Safety glasses when Chopping?

FAL'ER

Gold Member
Joined
Mar 31, 2010
Messages
5,507
I took out my BK 9 and a Condor Barong machete friday night to do an overnight wet weather gear test. I used the BK 9 to do all the fire wood processing. After the fire was established and i was getting cold just laying around I decided to to chop some more. A cedar chip hit me smack in the right eye. It really messed me up until this morning and it's a little irritated still. I've never worn safety glasses out into the woods but i"m gonna start.

Do you folks ever wear them or do you have another way around getting wood in your face?
 
I don't, but Rick Marchand, one of he most hardcore cold weather (-20) bushcrafters I know, wears them all the time. One slip up, and you could be call One Eyed FAL'ER. I have never thought about it, but I can't stand to wear the damn things. I usually have on sunglasses.

Moose
 
I wear those useless 400 dollar a pair plastic cool guy "tactical" sunglasses. If I could grow a goatee, bigger beer gut and put a few more rails and lights on my M4 then I'd be the tactical poster child!
 
I wear my sunglasses all the time, they should offer enough protection while working on tree's....
 
They make some really comfortable safety/sunglass combos, with interchangable lenses, you can even buy a lense that fishing polarized. I just can't wear things on my face when I'm workin', the tend to sling off.

Moose
 
I wear my saftey glasses pretty much everywhere. Even my sunglasses are safety glasses.
 
i never go anywhere without my aviators, just to show people how high speed i am...

but in all reality i do normally have a pair of cheapo sunglasses on in the woods. for me mainly to block sun glare, and i like em polarized when i go fly fishing. ive never noticed chips flying into my eyes,,,,but maybe my glassed are stopping them and i just havent been paying attentions. it does seem like a good idea though, especially because if u screw over your eyes in the woods, it could make getting home a real trouble
 
As I was going out to the woods a couple years ago one of my sons hit me in the eye with something, (it seems like little kids are always hitting me in the nuts or the eyes)I went anyway even though I had to stop the car a couple times to get the watering to stop. I got out hiking and the glare off the snow really screwed me up and I got disoriented. I felt like cougar food big time.

So on this last outing friday night I cut the trip short and came home.
 
Try some shooting glasses. Most of them help cut glare, and if they can stop hot brass from turning you into Ray Charles (RIP), then a few chips of wood are nothin...
 
I've been a 4-eyes for 50+ years and I wouldn't have it any other way. I can't count the number of times my glasses have saved my eyes. If I didn't need glasses, I definitely would follow Rick (Marchand)'s lead. :thumbup:

How many times have you been following somebody in the woods and caught a branch in the face from following too close?

I wear those useless 400 dollar a pair plastic cool guy "tactical" sunglasses. If I could grow a goatee, bigger beer gut and put a few more rails and lights on my M4 then I'd be the tactical poster child!

And I have a beard and a beer gut, just no M4! :D

Doc
 
I wear the $5 yellow tinted versions from China Mart. They work great.
I wear the same glasses for mountain biking. Sadly, I'm just not tactical enough.
 
i have regular glasses, and i've been looking locally for those safety-wings you can put on ... better than open i guess.

most safety goggle fog on me something fierce. wet eyes i guess :>

however, i recently found some dewalt branded safety goggles, that claim to be anti fog, easily fit over my glasses, and have removable polycarbonate shields for easy cleaning. $10 or so, seems a good thing, IF they truly do not fog :)
 
I wear the std issue military ballistic glasses most of the time now. After being forced to wear them all the time deployed I just got used to them. Pretty cheap protection really, the ESS Naro's are $40 for 2 frames and several sets of lens.

I don't look super cool wearing them but after having a family friend pop a nail into his eye a few years back I want eye protection.
 
I have a pair of ordinary-looking Oakley that are ballistic rated that have been going strong for the past 6 years and have many left in them. Those glasses are some of the best money I've ever spent.

At work, I always have on a pair of Crews Klondike Safety Glasses when I'm in the shop. I have used about 10 different brands/styles of safety glasses over the years and have not ever found a more comfortable nor better build style than the Klondikes. I have been hit in the safety glasses so hard with things flying off my CNC mill that the impact left red marks on my nose and around my eyes where the safety glasses touches my face. There was not a mark on them and I owe my eyes to them.
 
Last edited:
i have regular glasses, and i've been looking locally for those safety-wings you can put on ... better than open i guess.

most safety goggle fog on me something fierce. wet eyes i guess :>

however, i recently found some dewalt branded safety goggles, that claim to be anti fog, easily fit over my glasses, and have removable polycarbonate shields for easy cleaning. $10 or so, seems a good thing, IF they truly do not fog :)

Unless you're dealing with particles (grinding) or splash fluids, most normal-sized prescription glasses do a okay job of protecting the eyes without side shields. Lenses are made of polycarbonate (AKA "bullet proof glass", same as safety glasses). When you are chopping wood, you are looking at what you are doing which means you have the glasses for a barrier between yourself and the object that may create projectiles. Side shields are designed for use in an industrial environment where small particles are involved and things may fly at you from the side. Your biggest concern should be things being able to get into your eyes from under your lenses because most prescription glasses don't cover under the eyes too well while safety glasses should actually touch or almost touch your cheek bones. If your glasses cover most of the frontal area, you should be okay. If they don't the fit-over-glasses style are great and usually protect more of your face than standard safety glasses.
 
I have one eye so I wear safety glasses any time I'm out side or working on something. AO Safety and Remington brand have worked well for me. I have two pairs of the Remingtons that I wear, a yellow pair for indoor/outdoor and a pair with interchangeable lenses with grey lenses for outside in the snow, around water or when it's just really bright. They have saved my eye many a time.
 
I am with Doc on this one.....Been wearing scrip safety lenses since 4th grade (boy oh boy was I thankful when plastics came along).....Many decades ago.....Thanks to cataract replacement I CAN get along without BUT, my glasses have saved my eyes soooo many times, at the range, in my shop, in the woods, and in the kitchen, I would never leave the bedroom without them.......Something is better than nothing....

Faller -

Your experience with both injury and snow glare combined argues especially strongly for having some sort of sunglasses with you in the woods, water can do a number on you too and desert travel as well......

All best....

ethan
 
Ive been wearing prescription safety glasses since I was 14 years old, its the way to go if you ask me.
 
Back
Top