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Best safety glasses?

BobWelland

Stainless
Joined
Sep 30, 2002
Location
Seattle, WA. USA
I have only cheapo safety glasses & one thing that bugs me about them is haziness and reflections. I wear glasses so I need slightly largish ones (my glasses are relatively small).

Any suggestions?

Cheers,
Bob Welland
 
I have numerous pairs of safety glasses and my choice depends on what I am doing. I too wear prescription glasses.I had my eye doctor make me a pair of safety prescription glasses.I also use a face shield quite often and I prefer this over safety glasses. I know what you are thinking- safety shields are supposed to be used with safety glaases. That's why I have prescription safety glasses.
 
try a face shield.I switched from safety glasses and have had fewer "bits " in my eye and less burns on the neck and face.The added feature is you can still wear regular glasses.
 
I wear safety glass's all day in the shop and with no tool dealers close I buy them at wallyworld for about five bucks each. Yes, they meet the specs. Very comfortable and about the glare, they seem to be hit or miss. Would sure be nice if they could eliminate the glare from them.
Michael
 
Hello Bob, A few years ago I hit the big 40 and my vision really diminished. I always used "safety glasses" in the shop and like you found them to be very unsatisfactory. If you have a prescription plan I would suggest going to your eye Doctor telling him you want a pair of SAFETY glasses for MACHINE work. Tell him you want the focal point to be about 18 inches. If your eyes are 20/20 you might want a very small magnification just to help you see a little better. Then pick out a pair of frames that are large and have good coverage. I get new glasses every year and have a pair for my PC, a pair for TV and some just for the shop. Another important thing to remember is proper cleaning/care of the glasses. NEVER dry wipe, avoid chemicals, never place glasses down on the lenses, always keep in case when not in use... Many of the polycarbonate safety glasses out today are not suited for out type of work. "Far from attractive, a good pair of safety glasses will also serve as an effective birth control" =) Good Luck!
 
I wear glasses -- simple magnifiers -- for everyday closeup work and reading. In the shop, I think the best, though not cheapest by any means, way to go for eyeglass wearers is to have an optometrist-made pair of safety glasses. Much cheaper is to wear over one's corrective eyeglasses either a fullface shield or a pair of plastic safety glasses that fit over regular glasses. I have tried almost all the safety glasses that are sold with a bifocal arrangement, the magnifying area of the lenses being inset in the lower area of the lens near the nose. These glasses drive me crazy.

I might add that occasionally I do (shudder shudder) wood projects. If I am tablesawing large wood pieces, I like to wear my fullface shield and also a white paper-cone dustmask. The snag with this arrangement is that every time one exhales the inner surface of the face shield clouds up.
 
I have worn glasses due to nearsightedness since I was in the fifth grade.

I have never been able to find safety glasses that would fit over my eyeglasses and actually be usable.

My eyesight recently took a turn for the worse (I am now 43) and I wear bifocals. They are useless for close work, but I can get by with grinding, etc., while wearing a face shield.

Having multiple pairs of prescription safety glasses for varying focal lengths would probably work very well, but sounds pricey. I am also not one to be packing 4 different pairs of glasses around and switching them when the need arises.

It was suggested to me to buy some cheap reading glasses (dollar store) that would work for closeup jobs. Maybe a couple of pairs for different distances.

If I went this route and used a face shield religiously, would I be exposing my eyes to any normal injury? Is it really necessary to wear safety glasses *and* a face shield?
 
This thread comes at a good time, unfortunately.

Everyone in my family (mom, dad, sis) wore strong glasses from an early age. I was blessed with better than perfect vision (20/15) 'till my last flight physical (got 'em tested every two years, more often now). I knew my time would come, and it has. (Turned 48 last Nov)

I'm going shopping for glasses tomorrow. The woman administering the test says I'll be fine once I get over the vanity


Mark
 
Local eyeglass place told me that some dentists here in town have been buying clip on sunglasses with clear lenses for up close work. All those enamel/ filling chips blasting out of someone's mouth tend to ruin regular plastic lenses. The clip ons with clear lenses provide additional protection to a certain extant. Am trying it out. No where near the protection of a face shield of course, but it is something more...
 
