Revision Desert Locust Fan Goggles
http://www.revisionmilitary.com/
If you have ever worn ballistic goggles in a hot humid environment and had them fog up within a few minutes of heavy activity you have certainly felt my pain. Trying to stare through a blurry fogged up goggle and get a good sight picture or identify threats is not an easy task. Thankfully Revision has made a goggle that helps alleviate the problem but not completely cure it on its own. However it is a big part of the solution.
Pro’s
-The fan helps pull the moisture out of the goggles
-Rubber face seal is comfortable and doesn’t allow excessive moisture build up like a foam one would
-Goggle cover protects the goggles when worn on helmet or in a bag when not in use
Con’s
-The whine of the fan can make it hard to hear quiet noises like a whisper
-The anti fog coating on the goggles is fairly lack luster and should be coated with another anti fog solution
-Only comes in black while the non fan version has several color choices including Multicam
Overview
The Desert Locust goggles are a comfortable set of full seal goggles produced by Revision. Not only do they seal fully but they help with moisture management by installing a fan at the top dead center. Otherwise the goggles would be near impossible to see through due to fogging. However this fan doesn’t completely remove moisture build up on its own. If there is a light breeze the goggles wont fog badly however if you are standing still after running in high humidity your goggles will fog. I fixed this issue with my last Fogtech cloth I had kicking around. Now I have a fog free goggle set no matter what level of physical activity and humidity I am wearing them in. The only moisture that will build up is when sweat drips onto the lens when I look down. The fan does work very well on its own but needs to have a bit more added to fix that problem.
The goggles come in a fabric case which is mildly confusing because the soft side is outside not in. The inside isn’t rough but the side I would expect to be inside is not. The case is a fabric bag made of a thick material with a single strap on the back that can be used to attach it to webbing. This strap is released by two separate Velcro tabs and then fed through. If this method fails you can use the single one inch loop that is stitched to run a carabiner or even some para-cord through to rig it to your gear.
To open the bag you unroll it kind of like your lunch bag you used to take to school when your mom packed your lunch. The bag closes using Velcro to secure your goggles and spare lens. The case comes with your goggles, a lens cloth and a lens tucked in a little compartment with a plastic bag on it.
The goggles have a rubber seal around the face section to stop your sweat building up on it like the foam ones tend to do. If you have ever tried to wear a foam lined goggle it will feel slightly more comfortable at the start but get progressively more disgusting as time goes on and sweat builds up in them. The seal has two cuts at the bridge of the nose to allow odd shaped noses to fit comfortably. The foam covered vents behind the seal stop particles and insects from entering your eye area. I had a mosquito get into my old goggles once and it was very very annoying and distracting. The fan is quite small and is shielded by a small metal mesh. The fan is set to blow out of the goggles. If it were to blow into the goggles you would end up with all the condensation and heat from your head being sucked back into the goggles.
The wire for the fan is neatly routed under the foam through the vent structure of the goggles and out into the head band. The wire is only visible in two small spots where the headband meets the goggles and where the wire goes from the control unit into the headband. The lens fits nicely in the frame and can be easily popped out to swap the clear or tinted lens in.
The strap is a stretchy material backed by five rubber strips. The rubber strips help prevent the straps from slipping off your helmet or the back of your head keeping your eye protection in place. The strap has a single tri glide to adjust the tension of the strap. With this I can comfortably get the strap over my Ops Core base jump and not have the goggles mashed into my face. The goggle cover is made of a soft cotton material and slips over the goggles easily and slides to the back when not in use.
This is great because you have a case at all times. It is also good because when not in use but worn on your helmet it will protect it from other bumps and scrapes. The power control unit is housed on the left side of the head strap.
The power control unit is a small round box about the size of a whiteboard marker in diameter and just a bit longer then a AA battery. This is because it houses a single AA battery which is included in the package. The battery compartment is opened when the dial is turned to open. Once its switched to the open position pull on the battery cap and with a little pull it will come off. The battery compartment is watertight due to the o-ring on the cap. The AA battery is put in negative side first and then the cap is replaced and turned to the off position to secure it. The cap is still snugly held on when in the open position so if you turn it while wearing the goggles to open instead of on you wont have the cap pop off. In order to turn the unit on you have to turn the battery cap/switch to the on position. Once it’s there press and hold the power button for three seconds and the fan will fire up. The fan starts in high power and will go through the other two settings with subsequent button presses. You can hear what setting the fan is on depending on the pitch of the whine. The whine can make it a bit hard to hear something if someone is whispering to you. Not a problem though if you are using inter squad radios.
Conclusion
I was quite happy to get these goggles as normally I cannot wear goggles for long periods before the fogging problem becomes an issue. These goggles work fairly well to keep fogging down but became perfect for the job with a little Fogtech. I hope that these will be offered in tan or preferably in Multicam in the future. If your job requires you to wear full seal goggles these are certainly the ones I would recommend.
