Tuesday, 29 March 2011

Safety Glasses - eye protection, goggles


These goggles provide good side protection and great frontal protection against flying debris when using power tools. They are easy-to-adjust and comfortable, which is important because people don't use goggles that don't fit well.



As to the anti-fogging properties...



NO goggles are truly fog-free unless they are expensive forced-air face-shields used in a temperature-controlled environment. As many other users have noted, these will fog up at times. There is a solution!



You can make ANY goggles virtually "fog free" (under most conditions) by marking them with plain bar-soap. Simply make a few swipes on the inside of the goggles with a plain white soap bar, then wipe the marks around until the goggles are clear and clean. Cotton cloth works best. Paper towels are OK, but they will eventually scratch the lens. Use light pressure. You do not need water or spit.



Special details about this method...

Do not use old-fashioned hand soap that was made with Lye... it burns your eyes!

Do not use fancy expensive soap that has scents or colors... many (including myself) find the colored soap makes rainbows of prismatic streaks, and that the scented stuff ruins your taste-buds when lunch time rolls around.



Just use PLAIN WHITE SOAP bars... Johnson's baby soap, Ivory or cheap generic stuff from any American soap maker... Avoid the foreign stuff! Other countries have lower sanitation standards, especially for products that are not meant to be used internally.



There is no way to break the laws of physics. If you work in very hot or cold conditions, there will be a differential in temperature between the inside and outside of your goggles or glasses. The soap film will help prevent condensation (fog) from forming under most conditions, but it won't work permanently in 90-degree sunshine or freezing temperatures. If for some reason you are required to work under those extreme conditions, you just have to remove the goggles and equalize inside-to-outside temperatures more often.



One last tip... if you are working outside in hot-climates, keep the goggles outside. If you have to move between air-conditioned and non-conditioned spaces... have two pairs of specs, one for each area. The sudden change between temperatures causes condensation to form. Otherwise, It is the differential between the inside temperature and outside temperature of the lens that cause condensation.



How and why...

Soap film helps prevent condensation by filling microscopic cavities on the surface of plastic lenses. Those cavities are invisible, but they are the nucleation-sites where condensation starts. Once it starts, it will spread exponentially because even a few molecules of water is enough to cool neighboring molecules of moisture-laden air, such as that near your face.



I got these goggles for free during an in-store promotion. For most indoor woodworking applications, I prefer the wrap-around but open-air style of safety goggles. They protect against flying debris, yet allow air flow in front and behind the lens, so moisture is less likely to condense. In cold temperatures, foam-sealed rims like these work better and fog less. They also protect your eyes from drying in the cold-dry winter air. Dewalt DPG82-11C Concealer Clear Anti-Fog Dual Mold Safety Goggle

I love these goggles. Not only do they protect your eyes from flying objects but also from the dust produced by woodworking machines. They are pretty comfortable to wear and are very well made.

Mine were light gray instead of the yellow shown in the picture.



UPDATE: I've had this goggles for a little over a year and noticed that they started to fog up lately. Maybe there's some coating that has worn off after about a year or so (or maybe because it has been hotter this summer). Also, the elastic band broke. I know it says elastic cloth but mine came with an elastic rubber band. If anyone knows where I can find a replacement, let me know. I still like the goggles though.



UPDATE2: So out of curiosity I e-mailed Dewalt to see if they sold the strap for a couple of dollars. They forwarded the e-mail to Radians (who happens to make these goggles for Dewalt). The customer person apologized for the inconvenience and without asking any questions send me a new pair of goggles. I was willing to pay for the strap but instead got a new pair of goggles! I also realized that the first time I bought this item, Amazon sent me the Radians version of the googles (they are the same except different colors and the strap is rubber instead of elastic cloth). The replacement I got are the actual Dewalt (yellow) goggles.

I wear prescription glasses being very myopic and sometimes it's an advantage while woodworking as I've got some eye protection already but not enough when construction debris is flying and woodchips and dust cover my lenses often forcing me to make quick cleanings that scratch my $400+ glasses. Now the cheaper off-the-shelf goggles cloud up with leaky seals and the most common eye protectors are for non glass wearing folks only. Nowhere did it say these would fit over my prescription lenses...but they looked like they would. And they did very well. They don't leak at the bottom and don't allow my breathing to fog up the lenses as they are well ventilated. Seem to work in colder temps too. They also look about as good as my 50 dollar Ski googles.. in fact they seem they might be good for skiing or boarding in the winter too and at only 14 or 15 bucks pretty good looking too. Fits with most dust masks and with headphones too. The real deal.



Update: I did notice they do fog up too at temps above 80 degrees or even less so the antifog seems to not work so well. Maybe ski goggle anti fog paste is needed. Not sure if there is a solution to that. Maybe a hard hat over the head to shade the lens? or bandana as it seems sweat from forehead might be causing them to fog. Only after a bit of time and maybe just keep a clean clothe wipe to clean 'em off. Maybe just use more open cheaper lens...(but those with prescription lens might be out of luck there. ) - Goggle - Eye Protection - Dewalt - Goggles'


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