Safety glasses for handgun shooting

[7.62]

I shoot a lot and I always wear safety glasses. I have been sprayed by handgun "gunk" many times and I always protect the eyes. When I shoot, my safety glasses always fog up and this irritates me greatly. I have to wip them off about every 2 or 3 shots. I need to know what kind to get that will NOT fog up EVER. I have Oakley riding goggles for ATV riding, and they never fog up. I was wondering if the Iakley shooting glasses are the same? Please help me.

[Mr Kris]

I use Oakley glasses for shooting and they've never fogged up on me. I have the M frame with clear lenses.

I do have a paintball mask that the lens fogs up on though, and I cured that with an anti-fog spray. I got it from my local paintball place.... it's just a clear spray that I guess leaves behind a thin film of something that prevents fogging up.

[7.62]

That sounds interesting, can you tell me the name of that spray? Have a link?

[chris in va]

Hey MrKris, get those thermal lenses for paintball. Makes a world of difference.

[Handy]

Any sport style glasses of good quality are fine for shooting.

I have some Performance Bicycle brand glasses that came with dark, yellow and clear polycarb lenses for $35. Never fog, great protection, very comfortable.


Quality protective glasses are always a good idea.

[NorWestr]

I get all my safety glasses from where else? :cool: safetyglasses.com (http://safetyglasses.com/)
I generally use the S&W Magnums at work and range as they'r inexpensive and comfortable. I'v never had a problem with the fogging but if you click on "Towelettes" in Accessories,they have some anti-fog stuff. A camera/optics store would carry it too,some of it works and some not so good.

[7.62]

Thanks NW, Great Link! :D

[racinstylez]

I just use my puma sunglasses. I have never had a problem with them.

[stephen426]

When shooting indoors, the sunglasses make it too dark to see easily. I bought a pair of glasses from Hoppes which has interchangable lenses. It has a clear one, a yellow one, and a pink one. I know the yellow is supposed to increase contrast and the clear one is for lower light conditions. I'm not quite sure what the pink ones are for. I guess they are suppsed to make you happier if that is what they mean by seeing the world through rose colored glasses. Just make sure you wear ansi approved plastic lenses instead of glass. Glass can shatter if a wild shell casing goes flying. Oakley is one brand of glasses that I know meets minimum requirements.

[Capt. Charlie]

I wear prescription glasses with polycarbonate lenses, and trying to put wrap around shooting glasses over those is a pain. Any ideas for those of us that are stuck with regular glasses?

[sendec]

Parker's Perfect - found it at Gander Mountain. It works most of the time, though it can get so humid where I am, and I can get so hot, that nothing works all the time.

I also use Oakley M Frames, which dont seem to fog as badly as my Wiley Xs used to. Oakly also has vented lenses available that I've been meaning to try, though that kinda defeats the purpose of safety glasses.

[Mr Kris]

7.62: The anti fog spray I have says "PMI Anti-fog Spray" on the bottle. PMI is a paintball company, so it's probably findable in paintball stores and larger sporting goods stores. I'm sure plenty of other manufacturers have an equivalent though.

sendec: I do have a set of vented lenses for the M frame... the vents are really small and when I put them on they're close to my browline. So I think it'd still be pretty hard for anything to make it to your eye. I wonder if there's some fancy way of measuring the chance of that happening that OSHA or ANSI made up.

[stephen426]

Be careful with anti-fog sprays as they may damage the coatings on certain types of sun glasses. I think finding a pair of glasses that have the lenses further away from your eyes may reduce the chance of fogging. Also, glasses that don't touch your brow line allow any moisture from fogging up your glasses.

These types of glasses are more for impact protection rather than liquid. I don't think you would need to worry about a few small vent holes.

[CarbineCaleb]

wear prescription glasses with polycarbonate lenses, and trying to put wrap around shooting glasses over those is a pain in the a**.

Many safety glasses made for laboratory use are designed to fit over prescription glasses. They are required to be used by regulations in all modern commercial laboratories, and many if not most scientists wear glasses. They will be high impact, to protect against shrapnel in a lab explosion. Many today also offer UV protection.

See VWR Scientific at:
http://www.vwrsp.com/catalog/index.cgi?parent_id=5003817

For example, they have:
http://www.vwrsp.com/catalog/product/index.cgi?object_id=0012191&class_id=5003817

[Whitefalls]

I'm not quite sure what the pink ones are for. I guess they are suppsed to make you happier if that is what they mean by seeing the world through rose colored glasses.

