Frequently asked questions

You can easily purchase your vest online at our website. Your purchase is processed securely by PayPal.

UPS courier shipments to US addresses and taxes are included in the price. When your order has been shipped, you will receive a UPS tracking code. For shipments to other countries such as Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, Peru and Canada only the shipment costs are included in the price. Local taxes are excluded.

Due to the nature of our product, all sales are final. No returns are accepted after the order has been shipped. Please contact us prior to placing your order to address any concerns or questions.

A ballistic vest consists of two components, a textile carrier and ballistic panels.
If you put the panel in the carrier you have a complete ballistic vest ready to wear.

If you would like to order an additional textile carrier please contact us. Make sure to also send us the serial number of your ballistic panel.

Body armor is engineered to stop certain types of bullets going at a specific speed. The ballistic panels making up body armor are comprised of layers of tough woven and/or non-woven fibers. These layers slow bullets down, turn them and disperse the energy coming from the rounds throughout the panel. EnGarde USA starts by using the most advanced designs, engineering and ballistic materials on the market. Our ballistic panels minimize potential trauma by quickly dispersing the impact of the bullet’s energy across the panel.

The U.S. National Institute of Justice (NIJ) has developed the ballistic standard considered the most commonly accepted standard worldwide. The NIJ standard spells out the various levels of protection.

NIJ Level II balances concealability, comfort and protection against blunt trauma. It can stop 9mm as well as .357 Magnums rounds.

Body armor vests meeting NIJ Level IIIA standard is the most commonly used protection in the industry due to cost, safety and because it can be comfortably worn under clothing. Law enforcement agents including police officers often wear vests with panels that meet NIJ Level IIIA standard, which protects against rounds coming in from most handguns including 9mm, .357 SIGs and .44 Magnums.

Machine guns and rifles can deliver rounds of such high velocity that soft armor simply cannot protect against. For those facing this threat level, we recommend using hard armor inserts, which upgrades a NIJ Level IIIA vest to a NIJ Level III or IV vest, offering a lot more protection.

Note that due to government regulations we are not allowed to sell and ship Level IIIA vests together with NIJ Level III or NIJ Level IV ICW hard armor panels. These products need to be ordered separately (two payments) at our website and will always be shipped separately.

We at EnGarde USA are known for engineering or body armor to be both comfortable and cool when worn for extended periods of time. Some discomfort can occur when being worn in extremely hot climates.

Our warranty depends on the type of materials used in making the specific body armor product. You can find the details for individual products under the sections for Soft Armor and Hard Armor on the EnGarde corporate website. There you can view the information on each of our ballistic panels including their warranty.

The test protocol for the NIJ standard up to Level III requires projectiles be fired from 5 meters away, and from 15 meters away for Levels III and IV. In addition, our EnGarde MT-PRO, FLEX-PRO and ULTRA soft armor panels are certified to meet the German SK1 standard as well. To attain SKI certification, contact test shots are made, point blank with three different kinds of 9mm rounds.

Delivery times range from 5 to 10 business days. Once we receive your order it will be prepared for shipment. You will get the tracking code, which allows you to track your package. Please note that shipping costs and import duties are included in the price for US orders. For orders from Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, Peru and Canada import duties are not included in the price.

At the product pages you can click on the SHOW SIZE GUIDE link to determine your size. In general, for your vest to have a comfortable fit please follow these guidelines: When standing, the lower edge of your vest should reach your belly button and no further, otherwise it might compromise your ability to move freely. If it comes up any higher than your belly button it cannot properly protect your vital organs. We recommend that the panels on the front and back overlap on your sides, but we know some people like to have a small gap.

Yes, civilians can buy body armor as long as they are over 18 years of age and don’t have a felony conviction on their record. Many states in the U.S. have penalties for felons caught possessing or using body armor.

By placing an order with EnGarde USA for body armor, you are certifying to us that you have never been convicted of a crime that would disallow you from purchasing or possessing body armor according to any laws, either Federal or State. In addition, you acknowledge that your intention is not to use body armor in any criminal enterprise or purpose. You also certify that you are an adult 18 years of age or older.

There are a number of civilian applications for body armor, such as armored car drivers, bouncers at clubs, private security personnel, repo-men, and delivery people responsible for high-value items. You should know that if you do commit a crime while wearing body armor, you would likely be sentenced for a Class 4 Felony.

EnGarde has been manufacturing top quality body armor, equipment and accessories since 2003, all made with the highest quality materials, including Kevlar XP™, DSM Dyneema®, Teijin Twaron® and Pro-Systems Artec®. We take pride in hiring only the most talented engineers and in being able to combine comfort, durability and performance while attaining the highest levels of protection. We manufacture our body armor products in the E.U. to the most exacting standards of production.

Currently, we have four high quality ballistic packages: ULTRA™, MT-PRO™, COMFORT™ and the new FLEX-PRO™. Please see our Body Armor Technology page for more information about these four unique soft armor packages.

Yes, click here to watch footage from Dutch TV testing our EnGarde Undergarment vest with various kinds of ammunition.

At this page you can also watch an independent review of our Hard Armor Plates.