Looking for Thoughts on Eye Pro

[38super]

Having found out my usual shooting glasses are not up to airsoft standard I've been looking at alternatives.

It looks like I'll want to attach lower face pro to the eye pro and I'd like to be able to wear my Impact Sport ear defenders with them.

Currently I'm considering :-

Bolle X800

Bolle Tracker 2

Pyramex I Force

Valken Zulu

Valken Sierra

Valken Tango

Revision Desert Locust

Revision Bullet Ant

Revision Exoshield

Any others I should look at or ditch from the list?

 

[Shamal]

Having found out my usual shooting glasses are not up to airsoft standard I've been looking at alternatives.

It looks like I'll want to attach lower face pro to the eye pro and I'd like to be able to wear my Impact Sport ear defenders with them.

Currently I'm considering :-

Bolle X800

Bolle Tracker 2

Pyramex I Force

Valken Zulu

Valken Sierra

Valken Tango

Revision Desert Locust

Revision Bullet Ant

Revision Exoshield

Any others I should look at or ditch from the list?

Try not to get yourself too bogged down with choosing eye pro.

Any reputable airsoft supplier will sell you eye protection which is up to the job.

I bought basic nuprol glasses and after they had been hit a few times I got some more.they were up to the job and at a reasonable price.

Don't over complicate, plug and play ??

Regards  

 

[alxndrhll]

Try not to get yourself too bogged down with choosing eye pro.

Any reputable airsoft supplier will sell you eye protection which is up to the job.

I bought basic nuprol glasses and after they had been hit a few times I got some more.they were up to the job and at a reasonable price.

Don't over complicate, plug and play ??

Regards  

I largely disagree entirely with this statement. In my opinion you should put more effort into researching eye pro than you should any RIF you ever purchase.

I wouldn't personally entrust my vision to anything made by Valken or Nuprol, QC is my main concern here. Bolle and Revision are both brands known to be up to the task, worth considering how much you tend to sweat/how likely you are to fog protective eyewear up. Not being able to see where you're going/what you're pointing your shooty stick at/moving your eye pro to clear fog is just as dangerous as wearing inappropriate eyewear. Assuming you value your vision, take some time, look at testimonials and go from there.

Also worth considering the shape of your face when picking up eye pro, uncomfortable protective equipment will happily ruin your day.

 

[EDcase]

As @Shamal said, any legitimate airsoft eye pro will be enough protection for standard ranges. (CQB would need the upper quality)

I'd avoid the 'shooting glasses' type because BB's can get to your eye from underneath or the sides.

Yes, its a low chance but it only takes one...

 

[Adolf Hamster]

the thing i'd mention about the pyramex iforce, which probably applies to other dual-pane types is you can get some very weird visual artefacts/reflections in them.

i keep finding myself going back to bolle raiders (which can be setup as full seal) although i might try some 6b34's soon as the bore offset of my pk1 means i'm running a beard weld rather than a cheek weld.....

 

[Oneshotscott]

Hi,

     So far I have tried Bolle contour and Bolle tracker glasses but both steamed up horrendously even after anti fog treatments.  I did try some of those nuprol mesh goggles for half a day....man what was I even thinking? I could hardly see anything through them and it began to strain my eyes (straight onto my Ebay selling list that night).  I have now taken a leap into the google world by purchasing the Bolle x800 but I am yet to try them out. Fingers crossed as to whether they'll work with a helmet as the upper edge will be quite close the helmet, thus blocking the ventilation but the reviews on the x800 are all positive.  I wouldn't go as far to say that I sweat like Dianne Abbott on a math exam but lets face it, we all sweat to some degree.   I am not sure how to go about attaching face masks/ear pro to glasses/goggles so I can't comment of that aspect of which to choose.  So long as they conform to or exceed the ballistic standard needed then it boils down to personal preference/fit/budget.

PS. be careful of counterfeits.

