Liquid Eyewear “Gasket” shooting glasses by Vanessa English

When it comes to eyepro, some might say that this is one part of your protective gear where you can certainly set up your cool guy persona in how you look, quite literally! Some fashion brands have moved into the area of eye protection, where some serious tactical eyepro providers have become fashionable. Go figure.

What we’ve also seen as a fairly recent trend is numerous shooter names beginning to endorse certain lines and manufacturers, and now Travis Haley and Haley Strategic Partners (HSP) have teamed up with Liquid Eyewear to bring something truly innovative to the table.

For those who don’t already know them, Liquid Eyewear is an American company which specialises in aluminium-framed sunglasses. They manufacture in the USA and the box the glasses arrive in proudly bears the ‘Made in America’ motto. They started in a small garage in San Diego California and are a classic success story of the little guy getting big, but getting big not through a clever marketing campaign but by providing a top-quality product.

The HSP Liquid Eyewear Aluminium ‘Flex to Fit’ hinge-less sunglasses are made from durable, lightweight, aluminium metal that contours exactly to your face for maximum comfort and protection. It’s a clever trick really; these sunglasses don’t close like a regular pair, but instead are incredibly solid and really flex to fit you. A number of my friends have tried the ‘Gasket’ model I was sent for evaluation, and everyone has been able to get a personal, close, and above all comfortable fit almost instantly!

THE EYES HAVE IT

HSP also offer two other Liquid designs, the ‘Player’ and the ‘Titan’.

CNC machined from extruded aircraft-grade aluminium the Gaskets, as with all the models produced by HSP, are offered with either black or grey powder-coated frames that can be fitted with Smoke Polarised non-ballistic lenses or ballistic-rated Hellfire Transitional lenses. If you’re buying these as shooting glasses please ensure you BUY THE HELLFIRE!

A light to dark photochromatic lens, the Hellfire will darken up to 17% in direct sunlight and go to 84% clear at night. The lens is UV activated so does not darken when inside a vehicle, which is a nice touch. The lens itself comes with a scratch resistant hard coating and a one year warranty against any manufacture defects.

Whether you’re looking for a stylish, functional pair of shooting glasses that offer a superb fit and great levels of protection (with the Hellfire lens!), or just a unique and cool pair of sunglasses, the HSP Liquids at £169.99 are right there pricewise with all the major brands and are definitely worth your full consideration!

For more information on the HSP Liquid eyepro, and all their other great products, please visit www.haleystrategic.com.

A LIGHTWEIGHT LIGHT

The PD35 LED Flashlight is one of Fenix’s ‘compact’ range. Weighing 87g and measuring less than 14cm long, the all-black anodised aluminium torch delivers 850 lumens on maximum output from its top quality Cree XM-L2 (U2) LED. Powered by two CR123A 3V Lithium batteries or 1x 18650 battery, the side-mounted pressure switch gives instant access to five brightness levels (10, 45, 170, 450 and 850 lumens) plus a strobe mode. Run-time on 19 lumens is 140 hours.

It features the latest switching technology, with a side-mounted, brightness/mode switch and intelligent circuit which remembers the previously used level the next time you switch on.

A forward tactical tail cap switch allows for momentary and constant full on switching functions. Also included are a clip and nylon pouch with belt loop. All in all this a top performing compact torch that offers power with versatility.