I believe pink is to reduce glare... but perhaps they will make you happier as well :D

[scopecenter]

Not sure if anyone is still paying attention to this thread, but I use MCR Safety Force Flex glasses. Apart from containing anti-fog coating they also meet military ballistic impact requirements and exceed ANSI-Z87 + high impact standards. I would recommend these to anyone who enjoys shooting.

P.S. Sorry, I don't have a site link, but they shouldn't be too hard to find.

[Talin342]

If you're really cheap you might try rubbing the lenses inside and out with a bar of soap. Get the lenses completely hazy and then use a dry rag to "buff" clear. Alternatively you can make some REALLY soapy water and dip your glasses in it. Allow "soap scum" to dry on you glasses and again "buff" it off so the lenses are again clear. From what I've read online you can also achieve a similar effect by rubbing a cut potato on the iside of your lens, allowing it to dry and then "buffing" it out.


I know the first two methods work fairly well and they work even better if the soap has glycerin in it.

[4runnerman]

Im parts Manager where i work. Our safty glasses are just plain saftey glasses,but i get the anti-fog ones and they work great

[scopecenter]

I've tried using the potato trick on another pair of safety glasses that I used to use and it did work, but only briefly (about halfway during shooting) only to continue to fog up again. That's been one of the nice things about my Force Flex glasses apart from the fact they are nearly indestructible. They use some sort of thermo plastic urethane to increase strength and flexibility in the frame. I have a feeling I won't be needing another pair of safety glasses for sometime:).

[Slopemeno]

I played paintball heavily for 10 years, and thermal lenses are a godsend. You can run till you drop in 100 degree weather and sweat all you want, but never fog up.

You can also get paintball goggles that are meant to go over glasses, called OTG.

As far as the lens color, I prefer the amber, which really seems to pump up the contrast. I've even played paintball on a moonlit night with amber lenses and it worked fairly well.

[oneounceload]

Snorkelers use a mixture of Joy and water to dunk their mask in to prevent fogging - you might mix up some

[4runnerman]

As far as the lens color, I prefer the amber, which really seems to pump up the contrast. I've even played paintball on a moonlit night with amber lenses and it worked fairly well

Plus 1 on that. I use Amber in evening hours on Motorcycle too.

[scopecenter]

4Runnerman,

What brand glasses do you use with your amber lenses?

[big al hunter]

Those of you with prescription lenses can get safety lenses in your prescription just ask your optometrist.

[deKatt]

You can get prescription safety glasses, but you can't just put safety lenses in a pair of standard frames. ANSI Z87.1 requirements apply to both lenses and frames, and part of the testing is a "lens retention test" requiring that no part of the lens separates from the frame during the test. So, be prepared to buy both frames and lenses.

[J A]

I have used the liquid soap method many times. I worked in a refrigerated warehouse and had a devil of a time keeping my glasses clear. An old timer showed me how to put just a small amount of liquid dish soap on each lens and rub until clear. It takes very little soap. End of fogging problem. Age and experience are pricless.

[scopecenter]

Dekatt,

Can you give me an idea as to what that normally runs? Have you ever just bought goggles and put your regular glasses underneath them? Thanks.

[MrWesson]

Just shoot with your eyes closed :p

I would look at glasses that are slightly smaller in the area around your nose. Obviously you will give up some protection.

[deKatt]

Can you give me an idea as to what that normally runs? Have you ever just bought goggles and put your regular glasses underneath them? Thanks.

I don't have any prescription safety glasses, so I can't tell you about the cost. I wear contacts, so I can just wear standard safety glasses over them. Most of the time (including shooting) I wear a pair with built-in reading lenses so I can see to load the pistol.

[scopecenter]

DeKatt,

I used to do the same and would just purchase some standard safety goggles, and although it seemed cheap at the time I found myself going through several pairs in a year. About how many pairs do you cycle through in a year?

[chasep255]

Well I used to wear a scuba mask occasionally in lakes and it would always fog up. I fixed the problem by spitting on the inside of the glass and rubbing the spit around. Then I quickly dipped it in and out of the the water. After doing that they didn't fog up. Maybe this will work for your shooting glasses.

[patriot1987]

Does anyone know of shooting glasses or safety glasses which meet MIL-PRF 31013 military standards in addition to ANSI Z87+ standards? I need something that is super flexible and scratch resistant. Any suggestions? Thanks.