 

[alxndrhll]

Hi,

     So far I have tried Bolle contour and Bolle tracker glasses but both steamed up horrendously even after anti fog treatments.  I did try some of those nuprol mesh goggles for half a day....man what was I even thinking? I could hardly see anything through them and it began to strain my eyes (straight onto my Ebay selling list that night).  I have now taken a leap into the google world by purchasing the Bolle x800 but I am yet to try them out. Fingers crossed as to whether they'll work with a helmet as the upper edge will be quite close the helmet, thus blocking the ventilation but the reviews on the x800 are all positive.  I wouldn't go as far to say that I sweat like Dianne Abbott on a math exam but lets face it, we all sweat to some degree.   I am not sure how to go about attaching face masks/ear pro to glasses/goggles so I can't comment of that aspect of which to choose.  So long as they conform to or exceed the ballistic standard needed then it boils down to personal preference/fit/budget.

PS. be careful of counterfeits.

Depending on what the eye pro is generally attaching lower face pro is pretty simple, just a case of popping some cable ties through the mesh of the lower face pro and through the ventilation holes/any other hole you can find on your eye pro. Tends to work best with goggles in my experience because there are plenty of points to pop cable ties through on the under side.

 

[38super]

Hi,

     So far I have tried Bolle contour and Bolle tracker glasses but both steamed up horrendously even after anti fog treatments.  I did try some of those nuprol mesh goggles for half a day....man what was I even thinking? I could hardly see anything through them and it began to strain my eyes (straight onto my Ebay selling list that night).  I have now taken a leap into the google world by purchasing the Bolle x800 but I am yet to try them out. Fingers crossed as to whether they'll work with a helmet as the upper edge will be quite close the helmet, thus blocking the ventilation but the reviews on the x800 are all positive.  I wouldn't go as far to say that I sweat like Dianne Abbott on a math exam but lets face it, we all sweat to some degree.   I am not sure how to go about attaching face masks/ear pro to glasses/goggles so I can't comment of that aspect of which to choose.  So long as they conform to or exceed the ballistic standard needed then it boils down to personal preference/fit/budget.

PS. be careful of counterfeits.

I'd love to know how you get on with the X800's. They're probably top of my list at the moment. They seem to have the most positive 'not fogging' reviews. Bolle also do the 810 which looks very similar. The X800 looks more designed to work with a helmet.

Depending on what the eye pro is generally attaching lower face pro is pretty simple, just a case of popping some cable ties through the mesh of the lower face pro and through the ventilation holes/any other hole you can find on your eye pro. Tends to work best with goggles in my experience because there are plenty of points to pop cable ties through on the under side.

There's plenty of room behind the lens on the Bolle X800 to pass a cable tie through but I wonder if that might distort the soft rubber frame too much. I'll have to see if I can get my hands on a pair. 

 

[heroshark]

Shaped properly it won't. but the China mesh masks even with shaping will not perfectly match all goggle profiles even after bending. 

 

[concretesnail]

Having had to wear eye pro for years with work and then on the airsoft field it's not worth chancing anything "cheap" you only get one set of eyes.

The boiler safety glasses have stood me well for years with work so picked up some trackers for airsoft. They worked great, I treated mine with mucoff anti fog, as I do all my goggles, and they were fog free always. 

However they did recently fail. On a night game they took a round directly to the frame just on the bottom curve, by the bridge of the nose, and the frame split popping the lense out of the frame.

Not a great issue at the time as I always carry a second set of eye pro in a pouch but worth worth noting, through they did there job and always consider eye pro as a perishable asset.

Currently I'm wearing ess ice glasses and i feel they are even better than the bolle. More coverage, lighter and interchangeable lenses. Worth the extra cost.

 

[Lozart]

Try not to get yourself too bogged down with choosing eye pro.

Any reputable airsoft supplier will sell you eye protection which is up to the job.

I bought basic nuprol glasses and after they had been hit a few times I got some more.they were up to the job and at a reasonable price.

Don't over complicate, plug and play ??

Regards  

As @Shamal said, any legitimate airsoft eye pro will be enough protection for standard ranges. (CQB would need the upper quality)

I'd avoid the 'shooting glasses' type because BB's can get to your eye from underneath or the sides.

Yes, its a low chance but it only takes one...

Personally, I wouldn't trust any of the "airsoft" brands for eye pro unless they have been certified. EN166B (not F), ANSI Z87.1 (the low speed impact test is just good enough - 0.2g at 343FPS) is the markings you should be looking for.

I'd stick with brands known for producing quality safety eyewear like Bolle, ESS, WileyX etc. NOT Nuprol, FMA et al.

As for the suggestion that you only need better rated glasses in CQB? You can still get point blanked by a DMR or a BASR in the woods if you're unlucky, not worth taking the risk.

