by Craig Fernandez | Jul 27, 2015 | Commentary, Reviews
Early one morning in Gilbert, AZ I was preparing to enjoy watching my son play baseball with his league team. I had set out my chair under the awning, organized my snacks and icy cold drink, greeted the other parents and had just settled down. I was just starting to relax in my comfy deluxe extra padded folding chair. My beloved Wiley X sunglasses perched on top of my head. I had kicked my feet up against fence behind the pitching mound when I heard, “Mom, I need some sunglasses.” Now, my wife had just bought our son a new set of sunglasses specifically for baseball that week. As a parent, you may already see where the rest of this conversation is going.
The alarms have already started going off in my heard. A scene from “Lord of the Rings,” floods through my head, only Gollum is now holding my sunglasses instead of the One Ring. It all ends when my ever so 
loving, supportive and understanding wife gives me “the look.” The resistance has failed. I speak somber and threatening, “Take care of them.” My son rips the glasses from my fingers, like taking the treasure key from cold dead grip of “One Eye Willie.”
Near the end of the game, my son decided to mess around and accidentally drops the glasses. They bounce off his glove then his hand as he fumbles to catch them landing on the rocky clay he then kicks the glasses as he is trying to pick them up. If it were not for my personal connection to the affair, it would have reminded me of a scene by the Lovable Tramp. However, all that was going through my mind was, “Noooooooo!” My son promptly returned the clay covered glasses to me with a smile and very sincere, “My bad”. “My bad?!” to me, my bad is just like saying, “oops, oh well, not my fault I’m offering an apology because I have too, not because I mean it.” It deflects blame and shirks responsibility. “My bad,” allows the causing person to feel better about the mayhem they have causes in someone’s life and not actually take any real responsibility. I carefully inspected the glasses to find several large scratches right in the middle of the left lens. When I told my son he had scratched my glasses, he kindly looked into my eye with the kind of deep connection that only a loving father and son can share. It was then I knew without a doubt the real heartfelt apology was going to be given. He looked straight up at me and said, “Well dad, it’s your fault for lending them to me”. I was lost, my head was spinning, where was my son!? Now it was not the overpriced Wiley X sunglasses that I was angry about, material things can be replaced. It was the blatant lack of responsibility oozing from my son. When did my son become Justin Bieber? Someone must have stolen my son and replaced his brain with this, this Justin Bieber/Paris Hilton inconsiderate intolerable mashup. I think my wife saw the murderous intent boiling up in me and skillfully changed the subject and directed my son away.
That was several years ago, my son understands now that when someone lends you something you are responsible for it and you take as good or better care of it than you do your own things. If it gets damaged of broken you immediately give a sincere apology and have it fixed or replaced.
Thanks for listening,
Johnny
The Charlie Mike Project
by Craig Fernandez | Jul 27, 2015 | Commentary, Reviews
A quick word on eye protection for the uniformed police officer, corrections officer and military. I believe most officers understand the importance of wearing eye protection while at the range, when cleaning your weapon or working in the sun. However, what happens is that all too often, officers forget to protect their eyes while working their shift. Sure they wear cool sunglasses when the sun is up. But, what happens when the sun goes down? Those same officers take off their sunglasses and have nothing to protect their eyes at night.
I am a user and strong advocate for eye protection during all shifts and hours. When making an arrest, chasing a suspect, etc. we are exposed to chemicals, blood and other hazards that can not only cause serious injury, but also be life threatening. What officer hasn’t wrestled with a bleeding suspect, only to find out later he has a history of drug use, Hepatitis or other communicable disease? Who hasn’t been spit on or found blood or other fluids on them? Consider this; our eyes are an easy avenue for Blood Born Pathogen (BBP) contamination. Your eyes contain mucus membranes through which you can contract a life threatening diseases or illness.
Provided courtesy of the CDC, “An exposure can be defined as a percutaneous injury (e.g., needlestick or cut with a sharp object) or contact of mucous membrane or nonintact skin (e.g., exposed skin that is chapped, abraded, or with dermatitis) with blood, saliva, tissue, or other body fluids that are potentially infectious.”
“The hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), you should consider that all blood, body fluids, secretions, and excretions except sweat, may contain transmissible infectious agents. Blood contains the greatest proportion of infectious bloodborne virus particle titers of all body fluids and is the most critical transmission vehicle in the health-care setting.”
Your eyes are an important tool and you should protect them from damage and injury. You wouldn’t go on shift without your vest or weapon. So please, wear eye protection at all times when on duty. If you don’t do it for yourself, do it for your family and loved ones.
If you want to learn more about the hazards of BBP exposure check out this site.
http://www.cdc.gov/oralhealth/infectioncontrol/faq/bloodborne_exposures.htm
Thank you, Stay Safe Fellow Sheepdogs.
Johnny
The Charlie Mike Project
by Craig Fernandez | Jul 27, 2015 | Reviews
Hello everyone thank you for checking out the Charlie Mike Project. Today will be reviewing the Crossbow Photochromic sunglasses by ESS. The ESS Crossbow Photochromic sunglasses are partial frame sunglasses. Full wrap around with rubberized temple. Interchangeable lenses with a black “ESS” logo.
