GearExpert

How Polarized Lenses Saved My Life

Aug 6 • News • 7134

Last week I was fortunate enough to go on a trip to Northern Minnesota. A family cabin partway between Hackensack and Walker has been a yearly retreat for me every year of my life. It’s somewhat Spartan living up there, with no hot water or shower, but a wood-burning sauna and a beautiful lake more than make up for a lack of city amenities.

One of the things I most love about traveling up there is the wealth of wildlife you see every day. Deer abound, as do skunks (unfortunately), chipmunks, squirrels, bald eagles, loons, ducks, gulls and way more. I actually saw my first wild bear this year!

But it’s the deer that my story focuses on. As many of you know, deer like to come out in the twilight hours of dusk and dawn. Because of the fading light this makes them harder to see, and therefore harder to hunt. It’s a smart survival tactic, but it also makes them a hazard when driving.

Last Thursday, August 2nd, I was driving back from town. A sun shower bathed the street and surrounding tall grass with a light coat of water, and at 8pm the sun was setting but not yet below the treeline.

The fading light was in my eyes as I headed West. I put on my Wiley X Air Rage Sunglasses (which the week before I outfitted with polarized lenses instead of photochromic to help with glare when out on boats) and made my way slowly down highway 371. There was a ton of glare from the sun on the wet pavement, and it was patchy, with some areas drying in the warm sun. This inconsistency made the roads extra tough to travel along, and to make matters worse I was being tailgated by a big Ford Semi-Truck and kept having to speed up.

I know these roads well. My first experiences driving while sitting on my dad’s lap were right along this stretch of highway, and I’ve driven them on the darkest nights and foggiest mornings. I’ve dodged deer more than once here, but this year I had seen very few deer. I can’t account for this lack, so I simply must have been lucky in having few run-ins while on the road.

Or, at least, MOSTLY lucky.

It seems Thursday was my day to have a close call. I’d just come out of a small stretch of road with a slower speed limit and there was another mile or so of a no-pass zone. I sped up a bit to get the truck off my tail and my eyes were on the rear view mirror. As I turned right, which lined me up directly with the setting sun, a doe ran out from the treeline right in front of my car. The glittering sunlight made it difficult to track movement, but out of the corner of my eye I was able to make out the shape of the deer and swerve out of the way.

The deer was able to cross the road, I didn’t fly into the ditch, AND the truck driver behind me slowed down and gave me more room. Apparently he figured out I was driving a bit slower than normal because of the deer hazards.

This pic shows the photochromic lenses when inside, so they’re clear. In bright sunlight they do a great job shading your eyes, but don’t cut through glare as well as polarized glasses.

There were two features on my Wiley X Sunglasses that saved me: the polarized lenses and the wide field-of-view. The lenses were a huge factor because a polarized lenses filters light to cut down on glare. Though it doesn’t eliminate 100% of the glare, enough is reduced to help you get a good view. As I said in my previous post about swapping out photochromic (light-adjusting) lenses for polarized, I did this because it would help me drive a jet-ski and not be blinded when cruising with my cousins on the lake. The sunglasses worked great for this as well, but I didn’t run into any dangerous situations out there. In my car it was a whole different story.

The Air Rages Wrap Around your Face Nicely to give superb protection and a great view!

The wide field-of-view from the Air Rages was also a big factor in keeping me from hitting that deer. I saw the deer out of the corner of my eye, and because the Air Rages have a wide frame and lenses that both provide protection (they’re great motorcycle and shooting glasses as well) and help you get a great view. The lenses wrap around your eyes and don’t block off much of your view. That’s a big deal when selecting glasses for specific activities. When I’m jet-skiing (or when I was jogging after my LASIK surgery in March, which is when I got my Wiley X Air Rages to protect my then-delicate eyes) I use the facial cavity seal, but for my everyday purposes I prefer the feel of them without the strap or seal.

With a wide field-of-view and polarized lenses I had a much better chance of seeing the deer before it ran out in front of me. I missed it by mere inches, and I’m certain I would have hit it if I wasn’t wearing sunglasses.

And that’s how polarized lenses saved my life!

Have a similar story? Share it below!

OpticsPlanet • 4 Comments on How Polarized Lenses Saved My Life
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Mission First Tactical Weapon Accessories Hands-On Look!

Aug 1 • News, Videos • 5750

Mission First Tactical was kind enough to provide me with a couple of their new weapon accessories, the React Torch Grip and the E-VoLV Battle Stock. Both are really easy to install and use, and they add some cool features to your rifle.

