As team members of the Southern California Precision Rifle Team, we expect a lot from our eyewear. Its tough to find quality shooting eyewear that provides excellent protective coverage while at the same time feels comfortable and stays in place. For years most of us wore cheap throw-away type eye protection that have constant issues with breaking, fogging, scratching, being too loose or to tight. ESS recently sent us down some Crossbow and Suppressor frames with an assortment of lenses to try out.
Upon receiving the ESS eyepro we examined the packaging they came in and were pleased to find that it was covered with information about the product. Inside was was a nice hard rigid case for transport. On the back of the case is a molle attachment to place the case on your pack or any molle gear you may have for ease of access. Inside the hard case was a pair of Crossbows and a pair of Suppressors eyepro. The Crossbows had the clear lenses on and the Suppressors had the HD copper colored lenses. ESS added a raised piece of dense closed cell foam with cutouts on it to the bottom of the hard case to hold not only the Suppressors and Crossbows firmly in place but also a cutout to hold the extra smoke colored lenses in place. ESS was thoughtful enough to include a cover for the spare smoke lenses to avoid them from being scratched. Inside the hard case was also a soft case which can be used as a cleaning cloth for the lenses. Along with the standard owners manual came a stretchy retention strap which clips on to the legs of the frames. Also in the case was a ESS USA flag sticker (which now adorns the back window on some of our vehicles and our reloading benches). Our initial impressions with the way the product is delivered is very good.
Our first chance to give them a try was at a major tactical precision rifle match here in Southern California. One problem that we're sure many shooters are painfully familiar with is how uncomfortable it can be to wear over the head, ear cup type hearing protection with safety glasses. If just wearing regular safety glasses wasn’t uncomfortable enough, now you have a ear cup pressing the arms even harder into your head and most of the time the ear cups wont even seal leaving your hearing unprotected! Because of this most of us had given up on over the head type hearing protection and tried all sorts of alternate hearing protection from disposable foam plugs, fancy silicone plugs and even custom molded foam earplugs. None of which provided the hearing protection that ear cup protection offered. It was such a relief to try on the Suppressor frames and be able to use our ear cup hearing protection again. You seriously can’t even feel the arms above your ears and the seal you get of the ear cup around your ear remains completely intact. Another issue we always struggle with as a precision rifle shooter is that eyewear never stays in place when you are laying prone on the ground pressing your face into the stock to get a firm cheek weld. The geometry of the lenses and the nose pad is such that the glasses stay put in all different shooting positions which is key to getting a consistent sight picture through the scope. No matter what part of the lens you are looking through you get a nice, distortion free picture.
ESS uses a process they call the Advanced ClearZone FlowCoat lens treatment which eliminates fog inside and prevents scratches outside. We could not wait to put this lens treatment to the test seeing as how even high end Oakleys had a tendency to fog up during cold weather use. Switching lenses out is a breeze with the use of the ESS DedBolt Lens Lock system. It takes less than a minute to change out the lenses and the clever frame design doesn't give up anything when it comes to durability and strength. The lenses are interchangeable between the Suppressor and Crossbow frames which is a definite plus. We found that the copper colored lens helps provide additional contrast in bright daylight making finding targets quicker and easier. For the stages that are shot at night, the clear lenses are crystal clear and in the cold and humid night air, fogging was never a problem. The ballistic 2.4mm Polycarbonate lenses are impact resistant which gives us the confidence that our eyes are protected from harmful debris one might experience at a rifle match. That means it will protect the wearer against impact from a 12 gauge shotgun blast at 10 meters or similar impact from high velocity debris from an explosion.
We also got a chance to try out the ESS 5B. Having liked the fit of the Suppressors so much we had high hopes that the 5B's would be just the same. They consider the design to be a universal fit for either a man or a woman, but dont let that stop you, the fit is amazing and they literally hug your face perfectly. Several people have tried them on with the same results. We got the gray frames with mirrored lens and have found them to give perfect protection in extremely bright day time conditions as well as when the sun starts to set directly in front of you as your driving home from work. The design of the 5Bs is very attractive. They are stylish enough to wear at the range that you don't feel just like a nerd wearing his safety glasses that he picked up at Walmart on the way to the range. The 5Bs are a perfect all around solution giving you style, performance, and safety all rolled into one. Our only gripe is the finish of the frames. We wish it could be a little more refined to compliment the over all look of the glasses. We're guessing the black frames might look a little better in this aspect.
After having used ESS eyepro in one major competition, a couple of monthly matches and countless practice sessions we have no problems recommending ESS eyepro to anyone. In fact we would encourage it. Having searched high and low for the perfect pair of eyepro, we strongly believe ESS has hit a home run with their product. They are everything you need and nothing you don't.
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SoCal Precision Rifle Team
The weekend after I received my glasses I ended up taking 2nd place in a match above some of the top military, law enforcement and civilian shooters in the nation. Was the performance of the ESS eyewear the key to success that weekend? Hard to say, but I do know one thing is for sure. You can’t hit what you can’t see and this ESS eyewear helps you see things on a whole new level.
-Brandon M
The quality of the ESS glasses is the best I've seen on all levels. They are durable and extremely useful while at the same time providing the protection you need without making you look like a dweeb.
-James J
I remember one time I was looking for my eyepro, then I realized they were already on my face! That's how comfortable they are. The crossbows are excellent with earplugs. If using electronic ear pro with the ear cups, I suggest the Suppressors. When you are looking to buy some high quality eyepro at reasonable prices, in my opinion, you can't go wrong with ESS.
-Joe V
A great package from a great company. Thanks ESS!
-Jose F
I have thrown away all my other safety glasses around that house now that i have my ESS glasses. I'll never go back to the cheap ones again.
-Brian L
Thanks for an outstanding product ESS!! I chose the CDI max for the larger frames. They fit my face and don't give me headaches like all of my other glasses do. Awesome!!
-Joe H
Photo credits to Dustin Thompson Photography
