Eye Protection Recommendations

I'm finding this thread very interesting and helpful. I have a question for those who have experience with shooting glasses. For shooting from a covered bench, what lens colour do you recommend? Clear, yellow, gray, etc.?
 
i have actually written a magazine article on this topic as i am a bit obssessed with eyewear lol

i wont bore you with details other than to say i would recommend something with a safety rating. To that point there are 3 main levels: ANSI Z.87, ballistic military like MIL-PRF-31013, and APEL.

In terms of brands, the five main players are SMITH, Revision, ESS, Wiley-X, and Oakley.

I used to be all about Oakley but have moved to SMITH (best company ever) and Revision.

I could go on about this all day but that should get you started lol

RL
 
Have a pair of Remington-labelled glasses made by Radian, ballistic rated, slim adj arm and nice lense size
I like the clear/mirrored lense , seems to cut enough glare without the tint

best frame for use with muffs imo are the 3M Metaliks line, with the inddor/outdoor clear/mirror lense, good anti-fog too
surprising how many 'shooting' glasses have no regard for fit when using ear pro, inckuding Wylie
 
I've been eyeing the smith pivlock echo, thin temples and there is no plastic cross pirce resting agaist your forehead (which might eliminate fogging).
 
Mik123 said:
I've been eyeing the smith pivlock echo, thin temples and there is no plastic cross pirce resting agaist your forehead (which might eliminate fogging).
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I have two pairs of SMITH Aegis Arc but wont get the Echo simply because i am a snob lol

I like military glasses, especially those that are on the US Military's APEL (Authorized Protective Eyewear List)...the regular Aegis Arc is on the list but i believe the Echo, because of the thin metal arms, are not (even though they have the same lens and frame).

but if you are not concerned about such things then definitely go ahead. I have over 50 pairs of eyewear and have done an ENORMOUS amount of research on the topic for my article and blog posts and i would say the top 3 that consistently emerge as the "best" in terms of protection are:

SMITH Aegis Arc
Revision Sawfly
ESS Crossbow (they also have an earpro friendly version called the Crossbow Suppressor)

RL
 
Thanks. I'll check those out as well.

RL1 said:
I have two pairs of SMITH Aegis Arc but wont get the Echo simply because i am a snob lol

I like military glasses, especially those that are on the US Military's APEL (Authorized Protective Eyewear List)...the regular Aegis Arc is on the list but i believe the Echo, because of the thin metal arms, are not (even though they have the same lens and frame).

but if you are not concerned about such things then definitely go ahead. I have over 50 pairs of eyewear and have done an ENORMOUS amount of research on the topic for my article and blog posts and i would say the top 3 that consistently emerge as the "best" in terms of protection are:

SMITH Aegis Arc
Revision Sawfly
ESS Crossbow (they also have an earpro friendly version called the Crossbow Suppressor)

RL
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After reading through this thread and doing a little research on my own, I think I'll pick up a pair of shooting glasses. Here's my main question: as you go from the hardware store models in the $10-$20 range up to the better ones like ESS and Wiley X at closer to $100 and then up to the really pricey ones in the $200-$300 range (and up from there), what is it that improves as the price goes up?

Optical clarity?
Fit?
Protection level?
Versatility?

I'm guessing all of the above, but for my purposes, the most important factor, I think, would be optical clarity. Is there a discernible difference in how clear an image appears between, say, the ESS or Wiley X and the cheaper and more expensive ones?
 
yes it is a bit of everything.

materials, how precisely the lens is ground, coatings (anti fog, UV protection), the ability to change lenses (and the locking mechanism for doing so), etc.

again, since i am into APEL and military certified eyewear, i typically stick to clear and black lenses as polarized, transitions etc are not allowed

but aside from that issue, brands like Pilla make special lens colour coatings for every application you can think of, e.g. make skeet shooting clays "pop", make red dot sights appear brighter, make archery targets appear brighter etc.

one of my more interesting shades are the Spy General with their "Happy Lens" technology that minimizes harmful blue light but enhances "good" blue light and that is supposed to put you in a better mood. Not sure if that is the case but they sure are nice to look through.

