Link: https://sspeyewear.com/collections/...rted-interchangeable-kits?variant=28480526915
$39.99 from SSP Eye wear. Include 3 sets of lenses in the same magnification. 1 set clear, 1 set yellow, 1 set smoked (all are very easy to change out). Also include neoprene carrying case.
Available in multiple magnifications, they recommend choosing 1 power lower than your normal reading glasses. I wear 2x reading glasses, but they were out of stock on 1x so I chose 1.25x.
Overall Impressions:
If you have aging eyes like my own, they are worth the purchase. While improving my recreational & competition shooting (both rifle & handgun), they take some getting used to, and blur the target more so than usual.
My Score: 7 out of 10.
I'm not sure I would recommend them for everyday use, which still leaves me with failing eyesight in any defensive shooting.
Details below. PLEASE NOTE: It wasn't until this review that I realized just how difficult it can be to photograph these viewpoints. Couple that with my aging eyesight, and you'll discover the sighst are not always aligned precisely on target. The focus in this review is the clarity in vision, and not so much getting the sights aligned properly for a better review. It would have taken me several hundred photos to do so.
When I first began shooting handgun over 10 years ago now, I recall a nice crisp sight picture, with the target slightly fuzzy much like this (see caveat above re: sight alignment photography) :
Normal Sight Picture:
About 3-4 years ago, I noticed my eyesight starting to fail as I aged. Specifically in seeing/reading things up close. At first I needed more light to read a pill bottle, then I needed reading glasses to read such a bottle. A year ago I began wearing my readers to view my computer monitor... It's important to note that last year, my vision was still 20/20 at distance. It's merely close up things I have difficulty viewing. Today, this is the approximate sight picture I see when shooting handgun. It's probably a hair fuzzier than this, since I have trouble seeing any dots on the sights:
My Current Sight Picture without Glasses:
After picking up a pair of SSP's Top BiFocals, I was thrilled to be able to see the front sight again... However, the trade off is that the target is noticeably more blurry. An approximation of what I see while shooting handgun wearing these glasses:
Sight Picture with Top BiFocals:
Dimensions: Bifocal viewing area (lens) is about 1.2" x .5"
Although the bifocal lens is taller, the frame limits the viewing height to around .5". The center line of focus is in fact 1/2 way through this viewing area (and not near the frame, as one might suspect).
After some minor plinking, I recently got to fully test these at a Friday Night Steel match. I struggled with a few stages involving small targets at distance but shot really well on closer targets, or more vertical targets (such as the tall but thin poppers). The misses seemed out of the ordinary for my normal performance.
I usually average 8-12 seconds on the plate rack. Two rounds I shot with the glasses and timed 20 seconds on one, and 28 on another. Frustrated, I shot the third round without sighting using the bifocals, and scored 12 seconds. This told me something was off.
Additionally, I was told I was shooting low and hitting the frame on the plate rack. Typically, my EDC M&P9c tends to shoot a bit high, so I aim at the bottom of the plates. In this instance, I was aiming above center to score hits. Afterwards, I began playing with the glasses and noticed this shift thanks to the horizontal framework on the plate rack, and decided to test it further today.
First, I confirmed with Don Parks @ MCF&G, that the plate rack is set at 15 yards, with 8" round steel targets. I had some frustration with a couple of stages, and discovered a 'parallax' of sorts while shooting the plate rack (thanks to it's horizontal bar).
To replicate this, I set my sawhorse at 15 yards, and set an 8" round steel plate on it. I then ran a level line, the approximate distance the gun/sights would be from the camera/glasses.
Now, to photograph this, I had to turn the glasses sideways because the earpieces/frame would interfere with the camera. This is important to note, because the shift from one extreme to another, occurs in 1.2" of 'travel'. But in reality, this shift would be equivalent to your left to right shift, whereas your height shift occurs in just 1/2" when wearing the glasses (resulting is a more dramatic difference depending on head tilt).
If one views through the bifocal at one edge, the target shifts high:
And when viewing through the other edge? It shifts low:
Comparing them side by side shows the following, with low at left, and high at right:
I didn't get the string precisely centered, however you'll notice in the photo that the string (sights reference) shifts less than the target does. To help show this, I set the string from all three photos at the same level line, so that the difference in the target shifts are shown. I've included some hash marks to show the relation of the target top & bottom as each shifts.