Hilti makes some really nice safety glasses.

Unfortunately, mine are prescription with side shields.

Uvex makes an "Astro" OTG ("over the glasses") which is good for people who need to install them temporarily over their normal prescription glasses.

PS: Never jump in the car with side-shielded safety glasses on...I nearly crashed the first time I did so, because it obstructed peripheral vision!!!

-Matt
 
i have a nice pair that my shop teacher gave me, they look like sunglasses and they fit very well to your face, i've never gotten a piece of metal or wood in my eye using them. i'll try to ask him where he gets them when i get back to school on tuesday
 
I switched from my regular glasses to contact lenses, so I no longer need big frames to fit over existing eyeglasses.

As I have gotten older, I now find it useful to have magnifiers incorporated into my safety glasses, for closeup inspection.

www.mcmaster.com has these, in a type that I really like. They are part number 2882T15 (for magnification of 2 diopters), which is in their online catalog on page 1685. These are probably like the ones mentioned above by solomon63.

Also, lower on that page are some frames that fit over existing glasses, for those who wear them.

Bob, for clarity, I think you will have better luck ordering glasses that are designated as "scratch resistant." This is because the scratch resistant coating also has some anti-reflection properties, so you can see through them more clearly. At least, that is my impression of the ones I have ordered.

McMaster has great illustrations in their catalog, so you can get a good idea of what you will be buying. Also, on page 1687, they have some add-on magnifiers, if you don't already have bifocals (part number 53635T305), and want them.
 
Actually, I don't really like the plastic ones!
In the olden days, the safety glasses where out
of real glass, easier to clean and lasted allot
longer....I wish I still could buy them!
Konrad
 
The standard full face safety shield does NOT meet ANSI Z87.1 safety glasses specifications. Safety glasses MUST be worn under a face shield. The face shield is designed to protect the face NOT the eyes. Safety goggles can usually be worn over prescription glasses but do bother some folks. Best bet for us over 40 (blind in one eye and can't see out the other) is to get a pair of prescription safety glasses with proper side shields and augment with the face shield when handling chemicals and working with any type of grinder or around a lathe or milling machine that throws swarf.
 
I've worn glasses literally my entire life. Had a patch on one eye at age 2. When I was working for a company that paid for the glasses I went with a set of prescription safety glasses)just like Drew Carey would wear)every year.
A few years ago around at age 46 I took the plunge or leap to progressive lenses.
I tried using a set of safety glasses(single prescription) at work but the strain was unnacceptable.
I started using a pair of safety goggles I already had in the shop(for visitors) but wasn't really happy with the combination of visual effects I obtained.
I tried replacing them with a new pair and it made a big differance.
I now replace the goggles every 2 months allocating the used ones to home use or as spares.
I never tried bifocals but I adapted easily to the progressive lense.
The problem I have is working with a magnifier, finding the "sweet" spot to keep things in focus.
 
I'm not sure what the best safty glasses are but I have worn prescription glasses for the last 30 years, with side shields. Most people are correct when they think the plastic wrap arounds causes glare, and they cause more vision problems.
Like I said, I don't know the best kind of safty glasses but the worst kind are the ones in the tool box.
Regards Walt
 
Last time I got new glasses I was offered a wonderful option. I could have gotten snap-on sunglasses that worked by having a pair of very tiny but powerful magnets, one at each temple. I believe the magnets were on the sunglass attachments rather than the glasses themselves, but somehow the idea of forgetting and possibly having something that could attract steel particles toward my eyes was not very appealing.
 
I've been wearing the Duluth bifocules for a year or two.Good quality. Works well for me.

Just a satisified customer. Typical disclaimer; yada, yada, yada.

Pete
 








 
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