Evolution Eyewear for Shooters
EVOLUTION EYEWEAR APPEARED on the market in 2007 and the company now offers various models of sunglasses, safety and shooting eyewear. Magnum recently tested Evolution’s Switch 4 eyewear.
The unisex style Switch 4 package comes with four interchangeable one-piece lens sets (spanning both eyes) in grey, yellow, orange and purple. Being polycarbonate, the lenses are impactresistant, shatterproof and comply with the EN166 European standard for protective eyewear, carrying a class 1 rating, meaning suitable for continuous use.
The lenses have a high UV protection rating (UV400) and are rimless, offering unobscured vision. They are lightweight, with scratch-resistant coatings that help repel water, oil and dust and limit fingerprint smudges.
Evolution states that the smokycoloured (including grey) lenses reduce all light equally and are best for general wear in bright light and sunny conditions. The package we received had smoky-coloured lenses with a blue hue, and amber-coloured lenses giving your surroundings a ‘warm’ appearance and also increasing contrast – objects appear in sharper focus – which are suitable for most weather and light conditions. The yellow lenses enhance light, provide high colour-contrast and are ideal for low light, low visibility and cloudy conditions. The purple lenses are excellent for all-round use, dulling the brightness of objects and increasing contrast.
THE NOSE PADS are of soft, nonslip rubber and fasten onto a hard-plastic clip attached to the ‘bridge’ of the one-piece lens set. The arms are attached by means of ‘temple tips’ which fit onto the sides of the lens-set, and are of lightweight, durable plastic with a textured soft rubber strip making skin contact behind the ears.
THE LENS CASE includes a printed diagram showing how to switch lenses in two easy steps. To disassemble, hold the lens-set and pull off the temple tips by gently tugging them downwards. Insert the sides of the chosen lens-set into the small slots in the front of the respective temple tips; apply light upward pressure and the two parts snap together. An audible ‘click’ confirms they’re in place. Likewise with the nose piece – a ‘click’ affirms that it is securely attached to the bridge section of the new lens-set.
I wore the smoke-coloured lenses as everyday sunglasses for a couple of months. They were comfortable even when worn for long periods, and gave no discomfort when worn with electronic earmuffs during some lengthy shooting range sessions. The fit was snug enough not to shift even when I fired rifles of significant recoil. Used in conjunction with scopes, the lenses showed no distortions towards the edges when I turned my head, nor did they hinder my vision even when shooting at distances up to 500m. The lenses fitted the contour of my face well and wrapped far enough around the sides of my orbital bones to give adequate protection.
On the range, I mostly used the yellow and amber lenses. The yellow lenses would be helpful at indoor shooting ranges for their light-enhancing ability.
Obviously, no lenses can be smudge free, but water ran off them leaving no marks. A single shake got rid of smallish drops leaving the lens blemish-free during a rainy day on the range.
THE FOUR LENSES come in a hard carry case with a sponge recess for each individual lens, a soft pouch, cleaning cloth and an assembly pamphlet. Evolution also has an option to accommodate prescription lenses with protective eyewear.
Quality eyewear is something every shooter should take seriously. Evolution shooting eyewear is purpose-made and is to be recommended.
I have seen the Switch 4 package advertised online in South Africa from about R700. For a retailer near you contact National Cartridge Company at 065964-9161 or email pta@ suburbanguns.co.za.