shooting goggles

[jojo200517]

Ok so I know they are some active and past military persons on this board and I'm hoping you guys can help, but anyone else feel free to chip in too.

I'm looking for a pair of shooting goggles as a pair of comfortable all day eye protection for work. I currently do factory work that involves a lot if grinding down spot welds with a small air grinder. We are required to wear a pair of goggles or face shield. The face shield is awkward and bulky not to mention it seems to hold heat up close to your face but its better than the ultra cheap generic goggles I was issued. I researched some military style goggles and see they meed the same ANSI specs for impact/high velocity impact as the goggles or face shield I currently use.

I realize this is off topic but if someone could recommend a pair of shooting goggles that are decently comfortable for all day wear that would be awesome. The only real request is the lens needs to be clear, and I would prefer black frame, somewhere around or under $100 budget would be nice as well. I have looked on BLACKHAWK! website and found these http://www.blackhawk.com/product/Special-Operations-Goggles,532,8.htm.

They look like they'd work pretty good, so if anyone has worn them i'd appreciate any feedback

 

[cuervo]

I haven't tried wearing these all day, and they have a white frame, but cost a whole lot less than $100:
http://www.cdnninvestments.com/fltagosetnew.html

 

[jojo200517]

Thanks mods for moving this to the right place.

Thanks cuervo for your post. I guess those would work, tho the video review on youtube showed them taking some dents from a plastic airsoft bb. I kinda figure at that price range thats about what they are good for. I'm not really sure how much impact an airsoft gun has but I can't imagine it being too much. It does say the lens exceded ANSI Z87.1 but it doesn't say it passed the high ANSI Z87.1-2003 high velocity test. Looking back at the ones on BLACKHAWK they don't say either.

Whatever I end up getting has to be rated to pass the high velocity test.

The Peltor WartHog Tactical goggles appear to exceed all of the specs. I see them available at a couple of industrial supply places not too far away so I may swing by one of these places and see how they fit and feel.

 

[Strykervet]

We were issued the ESS goggles. I still have 'em on my helmet somewhere. They are comfortable, tough, don't fog up, have different lenses, but they work better on the helmet I think. These are MUCH better than the old ones, which I still have in the box unused. You know, the foam lined ones that they used in Vietnam and Gulf I.

We were also issued shooting glasses, called "BLIPS" or some such. Huge ugly sunglasses, they must be the beach goer version of the "birth control glasses" they issue soldiers that wear glasses. Those things were TOUGH and they would also block laser light. Still have them on my MOUT gear.

But what I ended up using were these Gargoyle glasses my wife brought home years ago when she worked there. They are rated about the same as the military stuff, cost less, and look better. Think "Terminator", same glasses. But I have 'em in all colors and shades. I still use them for shooting, reloading, working with tools, etc., so they've held up very well. If you can find them, I recommend them highly.

 

[jojo200517]

Those ESS goggles look very nice thanks Strykervet. The striker series flight deck ones say they are made for all day comfort and come with clean and tinted lens.

$60 bucks isn't so bad, when you consider its hard to put a price on protecting your vision. I will print the info off the website and take it in for approval before I buy them tho just to make sure they will allow me to wear them tho I see no reason they wouldn't.

Also I had to google "birth control glasses" got a good chuckle out of reading the wiki article.

For normal safety glasses for work and shooting I normally wear some 3m glasses I picked up at the local lowes http://www.lowes.com/pd_309600-98-90878-80025_0__?productId=3102159&Ntt=safety+glasses&pl=1&currentURL=%2Fpl__0__s%3FNtt%3Dsafety%2Bglasses&facetInfo= Thats the sun glass version I wear shooting and working outdoors and just for general sunglasses, I have a pair that is identical that has clear lens I wear when working in other areas of factory or shooting when its dimmer lighting outside.

 

[USAF_Vet]

My experience with Blackhawk! is that half of what you pay for is the name. There are dozens of ANSI impact rated goggles for a whole lot less than $100. I think I paid $12.00 for mine. They aren't fancy, they are kinda ugly, but they fit over my glasses and they work.

 

[cuervo]

Maybe a dumb question, but if something passes the ANSI Z87.1-2003 standard, doesn't that mean it passed all parts of it? Something isn't going to be marked ANSI Z87.1-2003 if it failed part of the test.

Granted, I can see that you don't want something easily damaged, but the standard states your eyes are protected, not that the glasses are still 100% perfect.

 

[jojo200517]

The way I read and understood it cuervo is there is a difference in the ANSI Z87.1 and the ANSI Z87.1-2003 or ANSI Z87.1-2010. The last 2 are a different standard for high velocity and high weight impacts, vs the standard ANSI Z87.1 which I read to mean lower velocity impact protection.

Yes you are right it states that they stop the impact without shattering or anything like that, not that they will be perfect afterwards

USAF Vet - Yeah I was kinda wondering how much of a name i'm paying for on stuff sometimes.

 

[WaltonS]

http://www.esseyepro.com/
A couple have beaten me to it. I don't wear 'em all day, but if I'm at the range I like eye protection over my glasses (some people may scoff...) and... well. Who's found safety glasses that fit comfortably over eyeglasses!?

 

[cuervo]

Well, I've learned more tonight about Z87 than I probably ever wanted to....

http://www.uvex.us/uploadedFiles/ProductConfiguration/ProductLiterature/Uvex_SP_ANSIZ87_2010_FAQ.pdf

Just to make things more fun, the low- vs. high-impact was only for 2003. The new standard does not have this option. They are either impact-rated or not.

For for something made before 2010, if it says "Exceeds all ANSI Z87 standards" does that mean it also exceeds the high-impact standard? Something for the lawyers to decide but I would vote yes. The Z87+ is a required marking on the glasses/goggles but it is still part of the written Z87 standard that is claimed to be exceeded.

However, I would also say that adding the year does not make a difference to the standard that is met--it is only saying when the product was made relative to the standard in effect at the time. An item made in 2005 is going to meet the 2003 standards; an item made in 2011 is going to meet the 2010 standards (or part of them as they are now written). Unless you find a pair of goggles made before 2003, anything you buy new will be governed by the current standards. (Although there is the slight chance of getting something that sat for more than a year on a shelf, putting you in the 2003 standard.)

For all of this discussion, it is also quite likely that most of the vendors have not bothered to update their catalog and web pages so you'll still be asking the same questions until you can actually see what you bought and if you can verify when it was made.