When outdoors, you should protect your eyes from the harmful UV rays, impact, dust, and fast-flying objects for a better experience and excellent results.
Although plenty of tactical sunglasses claim to deliver quality results, only a few can offer excellent optical clarity while overcoming fast-flying objects and impact from arduous tasks. Worse still, many people buy counterfeit sunglasses as they don’t distinguish high-quality sunglasses from fake ones.
To make your search for the best tactical sunglasses easier, I’ve compiled top selections and a buyer’s guide to help you make an informed choice.
Best Tactical SunGlasses
- Best Overall: ESS Eyewear Cross Series Crossbow 3LS Kit
- Best for Impact Resistance: Smith & Wesson M&P Harrier Interchangeable Shooting Glasses
- Best Budget: Venture Gear Overwatch Tactical Sunglasses
- Best for Wider Nose Bridge: Oakley Men’s Oo9372 Flak Beta Low Bridge Fit Rectangular Sunglasses
- Most Versatile: Swiss Eye Raptor Ballistic Sunglasses
This section reviews the best tactical sunglasses you can find in the market. Keep reading to learn about their build quality, durability, accessories, and other features you may love to find in tactical sunglasses. Don’t forget to pick your favorite pair/ kit at the end of this read.
Best Overall: ESS Eyewear Cross Series Crossbow 3LS Kit
Enjoy an optically precise vision of the target object using the cross-series crossbow 3LS by ESS Eyewear. The kit includes three polycarbonate lenses (clear, Hi-Def yellow, and smoke grey colors) and a plastic frame. It also contains a snap-on elastic retention strap, a hard storage case, an ESS sticker, and an instruction booklet.
I love this product because its interchangeable polycarbonate lenses offer 100% protection against UVA and UVB rays. Additionally, the ESS crossbow production adheres to the OSHA, ANSI Z87.1+, CE EN 166, and US MIL-PRF-31013 federal standards for quality, meaning that the pair is safe and fit for any outdoor application.
Another great thing about the Crossbow lenses is that they won’t crack, scratch or fog during use, thus giving you an optically precise vision. This is made possible by the ClearZone FlowCoat technology.
You can easily switch the lens to your preferred shade using the integrated DedBolt Lens lock mechanism.
The spectacle’s tri-tech frame fits snugly on the eye edges, nose bridge and ears, leaving zero pressure points. Use the snap-on elastic retention strap to secure the spectacles at the back of your neck during breaks.
Read through the attached instruction booklet to learn how to change, clean, and maintain lenses for top-notch performance. Remember to enclose the ESS crossbow in its hard storage case when not in use to protect it from damage.
Best for Impact Resistance: Smith & Wesson M&P Harrier Interchangeable Shooting Glasses
With MIL-PRF 32432 and ANSI Z87.1 (Z87+) certifications, the M&P Harrier Interchangeable Shooting Glasses are your go-to option if you are looking for a pair of tactical glasses that can withstand impacts and fast-moving objects in the outdoors.
Another amazing thing about these tactical glasses is that they come with four interchangeable lenses: clear mirror, vermillion, amber, and smoke grey. Each of the above sets bears UV 400 rating, meaning they can block all the harmful UV rays from reaching your eyes.
The anti-fog coating on each polycarbonate lens set inhibits fog formation to allow all-weather application. You can customize the lens to your preferred shade using the integrated one-touch pop-out mechanism, which doesn’t require any bending or flexing of the frames.
The nose and ear sections of the frame feature non-slip rubber pads for holding the glasses firmly without hurting your skin.
The package comes with a microfiber cloth and a hard zippered storage case. You should use the microfiber cloth to clean the tactical sunglasses. On the other hand, the hard storage case holds the tactical glasses securely when traveling or in storage.
Best Budget: Venture Gear Overwatch Tactical Sunglasses
The overwatch tactical sunglasses by Venture Gear may not be the most attractive in the market, but they offer you the best features to help you avoid harmful UV rays and fast-flying objects that may otherwise hurt your eyes.
I love these ballistic sunglasses because they comply with the MIL-PRF 32432 and ANSI Z87.1 standards, meaning that the glasses are durable and sturdy enough to overcome impact and prevent fast-flying objects from hurting the eyes.
Its polycarbonate lenses feature an anti-fog coating to prevent fogging and offer you great optical clarity. Its ergonomic rubber frame fits snugly on the eye edges, nose bridge, and ears without stressing your skin.
Best for Wider Nose Bridge: Oakley Men’s Oo9372 Flak Beta Low Bridge Fit Rectangular Sunglasses
The Oakley men’s rectangular sunglasses are specially designed to give you unparalleled optical clarity and razor-sharp vision without stressing your skin.
