All posts tagged Police eyewear

Smith Elite Boogie Regulators and Boogie Sport Googles

279Boogie Sport IgnitorThere are a lot of these items that can have multi-purposes and since Smith Optics is already well established in the Ski and RX eyewear market, it’s an easy add on to be in the Military and Law Enforcement market.   I have been wearing the Smith Optics Elite brand for over 4yrs and I am very happy with their Warranty and products.   Ballistic eyewear should be viewed in much the same way that body armor is.  Even though a company may put a rating of protection on their product it doesn’t mean that it is going to hold up to that.  You have to remember that quality control is a big part of putting a top of the line brand out there and if they cut corners, and you’re the person that finds out about it at the wrong time, you be spending the rest of  your life with that injury.

The ANSI Z87.1 rating is much higher than what other brands claim and I’ve heard enough war stories about people losing an eye when an IED went off 100yds away that this is something you just don’t skip.  Even in competition sports, fragmentation occurs and having full coverage is very important.   The Smith Elite Boogie Sport is something that I do pack away in my range bag when I know I’m going to be on the move, and it is a far superior design to the Boogie Regulator which from my point of view is on it’s way out the door.  The straps on the Boogie Sport are more comfortable and the venting is much better.   I’m a big fan of the ignitor lenses and often have to explain to people why the red tinted look is very good for range use.   It helps eliminate glare and also cuts through air on the hazy humid days.  For $60 there is little to worry about for sizing, just do some research on what lense color you want.

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Ballistic Eyewear, frames and lenses, how do you decide?

Smith Optics Elite EyewearMany people I know go to gun clubs with inexpensive eyewear that they may have picked up at a hardware store because it was only $7.99 and they didn’t want to spend the money on something they hardly use.  It still amazes me to this day the number of people that don’t where eyewear when shooting but I learned my lesson the hardware, or better yet, avoid serious eye injury.  Years ago I had a magazine blow out on me on cheap surplus ammunition and if I hadn’t been wearing my WileyX ballistic eyewear I might have lost an eye.  I’ve heard horror stories of soldiers in Iraq getting eyewear from family members or purchased themselves that they thought was ballistic but after an IED went off, they lost an eye.

People don’t realize that in a major gun fight, fragmentation is a serious issue and it’s not only the bullet that can cause injury.   Take a shot at a 300yd target with an AR15 about 3 feet in front of your target and watch how many fragments of stone, rock, lead, or steel will fly through paper.  Our chosen ballistic eyewear has been the Smith Optics Elite eyewear and a large selection of ballistic sunglasses and tactical googles since many of the Elite Military have given us positive feedback.   The Outside the Wire Turbo fan is probable the highest price ballistic goggles we sell but in most situations, having a fan vent out moisture is going to get you through the fight and not relying on a piece of eyewear to not fog up.

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Protection without compromising visibility and style?

Smith Optics Elite eyewearWe’ve been selling the Smith Optics Elite ballistic eyewear for a very long time and although we consider ourselves new to it, so are the vast majority of our customers.   Most people see protective eyewear at a hardware store that is something you wear when riding a tractor or lawnmower or even with a weedwacker.   Those inexpensive glasses will stop a flying rock or piece of wood but they are not going to give you protection from objects moving 650 FPS.   I have been wearing the Chamber tactical polarized brown sunglasses for a very long time and the reason I went with these was that they gave  me the best visibility.   Everyone’s face and head is different so for some people it’s about the frame and how it sits on your face rather than just  the sizes of the lense.

I’ve been asking Smith  Optics Elite to make a smaller frame or atleaset thinner frame Protective glasses because I have a hard time using eyewear like this on a firing line due to the fact there are blind spots.   The Smith Optics Elite Eyewear that we got in are the Pivlocks and these are kind of a cross between sunglasses and the Smith Optics Elite eyeshields.   I love the Eyeshields for range or protective services but I do not like them for daily use.  If I wore those while driving a car I’d look like a meat butcher.   We’re always looking for feedback and customer reviews from products like this and the best way to test them out is to stop in our Broomall, Pennsylvania stocking dealer showroom.

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All safety eyewear is not the same, and you don’t want to make mistakes!