As for your specific examples, i recently got ESS Flight Deck goggles and they were the clearest clear lens i have ever seen. i actually said "wow that's clear" when i put them on. I wouldnt say SMITH and Revision are especially nice to look through but it is nice to have the confidence of their protection.

RL
 
Slowbalt said:
Any reviews of Magpul offerings?
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i have seen them in gun stores but dont have any real experience with them. i would suggest checking their website for the model you are interested in because some are ANSI, some are both ANSI and MIL-PRF and some have no safety rating at all (I would avoid those)

RL
 
Interesting thread as our range mandates eye protection for all shooting activities, however, we had had issues with various people coming to matches refusing to cooperate. Mostly people from Alberta feeling it is a "freedom" issue. We only mandate eye protection with no ratings attached to that requirement. Ballistic or military ratings could be the gold standard but maybe that is not required for you particular range. I feel it is just enough to get all people wearing something.
 
I have the Oakley SI Tombstone Spoils, and all the lenses aside from yellow I think. I get the most use out of clear, but the prizm lenses can really help in some lighting conditions.
 
South Pender said:
...... the most important factor, I think, would be optical clarity. Is there a discernible difference in how clear an image appears between, say, the ESS or Wiley X and the cheaper and more expensive ones?
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Can't speak to those specific units, but generally there's a big difference in optics as you go up in budget with glasses. Trouble is, your individual shooting posture may have you looking through the lenses at an angle, which may have not been a priority consideration when being designed by the glasses manufacturer.

And note that "proper" impact-rated glasses will generally have poorer optics (just due to thicker/tougher construction). For benchrest shooting at distant targets, I wouldn't bother with impact-rated. Unless you're also pushing the limits with high pressure loads or something.

FWIW, I've found that maybe 10-20% of glasses frame and lens shapes fit me as well as I'd like in terms of shooting comfort and coverage. I've lost count of the number of times I've bought glasses online (of various types, and at all price points) and found they just don't fit right. It's like with boots - You really don't know what a good boot feels like until you've got it on your foot.
 
just like you would start out looking for boots in your size, you can narrow things down by looking for eyewear in your measurements. There are five key ones, usually shown as: 60-37-16-133-135. These are the width and height of the lens, distance between lenses, total across the brow, and temple arm length. Find something that fits your face and then look for others with similar measurements.

I have the Tombstone as well but stopped using them when i found out they didnt have a formal safety rating. Oakley is one of those companies that "claim" all their lenses meet or exceed safety standards but they dont want to spend the money on going through the certification except for the ones they sell in military contracts.

it boggles my mind why people would want to shoot without protective eyewear. I guess i am at the other extreme as i wear ballistic lenses when grocery shopping lol

RL
 
I ended up purchasing Ranger "Falcon Pro" shooting glasses. They fit great under ear pro, they're light (Zeiss lenses) and there's no distortion at all.
 
After reading this thread, I picked up a pair of the ESS Crossbow Suppressors with three lenses--clear, smoke gray, and hi-def copper--from SDTac. I wanted glasses that would fit comfortably under ear muffs. The lenses appear to be very clear, unlike my cheaper hardware-store glasses. I think they'll be fine for my intended uses.

Can someone explain under what conditions the smoke gray and hi-def copper lenses would be optimal? I'm assuming from alpining's suggestion that the clear will work best for me when shooting from a covered bench.
 
South Pender said:
After reading this thread, I picked up a pair of the ESS Crossbow Suppressors with three lenses--clear, smoke gray, and hi-def copper--from SDTac. I wanted glasses that would fit comfortably under ear muffs. The lenses appear to be very clear, unlike my cheaper hardware-store glasses. I think they'll be fine for my intended uses.

Can someone explain under what conditions the smoke gray and hi-def copper lenses would be optimal? I'm assuming from alpining's suggestion that the clear will work best for me when shooting from a covered bench.
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EXCELLENT choice!

In answer to your question, see ESS' lens chart below

i-zTFmf8C-XL.png


RL
 
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