Post by 2nd Bat on Oct 3, 2014 18:38:43 GMT -5
When I first got in the hobby with my son who was then 14 I paid very close attention to safety, especially eye protection. I read all kinds of reports and did extensive testing myself on assorted masks, eye wear, mesh protection and anzi ratings. I acquired a wide variety of protective devices and had them as loaners and rental equipment. Over time I have to admit I have become more and more cavalier about my choices. This Winter I was on a work trip that serendipitiously took me near a WW2 event hosted by Brownian.
It was an opportunity I wasn't expecting or prepared for. I needed to borrow most everything but did buy warm socks, gloves, some throw away boots and I picked up a couple pair of protective glasses at a hardware store. I particularly liked them because they were very discrete looking and unlike traditional goggles they looked more like wrap around shooting glasses that would go over my glasses. They were also cheap at under $5.00. All good right? There was no published ANZI rating but hey they were in a hardware store so they had to adequate for airsoft right?
I wore them throughout the event and even loaned out the extra pair. Because they are slightly open on the sides there was no real issue with fogging. Nice!
Today I was plinking in the back yard and shooting at toy soldiers lined up on a railroad tie that surrounds my wifes garden. From my prone position I was blasting away from about 15 feet away. (Hey the soldiers are small!). Suddenly a low shot hit the tie and bounced back striking dead center on the goggles. In spite of it being a ricochette and travelling at least 30 feet the BB punched a nice round hole in the goggles and split them nearly apart. The Bb didn't penetrate but created spall of tiny pieces that would have gone right into my eye other than the fact that I had glasses underneath. Needless to say it was pretty shocking. Why I had faith in these is beyond me. I'm supposed to be mature and wise in my old age. Obviously I am anything but.
Out of curiosity I took the spare unbroken pair mounted them on a foam head and shot at them from initially about sixty feet away. At that range with an AEG firing 320 FPS with .25 gram they left a decent mark but didn't punch through. 10 feet closer and they popped spall right through and into the foam. At forty feet (two full sized car lengths) they made a pretty clean hole and split the goggles into multiple pieces.
This of course leads to advice I used to evangelically tout a dozen years ago and that is to test any eye wear well before entrusting your vision to a goggle you aren't sure about. Thankfully nothing bad came of it but obviously both myself and the person I loaned the goggles to at Remagen were vulnerable throughout. Lesson learned!
it is NOT a mistake or corner I will ever cut again.
YIKES. My wife likes to say you're old but that doesn't make you a grown up!
It was an opportunity I wasn't expecting or prepared for. I needed to borrow most everything but did buy warm socks, gloves, some throw away boots and I picked up a couple pair of protective glasses at a hardware store. I particularly liked them because they were very discrete looking and unlike traditional goggles they looked more like wrap around shooting glasses that would go over my glasses. They were also cheap at under $5.00. All good right? There was no published ANZI rating but hey they were in a hardware store so they had to adequate for airsoft right?
I wore them throughout the event and even loaned out the extra pair. Because they are slightly open on the sides there was no real issue with fogging. Nice!
Today I was plinking in the back yard and shooting at toy soldiers lined up on a railroad tie that surrounds my wifes garden. From my prone position I was blasting away from about 15 feet away. (Hey the soldiers are small!). Suddenly a low shot hit the tie and bounced back striking dead center on the goggles. In spite of it being a ricochette and travelling at least 30 feet the BB punched a nice round hole in the goggles and split them nearly apart. The Bb didn't penetrate but created spall of tiny pieces that would have gone right into my eye other than the fact that I had glasses underneath. Needless to say it was pretty shocking. Why I had faith in these is beyond me. I'm supposed to be mature and wise in my old age. Obviously I am anything but.
Out of curiosity I took the spare unbroken pair mounted them on a foam head and shot at them from initially about sixty feet away. At that range with an AEG firing 320 FPS with .25 gram they left a decent mark but didn't punch through. 10 feet closer and they popped spall right through and into the foam. At forty feet (two full sized car lengths) they made a pretty clean hole and split the goggles into multiple pieces.
This of course leads to advice I used to evangelically tout a dozen years ago and that is to test any eye wear well before entrusting your vision to a goggle you aren't sure about. Thankfully nothing bad came of it but obviously both myself and the person I loaned the goggles to at Remagen were vulnerable throughout. Lesson learned!
it is NOT a mistake or corner I will ever cut again.
YIKES. My wife likes to say you're old but that doesn't make you a grown up!