AliExpress Ballistic Helmet Fail

[u/FaithlessnessHot1912]

I bought an NIJ IIIa Kevlar Fast Helmet off of AliExpress for fun. After seeing all of the reviews being people making ridiculous claims about the protection and wanting to shoot it, I decided to do it.

I shot the helmet with 22LR Sub, 22LR CCI Target ammo, and Ballistic tipped 30-30. All of which passed through with no resistance, not even so much as moving the helmet. Behind the helmet was a steel gong, and even the spalling of 30-30 passed through. The inside smelled like bondo, and what looked like dry blue power and fibre glass went flying everywhere making the berm smell like an auto shop.

For all the people who want to buy one of these cheap helmets, who own one and don’t want to test it, or like to see money wasted… Don’t Buy This Helmet For Actual Protection. This is an airsoft helmet that is made of fibre glass.

[u/CaptainPeppers]

The idea of trusting your life to something off AliExpress is fucking nuts lol

[u/JustACanadianGuy07 → u/CaptainPeppers]

Surprisingly, some of the stuff off of wish can stop smaller things like .22 and 9mm, and in demo ranche’s video, one plate was able to stop a .50 BMG FMJ

[u/CaptainPeppers → u/JustACanadianGuy07]

You'd never catch me cheaping out in safety equipment lol, especially helmets!

[u/TKB-059 → u/CaptainPeppers]

I don't even trust western made non NIJ. Buying drop shipped Chinese shit is diabolical.

[u/noveltyisthe → u/TKB-059]

Ali would have wanted it this way….

[u/SwampyUndies → u/CaptainPeppers]

Well at least in the case of ballistic helmets. If it fails, you wont know. No 1 star reviews!!

[u/ourstupidearth → u/JustACanadianGuy07]

Your plate might stop a 50bmg but your bones and organs are soup at that point

[u/YuenglingsDingaling → u/ourstupidearth]

I remember that video. It caught the round but turned the plate into a bowl. It would probably punch out your spine.

[u/JustACanadianGuy07 → u/ourstupidearth]

Fair, but its still insane that you can, with a lot of luck, buy basically NIJ IV plates on wish

[u/TrulyMagnificient → u/JustACanadianGuy07]

Problem is you won’t really trust them until they prove themselves capable - at which point they’re toast…

Schrodingers NIJ IV plates

[u/JustACanadianGuy07 → u/TrulyMagnificient]

Buy two. Test one

[u/TrulyMagnificient → u/JustACanadianGuy07]

And trust it’s the same batch, same QA?
You go for it!

[u/JustACanadianGuy07 → u/TrulyMagnificient]

I mean, the plate itself was incredibly thick, even if it doesn’t stop a .50, it will probably stop most rifle rounds, and will stop all pistol rounds.

[u/acidboogie → u/TrulyMagnificient]

nah at that point you just flip a coin on which one to trust. You'll never know if you failed the flip anyway

[u/16gaugeguy16 → u/JustACanadianGuy07]

Stopping a round, and effectively stopping a round are two different things though. Many of those cheap plates will send so much spalling (bullet fragments) into your neck that you may as well not have a plate on.

[u/0f0o3 → u/JustACanadianGuy07]

I bought one after that video. To this day it’s still sitting in my closet

[u/ImKindaSweatyy → u/JustACanadianGuy07]

All of those rounds would still kill you from the back-deformation caving in your skull/ribs....

[u/emeric1414 → u/CaptainPeppers]

The russians in ukraine would like a word

[u/theservman → u/emeric1414]

Hey! Those guys at least get Wildberries!

[u/sardaukarqc → u/emeric1414]

I bet that helmet isn't fireproof either.

[u/julienjj → u/emeric1414]

Cope armor is better than no-armor xD

[u/MapleDesperado → u/julienjj]

I appreciate the sarcasm, but at some point, crappy gear is worse than go gear because it interferes with performance while providing no protection beyond the air of ill-founded confidence.

[u/julienjj → u/MapleDesperado]

For sure. That's why products you have to rely on are usually certified to standards and tested and audited.

People joke about millitary standards... but the truth is without a standard the only one you would have is ''trust me bro''

Clearly in that case it means fatal head injury.

[u/Routine_Chest_1171 → u/julienjj]

Might as well jus stand up an jus take like a man if ue trusting this garbage lol

[u/julienjj → u/Routine_Chest_1171]

Well If you are sitting in a trench for russia somewhere in ukraine you are so far down the tree of bad decisions I'm not sure how we can call it anymore.

[u/Foreign_Active_7991 → u/julienjj]

I don't think conscripts had much choice in the matter...

[u/Inevitable_Edge6857 → u/CaptainPeppers]

To be fair the level 3+ and level 4 militech plates off Ali express are actually legit.

[u/sh0nuff → u/CaptainPeppers]

A lot of stuff you already do trust your life to comes from the same factories, it's just slapped with a different label 

[u/forkaerospace → u/CaptainPeppers]

natural selection tbh

[u/Mo-Cance → u/CaptainPeppers]

It's just gotta be for LARPers, right? I mean, yes, dumb people too...

[u/Imaginary-Leading-49 → u/CaptainPeppers]

I got my ebike helmet from aliexpress but it’s a motorcycle helmet… not expecting to stop bullets 😝

[u/TheSacrifist → u/Imaginary-Leading-49]

Is it certified to western saftey standards? If not, id be worried about it even doing its normal job...

[u/illknowitwhenireddit → u/Imaginary-Leading-49]

The only thing an AliExpress helmet saves you from is getting a ticket for riding without a helmet

[u/Longjumping_Deer3006 → u/CaptainPeppers]

Unless you are part of the Russian army.