|
NEMO COOL FACTOR
Bobster®
Eyewear XRH
A
great convertible goggle but who the heck is ANSI??
I
just received my pair of Bobster® Eyewear XRH's this past weekend and had
noticed that Bobster® appears somewhat proud (like many other companies),
of the fact that their line of XRH glasses are ANSI Z.87 approved. Not
entirely familiar with the details of the ANSI Z.87 standard and being
confined to my house with $4.00 a gallon gas, I opted to jump on the web
and dig a little deeper into this ANSI trend that I continue to see
plastered on various industry leader packaging along with Bobster®.
According
to the Occupational Hazards web site, one of the key factors in the ANSI
Z87 Standard for Industrial Safety Eyewear is that the
Lenses will be tested by means of a high-velocity impact test.
In this test, the lenses will be mounted on a test holder (150ft/s) and
three lenses shall be tested. Lenses fail the test if there is: any posterior
displacement of the lens completely through the test holder;
any fracture of the lens;
any detachment of a portion
of the lens from its inner surface; or any full thickness penetration of a
lens.
If
all test lenses pass, then any non-plano lens of the same or greater
thickness at its thinnest point, which is made by the same manufacturer
from the same material with the same coatings can bear the "+"
mark.
With
my research out of the way, I proceeded to remove the pair of glasses from
the Bobster® packaging. At first glance, the XRH glasses are very similar
to other glasses we have tested in the past. The XRH included a carry
case, microfiber cleaning cloth, 2 frame fronts- smoked & clear but
that is where the similarities stop. Also contained in the carry case was
a removable closed cell foam insert along with removable & adjustable
goggle strap.
Not being "into" reading directions, I immediately began to
further inspect the glasses. Within seconds, I was able to locate the concealed
temple release system and transform the glasses to a goggle almost
effortlessly. With a low-profile design, the XRH was comfortable as
sunglasses but I felt as a goggle, they were somewhat lacking in
practicality for a special Op's mission.
From another perspective
however, the XRH definitely regains some points in terms of a "spur
of the moment" piece of equipment that could protect your eyes from
injury while on patrol. I also feel the glasses are ideal for the
any type of motorcycle or conventional biking. Let's face
it, evaluating eyewear is very subjective. What I find comfortable may
aggravate someone else to death and vice versa.
However,
if you are looking for an inexpensive pair of glasses that are ANSI
approved, versatile enough to go from a day at the beach to firearms
qualification…..give the Bobster® XRH's a try.
And look for a video review at www.nemotraining.com
in the weeks to come.
Darin
Logue
started his law enforcement career in 1998, but has been involved in
fugitive apprehension since the mid-1990s. He is considered a skilled
practitioner in the areas of narcotics, interview and interrogation, and
fugitive apprehension and tracking. He is a frequent lecturer to criminal
justice classes, as well as a guest speaker at many police academies and
departments throughout the
Midwest
. Darin has served as one of
Missouri
's youngest chiefs and is an active member of the law enforcement
community, working with several agencies in
Missouri
. He conducts training seminars on undercover narcotics and fugitive
apprehension and tracking and can be reached at www.nemotraining.com and
lnirt@hotmail.com.
|
FEATURED
ARTICLE