In this post, Doug shares his first impressions of Oakley Standard Issue’s latest offering, the Tombstone Eyewear System with Prizm TR22.
In January I was introduced to Oakley’s new Tombstone eyewear system and since then I have been shooting with them on a weekly basis. I’ve been a loyal Oakley sunglasses wearer for decades (yes, I’m wearing Oakley Wiretaps on my head as I write this) and have enjoyed their shooting glasses for just as long. The improvements Oakley incorporated into this new Tombstone eyewear, however, are truly game-changing in the shooting sports world, both literally and figuratively… and this new eyewear system has just been released to the public.
"Find opportunity. Solve with technology. Wrap in art."
Oakley’s approach is based on three fundamentals: Find opportunity. Solve with technology. Wrap in art. True to form, in developing the Oakley Tombstone eyewear system researchers went to the front lines of the competitive shooting world and asked shooters what they liked and disliked about their eye protection. Out of this research two recurring themes emerged – obstructions in the field of view and an inability to quickly and easily swap lenses to adjust for changes in lighting and/or in the field of fire.
To determine exactly what field of view was needed, Oakley researchers put eye-tracking equipment onto the shooters themselves and mapped the shooters’ eye movement throughout various courses of fire. This resulted in the lens being developed to be completely frameless and to provide a 120-degree viewing angle. Before switching to the Tombstone eyewear, I’d never realized just how much I was compensating due to how the top-frame on my M-Frame 3.0 glasses obstructed my view. When I went to a prone shooting position wearing the Tombstone eyewear system, however, I immediately appreciated the frameless wide-viewing angle… ironically because I didn’t “notice anything” in my way. The only thing in my field of view was my sights on target. I’d teamed-up with fellow Guns & Tactics contributor Jacqueline Carrizosa for the SHOT Show Industry Day at the Range and she, too, noticed the incredible difference in how unobstructed her field of view was immediately upon going prone behind the rifle.
"The only thing in my field of view was my sights on target."
The second innovation Oakley made with the Tombstone was their fast and easy lens swapping. The only way I can see switching to a different lens being faster is having multiple sets of completely independent eyewear. In short, to swap lenses the shooter simply presses a “trigger” on each ear piece and it releases from the lens. A simple push clicks it into the new lens and you’re back in the game without having to clean your grubby fingerprints off the lens before you wear it. It reminds me of a fast reload while running an AR – grab a mag, dump a mag, “click” a new one in and get back to work. It’s literally just as easy and fast to change lenses with Tombstone.
When it comes to clarity, Oakley’s Prizm lenses are the best I’ve seen. The Prizm optimizes contrast by tuning the light which, in turn, enhances depth-perception and sharpens your target. There’s a lot of technology behind how Oakley accomplishes this but, to summarize my experience with them – the Prizm lenses make targets substantially easier to see which makes them easier to hit.
Tombstone comes in two sizes – the “Reap” for guys like me who have more sizable domes and the “Spoil” for smaller-headed shooters like Jacqueline. The Tombstone system includes an confidence-inspiring protective foam and nylon case which enables the shooter to hold the glasses, cleaning supplies, and up to two other lenses. Lens colors come in traditional Smoke and Clear but are also available in colors optimized for low-light and bright-light as well. The Plutonite® lenses meet or exceed impact and optical requirements per ANSI Z87.1 2003/2010 and block all UVA and UVB light as well as blue light up to 400nm. They’re finished with an advanced anti-fog coating and then a hard coating to protect against scratches. The ear stems fit flat against the head as not to cause any break in the seal of my ear protection and I can comfortably wear them all-day under my Peltor muffs.
The Tombstone eyewear has made me a believer. While my beloved M-Frames are still in my range bag, I haven’t worn them since trying the Tombstone system. Fortunately for me, my children still prefer eye protection that attaches to the outside of their muffs and haven’t had a taste of what Oakley has to offer. Nevertheless, I’m sure it’s just a matter of time before we’re an all-Oakley family, particularly given how Oakley continues to bring game-changing innovation to their product lines.
Go check out the new Oakley SI website, today! www.OakleySI.com
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