Mike turned me on to ESS ICE shooting glasses a few years ago. They rock. They are inexpensive and come with smoke, clear and amber lenses. They also include an eyeglass template you can take to your local eyeglass guy to have a prescription made. They will then clip into the frame regardless of the color lenses you use.

If you want the ultimate in both shooting protection and UV/sunlight protection, get these:



They're expensive, but they're worth every penny. For me, I have a black iridium lens for bright days, blue iridium for not-so-intense days, and H.I. yellow (from the picture) for shooting.

Originally Posted by fivehourfrenzy

If you want the ultimate in both shooting protection and UV/sunlight protection, get these:



They're expensive, but they're worth every penny. For me, I have a black iridium lens for bright days, blue iridium for not-so-intense days, and H.I. yellow (from the picture) for shooting.

Will they accept a prescription insert? Most of the Brokeleys we had overseas weren't RX compatible.

Originally Posted by fivehourfrenzy

If you want the ultimate in both shooting protection and UV/sunlight protection, get these:



They're expensive, but they're worth every penny. For me, I have a black iridium lens for bright days, blue iridium for not-so-intense days, and H.I. yellow (from the picture) for shooting.

No thanks. I'll stick to my ESS ICE glasses. Under $50 for the frame and three lenses. That's probably a 1/3 or a 1/4 of what you paid for your Oakleys and they work just as well. Gone are the days for me of paying outlandish prices on something just for the name.

Originally Posted by Todd

No thanks. I'll stick to my ESS ICE glasses. Under $50 for the frame and three lenses. That's probably a 1/3 or a 1/4 of what you paid for your Oakleys and they work just as well. Gone are the days for me of paying outlandish prices on something just for the name.

Now, Todd, how can you ever expect to ascend to the highest heights of mall ninjahood without at least one pair of Brokeleys?

Originally Posted by Mike Barham

Now, Todd, how can you ever expect to ascend to the highest heights of mall ninjahood without at least one pair of Brokeleys?

Been there, done that. I think I had 3 or 4 pairs of Oakleys by the time I graduated college. Plus a couple pairs of Ray Bans, one prescription. Plus a pair of Gargoyles (yup, the same ones from Terminator). Sadly, I know all too well about wasting oodles of money on name brand sunglasses. Now I buy the knock-offs at the kiosk in the mall, and I don't feel suicidal when I lose them or they break.

Originally Posted by Mike Barham

Now, Todd, how can you ever expect to ascend to the highest heights of mall ninjahood without at least one pair of Brokeleys?

I figure instead of the Brokeleys, get teh Cokeleys at the flea market for 4 bucks. They work just as well as sunglasses, and i spend the rest on ammo and tabbies.

The wrap around shape of the Oakley's will not fit over eyglasses so they no good at all, at least in the context of this thread. I've had some regular safety glasses that have some bendy wrap-around design, not nearly as much as the Oakleys, and they just don't work over glasses.

If you wear prescription lenses, your optometrist or oculist can specify polycarbonate lenses for them. Get a frame that takes largish-size lenses, and your eyes will be as safe as in special shooting glasses.
Tradeoff: they scratch relatively easily, and you can't get photochromic ("photo-gray") self-shading "automatic sunglasses."

If your prescription doesn't require "coke bottle bottoms," you can also get tempered glass lenses. They are almost as safe as polycarbonate, you just can't scratch them, and they can be made photochromic.
Tradeoff: they're relatively heavy.

There are also "ordinary" plastic lenses that are not quite as safe as even tempered glass, but which will still save your eyes from most firearms hazards. They can be made photochromic, they don't scratch easily, and they're lightweight.
Tradeoff: they're less protective.

Originally Posted by Wyatt

They're made by AO Safety and I believe the model # is 91111.

These the ones? http://www.aosafety.com/aosafety.com..._platform_id=9

We have that model # at work, for visitors, people seem to like them better than the other styles we have available (we always run out and have to order more).
I just use my RX glasses from work any time I need safety glasses at home/shooting. My employer pays $75 of the cost of my RX safety glasses.

Bruce, those are exactly the ones! Great link/pic!

I'm not surprised to hear they are a favorite at your workplace. Probably preferred by alot of people who don't even wear them over eyeglasses.

The don't interfere with the eyeglasses at all and sit nice up high on the nose. Really comfortable.

By far the best pair I've ever had for over eyglasses and only $3. I've had some expensive ones, and none of them were nearly as good as these.

Originally Posted by Mike Barham

Will they accept a prescription insert? Most of the Brokeleys we had overseas weren't RX compatible.