 

[benno996]

I’ve just got myself the Bolle Combat kit which comes with three lenses. So far, so good, wanted something that I could attach directly to helmet which these do, but also I have the option of putting the strap on them if I just want to run with a baseball cap on.

I haven’t managed to get them to fog yet, probably famous last words for my first full day skirmish with them on the 4th.

Not cheap (not ridiculous either at ~£50) but I always used to play with mesh, now I’m wearing contact lenses I want that extra level of protection that the safety glasses give, without having to run prescription lenses etc. 
 

On the topic of lower face pro, give Delta Mike a search on Facebook. Really comfortable snood type face pro, with a metal grate over the mouth (and nose depending how you want to wear it). Lead time is about 4-5 weeks but so breathable and so much more comfortable than any other face pro I’ve worn before. 

 

[Ebeneezer Goode]

I use Bolle Cobra, haven't tried them out in a game yet but wear them all the time when practicing at home.

Would agree with everything above - never skimp on eye-pro - the most important piece of kit in your loadout!

 

[EDcase]

Personally, I wouldn't trust any of the "airsoft" brands for eye pro unless they have been certified. EN166B (not F), ANSI Z87.1 (the low speed impact test is just good enough - 0.2g at 343FPS) is the markings you should be looking for.

I'd stick with brands known for producing quality safety eyewear like Bolle, ESS, WileyX etc. NOT Nuprol, FMA et al.

As for the suggestion that you only need better rated glasses in CQB? You can still get point blanked by a DMR or a BASR in the woods if you're unlucky, not worth taking the risk.

True to a point but:

I trust my FMA goggles

View attachment 70651

more than Bolle or ESS like these

View attachment 70652

 

[Lozart]

True to a point but:

I trust my FMA goggles

View attachment 70651

more than Bolle or ESS like these

View attachment 70652

Apples and oranges. There's two issues at play in airsoft eyepro, impact resistance and preventing shots that don't directly hit the lens from getting to your eye. Yes, a full seal goggle does the latter job better, but that doesn't mean they do the main job as well as the properly rated glasses.

Now, if you'd said these: 

Then I would have agreed 100%.

 

[benno996]

True to a point but:

I trust my FMA goggles

View attachment 70651

more than Bolle or ESS like these

View attachment 70652

Bottom ones are ‘similar’ to mine, Bolle do a full seal kit for a number of their glasses though which negates any issue.

My combats fit really well on my face, nowhere near enough room for a BB to directly hit my eye from any direction.

 

[EDcase]

Apples and oranges. There's two issues at play in airsoft eyepro, impact resistance and preventing shots that don't directly hit the lens from getting to your eye. Yes, a full seal goggle does the latter job better, but that doesn't mean they do the main job as well as the properly rated glasses.

Now, if you'd said these: 



Then I would have agreed 100%.

That's true.  My point is it doesn't matter how good the frontal protection is if a BB can get underneath

Bottom ones are ‘similar’ to mine, Bolle do a full seal kit for a number of their glasses though which negates any issue.

My combats fit really well on my face, nowhere near enough room for a BB to directly hit my eye from any direction.

If a BB hits your cheek next to the glasses, it can easily get under them and get to your eye with enough energy to do some damage.

 

[Lozart]

That's true.  My point is it doesn't matter how good the frontal protection is if a BB can get underneath

Valid point, but full seal frames are pointless if the lens isn't rated properly. Like I say, two factors to all this.

 

[EDcase]

Yes, there are two factors to it as you say.

My point is I'd rather get good quality goggles than very expensive shooting glasses that are not designed for airsoft.

I've been hit in the goggles a few times without a mark on the lens.

If you get hit in the goolies that's a different matter

The ones I would avoid are the cheapies on eBay

 

[Lozart]

Yes, there are two factors to it as you say.

My point is I'd rather get good quality goggles than very expensive shooting glasses that are not designed for airsoft.

I've been hit in the goggles a few times without a mark on the lens.

The ones I would avoid are the cheapies on eBay

I absolutely appreciate your point, what I'm trying to say though is that FMA are NOT "good quality" goggles. There's enough Revision/ESS surplus out there that there's no reason to buy cheap Chinese eyepro with no certified safety testing.

Bolle Trackers are full seal, EN166 B and cost £15. What more do you want?