Shooting Glasses / Sun Glasses / Duty Sun Glasses

[voodoo_man]

I know it's late in the summer and we have a thread from 2012 which isn't exactly what I'd like to start a discussion on so yeah..

I recently broke my Edge Torque sunglasses on duty two weeks ago during a foot pursuit and have been looking to replace them. They worked really well and I wish I didn't throw them out so I could have done a review on them. I am looking for a new set of sun glasses for duty work, not oakley's because they are just too expensive to wear on duty since stuff tends to break quickly and constantly.

I have a pair of Smith Optics black polarized sunglasses that I've worn to outdoor range classes a few times and they are fantastic. I don't remember the exact name as I got them for free last summer, will do a review on them soon.

A lot of guys default to aviator style glasses for duty work, they are comfortable and work well but you can't find any of them that are sturdy enough for duty work which leaves me with two options - buy a super cheap pair knowing they are going to break and disregard all protection ability or buy a higher end pair and baby them or buy a good pair of proven ballistic-grade sunglasses which can double as range glasses.

Don't really want to look like this but it would be funny:




I have a pair of ESS Cross that I use only for range work with the three lens swap-ability and they work really well and are ballistic rated but I don't know if I want to risk taking them on duty where the likelihood of breaking them or losing them is fairly high.

Considerations? Opinions? Experiences? Get bent copper?

[Lon]

I'm a Rudy Project and Oakley guy. The Standard Issue Oakleys are significantly cheaper than retail prices. Have you looked at the SI line? I've been considering some new SI Flak Jackets.

[Kyle Reese]

I use prescription Oakley gas cans, and an am very happy with them.

Sent from my VS986 using Tapatalk

[BillSWPA]

No experience with that type of duty, but before I switched from contact lenses to glasses, I wore Wiley X sunglasses that I really liked. Only caveat is to always use a case when not wearing them. If carried in a pocket without a case, the earpieces could scratch the lenses.

He tint on the Wiley X is not as dark as many other brands. It is enough to take the edge off the sun but not so much that your visibility is limited when you go indoors and have not yet had a free hand to remove them.

[JohnO]

I'm an Oakley guy. I wear tinted lenses for driving and anytime the sun is out and strong. However I wear clear lenses all the time when shooting. I discovered years ago that tinted lenses changed my zero with iron sights on a pistol. It actually was in a Northern Red pistol class when the sun came out and I switched to dark lenses in my Oakleys. We were shooting a lot of Bulls and my point of impact shifted. Initially I thought is was just me. When I switched back to the clear lenses I was right back on.

One of the guys from Northern Red either J.D. Potynsky or Chris K. I don't remember which one it was said that when his team went out on hits no matter the conditions they always wore clear lenses for the same reason. Ever since that class the clear lenses in my shooting array is all I use. It was the precision work we were doing that made the shift apparent.

Regarding cheap sunglasses, I learned my lesson years ago when I picked up a cheap pair of glasses in Wal-Mart. It took me a few days to realize the headaches I was experiencing were being caused by the crappy lenses. Never again!

Mike Pannone also has some good information on lighting conditions and how you perceive your sights. He doesn't specifically address glasses but it applies and I've discussed it with Mike.

[taadski]

I've used Oakleys through the SI program for a bunch of years. They can be had at some pretty reasonable prices. A year or so ago, they jacked up the program prices substantially though. The replacement lenses pretty much doubled (or more) in cost. Left a bad taste in my mouth, given how often I fuck them up.

In frustration, I searched around and wound up ordering some aftermarket lenses from a company called Revant Optics. They had lenses available for virtually any brand and model you wanted. And they were inexpensive ($20-$30 depending on type), so I tried a set. I wound up ordering 3 more replacement sets the following month and I've been using them for about 8 months now. They seem to hold up to abuse a bunch better than the original Oakley lenses do. I'm not an optics geek, but they sure seem to have better clarity than the original Oakleys also. They come in all sorts of available tints, both polarized and not. They're definitely worth a look.

https://www.revantoptics.com

[ubervic]

Another vote for Wiley X.

I'd been running RayBan for many years and then, about a year ago, my dozen-year-old pair bought the farm. Searched around and settled on Wiley X Rebel. they're lightweight, tough frame, comfortable, decent polycarbonate lenses that are not too dark yet give great glare protection, look good, and not crazy expensive.

[Wheeler]

Super Dave Harrington recommends using the clearest lenses you can get with the most UV protection available so as not to wash out certain colors. I've yet to give it a whirl.

[TAZ]

One more vote for the Cossbows. Used to be a die hard Oakley guy until I went away from contact lenses and need rx on the shooting glasses. Just can't afford to drop $400+ each year that my scrip changes. The Crossbows have rx inserts that can be had direct for ESS for cheap. Think I paid like $120 for a set. I have a set of clear and dark grey. I do find myself shooting. With the clear most of the time. Unless I'm shooting directly into the sun or something a cap offers enough shade for my eyes. Anyway, the CB fit my noggen and busted nose well and you can't beat the price. Only negative thing I can list is the RX insert has a somewhat limited FOV vertically. When running a carbine I find that the upper wire on the insert getting into my sight picture. I do have some flexibility issues in my neck coupled with probably poor stance so it may not really be an issue for anyone else.

[pr1042]

I've used Oakleys through the SI program for a bunch of years. They can be had at some pretty reasonable prices. A year or so ago, they jacked up the program prices substantially though. The replacement lenses pretty much doubled (or more) in cost. Left a bad taste in my mouth, given how often I fuck them up.

In frustration, I searched around and wound up ordering some aftermarket lenses from a company called Revant Optics. They had lenses available for virtually any brand and model you wanted. And they were inexpensive ($20-$30 depending on type), so I tried a set. I wound up ordering 3 more replacement sets the following month and I've been using them for about 8 months now. They seem to hold up to abuse a bunch better than the original Oakley lenses do. I'm not an optics geek, but they sure seem to have better clarity than the original Oakleys also. They come in all sorts of available tints, both polarized and not. They're definitely worth a look.

https://www.revantoptics.com

Thanks, just ordered a set as I needed new lenses and recently wasn't able to renew my SI membership