Safety glasses - Wiley X Sabed Advanced Vs. ESS

[RadekSkylark]

Hallo guys.

Wanted to ask for advice. I'm looking for safety glasses which are mil-spec rated. I have few options, that's why I would like to hear your advice.

Options:

1) There is a possibility that a local shop here in Latvia has Wiley X Saber Advanced kit for sale. Kit includes one frame, three lenses (smoke gray, clear and light rust), storage bag, tactical strap, nose piece, foam brow bar and costs 62$.

2) There is one online shop which has ESS glasses for sale. Prices go like this:
a) ESS Ice one (smoke gray or clear) with microfiber pouch - 52$;
b) ESS Crosshair one (smoke gray or clear) with microfiber pouch - 55$;
c) ESS Crossbow one (smoke gray or clear) with microfiber pouch - 65$;
d) ESS Crossbow Suppressor one (only hi-def copper lens) with microfiber pouch and elastic strap - 65$.
All the kits available at this webpage don't have a good price. The only possible good option is Crossbow Suppressor 2X Kit which contains one Suppressor and one Crossbow frame, one clear and one smoke gray lens (two lenses all together), case, microfiber pouch, retention strap - this kit costs 120$.

If money wouldn't be a big deal I would want to go for the Suppressor kit for 120$, as I feel that Crossbow Suppressor frame is the way to go, and I would like to get at least those two lenses (smoke gray and clear). The thing is that I will mostly shoot at indoor ranges which have low light conditions, so I think that I will mostly use clear lens, although if I start to participate in practical shooting competition later down the road I could need those smoke gray lenses as well. Also as I understand from all the above Crossbow series lenses are the best as they're anti-fog and anti-scratch, instead of only anti-scratch (all the others, that is, Saber Advanced, Ice and Crosshair). I'm not sure do I really need that anti-fog function... I know it would be cool though.

So far I think that I'll go with the WileyX Saber Advanced as that kit seems to be the best price/performance (value) at this point. It'll offer me lens options and the protection I need, which is the most important feature, and the price for all that is pretty much as low as the one for either ESS Ice or ESS Crosshair One (only one lens).

What do you guys think - what advice can you give me?

Thanks

 

[cdk8]

FWIW, I've had great experiences with both and I think the superior materials, survivability, clarity, and customization options justify the premium pricing. I think the ESS ultra thin suppressor frames work very well with headphones and to date they are the most comfortable that I have used. I use the Crossbow Suppressor frames for shooting with ear muffs, and one of the standard Crossbow frames for when only wearing ear protection or driving. The lens I use the most are yellow, that copper/pinkish color, and the darker gray lens for shooting outside during the heaviest of sunlight. During times without peak sun, or if shooting from a stand with a roof to shield from sun, I prefer the copper as I like the contrast much more. Indoor-wise, I always use the yellow lens, instead of clear, for the same reasons. I also like how the Crossbow gives outstanding coverage both above AND below the eye, given glasses with gaps in those areas create what I consider to be a safety risk.

My ESS CB stopped a bullet fragment that had a ricochet after meeting the backstop and hit me in the eye, and it hit me pretty hard. The lens did not crack or fragment. So needless to say I think pretty highly of the product and have quite a lot of confidence in the survivability of their products.

I am sure you are aware of this already, but much like Wiley, there are some third-party makers selling dirt cheap lens' for the Crossbow series. I'm willing to bet quite a lot of money that those lens are inferior and, had I been using one of them, I would be telling you about losing an eye.