The first thing you’ll want to do is check out the video above. A MFT representatives will take you through attaching the battle stock. It took me less than a minute, though I didn’t attach the sling mounts so it was a bit easier job.

MFT EvolV Battle Stock Gives a great Cheek Weld!

Since we have the video showing installation of the stock, let’s talk about some of the cool things the E-VolV Battle Stock adds to your rifle. First, the obvious enhancement is to your cheek weld. As any shooter worth his salt will tell you, having a proper cheek weld is incredibly important to consistent, repeatable accuracy. I found the cheek weld to be quite comfortable, though I was using a dummy AR in the office and couldn’t test it at the range by spending a bit of brass. Still, I could feel the difference immediately. Once installed, the E-VoLV Stock felt very sturdy and I wasn’t worried about it breaking or letting me down when needed. Right out of the box it’s tough to tell just how strong something like this is, and its light weight made me worry about durability, but once mounted it felt tough as nails.

The battery storage for the E-VolV is really effective and easy to use!

In addition to the cheek weld, the coolest part of the E-VoLV is the waterproof battery compartments. Check out the pics above. You can’t quite see this, but the battery storage compartments stick in there very tightly so if you’re in the rain or slogging through a wet forest the batteries won’t charge off or make any noise from shaking. There are slots for 3 batteries on each side. It’s never a bad thing to have a few spare batteries, so this is a welcome little accessory to have.

MFT React Torch Grip Flashlight Inserts

The MFT React Torch and Vertical Grip is a great way to not only add stability to your AR, but it also provides some cool solutions for adding a weapon light. Check out the picture. Because of some smart inserts you can install a flashlight with diameters between 5/8″ and 1″.

MFT React Torch Grip Tail Cap Switch and Pressure Pad Well

This is actually perfect for one of my favorite new lights (that I’ll be taking on a camping trip to Northern Minnesota next week), the Streamlight ProTac HL LED Flashlight. It has a barrel diameter of 1″, and a tail cap on/off switch. The tail cap design is ideal for the React Torch, as there’s an integrated thumb activation switch to turn on the tail cap while maintaining a sure grip. If your flashlight has a pressure pad there’s also a pressure pad well on the left side of the grip so right handed shooters can easily activate the light.

MFT React Torch Grip Lock Out Switch

To prevent accidental pressing of the tail cap, the React has a lock-out switch that acts as a safety for the button. Press it in and the light won’t turn on when you need it off.

MFT React Torch Grip on a dummy AR

Outside of the lighting opportunities you’ll get from the MFT React, you also get a fantastic grip that diminishes shooting fatigue and easy exceptionally easy to get a hold of due to a grooved gripping surface.

MFT React Torch Grip Watertight Storage compartment

Another cool feature is the watertight storage compartment with customizable foam inserts to prevent rattling. You could put batteries, gun maintenance tools and more in there without adding any bulk. Like the E-VolV Battle Stock, the React Grip is lightweight and feels really strong. It’ll hold up to a tremendous amount of punishment without issue.

Adding the right accessories to your rifle is important to success. Just like making sure you have the perfect rifle scope, sling or holster, equipping your firearm with the perfect accessories helps take your shooting to the next level. Mission First Tactical is about the mission first, so you can count on their gear to take your shooting to the next level.

OpticsPlanet • 4 Comments on Mission First Tactical Weapon Accessories Hands-On Look!
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How to Change Lenses on Wiley X Air Rage Sunglasses!

Jul 26 • How-To, News • 13961

Back in March I wrote up a post on my LASIK surgery and quest for the best eye protection for my post-surgery eyes. I spoke with Larum, who is one of our top eyewear specialists, and he pointed me in the direction of the Wiley X Air Rage Sunglasses with Photochromic Lenses. This was an excellent choice. I walk my dogs and run at night, and having the light adjusting lenses made it easy to keep the sun out of my eyes during the day but still see clearly at night. They’re very comfortable, especially with the gaskets, which are intended to keep wind, dust and other possible threats out of the eyes of motorcyclists, and the adjustable head straps keep them in place nicely.

But situations change. I no longer need eye protection every time I’m outside, so I don’t wear my Air Rages when walking my dogs or running at night (though I do still wear them during the day). At the end of the week I’ll be going on a trip to a family cabin, where I’ll be out on boats, jet skis, swimming and just enjoying the great outdoors in Minnesota. As I’ll be out on a boat, there’s bound to be a fair amount of glare getting in my eyes. I want to be able to see past that glare without it blinding me. While photochromic lenses are great for their versatility, they’re not the best for seeing past glare. The best lens for these occasions are polarized.

