Airsoft Action 04 - Xmas 2011 | Page 20

GLASSES AND GLOVES Danny P’s finished playing with four pairs of glasses and five pairs of gloves – in part two he delivers the verdict on the last bits of kit to go under the microscope ESS Crossbow Viper Tactical glasses Viper’s Tactical glasses come in a hard case, which includes the frame, four ballistic lenses and a prescription lens holder. There is an assortment of lens colours: two dark tinted ones, a yellow lens and a clear lens. All pretty standard stuff, though there is an issue with the clear lens: it has a coloured finish to it which looks like oil on a puddle. When used in an urban, low-light environment, it tends to reflect and also darkens the wearer’s vision as they’re not actually clear. I used these glasses on a weekend event. Although they were comfy they did suffer from a lot of fogging up, which as we all know can be a real pain. But the lenses were easy to change according to the type of gameplay (or if weather and time of day dictated) and only took a couple of seconds in the safe zone. These glasses give all round good protection to the eyes, but like all others on test that’s all they protect. But saying that, you certainly get a lot for your money and these would do just fine as a starter pair of glasses. EXPECT TO PAY AROUND: £39.95 SUPPLIED BY: BadgerTac, 01296 658600, www.badgertac.com 020 Xmas 2011 These glasses are supplied in an easy-carry hard case and come with three different lenses: dark tinted, yellow and clear. The lenses are loose in the case (which can be a bit of a pain) but that’s only a minor issue, and probably more of a personal issue than real criticism. I found the ESS Crossbows extremely comfy to wear – you almost forget you’ve got them on as they are that lightweight and close fitting. I used these glasses when I was following a weekend skirmish and was able to use my camera without any issues, so using them with a sight shouldn’t throw up any problems. The lenses were a bit tricky to change to start with, but it did become easier as the day wore on. They only fogged up a little too, and it didn’t really restrict my vision. As before these are great eye protection, but don’t protect anything else from those 6mm rounds – prepare to take a few shots in the cheek, forehead and other painful places. You get what you pay for, as they say, and while these are at the top end price-wise it’s about personal preference and, of course, budget. EXPECT TO PAY AROUND: £98 SUPPLIED BY: Edgar Brothers, 01625 613177 , www.edgarbrothers.com