So, I know that kevlar vests have a shelf life (in the 5 year range IIRC) but what about kevlar helmets? I collect surplus gear (especially cold war stuff) but came across a surplus German kevlar police helmet a few years ago for a decent price. It's basically the, 'fritz' helmet.
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Surplus kevlar helmet shelf life
- Thread starter je25ff
- Start date
UNSUB
NES Member
Kevlar (in all its varietys/incarnations) degrade in similar rates newer fibers (formulations) slower than older. They are rated with the similar systems like medicines/foods where they all degrade over time in effectiveness. The ratings are there so that LE/Military change out when the effectiveness potentially drops and risk goes up. There is probably a chart (I'd go with an independent research study not one by a maker only because at a certain point some gear will ultimately degrade faster creating risk for the user and that's the end of the benchmark in alignment with their goal to sell more product. From personal experience whenever we had expired vest jackets and helmets some went to the range and held up as old as 9 and 10 years just as good as you would expect a new product to perform. In the end if you don't have the $$$ for level 3 gear or lvl 2 new gear old gear is better than no gear what's your head worth?
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Based on what I know about Kevlar vests, they're supposed to degrade over time. However, after substantial reading I wasn't able to find any test evidence that that was apparent. Lots of information out there about old vests performing like new. I don't think it's a big leap to guess helmets work the same way.
Vests shelf life IMO are due to the approved threat level and companies not wanting to promise that a vest will stop XXX forever. Also, vests are flexed constantly, bunching and possibly tearing fibers and stitching as well as being soaked with sweat and fluids. Shelf life is a liability issue
Helmets, being stiff and not exposed to UV should perform pretty much the same for as long as the epoxy binder stays stable.
Helmets, being stiff and not exposed to UV should perform pretty much the same for as long as the epoxy binder stays stable.
I've seen old, out of date vests shot up and they did their job.
My belief (no proof) is that the magic "they expire after 5 years" for vests is based on worst case circumstances:
- officers wearing them for 40 hrs/week, week after week.
- storage in hot car trunk (think Down South where trunk temps exceed 120F regularly).
That said, a vest worn maybe 12-20 times/year and not even all day, plus stored in a home that is climate-controlled will likely do the job for 10-20 years without losing its ability to stop the rounds it was rated for originally.
There are no studies that actually show Kevlar bullet resistant armor degrades over time. It's a made up claim based on assumptions about degradation that were made when the fibers were first created.