The great thing is that we sell the various Wiley X Air Rage Lenses separately in case you want to swap later. And very fortunate is that it’s a breeze to switch out the lenses!

So How do I Change my Wiley X Air Rage Lenses?

This will be easier explain in the video at the top of the page, but switching lenses is super easy. As there are a lot of cool features on the Air Rages, like the gaskets that keep dust and wind out of your eyes, the head strap that keeps them in place or the loose band for hanging them around your neck, I like to clear everything out of the way to make it easier to remove the lenses. This isn’t totally necessary, but it helps.

Wiley X Air Rage Gaskets

As you can see in the video, removing the head strap from the T-Peg docking system is incredibly easy, and popping out the gasket just takes a second. I pretty much always use this when wearing my Air Rages, as I run a fair bit and I like them snug to my face. I find wearing the Air Rages with the head strap and NOT the gasket to be uncomfortable. They’re designed to go together.

Now that you have all the extra stuff out of the way removing the lenses is a breeze. Just pull up on the top of the frame and push the lens out with your thumb. It doesn’t take much effort to push out the lenses when you pull up the frame. You could push them out without pulling up on the frame, but I think this puts undo stress on both the frame and the lenses. As these sunglasses are ANSI rated I don’t think you need to worry about breaking the lenses, but I think it’s still a good idea to keep from bending them too much.

Pop the lenses out the front like I do in the video, and place the new lenses in from the front. They pop in a lot easier than they pop out, and you’ll hear a click to know their in place. Give them a good wipe with the included microfiber cloth (included with the sunglasses, not the lenses) and you should be good to go!

One thing to note, especially if you’re getting a lot of sweat on your sunglasses, is that the salt from sweat can make it difficult to just wipe off the lenses, and even running them under water when they’re in the frame might not totally remove spots. I struggled to get my photochromic lenses perfectly clean until I took them out of the sunglasses and cleaned them separately. You don’t want to scrub them, as this could remove lens coatings and possibly diminish the quality of your lenses, but if you gently wash them outside of the frames the lenses clean up really nicely. Just make sure you hands are nice and clean when you press them back into the frame (if your hands are oily or greasy you’ll get harder to remove thumb prints) and you’ll only need to do a quick once-over to make them shine.

I replaced the gaskets and head strap so I’ll be ready for all sorts of water-based fun next week! I can’t wait to get out there with my Wiley X Air Rages, now with polarized lenses!

Wiley X Air Rage

OpticsPlanet • 4 Comments on How to Change Lenses on Wiley X Air Rage Sunglasses!
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Alpen Sets Records with ANOTHER ‘Great Buy’ Award!

Jul 23 • News • 7311

It’s not all about the awards, but awards are nice. They’re especially nice when you win them from a trusted source like Outdoor Life Magazine and Field & Stream. I have little to no doubt you’ve all heard of these magazines and turn to them often for their honest reviews and news of all things outdoors, hunting and fishing related.

Alpen Outdoor Life Magazine Great Buy Award

THAT makes their awards extra special. And Alpen‘s continuing dominance shows just how amazing their optics truly are. Alpen just recently won their SEVENTH ‘Great Buy’ Award from Outdoor Life Magazine. That is more than ANY other optics company. Ever. Yeah, it’s okay to be impressed by that.

Alpen 693 Apex Binoculars

So what did they win for? The Alpen Apex 693 XP 8×42 Binocular. We just recently added these to OpticsPlanet, and it’s no wonder they won a ‘Great Buy’ Award. For a very reasonable price you get a fantastic lightweight binocular with the kind of optical clarity usually reserved for binos at a MUCH higher price. And they are definitely hunting binoculars. When you go out hunting you don’t want to use birding binoculars, astronomy binoculars or some general use binos. You want the features that help you find game and take it down. What features?
- The Apex 8X42s are rugged.
- They provide great clarity even at the edges of the glass.
- The eye relief is 20mm (what a relief!).
- The close focus is 5 feet, so you can get up close and personal even when you’re already pretty up close and personal.
- The Apex Binoculars are fully multi-coated for optimal light transmission at all times of the day.
- The Alpen Apex Binos are lightweight and very comfortable to hold for hours at a time.
Alpen Binocular Harness System

And to sweeten the deal just a bit more, if you buy your Alpen Apex XP 8×42 Binoculars now you’ll get a FREE Binocular Harness System! This makes it even easier to carry your binos for hours and hours. Just look at how happy the lady in the photo is!

