where it needs to to be most effective at providing safety for your vitals (i.e. heart, lungs, diaphragm).

See how I am plus sized yet the product still covers the vitals.

This is where the top of the plate carrier should come to rest.

                I really don’t know if I can say enough good things about this body armor plate carrier. It comes in a vast array of colors and they have different styles to accommodate those with different tastes. My personal choice was the AR500 ArmorPlate Carrier in Multi-cam with curved ergonomic plates. I like the curved ergonomic plates because they conform to the body in a natural feel. I chose the multi-cam because it is conducive with the colors of nature around my area. I was also able to get the side armor plates, which I believe serve a great purpose but only if you are small enough to attach them to your plate carrier correctly. For plus sized men like me, it is rather hard to get them to stay in place because of the weight of the side plates. I also chose the Paxcon line X base coating. What this means is that I chose to have AR500 Armor add a spray coating to my plates that will help to eliminate spalling. Spalling are the particles that fly from the plates when they are acted upon by an outside force such as a bullet. While the plates withstand the force of the bullet not allowing any form of penetration, if the item is not Paxcon Line X coated, then the wearer faces potential dangers from random flying pieces of the plate as it breaks down.

Front of the Strike Face.

Side view of the Strike Plate (notice the thickness). 

                My plate carrier came with 2-10”x12” plates that fit perfectly in the plate carrier and are protected from falling out by a massive Velcro support system so that your plates stay exactly where you put them. This is great because during times of involvement, the last thing the plate wearer wants to worry about is whether or not his plates are sliding around exposing his vitals. With the Velcro support in these plate carriers, you can be certain, no matter what type of scenario you find yourself in, your plates will be exactly where you placed them.  The plate carrier also comes with MOLLE AR15 Mag pouches and allows the wearer to carry up to 4 magazines for their AR rifle. I say AR because that is my rifle of choice but they also accommodate M4 mags as well. In addition, they also come with two MOLLE universal pistol mag pouches.

                There are multiple areas (front and back) for Velcro patches to designate your profession such as law enforcement, military, or if you choose to do your own style. They can accommodate any type or style of Velcro patchwork and the plate carrier also comes with a removable cumberbund that has extra MOLLE attachment areas. One of the things that I found disappointing was the fact that the multi-cam does not come with the attached MOLLE pistol carrier but the other colors for different style of plate carriers do. It is something that can be easily addressed is you have a pistol pouch that has MOLLE attachments.

                Another reason that I chose AR500 Armor is because I know that all of their products are 100% Made in the USA and they also come with a LIFETIME WARRANTY. In this day and age of potential terrorist threats and the dying of the value of the dollar, it is a great understanding that we are providing work for Americans to Americans and that we, as Americans are able to own personal body armor in cases that may arise such as September 11^th, 2001.  The plate carrier comes with padded shoulder straps and a drag handle on the upper back part of the plate carrier in case you are wounded and an individual needs to retrieve you from a bad situation.

                  AR500 Armor tests their level III body armor with the following calibers:

· Pistol Calibers: .22LR, 9mm, .40 S&W, 45 ACP, 10mm, .357 Magnum, and .44 Magnum

· Rifle Calibers: .223/5.56 (M855 62g Penetrators), 7.62x39, 7.62x51 (M80 Ball), .308 Winchester, 12 Gauge 3” Magnum 00 Buck, and 12 Gauge 1oz Slugs

· Platforms include a variety of Handguns, Pistol Caliber Rifles, and Rifles to obtain a wide variety of velocities for a given round

Third party testing has been performed with calibers up to 5.56 XM193, 7.62x54R, 30.06, 6.5 Creedmore, and .338 Lapua Magnum.

Results with higher calibers may vary as they are typically over the threshold of Level III rated armor.

                AR500Armor uses an advanced ballistic grade steel core as the backbone of our armor. This material is much harder than traditional steel and other alternatives of “steel armor”. The core of AR500 Armor body armor measures in on the Brinell Hardness Scale (BNH) between 504 and 519. The Brinell scale characterizes the indentation hardness of materials through the scale of penetration of an indenter.

                In summation, I am very pleased with my Banshee plate carrier from AR500 Armor. While I think they should design a plate carrier for the bigger sized individuals out there, what they have for now is doable. I have five children and being a Marine Corps veteran, I understand more so the dangers that our generation faces versus what we had when I was younger. The threats are more real, more vicious, and potentially more destructive. I want to be able to step up with security in place and know that I am protected so that I can protect my young ones. In AR500 Armor, I have no doubts that I will be protected and able to fight back against any enemy that poses a threat to the security of my family or my nation. I am extremely pleased with the ability to load this plate carrier as I like, however with the placement of the rifle and pistol pouches, it is hard to get down in a prone position from a standing or kneeling position. The great this is, this issue can be addressed immediately. The mag pouches are removable and therefore can be removed and placed where they are most comfortable for you.

                AR500Armor has a wide array of items in the products list and if you just need plates and not the carrier or vice versa, they have all these items sold separately. They have add on items such as med-kits (EPIKs), pistol holsters, pistol ammo pouches, shotgun ammo pouches, rifle ammo pouches, etc… There is so much that they have available, that it is just way too much to list here. 

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