Another real life gear: ESS Striker Land Ops
Dom
08 Jul 2009
I prefer to use the goggles/soft-mask combo when it comes to face protection. I have tried several different shapes and brands of goggles but none of them was perfect so I wanted to try one used by military and law enforcement personnel and not because I am a “geardo” only because I hate to stop every 10 minutes to wipe the glass dry.
No, you won’t see a review of an expensive Oakley, Bolle or Wiley X. There’s something out there just as reliable but affordable at the same time and it is called ESS. It is a proven brand in real life situations. ESS saves eyesights every day on the battlefield with lenses claimed to stop real steel shrapnel travelling at real steel speeds.
ESS has wide product range. My pick is the Striker Land Ops with green frame but it has a tan version too for all you desert gear lovers out there. The Land Ops is slightly larger than the other ESS goggles. It comes with one clear and one grey lenses (but there is an amber one available too but it is sold separately) and a cover pouch that you can slide on the goggle when it’s not in use. It has plenty of holes covered with thin foam to provide ventilation and keep the dust out at the same time and it does the job right. You can feel air moving inside when the wind picks up a bit. I was “lucky” enough to test the Land Ops in a real sand storm as well and I never thought that it was possible to see and operate in such conditions.
This gear is approved by the US Military so it should withstand any Bbs. But I wanted to make sure and tested it for you guys to see. I’ve never even tried to go further than 5 inches. I do not need it if it fails the point blank probe. The test proved that I have no reason to worry about my eyes when I wear Land Ops. I’ve used 0.20g Blaster @ 520 fps and you can see the result on the pictures.
Changing the lens is a walk in the park unlike other brands I owned before.
I was wearing it first for a CQB match with a full face neoprene mask and a Protec helmet. There was nothing wrong in the first thirty minutes but then it suddenly started to fog up at the top of the lens. It took me a while to figure out the reason: it only fogs up because the helmet blocked the vent holes on the top. Too sad that I won’t play CQC without a helmet. I did some adjustments to the helmet straps to have a small gap between the Land Ops and my helmet and it worked great from that point. I got only one hit on the lens during the whole day from about 20 meters but it never left a mark. I have no idea how it performs on a cold winter day but I am sure that I will find out because I will keep the Land Ops in my trunk for sure.
Stay safe guys and remember to wear goggles when point-blank testing another one. :-)
Disclaimer:Please do not try this at home, especially for those who have legal limits below the fps as stated in the test.
No, you won’t see a review of an expensive Oakley, Bolle or Wiley X. There’s something out there just as reliable but affordable at the same time and it is called ESS. It is a proven brand in real life situations. ESS saves eyesights every day on the battlefield with lenses claimed to stop real steel shrapnel travelling at real steel speeds.
ESS has wide product range. My pick is the Striker Land Ops with green frame but it has a tan version too for all you desert gear lovers out there. The Land Ops is slightly larger than the other ESS goggles. It comes with one clear and one grey lenses (but there is an amber one available too but it is sold separately) and a cover pouch that you can slide on the goggle when it’s not in use. It has plenty of holes covered with thin foam to provide ventilation and keep the dust out at the same time and it does the job right. You can feel air moving inside when the wind picks up a bit. I was “lucky” enough to test the Land Ops in a real sand storm as well and I never thought that it was possible to see and operate in such conditions.
This gear is approved by the US Military so it should withstand any Bbs. But I wanted to make sure and tested it for you guys to see. I’ve never even tried to go further than 5 inches. I do not need it if it fails the point blank probe. The test proved that I have no reason to worry about my eyes when I wear Land Ops. I’ve used 0.20g Blaster @ 520 fps and you can see the result on the pictures.
Changing the lens is a walk in the park unlike other brands I owned before.
I was wearing it first for a CQB match with a full face neoprene mask and a Protec helmet. There was nothing wrong in the first thirty minutes but then it suddenly started to fog up at the top of the lens. It took me a while to figure out the reason: it only fogs up because the helmet blocked the vent holes on the top. Too sad that I won’t play CQC without a helmet. I did some adjustments to the helmet straps to have a small gap between the Land Ops and my helmet and it worked great from that point. I got only one hit on the lens during the whole day from about 20 meters but it never left a mark. I have no idea how it performs on a cold winter day but I am sure that I will find out because I will keep the Land Ops in my trunk for sure.
Stay safe guys and remember to wear goggles when point-blank testing another one. :-)
Disclaimer:Please do not try this at home, especially for those who have legal limits below the fps as stated in the test.
