The ballistic face shield has often being considered as an alternative for using ballistic helmets. But the question is, are they really effective? Also, are they still actively in use? Well, let’ see.

Except for special situations where the ballistic face shields are needed, it is not common to see forces or military operatives using face shields anymore. For obvious reasons too! For starters, they are built to have an enclosed casing for protection. Unfortunately, this enclosure also makes the shield very hot and cumbersome to use. It also provides slightly lesser ballistic rated protection compared to ballistic helmets.

Sure, there are a plethora of bulletproof masks and ballistic face shields out there. Some law enforcement agencies wear them in close-combat situations such as hostage rescues, drug busts, and other raids.

Don’t get me wrong. Face shields are not totally bad news. For one, they’re exceptionally useful against shotguns, which spray their pellets everywhere.

However, it doesn’t change the fact that they can be very uncomfortable. Also, they can limit vision and mobility. They can also sit too close to your face that you begin to find it pretty hard to breathe at all. While ballistic face masks protect against IED shrapnel, they are not totally useful against large projectiles, AK-47 rounds, as well as other bullet rounds.

In addition, stopping a bullet with a face shield doesn’t mean you’ll walk away unscathed. On the contrary! The National Institute of Justice tests all bulletproof equipment for “back face trauma.” This is the consequential impact of a ballistic rated gear when it comes in contact with a bullet round. The researchers at the NIJ mold a piece of clay into the inside of the gear, and then fire a shot at it from the front. If the bullet displaces the claymore than 44 millimeters, this product would be rated by the NIJ to have failed the back face trauma test.

This is because bullet rounds come at such a high level of force and displacement. Hence, a shot to a face shield of this sort would really bruise you up and might even break your jaw. You don’t want that!

But certified ballistic helmets are much more reliable. So, face shields are not really in use anymore because they are not a better alternative. On the contrary!

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