6 minute read
KIT & GEAR: ESS EYEPRO
ESS ICE & CROSSBOW EYEPRO
FOLLOWING ON FROM THE CAGE FEATURE ABOUT WHAT EYEPRO THE LEGION USES AND WHY, STEWBACCA TELLS US WHY HE FAVORS A PARTICULAR MODEL FROM ESS.
Anytime a new player - particularly one I might have indoctrinated to our addiction - asks me what to start buying and where to source it, my first port of call for them is always suitable eye protection! Having heard a few horror stories, seen a few close shaves and even had some myself, I can never stress enough to people how critical this simple addition to the base running gear for any shooter is. Whether you’re skirmishing, doing Action Air, or even real steel shooting, good eye protection from a reputable supplier and manufacturer, while meeting relevant international standards, is a must-have for everyone.
Whether you go full face pro like the growing SpeedQB movement and their anti-fog, wide vision capable DYE or EMPIRE paintball style masks, or prefer (like me) to go for separate goggles/glasses and a lower face mesh for greater ease of use, keeping your eyes free from pellet strikes is obviously of paramount importance.
When I first started out all those years ago, I began experimenting with a variety of solutions, beginning with simple (yet effective) “science class” glasses which I wore over my existing corrective lenses, as well as mesh alternatives with removable lower face protection. I would only ever advise mesh eyepro if you have corrective glasses on underneath to deflect any potential fragments and, even then, I would rather recommend people use solid polycarbonate lenses instead. Mesh can deform over repeated hits, rust due to impacts wearing away surface treatments, or just be susceptible to penetration by the very nature of its structure.
From there I moved on to ESS “Advancer” goggles, which were kind of bug-eyed in appearance! The replaceable separate lens units offered the usual clear/cadmium, yellow/smoke pigmented lenses as clip-in units, which could also be extended out slightly to open vents for improved ventilation, plus also had “Rx” corrective lens inserts, which I got my prescription made up for. These were a little bulky and still fogged up a lot for my liking and I was still not satisfied. I also dabbled in Guarder C4 modular glasses with snap in lenses but couldn’t use them with corrective lenses, so sold them to a teammate who then had a rather alarming incident where one of the separate lenses popped out forwards from the frame during a game!! Thankfully without injury but this was nonetheless very disconcerting to us both and he quickly replaced them with something more suitable.
ESS ICE COOL!
Eventually, around 2008 and after a few years of playing and figuring myself and my equipment out, I settled upon ESS ICE 2.4 wraparound, single piece 2.4mm thick polycarbonate ballistic protective lenses. At the time these were also widely adopted by UK & US forces, as being a well-received and respected
solution for armed forces deployed in sandy places, who had to worry about fragmentation as much as incoming fire.
The ESS ICE 2.4 offer a great all-round visibility without any noticeable obstructions and their single piece lens design (which the nose bridge and legs clip onto) makes everything very easy to set up. With additional nose pieces and legs in sets allowing you to run different pigments interchangeably easily - especially if like me you need the corrective lens inserts - they can be clipped into the nose piece and then this is easily transferred between lens and leg setups to switch from smoke lenses for outdoor use in sunny conditions, or cadmium yellows for improved visibility and clarity, or plain clear lenses for indoor or lower lighting conditions.
As of writing, I have been using basically the same eyepro solution for well over a decade - the vast majority of my time shooting in various disciplines. Clearly, once I find something I like I settle on it and stick with it and I am all too happy to recommend them to other shooters in search of solutions, albeit with a few caveats or cautions…
They will still tend to fog on occasion in overly humid conditions - something that’s been very much a problem in certain seasons for me both in the UK and especially since coming to Taiwan where it’s forever summer and dank at the best of times, and it’s especially noticeable once again with corrective lenses added into the mix.
There are still gaps, the brow and below is pretty much protected but the edges or underside can be a concern, especially if you wear a lower face mesh mask. I have heard of an instance where someone’s lower face mask deflected a round into their eye from below and I’ve personally seen a site operator and marshal take a deflected round to the eye which came in through the side gap and got lodged in his tear duct - which obviously was a brown trouser moment for all of us! So do be aware of those risks, which any ballistic glasses are likely to entail over wrap-around full seal goggles. Consider the environments and game situations you’re working in; CQB in my experience tends to be fine as I rarely get flanked or take shots up close from the sides in that manner in Taiwanese fields, but outdoors might be a different story or your mileage may vary.
That being said I have also had some squeaky rear moments when rounds have strayed up my cheek or between the top edge of the ESS and my headwear, causing some pretty severe flesh hits but no direct eye damage. Again, consider the balance between looking badass, not fogging as badly, and leaving the edges - and your eyes - potentially open to incoming fire.
The lenses can become scratched due to the use of optics close to them or very far rear mounted on top of your gun if they rub against them. My original smoke and clear lenses I brought with me from the UK ended up scored on the right of the nose piece to the point where I could no longer see through that portion clearly and had to tilt my head off to get a clear sight picture through optics - not ideal given the aforementioned gaps around the bottom and sides.
These minor drawbacks or considerations aside, I’ve had very positive experiences with ESS ICE 2.4 and also invested in the ESS Crossbow variants, along with a teammate, which address some of the gap concerns by providing a slightly deeper lens with side wings that have extensions to the lower edges to try and reduce the gaps. Other than this, they are compatible with the original nose piece so I can easily transfer my corrective inserts between the two, depending on whether I’m playing indoors or outside in harsh sunlight. AA