Smith Optics Elite eyewearThere are plenty of stories out about guys being deployed to Iraq or over sears and having eyewear on and then finding out later that the eyewear they were using did not have any ballistic safety rating.  Sure you can wear regular sunglasses on a firing line and you might think that’s all you need, and statistically you probable are fine, but in high risk line of work, things fly around during gun fights or in military engagements that aren’t always lead.   Go to a rifle range and put a 55gr bullet into the ground right in front of a paper target and check out the bumber of holes that will be on the paper from rocks or sticks that flew up from the bullet strike and blew through the paper target.  Sure the human body is not made of paper but that means cuts or scraps and if you get hit in the eyes, that can mean you have lost an eye.

We’ve tested lots of eyewear out over the years and ESS, Revision, Oakley all have their good points and are all good at protecting your eyes but Smith Optics Elite is a new product line that gives you another option.   Like much of the tactical industry, it’s about preference not  just quality and Smith Optics Elite Eyewear has an ever expanding product line, from tactical goggles, turbo fan goggles, the Boogie Regulator that are very low priced but very popular for training.   The Smith Optics Elite protective sunglasses are my favorite due to the durability and ease of maintaining the lenses.  This an a great factory warranty means getting your moneys worth.

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2yrs of running with Smith Optics Elite Eyeshields

Smith Optics Elite eyeshieldsI’ve been through so many safety glasses that I’m really sure I put my money in the right place when I drop $85 for a Smith Optics Elite eyeshield kit.   I don’t have a need for the amber or yellow glasses but sometimes its nice to just run clear shields and not  have the sunglasses style.  On those dark over cast days you don’t want any light limitation. We’ve mostly had positive feedback on the Smith Optics Elite ballistic eyewear.   Every product line has a glitch or whoops but there have been very few of them from this product line  unlike some of the others we have dealt with.   Our main selling point with this ballistic eyewear are the warranties on the sunglasses because some people are afraid to drop $80-$125 if they know they can loose or break them.  Well, if you get fragmentation or they get cracked the lenses on the protective sunglasses are replaceable not the frames.

I went with the Aegis Compact eyeshields because they fit my head better and fit is just as important as clarity with something like this.  We’ve had a lot of junk, and cheap eyewear but those tend to not be as strong and the clarity usually deteriorates and fogging is always an issue with the cheap stuff.   My choice for the Smith Optics Elite eyeshields are the compact ARC field kits.   The Echo is pretty cool but seems to be more for guys wearing helmets or larger ear protection.  I’m good with my Ear Pros that only cost me less than $15 and are more comfortable than using foam ear plugs.  There is also an asian fit for people with wider noses so you may have to stop in and try them out so you know what fits you.

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Feedback from EMS customers about Smith Optics Elite ballistic eyewear

Smith Optics Elite Protective SunglassesLocal EMS folks have been asking us about new products, what they like and reviews on various competitors product.  Even as a paramedic dealing with blood splatter, needles ect are things that not everyone realizes are life altering things due to all of the various blood pathogens that are out there.    Waterproof boots are not for water its about protecting your feed from  HIV, Hepatitis C and on and on.   Some of the  local trauma surgeons are wearing the Smith Optics Elite Aegis Eyeshields.   The Aegis Echo has a flat metal frame that gives you more comfort if you have a hat or helmet on.   The Boogie Regulators have a strap that can go over many different types of helmet, swat helmets, artillery or any other infantry type.

There are always different needs and uses of eye wear, but the most versatile are the Eye shields. One problem that some sunglasses can have is they do not give you the protection against projectiles that can bounce around on a firing range that regular shooting glasses can have. One issue glasses can have besides being cheap and not holding up are they they do not give you good clarity or visibility. Ballistic sunglasses like  Smith Optics Elite protective sunglasses are for street wear, but the larger frames will restrict visibility that the eye shields do not. We each can have our preferences on what color lense we want and the great thing about the eye shields in the replacement lenses. For training and carbine classes and you don’t want to be wearing goggles, the eye shields are the best option in safety glasses for protection and visibility.

