Contacts (vision correction) for the fabricator

[Ign]

This is relevant to fabricating for me at least:

As a metalworker I regularly trash contacts. Basically if I were grinding for more than 5 seconds it was nearly guaranteed I'd find one or more black specks permanently adhered to my contacts that night.

I ALWAYS wear clear glasses and would wear full goggles for extended grinding, but goggles just aren't practical for general fab when you're going from hood to grinder to belt sander to hood to mill to grinder to lathe, etc etc etc. At least for me.

Anyway my eye doc just put me in daily contacts and holy **** how awesome! Now I don't care if I get some **** on my lenses, they're going in the trash that night either way.

Yes, LASIK would be nice and that *might* be coming in the near future for me. In the meantime the daily contacts are SOOO much better.

 

[matt_i]

All you have to do is get a particle lodged in your eyeball and your view on the flying metal will change.

 

[hefnerconstructionlc]

I do the same, clear safety glasses and daily contacts. The dailys are just great. Your not bringing yesterdays grit, a new start each day. If I am doing supper rough work I will throw on the face shield, but I agree moving from tool to tool with googles is not super practical.

 

[Ign]

I do the same, clear safety glasses and daily contacts. The dailys are just great. Your not bringing yesterdays grit, a new start each day. If I am doing supper rough work I will throw on the face shield, but I agree moving from tool to tool with googles is not super practical.

Yep I've got some Jackson goggles that are huge but work pretty well, although in order to get a good seal I have to have the strap so tight I get a headache after ~45 mins

Then I have some Wilcats which are more like "Aviator" style (2 independent cups) and I really like those but they fog much too easily - granted I've yet to try an anti-fog product.

Face shields are great and I love the confidence they instill but the headgear fights w my hearing protection and I just don't like wearing the in-ear foam pellets

Bottom line, virtually all combinations of PPE are a compromise for the exact project at hand and the level of personal risk we're each willing to assume.

I've started wearing a respirator when grinding so that's just one more thing fighting for space on my head and face LOL

 

[hefnerconstructionlc]

Yep that is the deal. All of these things are a compromises between safety, efficiency, and comfort. The other problem with the face shield is keeping clean. The face shield while safe when clean and clear, is downright dangerous once it get a little dust on it They seem to attract dust like crazy. The smaller work glasses seem better at not attracting so much debris.

 

[Ign]

Yep that is the deal. All of these things are a compromises between safety, efficiency, and comfort. The other problem with the face shield is keeping clean. The face shield while safe when clean and clear, is downright dangerous once it get a little dust on it They seem to attract dust like crazy. The smaller work glasses seem better at not attracting so much debris.

Not only that but you need to store it properly. Leave it out in the open or accidentally in the line of fire of abrasive spray (ie set it on the bench for a quick grind) and they get trashed pretty easily.

 

[saon]

are there clear face shield covers that stick on and peel off?
a tear off like a dirt track racer would wear on their helmets or some race cars have on their windshields? I have looked but admittedly not very hard.
I like to wear the full shield but once its dirty its done for.