With targets that are closer, I would suspect that you'd notice less shift. And it seems with targets further away, you might notice more shift.
After further testing today, and with some additional tips discovered (listed below), I don't think this shift is dramatic enough to cause concern or prevent someone from purchasing just yet. I'll chalk it up to 'just takes some getting used to'.
However I'll followup at a later date with some 100 yard rifle shooting to see if there is a more dramatic shift at further distances.
Wear & Tear:
So far they've held up to general abuse.It's been a short time frame that I have used them though.
Having shot in the rain today, I can say they are about the same as any other safety glasses in the rain. The bifocals don't obscure vision anymore than the regular vision portion when wet.
It's a bid awkward having the top lenses. Almost reminds me of the movie 'The Jerk' where people sue him for going cross eyed. You tend to want to look at the bifocal, then realize you can't see crap through them.
They are helpful to read detail/fine print. I managed to read the numbers painted on the bottom of my magazines... it's just awkward tilting your head down (instead of back, like with normal readers)
Suggestions:
Perhaps it was the low light, or not being quite used to the glasses at FNS, but today I ran 150 rounds with them, testing for accuracy and consistency, I am more optimistic and can offer the following tips:
1) They'll work better in daylight than low light (No big surprise here as it's easier for our aging eyes to see with more light).
2) Make sure you put the glasses tight against your face/forehead. Sort of like a cheek weld on a rifle, it insures that the glasses are in the same position every time. This will help to view through the bifocals the same every time.
3) Head tilt may affect your POA/POI. Try to stand tall and bring the gun to your eyes in the same manner every time (like you should be doing anyways). This can be more difficult when moving and engaging targets in a dynamic situation such as USPSA or IDPA.
D) The 3 interchangeable lenses are easy to swap out. I noticed less accuracy (rifle shooting) using the smoked lenses vs the yellow high contrast lenses. Your mileage may vary.
Disclaimer:
The photos shown involved an unloaded firearm, and that setup was used for the photography portion, to avoid damaging equipment in the rain.
The 150 rounds fired/tested, were out on my range (in the rain), with a proper backstop.
$39.99 from SSP Eye wear. Include 3 sets of lenses in the same magnification. 1 set clear, 1 set yellow, 1 set smoked (all are very easy to change out). Also include neoprene carrying case.
Available in multiple magnifications, they recommend choosing 1 power lower than your normal reading glasses. I wear 2x reading glasses, but they were out of stock on 1x so I chose 1.25x.
Overall Impressions:
If you have aging eyes like my own, they are worth the purchase. While improving my recreational & competition shooting (both rifle & handgun), they take some getting used to, and blur the target more so than usual.
My Score: 7 out of 10.
I'm not sure I would recommend them for everyday use, which still leaves me with failing eyesight in any defensive shooting.
Details below. PLEASE NOTE: It wasn't until this review that I realized just how difficult it can be to photograph these viewpoints. Couple that with my aging eyesight, and you'll discover the sighst are not always aligned precisely on target. The focus in this review is the clarity in vision, and not so much getting the sights aligned properly for a better review. It would have taken me several hundred photos to do so.
When I first began shooting handgun over 10 years ago now, I recall a nice crisp sight picture, with the target slightly fuzzy much like this (see caveat above re: sight alignment photography) :
Normal Sight Picture:
About 3-4 years ago, I noticed my eyesight starting to fail as I aged. Specifically in seeing/reading things up close. At first I needed more light to read a pill bottle, then I needed reading glasses to read such a bottle. A year ago I began wearing my readers to view my computer monitor... It's important to note that last year, my vision was still 20/20 at distance. It's merely close up things I have difficulty viewing. Today, this is the approximate sight picture I see when shooting handgun. It's probably a hair fuzzier than this, since I have trouble seeing any dots on the sights:
My Current Sight Picture without Glasses:
After picking up a pair of SSP's Top BiFocals, I was thrilled to be able to see the front sight again... However, the trade off is that the target is noticeably more blurry. An approximation of what I see while shooting handgun wearing these glasses:
Sight Picture with Top BiFocals:
Dimensions: Bifocal viewing area (lens) is about 1.2" x .5"
Although the bifocal lens is taller, the frame limits the viewing height to around .5". The center line of focus is in fact 1/2 way through this viewing area (and not near the frame, as one might suspect).
