Safety Glasses & Ear Defenders - Comfort & Style

[Fecn]

I'm currently using a £1.94 pair of Axminster Safety Specs and they're really starting to annoy me because they fall off when I'm looking downwards for any length of time. My ear defenders cost about £5 from B&Q and they press down on my ears and after a while, my poor ears hurt.

So.. given the price of safety specs and ear defenders, I think we can say money is no object (Trend Airshield excluded). There's a few products out there that don't make you look too stupid whilst you're wearing them either.

What's your favorite, and what's best.

 

[DaveL]

I have a pair of safety glasses from Spec Savers, with my reading prescription, makes looking for things the other side of the shop 'interesting' but great for seeing what I am working on.
For ears I have a pair of these:

Not cheap but very good and you can get hygiene kits for them, replacement cushions and the foam filler, makes them like new again.

 

[Slim]

I get mine from a local army surplus store. They are the standard issue British Army ear defenders made by Pelter.

I like them as they are slimline (to avoid helmet and rifle butt) so I don't tend to bump things, and I find that they cut out a lot more noise than others I have used. Well they are used with artillary and morters.

You can get them on the bay for about a fiver.

 

[lurker]

Fecn,

Find Ivex and 3M web sites.
With a bit of luck you will find on them a samples offer that should yeild a pair of glasses

You willl need to "Imply" :twisted: :twisted: you are a company buyer.

Failing that find (via website) your local Arco shop and buy some there.

 

[Steve Maskery]

Well I too have some of the green Army ones, they are fine. I also have some of the JSP ones, which also work well and look a bit better.

I also have some Vitrex ear caps, which work quite well and are wearable if you are also wearing headgear, but I don't really like things in my ears, so I don't use them very often.

For specs I've had loads over the years. I was given some by JSP for an article I wrote, a selection of a dozen or so. They all do what they are supposed to do, but there are differences, and I like some more than others.

I DON'T like the entry level 1000 ones. I bought a pair from Screwfix, they are hard and annoying, but move up the scale a bit and things get much better. My favourites are in the Stealth range, I use the 4000 model in the workshop. They are very comfortable as they have a soft nose and soft arms which grip my head rather than tuck behind my ears. They look a bit severe, but the comfort and clear vision (it's a one-piece wraparound lens so I don't see the edges) far outweigh that.

I wear the 7000 as daily sunglasses, they are bit smaller but they keep the dust out well, as well as the sunlight, and as I am photophobic and wear contact lenses, that matters a lot to me.

I don't sell these, but am thinking of doing so. And despite what some people think, JSP don't pay me to promote their products, nor am I on commission, they have simply given me a few pairs to use, film, take out to Sierra Leone and write about, that's the limit.

I also rate the Uvex ones, but I don't have a pair at the moment.

I suggest you find a shop that specializes in safety and try all the ones they sell. And when you find a pair you really like, go back and buy a dozen.

HTH
Steve

 

[lurker]

I wear the 7000 as daily sunglasses,

Plus a straw hat you stole off a scarecrow! :lol: :lol:

 

[Steve Maskery]

Anything to keep the sun out! But I do like garlic, so there is no need to get too worried about me
S

 

[Fecn]

Steve - The stealth 7000 specs with the smoke frame and lens look rather tasty to me - I think I'll have to get some of them for outdoor working

JSP sure do make a lot of different ear defenders - Any opinions on the electronic ones which cut out noise above a certain level? Useful or gimmick?

I agree that visiting a safety shop would be the idea way forward, but it's hard to find enough hours in the day for things like that. Any opinions on the yellow imrpoved-contrast lenses versus clear ones?

 

[lostintheforest]

i've just did an abrasive wheels course at work and the instructor said that you need eye protection that is bs 166 b. if you look in catalogs the only ones that are like this are the cheap ones. He said that he taught a course at one work site where everyone had the expensive tinted glasses that the company had just bought. When he pointed out that they would not stop a grinding disc if it hit you in the face and they should switch to the goggle type the workers were not that pleased because they now have to were them ugly goggle type ones.

 

[Steve Maskery]

Any opinions on the electronic ones which cut out noise above a certain level? Useful or gimmick?

