{"id":574,"date":"2022-11-26T22:04:27","date_gmt":"2022-11-26T22:04:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/?p=574"},"modified":"2022-11-26T22:04:27","modified_gmt":"2022-11-26T22:04:27","slug":"gatorz-eyewear-review-the-armory-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/?p=574","title":{"rendered":"Gatorz Eyewear Review – The Armory Life"},"content":{"rendered":"


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By Jeremy Tremp<\/a><\/p>\n

D<\/span>o you know what the most underrated piece of EDC gear<\/a> is? A sweet pair of shades. That\u2019s right. You may be the most kitted out or skilled dude or gal on the range, but if you don\u2019t look cool, what\u2019s the point? I jest, but a good pair of shades are worth their weight in gold. Eye protection is an often overlooked but utterly important consideration.<\/p>\n

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Protecting your eyesight doesn\u2019t have to be purely utilitarian. Gatorz eye pro combines stylish design with impact\u00a0resistance.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But it\u2019s not that easy, you might say. You may love the look of some shades, but they just don\u2019t fit your face, or they are uncomfortable to wear for long periods of time. That would be true if we weren\u2019t talking about Gatorz.<\/p>\n

If you are familiar with the Navy SEAL and or Special Operations communities, there is a good chance you\u2019ve seen some of them wearing a pair of Gatorz sunglasses. This is for good reason as Gatorz shades are designed, machined and hand assembled in the USA, and they are as tough as they come.<\/p>\n

The Foundation<\/h2>\n

Gatorz was founded in the 1980s with the intent to build the most rugged eyewear possible from billet aluminum. The idea was that mission-driven people could rely on these sunglasses for both clarity and protection. The sunglasses were adopted by extreme sports athletes and later adopted by the Special Operations community because of their rugged reliability.<\/p>\n

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The Gatorz frames and lenses tested by the author offer a low-profile style suitable for\u00a0EDC.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For years I have seen these shades used by folks like\u00a0Tu Lam<\/a>, Jack Carr, Travis Kennedy and Clint Emmerson. But until recently, I never really looked into the company beyond cursory glances here and there. Turns out, Gatorz are hand crafted here in my home state of Arizona. They also offer a wide array of ballistic and polarized options. I decided to grab a pair for the range, and a pair to wear every day.<\/p>\n

Why choose two different pair? I am glad you asked.<\/p>\n

My Choices<\/h2>\n

I generally wear larger square-style, open-side frames for my EDC because in Arizona the heat can be overbearing. But on the range, that style doesn\u2019t offer as much protection as a wraparound design. This is where the Gatorz Specter frames come in.<\/p>\n

\"gatorz\n<\/picture>
The Specter frames wrap the eye pro close to the face to help prevent a spent case or other debris from damaging your\u00a0eyes.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Specter is one of Gatorz wrap-style frames. They are larger frames that have a close fit and taller sides to protect foreign objects from reaching your eyes from the left or right. Additionally, the Specters have thin adjustable temples (the side of the sunglasses) that don\u2019t dig into the sides of your head when wearing over ear protection or helmets.<\/p>\n

\"z87\n<\/picture>
Z87+ is an impact rating that tells you the frame and lenses have been tested in lab conditions to meet a specific set of impact-resistance\u00a0criteria.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For my EDC shades, I chose the Delta frames with Tan Cerakote and polarized lenses. The Delta frames are a larger square style, which I appreciate. The temples are a bit shorter in height and the frames have good airflow on the top and bottom. Here in Arizona, if you are not inside, you\u2019ve got a pair of shades on, so it\u2019s essential that they be comfortable. The Delta frames are super comfortable and offer a lot of protection against the harsh Phoenix rays. If you know me well, you know I am quite fond of anything FDE\/Tan. So, finding some shades that were Cerakoted Tan was a match made in heaven.<\/p>\n

Tough and Flexible<\/h2>\n

Earlier I mentioned billet aluminum, and here\u2019s why that is cool: you can shape all the Gatorz frames to your face. Yea, that\u2019s rad. They won\u2019t warp over time, become brittle, or deform in extreme temperatures either. The lenses have a scratch-resistant coating ensuring they are as rugged as their users. Additionally, the lenses are high contrast and have an anti-fog coating for use in all environments.<\/p>\n

