ESS tactical eyewear, or Eye Safety Systems, is a brand owned by the recognizable Oakley company, which also produces ballistic eye protection. Below you'll find answers to some basic questions: why the ESS brand is so recognizable, what makes up its features, and who its products are designed for.
Already during the First World War it was realized that eye protection was an important factor participating in various battles, although at first only in the air. Pilots of the first airplanes engaged in combat needed protection for their eyes from the biting wind and dust, a lot of which at the time floated in the air during wartime struggles, severely limiting the pilot's range of vision and thus - his effectiveness. The solution was the first goggles composed of leather, glass and metal. This solution was rather makeshift due to the fragility of glass visors and uncomfortable leather bands surrounding the head. Over the years, individual eye protection has become increasingly important, no longer only for specialized units, but also for rank-and-file soldiers, but also for factory workers and drivers. Today it's hard to imagine a factory floor without workers wearing protective goggles or a special units operator without goggles. And that's a very good thing, because at MILITARY.EU we also believe that eye protection is essential!
And so, after many years, the ESS brand of military eyewear has become present in more than a hundred countries around the world. Its success is due primarily to the excellent materials from which the visors are made and the latest technologies that are used in production. All models of the American manufacturer meet a number of strict standards that make them very safe for the user. For example, ANSI Z87.1 is a standard developed by the American National Standards Institute back in 1989. It includes two levels of glazing resistance testing - Basic and High Impact. The former involves hitting the visor via a steel ball with a diameter of one inch (!) dropped from a height of 127 cm and a 44.2g needle dropped from an identical height. The high parameter is measured by stopping a steel ball with a diameter of 6.35 mm moving at a speed of 45.7 m/s, and the second test is to hit a fast object with a weight of half a kilogram dropped from a height of 127 cm. In this type of test, it's all about the strength of the glasses against breakage - the glass is supposed to avoid fragmentation, as this could cause additional damage, and the viewfinder is supposed to remain in the frame. Pretty impressive, right? ESS tactical goggles meet many more standards such as MIL-STD-622F, MIL-DTL-43511D, MIL-PRF-31013, as well as CE EN166 - the unified resistance standards for individual eye protection imposed by the EU, which most of us are familiar with under designations such as S, F, B and A.
In addition, these glasses are made of state-of-the-art polycarbonate alloys, which give them unparalleled hardness combined with flexibility, making them resistant not only to impact, but also to compression and stress. No less important are the contoured temples, which fit perfectly to the shape of the face and do not interfere with the use of hearing protection or... baseball caps! The hallmark of ESS tactical eyewear is the ICE model, which has no frames at all! It is the viewfinder that is designed to integrate the whole structure, while the temples are directly clipped into the holes on the sides of the viewfinder, and the nose pads are also pressed into the lower part of the viewfinder. Thanks to this solution, the glasses are not only remarkably lightweight, but also do not limit the range of the field of vision and help determine situational awareness. The American company's offer also includes different colors of visors fulfilling specific roles, which we ourselves are able to quickly change without visiting an ophthalmologist. Speaking of which, did you know that some of the ESS series have room for the use of corrective lenses? An ideal solution for shooters with impaired vision!
And here we come to the last, but not least important aspect - for whom are ESS military glasses intended? Only for the military? Of course not! Anyone who cares about professional eye protection at an attractive price should be interested in the offer of the American manufacturer. Factory workers, sharpshooters or amateur cyclists should get acquainted with our offer, which we have prepared together with the Polish distributor of these extremely durable eye protection products.