Alpen 788 20-60×80 Spotting Scope

And remember, this is Alpen’s seventh award from Outdoor Life Magazine. Many optics Alpen has developed over the years have won these awards again and again because they always focus on the needs of the hunters and outdoorsmen who turn to them for quality. One of the other winners is the Alpen 788 20-60×80 Spotting Scope, which won in 2005. This is still one of their top selling optics. Imagine that. A spotting scope that’s been winning awards for seven years and it’s STILL super popular. This is because of how insanely well this spotting scope performs. The optical resolution is 1.8 seconds of angle. For you this means you can see target details as small as 1/32 of an inch at ONE HUNDRED yards. The Alpen 788 also has an angled eyepiece, which makes it much easier to use this spotting scope when viewing objects at a steep upward angle. If you like to do a little astronomical viewing in addition to your hunting this is a great choice.

Alpen Mini Spotting Scope

I also mentioned a Field & Stream Award given to Alpen, and that was for their 711 20×50 Mini Spotting Scope. It won a ‘Best of the Test’ Award. The standout feature of this spotting scope is, as you can tell from the photo above, its size. This spotter fits in the palm of your hand while still giving you true spotting scope performance! Note that Alpen doesn’t call this a monocular, nor should they. Monoculars are great for quick handheld viewing, but they don’t provide combination of magnification and sharp optics of the 20×50 Mini. This scope is nitrogen purged, waterproof and super tough. No wonder it won a ‘Best of the Test’ Award.

That’s a lot of awards for a single company, and Alpen has received so many accolades because rather than focus on trying to satisfy critics and those who hand out these awards they’ve focused on giving you what you want. Awards are given to the best. And the best is Alpen.

OpticsPlanet • 4 Comments on Alpen Sets Records with ANOTHER ‘Great Buy’ Award!
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Beat the Heat with Some Great Stay-Cool Gear!

Jul 20 • News, Videos • 7432

Today is one of the coolest days we’ve had in quite a long time here at GearExpert by OpticsPlanet. We’re located just outside Chicago, Il., and it has been scorching hot for quite a while. It should only be in the low 80’s today, but by Monday some are forecasting temperatures right back up to about 100 degrees! Wowza. We’ve had multiple days like this so far this summer, and I know we’re not the only part of the nation feeling this blistering heat. Because of this crazy heat I wanted to show off a few of our best ‘Beat the Heat’ products, AND I’m going to give you coupon codes so you can get them at an even better price than normal!

Yes, clearly the heat has gone to my head and made me more generous.

Water, Water Everywhere. Make Sure it’s in your Pack!

First and foremost, any time you’re dealing with extreme heat you HAVE to make sure you stay well hydrated. I know many people don’t think of how dangerous dehydration can be, but it can not only lead to weakness and mood swings (try hunting on a sweltering day without water and let me know if you’re in a good mood afterward) but also, in very serious cases, death. Because of how absolutely dangerous dehydration is, the number one thing to do during a heat wave is drink lots of water. If you’re not home with a nice tall glass of lemonade, you’ll need a water bottle.

CamelBack Water Bottle

The CamelBak Groove .6L Bottle is not only a great water bottle, it also serves to purify water. So if you live in an area where the tap water has a funny taste due to excessive chlorine or other impurities, this will make it taste fresh and clean. It’s a real pain to try to drink a bunch of water only to have it taste metallic or strange. The filter is built right into the straw, so you can drink your clean water without much hassle at all. That straw has a Bite-Valve, and the bottle is pretty darn strong, so it’ll keep from spilling when you’re out and about. If you think this is the way for you to beat the heat, use coupon code BOTTLE5 and receive $5 off!

EOTech Hydration Pack

But I’m talking about some of the cool stuff from OpticsPlanet, so there’s got to be a cooler way to haul some water. While the filter straw is definitely a cool way to drink, if you’re on the go you need way to drink without slowing down for a second. That’s where a quality Hydration Pack comes into play. We have guys around the office here who regularly use their hydration pack for cycling, hiking, camping, hunting (of course!), and running. We love them, and one of our favorites is the simple yet effective EOTech Hydration Backpack. This pack holds 100 oz. of water, which should be more than enough for most day trips, and it’s nice and compact so you don’t have to worry about it getting in the way as you run around the woods or bike along miles and miles of trails. If you want one use coupon code EOHYDRO to receive $10 off!

The Sun Burns, but not through These Slick Heat-Beating Clothes!

After you’ve taken care of hydration, it’s good to get out of the sun. If you have to be outside, make sure to cover up. Not only does sunburn hurt and make you miserable for days, but skin cancer is a real killer that you need to be careful about. Sunscreen helps, but it’s better to actually cover up a bit. Let’s start with your head.

