#SafetyGlasses

Vortex has officially announced its entrance into the sporting eyewear world. As an optics company, this really shouldn’t come as a surprise as every optic company out there has its own specific take on one of the most important pieces of safety equipment. The new Vortex Eyewear lineup starts with two different variants including the Banshee, and Jackal models. Of course, these lenses will be ANSI Z87.1 certified, and will also feature anti-reflective and UV protective properties. As with anything and everything Vortex, these are going to be affordable, and also come with Vortex’s popular “no questions asked VIP Warranty.”

Bollé Safety is continuing to add to its already extensive ANSI-rated eyewear collection with the announcement that two new lifestyle-oriented pairs will be coming soon- the new ALTUS and KNOX sunglasses. These new pairs of Z87.1-rated sunglasses are meant to be lightweight and comfortable, but still suitable for range use or other tasks and jobs that require protective eyewear.

One of the biggest annoyances for me on the range when it comes to wearing safety glasses is fog. Most lenses out there will eventually fog even in optimal conditions but on extremely hot or humid days it can be even worse with your body’s heat doing its best to fog up the inside of your lenses. Bollé Safety has just announced a solution to that problem with the introduction of their new Platinum Technology equipped safety glasses which have been able to demonstrate in tests that they are capable of resisting the appearance of fog for 15 minutes above a source of steam which is a resistance equivalent to 100 times higher than the requirements defined by industry EN166 standard.

Every year it is estimated that nearly half of all head injuries sustained in the United States are actually eye injuries. According to The Vision Council, 90 of these injuries that are sustained to the eyes are preventable. In the firearms world, it’s almost universally agreed upon that eye protection as well as hearing protection is a must for everyone when around firearms of any type. Bolle Safety has just announced the introduction of their new Gunfire Kit 2.0 wraparound eye protection featuring swappable ballistic lenses and meeting  STANAG 4296 standards for eye protection for the individual soldier.

Cerakote is usually something that most of us associate with guns or gun parts. It is essentially really fancy ceramic spray paint that improves the wear resistance of any given material and can also be used to add a bit of extra color to any rifle or pistol. Gatorz Eyewear has just announced the addition of new Cerakote Coated aluminum frames to both their Magnum and Wraptor billet aluminum frames.

Keeping your eyes safe both in the sun and on the range, GATORZ is pleased to announce its new extension lineup of performance eyewear lens technology. GATORZ new High Contrast Shooting Lens lineup will still provide the industry-standard ANSI Z87.1 ballistic rating but will now also include new high-contrast lenses to help shooters who are training in both low-light and bright daylight conditions.

There are tons of options out there for protective eyewear when it comes to shooting sports. While I used to be in the camp of “whatever works for the cheapest price”, I’ve come to appreciate some of the more refined options out there on the market and today, the new Wraptor MILSPEC Ballistic rated safety eyewear from Gatorz caught my eye. The Wraptor frame is joining the same lineup of aluminum-framed impact-resistant eyewear that Gatorz’s Delta, Specter, and original Magnum frames are a part of – all highly reviewed by customers who use them.

If you don’t get the reference in the title, first of all, let me sincerely apologize to you for not having the pleasure of witnessing a true classic of American Christmas movies. Second, go watch the movie. Now that you’ve had a chance to understand where I’m coming from let’s talk about eye protection. There are a lot of arguments to be made on the merits of wearing eye protection all the time but I know there are many of us out there that feel that eye protection isn’t always necessary especially when it interferes with your vision and by extension your ability to see and shoot a target. However, I think there are a few times where everyone agrees it’s probably in your best interest to actually wear eye protection, most notably, when you’re shooting steel, or other hard targets or shooting with a suppressor mounted. In these cases, you can avoid some pretty uncomfortable or possibly debilitating injuries from bits of projectile or blowback coming towards your eyes which everyone knows are basically the groin of the head. Anyway, pick up some eye protection this Christmas so that you don’t wind up shooting your eye out, kid.

A few weeks back I had the opportunity to attend an event hosted by Vista Outdoors in which Bushnell Optics was featured. At the event, myself and other writers within the industry were treated to a first-hand look and experience of Bushnell’s new Performance Eyewear lineup that was accomplished through a partnership with Mirage Occhiali – an Italian sunglasses designer. While at the event, we had a chance to test out the new eyewear and see their entire lineup. The new Bushnell Performance Eyewear lineup is available now for those interested.

Wiley X, producer of protective eyewear has recently announced that they will be departing the State of California to move their headquarters to Frisco, Texas. Although the company has stated that the move is to improve shipping and distribution efficiency, I personally believe they’ll benefit in a couple other areas as well if they are transitioning from California to Texas.

Leupold has recently launched its Performance Eyewear line of glasses. As a designer and manufacturer of high-quality optics, this is a bit of a departure from their normal product line up. However, I’m willing to give almost anything a shot, and Leupold generously sent out a pair of “ Packout” style glasses for testing and evaluation.

Leupold is hosting a pretty unique product release event. The popular Optics company encourages you to Join the Hunt to give you the chance to find a pair of Leupold Performance Eyewear before they hit stores. Leupold has distributed a bunch of their new Performance Eyewear across the country to specific GPS coordinates. Now, it’s up to you to find them.

As a cyclist I have used Tifosi glasses for a long time. They are comfortable and work really well. Having a rated safety lens is important when you are riding on a road with cars that can shoot a rock up in your face.