Eye Protection is an important part of shooting safety. From basic things like the sun and dirt to fouling and carbon, blowback, flying brass from you and other shooters, it’s endless. Making sure you have have your eyes covered is a start, but high quality Eye Pro can benefit you in many ways.
Skeleton Optics sent us several pairs of their sunglasses, but the one that really caught my eye was their Vortex Photochromic. This set of eyes came highly recommended by the a fan and after using them for the past couple months I can see why. These have all the available colors most Eye Pro have. You get Yellow, Clear as well as a color, usually an amber, color or tint. The Vortex however come with Red Vermillion that is also photochromic.
What does that mean? I know, i’ve said it twice now like everyone just gets it but even I had to look it up. What it means is, the lenses are either a rose colored clear, or they are black/grey tint… and they do it without you having to change the lens. So in sunlight, they are not only stopping UV rays but they are also automatically tinting to accommodate the increase of light. When it gets late in the day and the sun starts going down, or say you transition to shade or an indoor range the lenses return to the rose/clear for optimal visibility. Pretty slick, especially for anyone who has ever changed lenses on the range only to drop them, smudge or scuff them while inserting into frames.
I don’t know if you have ever replaced lenses in other frames, but sometimes it can be a real pain. Worst case scenario, you actually damaging wither the lenses or the frames especially in the cold. These frames are made of the same stuff I would only imagine Gumby’s bones are made of but yet stay rigid and resilient enough to maintain shape and return to their original form. I just wanted to make a note of that.
I wear prescription polarized glasses almost every time I shoot. Since receiving the Skeletons, they have a permanent rotation on the range with me. They sit right on my dash next to the Matix that I thought I would never like but am steadily falling in love with. Now, these glasses do not fix the fact that a prescription is a prescription. But they are however super clear and zero distortion. So clear and distortion free that I can actually rock them on a daily basis and not get headaches from eyestrain and focus. (Side Note: My prescription is not super strong so don’t get any ideas that these are some sort of miracle eyewear).
I also want to point out that these are super comfortable. It actually angered me at how comfortable they are. You spend a lot of time picking out sunglasses and eyewear that not only do the job, but also fit your face and head. Every pair of Skeleton’s I tried on had a very similar fit, Wide around the eyes, and snug at the ear. I don’t get the depressions in the side of my skull from wearing these for prolonged periods and there is no straining of the hinges wrapping around my fat head. Thanks much to the 5 barrel hinges.
The build quality of Skeleton is also unrivaled in my opinion. Did you know that if you swear by “Company A”, that they are made by the same people that make Major “Company B”? What gives? Like the gun industry, there are a lot of companies having their products manufactured by the same people just with their names on the final product. Skeleton however, is not one of those companies. Their lenses are made with completely individual specifications and in different factories from different suppliers than “Major Company X” and the proof is in the pudding. This would also increase the cost you would think by modern standards, but this is also not the case. Compared to many other large companies these lenses and all styles are extremely affordable. If you held a pair and I asked you to guess, you would almost guaranteed tell me they were more expensive than they actually are.
All in all, I had no idea who Skeleton Optics was before a fan brought them up to us and I am glad he did. These things have yet to leave my side and I wear at LEAST one of the lenses in the video almost everyday. They are solid, stylish, comfortable and most of all can change with me and my habits on and off the range. If you are looking for something new in Eye Pro, be sure to look at Skeleton Optics. They made a believer out of me and they will make one out of you too.
Stay safe!