Go to your average indoor or outdoor range and chances are you’ll see people wearing eye protection they purchased from the local big-box or discount store, or some cheap pair of eyewear that the local range loaned them for the day. These same people are likely to debate either online or with their friends, the relative merits of one brand of optics versus another brand. They’ll then go out and spend hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars on an optic, mount it on their firearm, and then get behind that optic and look through it using eye protection that costs less than a fast-food combo meal. That seems to me like it defeats the purpose of that expensive optic.
Some gun owners realize this, and then go out to buy a set of eye protection that will bounce ricochets like Michael Jordan bounces a basketball. This is important, because after all, the primary purpose of protective eyewear is to protect your eyes. However, the materials that are used in these battle-hardened brands of eyewear might not provide the clearest, sharpest view, which means that while your eyes are well-protected, your target goes un-hit.
What’s needed, then, is eyewear that protects your eyes while not affecting (and maybe improving) your ability to hit the target, and that’s where Hunter’s HD Gold Eyewear comes in.
First, a little background is in order. I have been wearing corrective lenses since I was six years old. In addition to this, I worked a half-dozen years in a high-end retail camera store and another dozen years as an advertising and commercial photographer. As a result of this, optical quality has been both a passion and a necessity in my life. Having good eyewear meant I could focus my camera and correctly judge colors and lighting. Bad eyewear impeded all of those activities and would put my career in jeopardy.
Which, in a way, is what happens in the shooting sports, which is why Hunter’s HD Gold puts so much attention to optical clarity and, more importantly for shooters, optical contrast. Contrast is an often-overlooked element of eye protection. Bright, well-defined edges between targets, scoring areas on that target as well as a sharper front sight all contribute to better hits on your target. This is one area where Hunters HD Gold really sets itself apart from its competition, as these lenses provide a sharper, more-defined image than my regular lenses.
Hunters HD Gold provided me with two pair of eyewear for this review: A set with gold-colored lenses for the range and a set of polarized sunglasses for outdoor use. The Trivex material in both pairs is lighter and thinner than typical glass or polycarbonate lenses and provides up to 43 percent more light transmission. Increased light transmission means I can see better on cloudy days than with my daily wear eyeglasses. This is also due in part to the yellow tint of the lenses, which work well in that type of light. The blue-tinted, polarized sunglasses work fantastically in the bright Florida sun, allowing me to see things like the controls of my radio while driving, yet they still protect my eyes from bright light and UV radiation.
Can I tell you that a set of Hunters HD Gold eye protection improved my marksmanship by a measurable, repeatable amount? No, I can’t, there’s too many other variables involved in that sort of test. I can, however, tell you that the first time I put them on, I could instantly tell that they made a difference in how things appeared around me. Everything around me seemed clearer, better-defined and easier to see. I was immediately sold, and asked for a pair for review.
Seeing quickly and seeing precisely are absolutely vital to success in the shooting sports, so it makes sense that we do all we can to make sure we can accomplish these tasks, and a pair of lenses from Hunter’s HD Gold will definitely make that task easier for you.
