I guess my expectations were not realistic
I started doing armed stuff and started looking for a ballistic vest. I had to decide, something discreet or an external molle vest? I decided to go discreet so that jobs that require I wear nicer clothes can still have a vest on underneath my clothing. Then I decided to get an external carrier, and I could just swap out the level IIIa "plates". So after looking at a few options, it was down to Safelife or National Body Armor, both NIJ certified. There seemed to be a lot of mixed reviews about Safelife, some saying it was great while others warned against it. Couldn't find much info on National Body Armor, but Chat GPT said it was very good, and because I'm a correctional officer, they give a discount, so I got it. Well, compared to our Safariland stuff I use in corrections, this molle carrier felt like a damn windbreaker. Thin material, the cumberbun is not removable, so I can't add quick releases to it, just the velcro. I should've known. My Safariland carrier cost me $400, while this National Body Armor one cost me $150.
My work is switching to Point Blank vests, so when I'm due for a new vest, I'm gonna ask to get the ballistic+stab vest instead of the stab-only one (use that shit for my side security jobs as well). I do a lot of OT in the transportation unit where we take inmates outside the prison, and the officers permanently assigned all get the dual vests, so crossing my fingers they will issue it to me if I ask. When I looked online at the prices, those setups with external vest and wrap-around panels are in the $2,000 range vs National Body Armors comparable vests are more like $600... even less with LEO discounts.
Now, if you get shot, not sure if the higher-end vests do a better job or not. I would HOPE that being NIJ certified, they would all stop a bullet equally as well. Maybe what the cost difference is for is not how well the panels work, but how comfortable they are, how adjustable the rig is, how heavy-duty the vest material is, etc. Stuff that would have no bearing on safety, but makes a difference in comfort for day-to-day use.
This is just more of a vent for me, but out of curiosity, what do you folks that are armed use, and have you tried other brands, and what are your thoughts about $600 armor vs $2,500 armor?