Yep. You have to get the lenses crafted directly through Oakley, but I think that would be obvious. You can't just jam an insert into any pair of glasses.

Those of you that bash Oakleys have obviously never owned a pair. I'm not recommending spending $130+ for a pair just for shooting...however, if you spend a lot of time in the sun and like a good pair of shades, a lot of the Oakley frames (M-Frames included) have interchangable lenses. So yes, protecting your eyes with quality eyewear is important. Wearing some cheap Wal-mart sunglasses does not give you the UV protection that high quality sunglasses do. The only reason Oakley is a big name is because they kick ass in the personal optics world. Trust me, I've worn cheap sunglasses and cheap snowboarding goggles. They don't measure up, period.

Originally Posted by Todd

I don't feel suicidal when I lose them or they break.

I guess I could say the same about paying money for a quality firearm. Why not just buy a cheap Hi-Point 9mm and save money? Then you won't feel suicidal when you lose it or it breaks. And if you do any kind of yardwork, carpentry, welding, dremeling, etc, you know that the slightest little shred of wood, metal, plastic, rock, or whatever can blind you. Quality eye protection is a pretty smart thing when your vision is at stake.

Obviously if you can't afford Oakleys, then you shouldn't buy them. But you get what you pay for, and if superior protection from UV light and flying projectiles is high on your list, they'll do better than some cheap pair from Wal-mart. Iridium and polarized lenses are good stuff, not to mention the nearly countless customizing options for facial fitment, coverage, frame material, hinged/hingeless, lens choice, etc.

I'll defend Oakley sunglasses 'til I'm blue in the face. If you have a pair and they don't meet your expectations, then you probably have the wrong frame. Simple as that.

edit: I should note that strictly for eye protection, the M-Frame and M-Frame variants are designed with full coverage in mind. The Jackets, Juliets, Fives, Tens, etc. are more for form than function. However, the M-Frame style is the only frame layout that actually fits my face, which is why I wear them as sunglasses.

Originally Posted by fivehourfrenzy

Those of you that bash Oakleys have obviously never owned a pair.

Yawn. The Army issued me a pair in Afghanistan. I liked my ICE and UVEX better. I gave the Brokeleys to a guy so he'd take my guard duty shift. Brokeleys are no big deal. Lots of flash and a great marketing department, but no better than some other stuff on the market.

Wearing some cheap Wal-mart sunglasses does not give you the UV protection that high quality sunglasses do.

Yawn. We're talking about protection to be worn over prescription glasses. All prescription eyeglasses already have UV protection built in - even the ones made from cheap CR39 plastic.

The only reason Oakley is a big name is because they kick ass in the personal optics world.

Yawn. It's a quality product, but again, their dominance is more about flash and marketing (usually to testosterone-laden young men) than being technically better than some of their competitors. I used to do eyewear for a living. If I wanted pure sunglasses, for example, I'd buy Maui Jim way before I bought Brokeleys. And for shooting, I'd rather have ESS or Smith.

Mike, I think you should take a nap. All that yawning must be killing you. Now if you ever decide to get out of AZ and take up a winter sport that involves a lot of snow getting thrown in your face, I trust you'll do the right thing and get a pair of Oakleys...I prefer the A-Frames as they fit my face the best, but the O-Frame, Crowbar, and Wisdom are also pretty popular.

Originally Posted by fivehourfrenzy

Yep. You have to get the lenses crafted directly through Oakley, but I think that would be obvious. You can't just jam an insert into any pair of glasses.

But you can do just that to the ESS ice. That is one of the strengths of these shooting glasses. I would guess this would make them better than you Oaklies for this task.

Originally Posted by Mike Barham

Yawn. The Army issued me a pair in Afghanistan. I liked my ICE and UVEX better. I gave the Brokeleys to a guy so he'd take my guard duty shift. Brokeleys are no big deal. Lots of flash and a great marketing department, but no better than some other stuff on the market.

Yawn. We're talking about protection to be worn over prescription glasses. All prescription eyeglasses already have UV protection built in - even the ones made from cheap CR39 plastic.

Yawn. It's a quality product, but again, their dominance is more about flash and marketing (usually to testosterone-laden young men) than being technically better than some of their competitors. I used to do eyewear for a living. If I wanted pure sunglasses, for example, I'd buy Maui Jim way before I bought Brokeleys. And for shooting, I'd rather have ESS or Smith.

