Learn Me: Safety Glasses

I have a few cheap pairs of safety glasses in the garage but I hate how uncomfortable they are and how easily the lenses scratch. I am looking for a pair that is comfortable as sunglasses so I can throw them on as soon as I go out to work on something but also forget I am even wearing them. The easy button would be to order a pair of the sunglasses I like with a clear lens but they are not impact rated and I do not want to test how strong they are. Not looking to spend a ton of money on them but also willing to get something that will last a long time and provide safety so I dont end up in the ER with metal in my eyes. 

I like the looks of these but not sure if there is something out there that is better quality or price. 

Oakley makes safety glasses with actual ratings and replaceable lenses. 

Personally, I buy 3M 11326-00000-20 glasses in bulk and scatter them everywhere so there's always a convenient set. I've been known to forget I have them on. I've never scratched a set to the point where I've had to replace them - possibly because they don't sit lens-down when you put them on the bench. I usually have them hanging on pegboards near all my work areas.

I buy them via the 3M marketplace to make sure I get the real thing and not some Amazon/eBay knockoff. Last time they cost me $1.59 a pair when I bought 15.

I bought the new version of the safety glasses I wore in 1977 in high school shop class.   Actually comfortable and most people kinda freak out at the vintage look. 
 

In reply to Chris Tropea :

Eyes are irreplaceable, so I tend to budget accordingly. 

ESS and Oakleys have both stood up to the ultimate test of eyewear, saving a couple of Marine Corps buddies' eyes from IED shrapnel. Oakleys can be pretty pricey, but the ESS stuff is really affordable, and pretty bombproof (pun intended).

ESS Eye Pro - Ballistic Goggles - Ballistic Sunglasses - Military Eyewear - Eye Protection - Shooting Glasses | ESS EyePro

Keith's suggestion is a good one, but I find those fog up on me too easily.

Chris, you can get impact-rated replacement lenses for almost any pair of Oakleys, so I wear a used pair of Oakley Flakjacket frames with replacement clear impact lenses. Super comfortable, and I spent about $50 on the whole setup.

I know its being super picky about a safety item but I dont like the style of the Oakleys. Maybe thats something I need to just get over since it will protect my eyes and fills all the other boxes on my list. 

I like the style of the "vintage look" ones, if they are rated I might try a pair of those. 

It also looks like Heatwave makes some ANSI rated glasses that are a little more my style. 

In reply to Datsun240ZGuy :

Where’d you find those? 

If you need actual goggles, check out the DeWalt DPG82-11. They are cheap and awesome. $11.55 on Amazon.

My go to right now is HexArmor. I use the MX300 everyday and occasionally use the Impulse sealed foam ones if in a dusty environment.

https://www.amazon.com/stores/HexArmor/Eyewear/page/F98AA4EF-598F-47C8-AE1D-50FF88C41D69

I'm currently wrecking a set of Carhartt bifocal units. The arms do this stupid tilty thing. 100% hate. 

Following. 

David S. Wallens said:

In reply to Datsun240ZGuy :

Where’d you find those? 

Amazon - Vintage SG - $15?

actual glasses, no name on them

These could be the droids I am looking for: 3M F6000 Series Plano Safety Glasses

In reply to Chris Tropea :

I have something similar for yard work. The only difference is that the frame just extends to fill the areas covered by the mesh on those.

In reply to Chris Tropea :

Given the number of knockoffs and general bad behavior on Amazon, I'd go through the 3M Marketplace to buy safety glasses to make sure you get the real thing. And interestingly, they don't seem to be listed there. Discontinued?

https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/p/c/ppe/eye-protection/glasses/

I've not had the fogging problems that Tom has with my 11326, but we live in very different environments :) They are available with an anti-fog coating, I've not tried that.

Duluth trading company tortoise shell retro safety glasses

I too crave a 1940's shop teacher aesthetic so I wear these. Pair with a canvas or leather apron to complete the look

I am just a sucker for tortoise shell anything

Right now I'm finding Stoggles to be comfortable enough to wear all day and it's made a world of a difference for me working.

I really like my MCR safety glasses with cheater lenses. 
Safety glasses with cheaters.

They are comfortable and have lasted long enough, 2 years+, that I need to move up in magnification. 

Chris Tropea said:

I know its being super picky about a safety item but I dont like the style of the Oakleys. Maybe thats something I need to just get over since it will protect my eyes and fills all the other boxes on my list. 

I like the style of the "vintage look" ones, if they are rated I might try a pair of those. 

It also looks like Heatwave makes some ANSI rated glasses that are a little more my style. 

My preferred safety specs are a pair of Oakley SI M frame 2.0 shades from my time in the Marines. Full coverage eye shield, anti fog, lots of different lens colors available. I use them for absolutely everything where I want to protect my eyes- Sunglasses, shooting glasses, yardwork glasses, fabricating glasses, under the welding hood glasses... 

I am about due to replace the lenses; this will be the 3rd lens replacement since 2005. Yeah, they look uber-tactical, but the function and comfort trumps style for me. Plus, replacement lenses through Oakley's SI program are fairly inexpensive.

In reply to Trent :

Ohh, I think these might be the ticket. Thanks. 

The best safety glasses, from my perspective (no pun intended), are no good if I can't find them. For that reason I started defaulting to yellow lenses about ten years ago and far prefer them, both for their greater visibility to me and for the (perhaps imagined) greater contrast they provide when lighting is marginal.

For the flyweight tasks I use them for, even cheapies are adequate, but they have to be yellow.

In reply to DarkMonohue :

That's one reason I use the "glasses all over the place" technique. I have two primary workshops with various workstations in each, and if my glasses are down in the shop at the bottom of the hill I'm less likely to wear them. Also, this way it's easy to grab a spare set for my nephews when we're doing something like building pinewood derby cars. The glasses you wear are always superior to the ones you don't.

Those lightweight 3M ones also work well for cycling near dusk when there are bugs by the river :)

Keith Tanner said:

In reply to DarkMonohue :

That's one reason I use the "glasses all over the place" technique........

Thats the same thing I do with my reading glasses ,  buy a hand full of them at the dollar store and leave them all over the house and shop , 

I have prescription safety glasses (Bifocals! EGAD!). Somewhere around $60 from the Wal Mart vision center. I'm sure they'd make them with no prescription. Anti scratch coating is an optional upgrade.

My 'script isn't that extreme, so at home, I scatter cheap Harbor Freight $2 glasses everywhere, and toss 'em when they're too scratched to cut it.