EOTech Boonie Hat

The EOTech Boonie Hat is a simple hat, but the extra brim really helps keep the sun off your face and neck. A traditional ball cap helps, but a boonie hat has a little more coverage. The EOTech Boonie Hat is also a great way to show your support for your favorite brand. Hunters and shooters know that EOTech stands for high quality and high tech gear, so you can let everyone see you know what’s the best! If you’d like to save $5 on the Boonie Hat use coupon code EOHAT5!

You’ll get most of the sun off your head and face with a hat, but the most vulnerable part of your face is your eyes, especially where sunlight is concerned. The harmful UV rays can cause serious eye impairment if you don’t take care of them, so be absolutely certain you have a good pair of sunglasses on when out in the sun. We have coupons for a couple super stylish versions from Serengeti.

Serengeti Bianca

First, we have the Serengeti Bianca Sunglasses for Women. Clearly, they’re nice looking sunglasses, but the Bianca’s actually are more than just fashionable. They also feature some advanced tech. The lenses especially give you an outstanding view. Not only are they optically outstanding and give a nice, non-distorted view, but they’re also photochromic lenses so they’ll adjust to the light conditions. They’re a great way to stay stylish while keeping the sun out of your eyes. Save 10% with coupon code SUNGLASS10.

Serengeti Rimini

For the fellas reading, the Serengeti Rimini Sunglasses are a sporty option for keeping your eyes protected, but also for giving you a bit of extra performance. Rather than photochromic lenses, the Riminis have Polar PhD lenses, which as the name implies are polarized, meaning you’ll struggle with less glare and see better in bright sunlight. They make for excellent driving or boating sunglasses, so if you’re driving a convertible with the top down you’ll really appreciate the polarized lenses! You can save 10% on these Serengeti Sunglasses with coupon code SUNNY10.

5.11 Shorts

But what about from the neck down? The sun hits your whole body, and you need to be both protected from sunlight and kept cool. For top notch performance it’s hard to beat 5.11 Tactical, so we’ve selected a pair of shorts and a t-shirt that’ll keep you cool and comfortable outside on these hot days. The 5.11 Taclite Pro Shorts appear, at first glance, to be a simple pair of shorts, but they’re super lightweight, dry very quickly (very important if you’re slogging through water or sweating and want them nice and dry quickly) and have a ton of great pockets for carrying all the gear you need! Coupon code SHORT10 will save you 10% off these shorts!

Loose Fit Crew by 511

For a shirt, check out the 5.11 Loose Fit Crew. These are great for everyday use, but I really like mine for exercising. The underarm mesh panel really helps add a little venting. This both helps you stay dry and cool when it’s sweltering out. Save $5 on the Loose Fit Crew with coupon code TSHIRT5.

But How Will I Know It’s Going to be Hot? With a Weather Station, of course!

Bushnell 3 Day Forecaster

One of the best ways to beat the heat is with knowledge. If you’re considering a long hiking trip and you see it’s going to be over 100 degrees you might change your plans or at the very least you’ll have a chance to prepare a bit better. We have a few Weather Stations available from Bushnell with coupons. As they’re all from Bushnell, the quality stays consistently high, but you get a few different sets of features. First, the Bushnell Wireless FX 3 Day AccuWeather Forecast gives you, as the name implies, a 3 day forecast, and it’s at a great price, especially with coupon code BUSHNELL10, which gives $10 off! That’s huge considering how low the price on this weather station already is!

Bushnell 5 Day Forecaster

For a step up in forecasting ability, check out the Bushnell Wireless FX 5 Day AccuWeather Forecast Weather Station. It’ll provide 5 days of weather forecasting, but what is really cool about this unit is that the background on the display changes dependent on the temperature. So on a cold day it’ll be blue, and on hot days like we’ve been having lately it’ll be red. You can save $10 on this weather station also. Just use coupon code WEATHER10!

Bushnell HuntFXi

Finally, we have the 7 day Hunting model. The Bushnell HuntFXi 7-day Weather Forecaster is fantastic for those of you who like to go hunting or hiking and need a portable option. The HuntFXi runs on batteries (you can use a power cord as well for home use) so you can wake up on the trails and know how much water you need to pack for the day or how light your clothing needs to be. And with $10 off with coupon code FORECAST10 you won’t have to break the bank to stay ahead of the weather!

All the coupons above are good now through 7/27/2012, so be sure to get your warm weather gear today! We have a lot of great ways to keep cool when it’s hot outside, so when you need to beat the heat, check out OpticsPlanet first!

OpticsPlanet • 4 Comments on Beat the Heat with Some Great Stay-Cool Gear!
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