Fear & Loading: Real or Fake Eye Pro?

by
posted on June 22, 2017
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
glasses_lede.png

As if impact ratings aren’t confusing enough, an increasing glut of eye-protection counterfeits are flooding the market, and the odds are good one or more of your fellow shooters are donning inferior off-shore products with untested and potentially dangerous sub-par performance. National Safety Month is a good time to take a close look at what’s in your range bag.

We all know eye protection is mandatory when the range is hot, whether you’re behind the trigger or a spectator two rows back. Lead splatters off steel targets, brass flies and pellets bounce, but they’re the least common of your worries. Some of that oil you’ve religiously applied and grime you missed during cleaning gets airborne at high speed, and if it heads your way the only thing between your eyes and—if you’re lucky—a painful rest of the day, are those lenses.

Shooting glasses with Z87 marked somewhere on the frame or lenses are great at stopping the common dust and grime, but considered nominal for firearm enthusiasts. In 2003, the American National Standards Institute added a Z87+ designation, and optics rated for high-velocity impact wear that label. The improvement between the two is significant and things were elevated more with new Z87-2010 standards seven years later.

The military needs a lot more from its eye protection, though, and it increases the requirements with painful regularity and confusing designations. Revision Military keeps up with the mess to avoid losing military sales, and all the eyewear it currently offers meets or exceeds, “MIL-PRF-32432, clause 4.4.3.3.4; MIL-PRF-32432, clause 4.4.3.3.5, and EN166,” according to its website.

Glasses with those ratings are probably the best on the market for shooters today, one of the reasons cheap knockoffs have hit the market. And counterfeiters willing to pirate logos could care less about fake impact-rating labels or their potentially disastrous consequences. In January, 2016, two importers were busted selling Revision lookalikes that couldn’t even pass the most basic ANSI test.

Revision isn’t the only target. In fact, Oakley’s problem is significant enough that it’s established a web page to report suspected counterfeits—so-called Foakleys.  

Inferior, but photogenic products from overseas are flooding our shores, and the effect on shooters can be disastrous. “BLACKHAWK! has been and is actively working with the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol and other agencies to prevent counterfeit products from being sold by sellers on various auction and consumer websites,” the company’s website warns. “For the safety of our consumers and protection of BLACKHAWK!’s reputation in the marketplace, we wish to remind consumers that, if a deal seems too good to be true, it most likely is.”

Latest

Gotw Rra Lar 22 Tactical Carbine Web
Gotw Rra Lar 22 Tactical Carbine Web

Gun Of The Week: Rock River Arms LAR-22 Tactical Carbine

This week, we're on the range with the Rock River Arms LAR-22 Tactical Carbine, a rimfire variant of the AR-15 that's designed for reliability and gives enthusiasts a way to shoot affordably.

The Armed Citizen® July 11, 2025

Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives.

Japanese Last-Ditch Small Arms Of World War II

The crude assortment of fighting tools used by the Japanese during World War II give clues of an unprepared and unmatched last-ditch fight that ultimately lead to Allied victory.

Federal Ammunition Awards 2025 Tom Knapp Memorial Scholarships

Federal Ammunition recently awarded the 2025 Tom Knapp Memorial Scholarships to two 4-H shooting sports teen ambassadors.

2025 Optic Of The Year: Burris Eliminator 6

Even as new generation after new generation of Burris Eliminator continued to add more advanced technology and functionality, it remained odd-looking—until the launch of this year’s sixth-generation product, which is the first in the line that can mount atop a rifle using standard 34 mm scope rings.

I Have This Old Gun: Star Model B

Of the many Spanish-made firearms to emerge throughout the 19th and 20th century, one of the most recognizable is the Star Model B, largely due to its similarity to the Colt Model 1911.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.