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The author tested the Gatorz eye pro on the range while shooting the Springfield Prodigy 9mm\u00a0pistol.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Let\u2019s dive into that self-fitting feature. Since the frames are made from billet aluminum, you can simply bend the frames into fitting your facial structure as you see fit. To loosen or tighten the fit, you can carefully bend the frames inwards or outwards. Similarly, you can adjust the fit of the temples by slightly bending them from the middle toward the rear.<\/p>\n

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If this seems daunting to start bending $250.00 dollar shades, Gatorz has you covered with a YouTube video detailing exactly how this self-fitting is done. Beyond the frames and how tight or loose they are, you can also adjust how high they sit on your face as well as how close the frames are to your eyes. You can accomplish this by how you adjust the nose piece, and this is all covered in-depth on the Gatorz website.<\/p>\n

Hands-On<\/h2>\n

Circling back to my range shades, the Specters, I got to choose my color on those as well, and you guessed it, FDE. The edgy, hard lines look fantastic with the tan coloring, and they make the black Gatorz logo really pop. The Specters are comfortable on my face, and they provide a lot of protection on the range. The sides are large and enclosed while the lenses are also tall enough to cover my entire eye from cheekbone to eyebrow. When wearing the Specters with ear protection that goes over the ears, I noticed a lack of that \u201cpinching temple\u201d headache after a couple of hours that I usually receive from thicker plastic frames.<\/p>\n

\"gatorz\n<\/picture>
Although the Gatorz frames are made of aluminum, they are not heavy. In fact, the author found them to be very\u00a0lightweight.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When you hear the term billet aluminum, you might think \u201cmetal shades? Sounds heavy.\u201d But these are some of the lightest-feeling sunglasses I have owned. From a road trip to a range session, you begin to forget you are wearing eye protection. Gatorz nailed it on the comfort level without sacrificing the rugged design.<\/p>\n

\"gatorz\n<\/picture>
The lenses offered excellent visibility throughout the testing. The author found the lenses provided excellent sharpness and\u00a0vibrancy.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Beyond how sweet these shades look and feel, we can\u2019t overlook possibly the most important factor of a good pair of sunglasses \u00ad\u2014 clarity, color and contrast. When you put on a good pair of sunglasses, it should feel like you just upgraded to HD vision. The Gatorz deliver on that optical promise providing a super sharp, vibrant, contrasty picture. Walking outside and sliding the Gatorz on feels like what water is to a parched throat.<\/p>\n

After wearing these shades for a few weeks every day and on the range, I think it\u2019s safe to say I\u2019ll be a customer for life. Supporting U.S.-made products that support our industry making premium products for discerning people is what it\u2019s all about for me. When it comes to protecting your eyes from UV rays or errant spall\/brass, you don\u2019t want to skimp out. Do yourself a favor and check out the Gatorz website. Gatorz has a lot to offer, from nine frame styles, four Cerakote colors, and 15+ lens options for you to choose from. I think their most unique feature is the self-fitting aspect of the frames.<\/p>\n

Editor\u2019s Note: Please be sure to check out The Armory Life Forum, where you can comment about our daily articles, as well as just talk guns and gear. Click the \u201cGo To Forum Thread\u201d link below to jump in and discuss this article and much more!<\/em><\/p>\n

Join the Discussion<\/span><\/h5>\n

Go to forum thread<\/a><\/p>\n

Featured in this article<\/span><\/h5>\n

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Gatorz Specter<\/span><\/h3>\n


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Gatorz Delta<\/span><\/h3>\n


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By Jeremy Tremp Do you know what the most underrated piece of EDC gear is? A sweet pair of shades. That\u2019s right. You may be the most kitted out or skilled dude or gal on the range, but if you don\u2019t look cool, what\u2019s the point? I jest, but a good pair of shades are […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":575,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-574","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/574","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=574"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/574\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/575"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=574"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=574"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=574"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}