How we tested

We tested to the Australia/New Zealand Standard AS/NZS 1337 for eye protectors. This involved fitting the eye protectors to an artificial headform and then hitting them with a steel ball at low-, medium- and high-impact speeds. At each of these speeds, we hit firstly the lens of the protector, then the frame, and finally the sidebar.

• For the low-impact resistance test we dropped a 22mm steel ball from a height of 1.8 metres.
• For the medium-impact resistance test we shot a 6.35mm steel ball from a compressed-air-powered gun at 144km/h.
• We again used a 6.35mm ball for the high-impact resistance test but ramped the speed of the ball up to 432km/h. Tough stuff.

Note: to meet the AS/NZS 1337 Standard, these eye protectors need only pass the medium-impact test. We also ran the high-impact test to find the strongest models. Failure occurred if:

• The lens, frame, or lens housing or side shield separated into two or more pieces.
• More than 5mg of lens material became detached.
• The ball passed through the lens, frame, or lens housing.
• The lens became dislodged from its normal position.
• There was any contact between the lens and the “eye” of the headform.

We also tested the hardness and scratch resistance of the lenses.

• Hardness was measured using a specialised instrument.
• Scratch resistance was measured after pouring 3.6kg of dry sand and gravel mix over the lens from a 700mm height. These tests give a measure of how well the glasses will last when subject to the rough and tumble of everyday use, before you bin them because of lens scratching.

Finally we tested for splash resistance, which tests whether liquid sprayed at the face can reach the eyes. This is a bit more specialised, but could be important if you spray garden chemicals.

For details of how all the models performed, see the test results.