Video: A Bulletproof Baseball Cap!
Russ Chastain 12.22.14
Now this is impressive: a good old-fashioned baseball cap that can stop a bullet. It’s the latest from BulletSafe, a body armor company that touts itself as providing “Great bulletproof vests for an unbeatable price.”
BulletSafe president Tom Nardone found himself being asked at a January 2014 trade show whether he made ballistic helmets. According to Tom: “I thought ‘Yuck! I don’t want to make those, they look ridiculous in a civilian environment.’ But ignoring a number of customers is always a bad idea. I decided to develop something different.”
By September, he had worked out a shape and completed a patent search. By November, he had made a shootable prototype. He was excited to be president of the first company to offer this kind of “ballistic protection with a friendly, professional appearance.”
But later that month, he got a letdown. Tooling for the new project would cost $19,000, which is more than his small company could handle.
Encouraged by his wife, he decided to try Kickstarter to fund the project. There, you can donate from $1 to $280 to help make the bulletproof cap a real product.
Although the tooling estimate is $19,000, the Kickstarter goal was set at just $3,500. “It is a small amount compared to the tooling cost, but it is a Kickstart for the project. $3,500 is enough to get us to put the weight of our company behind it. It is the minimum amount we need to promise with 100% certainty that we will deliver your merchandise,” explained Nardone.
At press time, the goal had already been exceeded by almost $500.
- For $1, you get thanks.
- For $15, you get a “really nice” cap that’s not bulletproof.
- For $50 you will pay for 1/2 the cost of donating one to a Detroit area lawman.
- For $99 you can be among the first to own a bulletproof cap, which is projected to ship in late 2015.
- For $149 you can get it in any color you wish, and custom-embroidered.
- For $280 you get 4 caps of varying sizes and an in-store display.
Although the bulletproof material is only in the front portion of the cap, it should certainly offer a lot more protection than a regular cap.
Company president Tom Nardone demonstrates the prototype in the short video below.
Not a bad way to protect your gourd. With these caps on the market, it will only be a matter of time before someone else comes out with a bulletproof hat, as well. And in case you’re wondering, a hat has a brim all the way around; caps do not. Although, like this one, they may have visor(s).
UPDATE – I’ve confirmed that this is a real product – look here for more info.