Don't know, sorry.

Any opinions on the yellow improved-contrast lenses versus clear ones?

These are quite amazing, they really do work. They are designed for low level lighting and it's as if someone has switched on the light. I once worked on a building site. For the first few weeks there was only "christmas tree" lighting, the strings of bulbs around the place. Not very good really. These would have been ideal. Things only look yellow for a few minutes, then you don't notice it and it all seems normal. I don't think I'd like to wear them all the time, but for what they are intended for, great.

Lost, I believe the Standard is now EN 166 rather than BS 166 (they keep bringing out new versions superseding older ones), and there are various parts. For woodies, the normal standard is Part B and will stop a 6mm steel ball travelling at 100mph. That's regarded as low energy and is fine for normal workshop use.

I'll grant you that Part F, medium energy impact, may well be required for grinding wheels, but that's for if the wheel shatters, not for the sparks. I'm no expert on that. But if I were being really cautious, I'd wear a full face helmet for grinding. I once had a 10" bowl blank shatter on the lathe and hit me square in the face. I was wearing a Tubovisor, so I wasn't hurt, but it was the shock of my life. I dread to think what would have happened to my film-star looks if I'd not been protected, I'd be auditioning for Shrek.

Cheers
Steve

 

[Russell]

For safety specs the best I have found are the Plano ones, mine really are anti fog and I haven't scratched them yet in 2 years but I do have a hard case to keep them in. I find them very comfy and a good fit.

 

[Loz_S]

[snip]Lost, I believe the Standard is now EN 166 rather than BS 166 (they keep bringing out new versions superseding older ones), and there are various parts.[snip]

I may be explaining something you already know here, but for anyone else, EN isn't an improvement over BS it merely denotes a British Standard that has been adopted by the European Norm institute. So the original standard was BS 166: 1996 but has been superseded by BS EN 166: 2002. Subcodes denote the performance. So, glasses produced to EN 166 might also have a subcode of 1F and EN 170 3-1.2 Which shows its impact strength and UV resistance for example.

 

[Fecn]

I was out in town this morning, so I picked up a pair of the ex-army ear defendors from the Army Surplus store for £3.50 - I'll see how I get on with them.

 

[lurker]

Having to investigate industrial accidents in my "day job" has taught me several things, including:

All grinding and Lathe work is done with a full polycarbonate face mask.
Its cheaper, safer and more comfortable than other options.

Anyone with a strong stomach who wants to see the outcome of not following this advice can pm me with an e-mail number & I'll send photos

 

[lurker]

[ I'd be auditioning for Shrek.

I KNEW you reminded me of somebody but I could'nt put my finger on it! :lol:

But yes you are right Steve, the lucky ones amongst us have a near miss (near hit really!!) that makes us work safe, the rest get mutilated.

 

[TonyW]

Just invested in a pair of B&Q own ear defenders - pity I did not find this thread sooner Time will tell how I get on with them.

Also have the Axminster safety visor which I prefer over googles or glasses except for the fact that static build up (I assume) allows sawdust to accumulate.

I use them when using any of my power tools i.e. router circular saw etc. I am know wondering if I have been lulled into a false sense of security - they are quoted as "Full face protection to BS2092 grade 2 standard". Is this adequate protection for the type of tools I am using. In particular it occurred to me when using the router yesterday - should a piece of cutter break off and hit the visor would it stand up to this?

Cheers
Tony

 

[lurker]

Tony,

You must have bought them a while ago. All this stuff should be to EN 166 now.

Have a look here for how you decide what's suitable

http://www.hse.gov.uk/lau/lacs/68-7.htm#Appendix3

 

[TonyW]

lurker
Thanks for the info. Still advertised by Axminster as BS2092 grade 2 standard. These appear to be classed as low impact - so in my opinion not enough protection.

As I need to wear glasses to read (and cut wood!!) have now invested in a pair of safety glasses with built in correction - in cool yellow 8)
So hopefully will be better protected when wearing both - perhaps I should nip down to the Army surplus store and pick up a helmet and flak jacket

Another good thing - had to order some more bits from Axminster as I always try and avoid the delivery costs associated with low value orders

Cheers
Tony