Why are you even bothering? When you're in school you need to worry about the social status that comes with having name brand stuff and you must defend and justify and never admit there are items of equal quality for lesser price without the name. Again, been there, done that. When you get out of school, you realize that 99% of the population gives a rat's ass what brand of anything you have and the 1% that does care, you don't want anything to do with anyway. When FHF has a mortgage, a couple kids to feed and clothe, is paying back his student loans, and has all the fun expenses us adults in the real world have, he'll understand that a $50 pair of sunglasses that meets ANSI standards for impact resistance and have 100% UV protection are just as good as some over-priced, over-marketed pair of glasses that also have the same impact rating and same UV protection. Unless of course I've been out of school too long and there is now something greater than 100%.

Originally Posted by fivehourfrenzy

Mike, I think you should take a nap. All that yawning must be killing you. Now if you ever decide to get out of AZ and take up a winter sport that involves a lot of snow getting thrown in your face...

The wife will be teaching me to ski this winter (we do have skiing in AZ). But I'll just bring my ESS or UVEX. They managed to get my eyes through Afghanistan, which was a slightly tougher environment than a ski slope. I'm not nearly cool enough to snowboard, so I guess I'm also not cool enough to wear Brokeleys.

Gee whiz guys, I must have missed something through my almost 68 years. I have lived in sun country and snow country and and spent a lot of time at sea but have never owned any of those various colored glasses and haven't gone blind yet. We had snow on the ground for a couple of months this winter and I somehow managed to get through with my standard clear corrective lenses.

I always thought musicians were the only people that got to wear dark glasses.

Perhaps If Poppa was still alive and paying my way I would try a pair of those new fangled kind.

They have to be a big hit at the Mall.

Originally Posted by Todd

Why are you even bothering? When you're in school you need to worry about the social status that comes with having name brand stuff and you must defend and justify and never admit there are items of equal quality for lesser price without the name. Again, been there, done that. When you get out of school, you realize that 99% of the population gives a rat's ass what brand of anything you have and the 1% that does care, you don't want anything to do with anyway. When FHF has a mortgage, a couple kids to feed and clothe, is paying back his student loans, and has all the fun expenses us adults in the real world have, he'll understand that a $50 pair of sunglasses that meets ANSI standards for impact resistance and have 100% UV protection are just as good as some over-priced, over-marketed pair of glasses that also have the same impact rating and same UV protection. Unless of course I've been out of school too long and there is now something greater than 100%.

Don't make this personal, Todd. If you can find any pair of sunglasses that does the following for less than the price of Oakleys, then I'll shut up:

1. Has a 1-year full warranty, then a lifetime $19 warranty.
2. Has various lens colors and protection indexes (light transmissions) for various lighting conditions, and can interchange between the two in a few seconds.
3. Fits my face PERFECTLY.
4. Is widely available.

Fine, take the "O" off the frame and the "Oakley" off the lens. I wouldn't give a ****. I'm done in this thread as it's obviously a "fivehourfrenzy is a little college kid who cares way too much about what others think and has all kinds of spending money because mommy and daddy are paying for all his expenses and I was his age once but I'd never admit it."

Get all superior on me...apparently it makes you feel more like a man. I've put up with the personal attacks until now, but I've had enough and I'm done with this forum. fivehourfrenzy is OUT.

Originally Posted by fivehourfrenzy

Don't make this personal, Todd.

I wasn't making it personal. I even said I was the same way as you when I was your age. When I was in college I had a drawer full of Oakleys (of course, showing my age, they were Pilots, Blades, Razor Blades, and Frogskins), Ray Bans, and Gargoyles. At that time I wasn't gonna listen to anyone tell me that the cheaper glasses were just as good and I wanted the social prestige that college kids put on that stuff. The point was simply that once you're out in the real world, your views on this will probably change.

Originally Posted by fivehourfrenzy

Get all superior on me...apparently it makes you feel more like a man.

Ah crap, you're on to me. My wife and family just don't cut it for me. In order to feel like a man I have to be demeaning to a college kid that I will never lay eyes on in my life and that I have absolutely no vested interest in what-so-ever. I guess I've been outed.

Originally Posted by fivehourfrenzy

I've put up with the personal attacks until now, but I've had enough and I'm done with this forum. fivehourfrenzy is OUT.

If you feel that we're all ganging up on you because we've pointed out that there are glasses out there that have the same quality as Oakleys at a fraction of the price, and that your views will probably change as you get older and have more responsibilities, we're all guilty as charged. If you no longer want to be a member here, it's a free world. No one's telling you to leave. No one's gonna beg you to stay either.