Tactical glasses protect eyes from mechanical damage, gases and similar influences. What are their characteristics and how do they work? We should know this before we make a purchase.
Security and Special Forces, soldiers, and others need special equipment for the tactical side of their lives. They must also be adequately protected to do their jobs the best. Just as we have tactical knives and tactical flashlights, we also have tactical eyewear. What makes them tactical ? Let´s reveal it a little more.
First of all, we should describe them little more before we reveal what to watch out for. Tactical glasses (as they should be) somehow resemble ski goggles. As funny as it may sound, it is true. They should protect users against surrounding influences. Most often from sand, dust, smoke, but also mechanical influences. This may also include a part of the explosives used. For these cases, they must have highly resistant lenses with ballistic protection. The lenses hold in a frame that fits perfectly thanks to the facial seal from foam or rubber. For proper fit on the head there is adjustable elastic strap.
Today, the market offers many similar glasses but they don't simply meet the criteria. Yes, are they cheaper, often even half the price, but can we really trust them? From our own experience we say no. We are talking especially about eyewear designed for airsoft or similar activities, which still require some kind of protection, but this protection is rather limited. Really good tactical glasses from leading brands meet ballistic safety standards, which are the highest standards they can meet. Those brands include for example Bollé, ESS or Oakley. If we purchase their ballistic lenses , we can be sure they really are high-quality tactical ballistic lenses. Plastic lenses have really high anti-stratch protection as well as protection against other mechanical damage. Given their design we might be wondering about fogging....
With standard lenses, the fogging will occur. Due to the leveling of temperatures, water vapor condensation on the lenses occur and we see nothing. This is a very unpleasant phenomenon that, however, can be removed. Just focus on the description of specific glasses when making your selection. The better ones offer anti-fog protection, which either eliminates or completely removes the problem. The right frame also helps to eliminate this problem.
The frame on the face sit around its entire perimeter, which helps to eliminate dust, dirt and other pollutants. But the goggles should also feature venting system to help with air circulation. The construction itself should be made of solid material, which is in this case plastic. Goggles hold on the head with a strap. This strap should be wider (approx 3,5 – 5 cm) and fully adjustable. At the same time, the lenses must be rounded to copy the shape of the face better. The frame must be padded from the inside ( gasket - facial seal) to be as comfortable as possible. No uncomfortable feelings or slipping off. There are other features such as for example interchangeable lenses. Some of these, however, will cost us a little extra.