Oakley has long-been a maker of high quality ballistic eyewear for those individuals in the military, private security, and law enforcement sectors. Of course, most people know Oakley for their consumer sunglasses, which are stylish and functional. Having tried several pairs of goggles for use in my airsoft exploits, I knew I needed to evaluate Oakley’s new Oakley SI Ballistic Goggle 2.0 system.
Once the goggles arrived, I made haste to open it up and try them on. Along with the goggles, I was surprised to receive a very handy Oakley style carrying case for them. Think a larger version of the hard cases that usually ship with their consumer sunglasses and you’ll have an idea of what to expect. This hard case also serves to protect the goggles when in storage – something that most tactical goggle cases do not do (as they are usually made from soft material). The Oakley hard case also has a couple of attachment straps to the back of them so you can clip it onto MOLLE gear, etc. Also included in the case is an additional lens – the package contains both clear and gray lenses depending on the level of sun protection/shielding you desire. Changing the lens out is not super-hard but it does require a careful touch – just go slow and it will change out easy. Follow those instructions provided!
Wearing them for several hours at a time was very comfortable and, despite the humid climate, I rarely had an issue with them fogging up – like next to never! There were just a couple of instances where some fog started to build up in them but that was after a long time of usage and because I was mouth breathing into my lower face mask. When you do that, often times the hot breath will travel up into the goggles – it happens. As a tip from me, you can avoid a lot of fogging by blowing out each breath with just a bit of force in order to get the hot air away from you as much as possible. Thankfully, the fog quickly dissipated once I slightly cracked the seal of the goggle on my face and got some fresh air. I also found that by wearing a balaclava that covered by forehead, I reduced the fogging considerably as there was not as much sweat in the goggle area – less moisture means less humidity and that, in turn, means less fog.
I was excited to do more with these goggles than just play airsoft – although they did that job incredibly-well. I also took these goggles out to my local, outdoor shooting range where I had lots of fun shooting my Glock 21 pistol. A friend of mine who came along for the ride was also shooting and, more than once, I got hit in my eye area by ejected shell casings (a common occurrence when lot of people are shooting together at the same time). Wearing the Oakley SI Ballistic 2.0 goggles protected me from hot brass without issue and I was glad to have them on. Also, the smoked lens blocked out enough sunlight so that I didn’t have the glare that clear lenses usually suffer from.
Overall, the Oakley SI Ballistic Goggle 2.0 system is an excellent eye protection solution – whether you are at an outdoor range or playing in an airsoft game. They retail for around $120 dollars depending on the retailer you purchase from and are available now. The Oakley SI Ballistic Goggle 2.0 system offers a terrific field of view and I had no problems with peripheral vision loss – something I have experienced on lesser-quality airsoft goggles.
Oakley SI Ballistic Goggle 2.0 Product Page
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