Saturday, August 23, 2014
Favorite Safety Glasses
Tools of the Trade: Our crew wears safety glasses every day so we want those glasses to be comfortable, tough, and not look too weird. With so many styles to choose from it can be difficult to figure out which work the best. After years of wearing safety glasses I can recommend a couple of reliable standbys and a more expensive pair I recently bought and am really happy with.
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9 comments:
Personally, I found this article to be a little disappointing. I am in the market for a nicer pair of safety glasses and was disappointed to find that this article only listed a small handful of safety glasses, all of which were focused on design more than function or comfort. I am happy to see, however, that all of the glasses listed were under $40 since more than that I consider a little ridiculous to pay for safety glasses.
Safety glasses, like gloves or knives, are a huge personal preference. I agree with Joe that I was disappointed by how limited this article turned out to be. It was good that they included glasses at various price points but I think they could have included a lot more. One thing that was good to learn was that my sunglasses were on the list as having Z87.1 certified lenses which I was already pretty sure about but it was nice to have confirmation, especially because I have used them as safety glasses on occasion. I think that it comes down to trial and error when choosing your go-to safety glasses but having some good suggestions definitely helps.
Finding the right pair of safety glasses is a really important task. If you are going to be working in the shop for long days you do not want to be wearing glasses that are uncomfortable. I know from experience that shops do not always have the best safety glasses on hand. I have a pair that fit me perfectly and when I leave them at home or end up working in the shop unexpectedly I am sad I do not have mine. While operating machines and working in the dusty shops the last thing you want is to have glasses that are sliding off of your nose or are too lose and let things fly into your eyes. This article could have been a little more useful as far as information goes but the overall concept of spending money to keep your eyes safe is not something to do lightly and you should get what fits you comfortably and keeps you safe.
Seeing as the majority of the top picks were tinted, I assume it's safe to say that this list is mainly for outdoors and on site contractors. Granted, they all look pretty stylish and might even get mistaken for a normal pair of "shades". It has been proven that employees who own "stylish" PPE are more likely to wear them than those who do not.
I know anecdotally that when I work in the CMU shop, I'm much more likely to keep my glasses on at all times if I'm using my personal pair. Same goes for ear plugs.
Everyone's got a favorite, but I don't feel like this article expanded my knowledge or options any. I am surprised that all but one of the mentioned pairs were sun glasses, although it seems that with the outdoor work they are doing, that is the better choice. As for the look of the Harley Davidson safety specs, they look pretty nice, but don't seem any more functional than the Nemesis glasses that we stock in the shop. As for the sun glasses end of the spectrum, personally I prefer my IronMan racing glasses, they are impact rated (for slightly less than the ones mentioned here) water/fog resistant, and will clean with anything, not just cotton.
I agree with Chris Norville that this article just mentioned a couple pair of sunglasses that are rated as safety glasses. I do have my own favorite pair of sunglass which are 3m's clear, they are cheap and durable and comfortable. Last school year how ever I had the opportunity to replace the lenses on my Oakley Gascans for which I have had the frames for quite some time. I was able to find a decent deal on a pair of replacement lenses that were dark enough for my liking, polarized and they meet the ansi Z87.1 standard. I realize that a pair of oakleys is incredibly expensive to use for a set of safety glasses but the design is actually pretty genius. Plastic frame with the arms designed as a press fitting for the swivel so that upon impact the arms pop off without breaking and click back in. scratch the lenses and they are replaced easily.
I was just as disappointed with this article as everyone else. I really would have liked to see more of a selection of safety glasses reviewed. Not only in the high price range but some of the lower price ranges as well. I know this summer I spent quite a bit of time getting everyone working their own pair of safety glasses. I took around a northern safety catalog and had everyone look through it and decide which ones they wanted. It was interesting and a bit overwhelming to everyone because there are so many options out there. It really would be nice to see a bit more of a breakdown on different types of safety glasses. I did work hard at stocking a multitude of different types of safety glasses so that people could find ones that worked for them. Finding a pair that you like and are comfortable for you is very important in getting people to wear their safety glasses.
The article did a good job of highlighting a range of safety glasses, but I was kinda disappointed by it. I prefer to use clear glasses, even when I do work outside in the sun, and the fact that only one pair wasn't tinted was pretty annoying. I liked how much attention the article gave to comfort, but because of how different preferences are from person to person, I don't know how much value the reviews had. The glasses that I've had for years and that haven't failed me yet are my older sister's glasses from high school chem lab. They're clear, comfy, protective, and most importantly, unique. The frames are multicolored, so no matter where I work I know that they're mine.
Probably one of the most important safety items one can get in preparation for work, safety glasses are a something that should be comfortable and easy to wear in all conditions. I remember the first time I had to choose my own safety glasses and it took quite a while to dig through and find a pair that I really felt I could wear with ease and wouldn't mind being seen in. It's so important to find a pair that suit your needs because improper application of safety glasses or getting a pair I'll suited for your needs could be extremely harmful.
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