I find these sunglasses attractive because they include plutonite lenses to offer 100% protection from the sun’s harmful UVA, UVB, and UVC light spectrums. The plutonite lenses will also protect your eyes from the blue light emitted by electronic devices like phones.
Additionally, the lenses are polarized to overcome impact, giving you a more detailed view. This is made possible by the PRIZM Lens Technology, which prevents vibrations and enhances the color, contrast, and the general view of the environment to let you achieve most of the activity in question.
The glasses’ O-matter frame is strong, lightweight, and stress-resistant to offer all-day protection without leaving pressure points. The integrated nose pads and ear socks hold the glasses in position even if you sweat or you’re in the rain.
When not using the Oakley men’s glasses, you can secure them in the Soft Vault Sunglass Case that comes with the package. The package also includes a microbag that you can use to clean or store the sunglasses.
Most Versatile: Swiss Eye Raptor Ballistic Sunglasses
With ANSI Z87.1, EN 1836:2005 + A1: 2007, US and European certifications for quality, the Swiss Eye’s ‘Raptor’ Ballistic glasses are your go-to option if you are looking for sturdy tactical sunglasses with exceptional optical vision.
The ballistic sunglasses by Swiss Eye feature shatterproof polycarbonate lenses, which offer up to 99% protection against the sun’s harmful UVA, UVB, and UVC light spectrums. Their shatterproof nature makes them resistant to impact from arduous tasks like military training.
The package comes with three interchangeable lenses — clear, tinted, and orange shades. You can easily change the lens to your preferred shade by simply pulling out the frame and clipping it back.
Better still, each of the above three sets features an anti-scratch and anti-fog coating to offer you maximum protection and optically clear vision throughout the day.
You don’t have to worry if you have a longer eye-ear width because you can adjust the arms. Moreover, the glasses won’t slip as the rubber nose pads and protruding bumps at the end of the arms work synergistically to hold the glasses in position.
The package includes a microfiber bag which you can use for carrying or storing the glasses when not in use.
Buyers Guide: Things to Consider When Buying Tactical Sunglasses
When choosing tactical sunglasses in the market, you don’t want to land a pair that would give you an awful experience in the field. The following considerations will help you pick a high-quality pair.
The Quality of Lenses
The clarity of your sunglasses will depend on the quality of lenses you are about to choose. For best results, go for tactical glasses whose sets of lens feature:
- Anti-fog coating to prevent the accumulation of fog and give you an optically clear view of the object
- Scratch-resistance to overcome external pressures without interfering with the clarity of your view
UV Protection
When looking for tactical sunglasses, look for a pair that offers you 100% eye protection from the harmful sun rays to avoid corneal damage, macular degeneration, and cataracts resulting from UV exposure. More specifically, your glasses should offer:
- UV400 protection to offer 100% shield against the suns UVA and UVB rays
- UV420 protection if you need protection from blue light
Impact Protection
When shooting, training, jogging or doing other outdoor arduous tasks, bullet shrapnel, bullet rebounds, and fast-flying objects may injure the eyes. Therefore, you should pick a strong enough pair to withstand any impact while protecting the eyes from other elements. That means going for sunglasses with ANSI Z87.1, MIL-PRF 31013, and MIL-PRF 32432, certification of quality.
Comfort
Your tactical glasses should be comfortable to wear. Remember, you need full-time protection from unwanted elements, and a wrong choice of ballistic sunglasses may hurt your eyes. One way of getting comfortable sunglasses is to ensure that the glasses comfortably fit on your nose bridge, ears, and eye edges.
Also, look for safety features like rubber pads and protruding bumps, which hold the glasses firmly on the nose bridge and the arms sections of the frame. Finally, make sure that the quality of the lenses can perfectly meet your outdoor needs.
Conclusion
As you can see, all the tactical sunglasses on the above list can protect your eyes and enhance your looks and performance in the outdoors.
I would select the Cross Series Crossbow by ESS Eyewear if I were to choose. I loved this pair because it conforms to the OSHA, ANSI Z87.1+, CE EN 166,and US MIL-PRF-31013 federal standards for quality. Also, the anti-fog and anti-scratch coating on the polycarbonate lenses provides excellent optical clarity to let you capture all the details of the object.
Further, the ESS Crossbow’s clear lenses can aid you in hunting missions during summer. Also, its smoke grey lens can aid you in fishing and driving at night. If ESS Crossbow doesn’t impress you, you can pick any pair of tactical sunglasses from my list to enhance your outdoor experience.
