Goggles: Smith vs Revision vs ESS

[Christopher]

I'm looking at:

 

Smith Optics Elite Outside The Wire Turbo Fan Goggles £149.99

 

And

 

Revision Desert Locust Fan Goggles £94.99

 

There are lots of reviews on both but I can't find any direct comparrisons. Anyone able to comment on these?

 

I would like my goggles to be scope friendly, night vision compatible, and milsim. If anyone has experience with these direct topics that would be great to hear about!

 

P.s

Anyone bought from www.tactical-kit.co.uk? They have both so might order from them.

[Airsoft_Mr B]

Tactical Kit are superb...ordered from them loads

They own Gunpoint Gear as well

 

Can't comment on the goggles though, sorry

[BrightCandle]

I ordered my desert locusts turbofan from tac kit, no issues. Another afuk member (Yingkid) uses the ess goggles with a turbofan. We have compared them quite extensively. Our conclusion is the desert locusts are better. The main reason for that is how much the goggles stick out. The ESS ones do stick out quite far and it impedes vision down, ie to your gear. Whereas the locusts don't. Both seem to have effective fans and there isn't a lot in it there.

 

I have also added a thermal lens to mine as well and that makes a good improvement as well. I got the yellow and dark lens with mine but I have never really used them and now I use the clear thermal lens exclusively.

[Snakeeyes75]

I've just bought a pair of the Wiley X Nerve goggles. Yet to take them to a skirmish but I've spend the whole afternoon out in the garden doing some cementing and they've not fogged once!

[BrightCandle]

The main reason I ended up choosing the desert locusts was because I saw numerous reports of the ESS fan failing. As I looked around my conclusion was the desert locust lens was tougher and the fan lasted a lot longer. Ultimately I didn't get much beyond that in making the choice.

 

The odd thing is I actually find the desert locusts a little annoying. Its the battery compartment, its on the left rear of the head and it gets in the way of caps and boonies and all that jazz. I am not sure what the solution really is as they all have this to an extent and you have to wear the strap a little lower than you might ideally want to. But having used normal goggles I am convinced by the fan and the desert locusts, I wouldn't stick to them for the last 8 months unless it worked, it does work well. I still have had sweat accumulation issues in the goggles (not really fogging, like beads of water) and the thermal lens seem to have reduced that quite a bit, not eliminated I still get it happen but considering how much I am sweating I think they are doing a decent job. I recommend them, I think they work really well.

[Mr Monkey Nuts]

Does anyone else find revision locust to be a bit wide? As in excessively wide? Or do I just have too small a head?

[Ian_Gere]

OK people, I'm resurrecting this thread because the time has come for me to choose some expensive fan goggles. My choice is between ESS Profile Turbofan and Revision Desert Locust Fan, unless there have been any new releases of which I'm not yet aware, as Smith Optics are just way too un-Russian looking for my loadouts. What did you end up going with, Christopher?

 

One of my problems in choosing is that I really want green frames, so that at a distance they could be mistaken for Russian 6B34's, but tactical-kit.co.uk only have black for both ESS and Revision and the only $99.99 (+$12.97 Shipping & $25.11 prepaid tax) ESS's on ebay.com are also black.

 

To get Foliage Green Desert Locust Fans from Revision costs $169.99 (cos they only sell the "Essential" kit, not the cheaper "Basic" kit with only 1 lens) +$36 shipping which will then cost +$41.20 VAT and courier bum rapage, which basically adds up to about 180 quid, ffs! AFAIK it would only be slightly cheaper (like a tenner) to get green Turbofans direct from ESS...

[BrightCandle]

I lost the glasses inserts for my locusts and I contacted tactical kit to see if they would just add it to an import and they did, I got it about a month later. So my recommendation is ask tactical kit if they will add some green ones in their order to revision for you and you'll likely save a bit on the import at the cost of some time.

[Ian_Gere]

Thanks BrightCandle, I will ask them if that's possible. Although I am also seriously considering trying to add a pair of 25mm fans, one on either side, to a pair of real Gen 3 6B34's. It turns out that those little fans built for electronic component cooling run on 12V, so they could be built into a pair of goggles with Deans connectors and share 11.1V LiPo's with my AEG's, since a fully charged Turnigy Nano Tech LiPo puts out about 12.3V...

[djben9]

Ian did you ever get a set of fan goggles from some one?

 

curious to know how you got on as also looking.....looking so far

[BrightCandle]

I should probably point out Amped airsoft did a review of the Smith optics goggles recently and showed that the battery compartment issue is not present on those ones, because it can be moved from the strap to somewhere else like your helment. That means it should be possible to get it out of the way for a Boonie. They highly recommended them, the entire team over at amped airsoft seem to now be using them which says they are probably pretty good.

 

I am unfortunately yet to meet someone with the goggles in the safe zone however so haven't been able to directly compare with the Revisions but I am on the lookout for someone with them now as I would like to try them myself since it might solve my battery compartment placement issue for my Okto games (where I have to wear a Boonie).

[djben9]

had a look for locusts, tac kit out of stock

 

only worry is, as many of us do, i wear the ESS V12s sometimes and apparenrly, according to the 'instructions' should not be used for airsoft .....took some hits last time though

 

i'll keep looking

[Sacarathe]

[delete]

[djben9]

I take it you found it Sacarthe??

 

can you link up anyway

[Aengus]

I should probably point out Amped airsoft did a review of the Smith optics goggles recently and showed that the battery compartment issue is not present on those ones, because it can be moved from the strap to somewhere else like your helment. That means it should be possible to get it out of the way for a Boonie. They highly recommended them, the entire team over at amped airsoft seem to now be using them which says they are probably pretty good.

 

I am unfortunately yet to meet someone with the goggles in the safe zone however so haven't been able to directly compare with the Revisions but I am on the lookout for someone with them now as I would like to try them myself since it might solve my battery compartment placement issue for my Okto games (where I have to wear a Boonie).

They also mentioned the fact the glue on the strap is weak and can come out of its casing so the goggles fall off which is VERY worrying.

[Sacarathe]

They also mentioned the fact the glue on the strap is weak and can come out of its casing so the goggles fall off which is VERY worrying.

If you wouldn't notice such a thing, then THAT would be very worrying, of you're bothered by that risk get a needle and thread.

[djben9]

oh well so revisions then,,,,could justify the clear only ones....

 

see FMA have a 'fan goggle', but not sure on them, seen videos and the 'lens' marks after various point blank to 6ish feet away shots....depending which video you watch.....maybe one day cheaper version with better lens will arive?....

[djben9]

just to update, i have the Revisions, fit nicely but yes the battery compartemnt is a little annoying.

Just got the thermal lens from tactical-kit so will try that out this weekend, other than that so far so good, and yes a little bit of fog at the top but nothing like my other goggles when I get hot....everyone is different

 

sometimes I think there is no lens in and have to double check the view is that good

also looking at tracking down some attachments for fixing to the helmet