After some minor plinking, I recently got to fully test these at a Friday Night Steel match. I struggled with a few stages involving small targets at distance but shot really well on closer targets, or more vertical targets (such as the tall but thin poppers). The misses seemed out of the ordinary for my normal performance.
I usually average 8-12 seconds on the plate rack. Two rounds I shot with the glasses and timed 20 seconds on one, and 28 on another. Frustrated, I shot the third round without sighting using the bifocals, and scored 12 seconds. This told me something was off.
Additionally, I was told I was shooting low and hitting the frame on the plate rack. Typically, my EDC M&P9c tends to shoot a bit high, so I aim at the bottom of the plates. In this instance, I was aiming above center to score hits. Afterwards, I began playing with the glasses and noticed this shift thanks to the horizontal framework on the plate rack, and decided to test it further today.
First, I confirmed with Don Parks @ MCF&G, that the plate rack is set at 15 yards, with 8" round steel targets. I had some frustration with a couple of stages, and discovered a 'parallax' of sorts while shooting the plate rack (thanks to it's horizontal bar).
To replicate this, I set my sawhorse at 15 yards, and set an 8" round steel plate on it. I then ran a level line, the approximate distance the gun/sights would be from the camera/glasses.
Now, to photograph this, I had to turn the glasses sideways because the earpieces/frame would interfere with the camera. This is important to note, because the shift from one extreme to another, occurs in 1.2" of 'travel'. But in reality, this shift would be equivalent to your left to right shift, whereas your height shift occurs in just 1/2" when wearing the glasses (resulting is a more dramatic difference depending on head tilt).
If one views through the bifocal at one edge, the target shifts high:
And when viewing through the other edge? It shifts low:
Comparing them side by side shows the following, with low at left, and high at right:
I didn't get the string precisely centered, however you'll notice in the photo that the string (sights reference) shifts less than the target does. To help show this, I set the string from all three photos at the same level line, so that the difference in the target shifts are shown. I've included some hash marks to show the relation of the target top & bottom as each shifts.
With targets that are closer, I would suspect that you'd notice less shift. And it seems with targets further away, you might notice more shift.
After further testing today, and with some additional tips discovered (listed below), I don't think this shift is dramatic enough to cause concern or prevent someone from purchasing just yet. I'll chalk it up to 'just takes some getting used to'.
However I'll followup at a later date with some 100 yard rifle shooting to see if there is a more dramatic shift at further distances.
Wear & Tear:
So far they've held up to general abuse.It's been a short time frame that I have used them though.
Having shot in the rain today, I can say they are about the same as any other safety glasses in the rain. The bifocals don't obscure vision anymore than the regular vision portion when wet.
It's a bid awkward having the top lenses. Almost reminds me of the movie 'The Jerk' where people sue him for going cross eyed. You tend to want to look at the bifocal, then realize you can't see crap through them.
They are helpful to read detail/fine print. I managed to read the numbers painted on the bottom of my magazines... it's just awkward tilting your head down (instead of back, like with normal readers)
Suggestions:
Perhaps it was the low light, or not being quite used to the glasses at FNS, but today I ran 150 rounds with them, testing for accuracy and consistency, I am more optimistic and can offer the following tips:
1) They'll work better in daylight than low light (No big surprise here as it's easier for our aging eyes to see with more light).
2) Make sure you put the glasses tight against your face/forehead. Sort of like a cheek weld on a rifle, it insures that the glasses are in the same position every time. This will help to view through the bifocals the same every time.
3) Head tilt may affect your POA/POI. Try to stand tall and bring the gun to your eyes in the same manner every time (like you should be doing anyways). This can be more difficult when moving and engaging targets in a dynamic situation such as USPSA or IDPA.
D) The 3 interchangeable lenses are easy to swap out. I noticed less accuracy (rifle shooting) using the smoked lenses vs the yellow high contrast lenses. Your mileage may vary.
Disclaimer:
The photos shown involved an unloaded firearm, and that setup was used for the photography portion, to avoid damaging equipment in the rain.
The 150 rounds fired/tested, were out on my range (in the rain), with a proper backstop.
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