Issue Date: January 31, 2007

The Correct Lens Is Just A Snap Away
Reviewed by ShotgunFan Staff

Once upon a time, most shooting glasses were just a piece of clear or yellow see-through plastic housed in an unwieldy, uncomfortable frame. Their sole purpose was to prevent debris, hot gas, spent casings or anything else that could be emitted by a gun from contacting your eye. Visually, they enhanced little or nothing.

Well, times have changed, and we're all better off for it. Today's shooting glasses not only offer all of the eye protection of their hideous ancestors, but they also help us see what we're looking at more clearly, which makes those objects easier to hit. And yes, they're much more comfortable, and you won't look like a wayward racquetball player if you wear them to a summer barbecue.

SunBuster's ShootCorrect eyewear is a complete eye-protection system – it's almost like five pairs of glasses rolled into one. The hunter or shooter simply chooses the appropriate lens for the light conditions, snaps it into the frame and attaches the nosepiece, and he or she is good to go.

A Lot to Choose From

The SunBuster sets designed for competition shooting and hunting come in two different frame styles – the Maverick (for those with small to medium-sized faces) and the Dude (medium to large faces). Our practical experience is limited to the latter.

Both frames are made from ultra-light, ultra-strong nylon and are designed to ride high on the shooter's face. The Dude comes with two interchangeable nosepieces, and the wire-core arms bend and rotate to allow for a comfortable fit.

Lens-color selections are crimson brown, orange plus, light yellow, medium purple and light vermillion. Company literature touts the purple lens as the most versatile, but we like crimson brown better for that purpose, particularly when the sun is a major factor.

On a fall bird-hunting trip to Montana, the light yellow was a real benefit on a couple of days when the sun was completely absent. In previous years, we'd have shunned glasses entirely on days like that because we had only one lens option – dark – and they would've made conditions appear even gloomier than they were.

The yellow lens lightened up the thick river-bottom vegetation and turned everything to an amberish color rather than an extremely dull gray. It made it easier to distinguish colorful rooster pheasants from their more drab female counterparts when they busted out of that environment and into the overcast sky.

Less Maintenance Required

If the Dude is the frame-style most suited for you, then there's a good chance you have the type of body that sweats more than average on a long jaunt through bird country or on a summer day at the range. That results in fogged-over glasses and beads of perspiration that eventually make their way to the inside of your lenses before they dry up.

SunBuster has you covered here, too. The frames are air-vented for coolness and anti-fogging, and because of the design, the top bar either intercepts those bothersome droplets at eyebrow-level, or they're allowed to roll down the perimeter of your face and pass between the corner of the lens and your cheek. It's still a good idea to carry a cleaning cloth, but you'll use it far less frequently.

The Dude and the Maverick both retail for about $100. That's a decent price for what's essentially five pairs of glasses that block 100% of damaging UVA/UVB sun rays and are a perfect fit in the field, at the range, or even the company picnic.

Notable

• SunBuster offers prescription insert lenses that fit in the frame behind the sunglass lens.
• Each model comes with a high-impact, zippered shell case with separated protective lens pockets. An oversized micro-fiber cleaning cloth and a lanyard are also included.