All posts tagged tactical eyewear

Your driving sunglasses can be your Smith Optics Elite Ballistic Sunglasses

Smith Optics Elite SunglassesSome of the cool things about investing in a decent pair of ballistic sunglasses is that you don’t need to remember to bring your safety glasses with you.   I do own some of the non-ballistic Smith Optics sunglasses but if you pick out the correct fit with the Smith Optics Elite product line, you might get the best of both worlds.   We are a full line Smith Optics Elite dealer as well as a Smith Optics regular line and there are a lot of options you can consider.  The newer Pivlock design can also cross over to be your every day eyewear and with the interchangeable lenses and the clam shell kit they come with, you can change up the lenses depending on the driving trip you are taking.   We keep a lense spectrum display in our store so customers can see the benefits of having more than one lense color because there are dramatic visibility differences between the ignitor and polarized eyewear.

When you get into ballistic ratings, you are best to stick with major brands, there are a lot of suspect ballistic vest manufacturers with horror stories about ratings not being worth your life, but when you want to talk about eyewear, your best bet is to stick with companies that know what they are doing.  Smith Optics is a top tier eyewear company and there are big differences between fit and visibility and you are going to want to stop in our store and try them on to make sure it suits your comfort.  All of the Smith Optics Elite Sunglasses meet or exceed the Meets ANSI Z87.1 ballistic rating and if you are are a competition shooter you’ll know the importance of using safety glasses while shooting on a steel range.  If you tried out the Smith product line in the past and we’re happy, take a look at them again because the product line has dramatically grown.

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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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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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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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Boogie Regulators best bang for the buck

The Boogie Regulator opens up our eyewear product line to something new and general inexpensive eyewear.   Some ballistic eyewear might not work for you due to the design and frame and that’s why it’s always nice to be able to walk into a stocking Smith Optics Elite dealer.   The Boogie Regulator is an easy product to wear because there are multiple ways of wear it.  Check out the above Youtube video for the Smith Optics Elite boogie regulator goggles accessory.

The boogie regulator comes in 3 different lense designs, there is no frame to have interchangeable lenses so you might need to buy more than one.  These ballistic goggles are available in clear, gray and ignitor. These Smith Optics Elite goggles are the most practical thing to wear while riding a motorcycle, taking a Carbine or Defensive firearm course, send them off to your kids in the Military or give it to your Dad for Father’s day.

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Tactical Lifestyles from Smith Optics Elite

Smith Optics Elite Lifestyle ballistic eyewear gives you the protection you need but with a stylish look. The Hideout Tactical Eyewear is available in clear, gray, Polarized Gray and the new Brown Polarized sunglasses. Smith Optics has been around for a very long time and making quality eyewear is something Smith Optics has proven. Having tactical clothing and gear that is comfortable and durable is something that the tactical community has been asking for and the Smith Optics Elite Tactical Lifestyles has achieved that.

It’s always best to be able pickup things like this at a stocking dealer so you can try them on.  All of the tactical lifestyles Smith Optics Elite ballistic eyewear are used by our local Law Enforcement and Government Security officials.   Tactical Teams and Swat teams a like use the Boogie Regulator and Smith Optics Elite Outside the Wire ballistic goggles like the Lo Pro goggle and the Turbo Fan goggle. There are big differences between this line of eyewear compared to others that are priced less.  The best thing to do is stop in our Broomall, PA location and try them on for yourself.

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More Boogie Regulator Feedback

These have been one of the hottest selling pieces of eyewear in recent years and it’s been fun watching the diverse groups of people show up at our door looking for them.   We feel we’ve gotten enough feed back from customers that we can actually answer our other customers questions with honest answers.   The Boogie Regulators are hot sellers because they are very reasonable priced compared to the rest of the Smith Optics Elite product line.  I personally prefer the Smith Optics Elite Eyeshields due to their broad visibility and lack of having any blind spots.
The Smith Optics Elite eyewear has covered a lot of ground since we first started carrying the product line.   These new Boogie regulators have continued to be hot sellers but we’ll be honest about what they are good for.  Many SWAT Teams and tactical teams have used these but they are really meant for moving operators and you may have some issues with them fogging up due to the fact they are closed optics.  The vents can be opened and closed and if you are constantly moving, jumping out of an air plane ect. they are really good to  use.  If you are dealing with hot temps you may want to stick with the eyeshields.

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Ballistic Eyewear in Stock

There are only a few optics companies that are approved by the United States Military and Smith Optics Elite are one of them. The Outside the wear goggles are used by many military and Law Enforcement. Many of our customers are active military and when they have the option to try out something other than what they are issued, they are choosing the Smith Optics Elite. There are replacement lenses for the Outside the Wire googles and improved ballistic protection.

The OTW Turbo Fan solves a problem that many optics run into. When you are in a situation where taking your safety gear off and your goggles are fogging up the silent Smith Optics Elite turbo fan will reduce fogging immediately. For law enforcement, the Smith Optics Tactical Lifestyle glasses come in clear, gray, Polarized gray and the Ignitor for all of the glasses. The Director, Lockwood, Hideout series all have a unique feel and look to them as well as the other styles. They will give you UV protection so you can keep your eyes on your job without eye strain.

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