Anybody in the military needs to own a pair, or several pairs, of shooting glasses which simply go above and beyond the normal shooting glasses that one might wear to the shooting range. If you aren’t in the military and just want a low cost pair of shooting glasses for the range or for hunting then check out our selection of the best cheap shooting glasses.
Protecting yourself from an unlikely ricochet in the shooting range is much different from protecting your eyes from an enemy that wants to see you blown into a million pieces, active service personnel need ballistic shooting glasses and we have produced a selection of the best military shooting glasses featuring five of the best.
Within that selection of glasses, which features products from the likes of Wiley-X and Ess, there is one pair of glasses which really sets itself apart from the rest as being perfect for those deployed to Afghanistan- Wiley-X XL-1 Advanced Series shooting glasses.
—————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Wiley-X XL-1 Advanced Series shooting glasses
Before we talk about these particular safety glasses, let’s talk about Wiley-X as a brand; Wiley-X specialise in protective eyewear and ballistic products, unlike many other brands who produce guns and accessories but sell safety glasses as a sideline. Wiley-X are one of the best, if not the best, designers and manufacturers of safety glasses in the world. Such is their prestige that they are major suppliers to the U.S. military, Wiley- X shooting glasses have saved the eyesight of many active service personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan. Perhaps the only brand that realistically rival Wiley-X in terms of ballistic safety are ESS, we also have a feature on ESS shooting glasses.
Now let’s talk about these particular glasses, Wiley-X XL-1 Advanced Series shooting glasses, a set which contains one high quality impact resistant frame and two pairs of interchangeable shatterproof lenses, one set of gray lenses and one set of clear lenses. The frames are super-lightweight and therefore extremely comfortable, helped by the ability to adjust the frames to fit your head perfectly and integrated soft rubber temples.
Wiley-X Advanced Series don’t just offer military grade ballistic impact protection, they also offer full UV protection – therefore protecting your eyes just like sunglasses. That covers all the standard stuff, now you want to know why these are perfect for stinking hell holes like Iraq and Afghanistan, right? These glasses have two highly unique features which you simply won’t find in other shooting glasses, remember that Wiley-X produce glasses especially for military personnel!
The first of those two unique characteristics is an awesome optional lens insert which adjusts to changing light conditions, enabling you to avoid swapping out lenses in the middle of a desert when the sun gets too bright; this is great news for your clarity of vision in a country where you need to be fully alert 24/7. The second unique feature is a fully removable foam gasket which fits around the lens to offer full protection against the wind, dust, and flying debris. You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to see the benefit of one of those in Afghanistan, it enables you to walk on through sandstorms with no risk of getting sand particles in your eyes. When you are in-camp simply remove the gasket, in fact you can leave it off until conditions get windy.
Wiley-X Advanced Series glasses are highly popular with those who are stationed in Kuwait, Afghanistan, or Iraq, or anywhere else which has a risk of sandstorms. You pay a high price for quality of course, these glasses normally retail for $84 but can be yours for just $65 with free shipping if purchased from Amazon (at time of writing); prices are subject to fluctuation so follow the link to see the precise price today! It’s not a ‘high price’ though, these glasses will drastically improve your chances of saving your eyesight in a blast situation, there is a much higher price to pay if wearing cheap shooting glasses.
—————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Wiley-X XL-1 Advanced Series Customer Reviews
“Wiley X makes some of the best products for eye protection. I use these sunglasses during my depolyment in Kuwait and they provide good protection in accordance with safety standards; shaded lenses for day time and clear lenses for night missions. The only concern is leaving them inside vehicles being exposed to extremely hot climate over time will cause the vented material to wear off. Be careful. Great protection for sand storms and from excessive exposure to sun rays in extreme hot weather. It’s gets hot over here, more 120 degrees fahrenheit. Overall, I highly recommend this product.” - Crystal G. Mcthune
“I am military and wanted to have a catch all eye protection that kept everything out, could be clear or sunglasses, and of course, ballistic. These are great. The t-strap connects in the middle and really snugs the frame to your head. I read the reviews about getting used to the foam, and I could see that. I have long eyelashes and they always hit normal sunglasses lenses and end up smudging the inside of the lens. I love the foam because it is finally something that keeps the lens off of my eyes and eyelashes, yet doesn’t rest on my cheeks, and is closed up top too. I really like these. They only have 2 logos on the arms that could be blacked out.” - SpeedyXN7
“Ive had these glasses for 4 years, 13 of those months were in TQ Iraq. Did everything they were needed to do. I also have the wiley X sunglass zipper case on my daypack and has been very well used and still looks good. I changed out the dark lenses for some new ones about 2 yrs ago. I also use these shades daily on my motorcycle to and from base, they protect from the dirt and bugs and most of all no wind in the eyes. The foam insert is not all that comfortable to me so the only time i used it was in the sand box when conditions where really dusty. Head strap works just like it should and you can losen or tighten as needed which i really like. Use it when im fishin so i dont lose the things overboard. Great glasses for any condition.” - Wewa