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You get what you pay for with ballistic eyewear

Smith Optics Elite Protective SunglassesWe get people coming into our store with all kinds of budget ranges but we really do try and avoid the cheap stuff.   The cheap stuff is usually made in China and we can sometimes make good margins on the products but the returns and the unhappy customers are too common for these products.   There are gun accessories out there that are cheap, break and don’t hold up and there is a reason we stick with Troy and Magpul industries for firearm accessories.  Same goes for flashlights and tactical lights, the lenses and durability of the glass is something that really comes to play when you figure out your budget range.

I have tested out many brands of eyewear and the truth of the matter is much of it is about warranties and personal preferences.   My favorite of the Smith Optics Elite protective sunglasses are the Chamber tacticals.  These seem to fit  my face very well and i don’t feel my eyelashes rubbing against the lenses.   We have guys stop in here embarressed to tell us that their eye lashes are long, but that red eye scratch feeling is something that does happen too often.   There is also a prescription lense option for anyone that needs it but you will have to fill out and RX form and submit it directly to Smith Optics.

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Some changes to the Smith Optics Elite product line

Smith Optics EliteSmith Optics Elite is a our primary safety eyewear in our store and online.  We have a full line of their sunglasses as well as their goggles.  The Smith Optics Elite turbo fan is our number 1 swat team goggle and the new LoPro goggle is something that our military personnel use for night vision.   There are profile and fit differences between many of the eyewear products that Smith Optics has out and their product line is another one of those that people hate to buy  online because they want to know how it feels and fits and shelling out $100 for something like this is too much for people to handle so we know we have to stock them here in our Broomall PA showroom.

People can over rate eyewear but for people that actually work in the industry know that there are quality differences and accidents and mishaps occur as well as every day hostilities. Along with our newest products like the Boogie Regulator and the smith optics elite tactical sunglasses there is the Echo and the Compact Aegis eyeshields.  There is also an Asian Fit for the obvious customers.  There is also a dual ballistic lense for the tactical goggles as well as multicam.    This year Smith Optics Elite has introduced a new frame for the eyewear that has a camo look to it.

 

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New Products from Smith Optics Elite

It looks like we have a good review of the new  Smith Optics Elite eyewear that was on display at Shot Show this year.   Last year the Boogie regulators were the big hit but we kind of fell a sleep at the wheel on some of the other Smith Optics Elite eyewear.   The Aegis Echo is something we forgot to list on our website and now that so many of our customers have asked us why we have not been carrying them, we brought them in late January 2013.  The Aegis Echo is something that anyone with hearing protection or helmets might prefer due to the fact that it does not bend around your ears and press against your head.

Comfort is with eyewear is something anyone in the Military or SWAT Team is going to know about.  There are so many styles of frames from Smith Optics Elite protective sunglasses that  you really need to try them on and see how they feel because your eye and comfort tolerances will vary depending  on what  you are doing.  Some of the ballistic eyewear, like the goggles can feel different on  your face and even eye lashes will get annoyed depending on the fit.   All Smith Optics Elite eyewear has a lifetime warranty on the lenses and many of our customers have taken advantage of that.

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Smith Optics Elite new products, new year….

We always have our favorite product lines each year that put  put out new and interesting things and always impress us.   Original Swat, Tru-Spec, Trijicon and now Smith Optics Elite are on our list.   There are many products that we sell that our employees wear and use every day and will personally attest to their clarity, durability or value.   When many of us first started wearing the Smith Optics Eyewear it all seemed like over priced shooting range glasses until we actually wore them and looked through them.  We’ve had guys come in here and say they get the cheap stuff at the hardware store, but none of them knew about the prescription lense options or the manufacturer’s warranty on the eyewear.

Many of the goggles that we sell are similar to each other, but Smith Optics Elite came out with a lo-profile goggle in multicam last year as well as the very well received boogie regulator google.   The boogie regulators are really big for sky diving and airsoft and we’re amazed at  how  broad these Smith Optics Elite goggles have been accepted.  I read a few negative reviews from people about them  online but that has not been our experienced.  When entire tactical teams are walking in the door and send their buddies in the next week, and nobody complains about them, and they are getting used, we know we have a good product.

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