Retail Price: $190. Replacement lenses $28 – $145. Rx Inserts are available.
I have had the Crossbow glasses since January 2015. They are comfortable but the bottom of the lens makes contact with my cheek. The temples are comfortable when worn with a hat, helmet and for short periods under hearing protection. The temples are not flat but are small enough to allow for a full seal with over the ear hearing protection. ESS states, the Crossbow exceeds U.S. MIL SPEC MIL-PRF-32432 & ANSI Z87.1-2010”. The Crossbow transitions quickly from clear to smoke and back again. 100% transition takes just about one minute.
The pair I tested came with a hard case, cleaning cloth, lens bag, retention strap and a set of Photochromic lenses. The Crossbow is designed for most head sizes and fit women well. On hot days when I’m sweating the glasses do not have a fogging issue.
The Crossbow Photochromic is a good choice for patrol or tactical situations. They transition quickly from clear to grey and do not become so dark that it is hard to see in low light situations while they are transitioning back. Crossbow Photochromic providing good protection from the sun and allow you to bring one set of glasses for the mission.
At $190 for a set of glasses that are pretty much limited to the range or work, I would consider other options. ESS makes several other sets of glasses that are much more affordable and come with more options. If the lens is damaged a replacement will cost almost as much as a whole new set. These are outstanding transition lenses and well worth the money, but at $190 there are other more affordable options available. If you must have them, buy them on sale or from a reputable retailer that is offering them at a discount.
FAST ADJUSTING TINT CHANGE:
- 50% Activation at 11 seconds
- 90% Activation in less than one minute
- Visible Light Transmission (VLT) Range: 86%-24%
by Craig Fernandez | Jul 27, 2015 | Reviews
Hello everyone thank you for tuning into the Charlie Mike Project. Today I will be reviewing the Rollbar sunglasses by ESS. The Rollbar sunglasses are black full frame sunglasses, rectangular shape with flat temple arms. Dark tented lenses interchangeable lenses. Subdued “ESS” logo. Retail Price: $140. Replacement lenses $25 – $30 and $75 for polarized. Rx Inserts are not available. I have worn and used ESS glasses for duty and off duty for the past several years. I have had these glasses since January 2015 and have found them to be very comfortable. They are designed for a medium to large head. The glasses do sit a little low on my face rest on my cheeks and don’t quite touch my nose. When I sweat the bottoms fog and collect condensation. On a person with a larger head or longer face this should not be an issue. The temples very comfortable when worn with a hat, helmet and for extended periods under hearing protection. The temples are flat and allow for a full seal with over the ear hearing protection. ESS states, states, “The battle-tough “Rollbar. TM” exceeds U.S. MIL SPEC MIL-PRF-32432 & ANSI Z87.1-2010”. They are tough and have survived being dropped, kicked, stepped on and knocked off during an arrest. The pair I tested came with a hard case, cleaning cloth, lens bag, retention strap and a set of clear, copper and smoke lenses. The copper lenses are excellent for range use. 
The Rollbar comes with interchangeable lenses and features a simple locking system. When you want to change the lens simply grab the temple and close the glasses half way. This unlocked the lens and allows you to quickly change lenses to your need. The ESS Rollbar system allowing the lens to be changes in seconds without having to pry and flex the frame or lens as with other brands. The interchangeable lenses are a major advantage. The Rollbar is a fill frame sunglass that still allows for easy changing of lenses. If the lens is damages, I can now simply order a new set from ESS. The lenses can be switched in less than a minute. I can now carry one set of glasses and simply swap lenses instead of carrying multiple pairs, taking up weight, space and spending money. Compared to other brands of sunglasses I believe Rollbar is worth the money. $140 is not something to laugh at, but ESS definitely provides a quality product. If the lenses are damaged you can simply replace them for $25, instead of having a paperweight or giving them away to your kid.
by Craig Fernandez | Jul 27, 2015 | Reviews
Hello everyone thank you for checking out the Charlie Mike Project. Today will be reviewing the CDI sunglasses by ESS. The CDI is a black full frame sunglasses. Partial wrap around, rectangular shape with rubberized temple. Interchangeable lenses. Silver and black “ESS” logo.
Retail Price: $100. Replacement lenses $22 – $30 and $70 for polarized. Rx Inserts are available.
I have had the CDI glasses since January 2015. They are extremely comfortable and have become my every day glasses. The temple arms are very comfortable even when worn with a hat, helmet and under hearing protection. The temples are not flat enough to allow for a full seal with over the ear hearing protection, but are not uncomfortable. ESS states, the CDI exceeds U.S. MIL SPEC MIL-PRF-32432 & ANSI Z87.1-2010”. They are rugged, have performed well and as I said have become my daily wear sunglasses. They are even more comfortable than the ESS Rollbar.
The pair I tested came with a hard case, cleaning cloth, lens bag, retention strap and a set of clear and smoke lenses. The CDI is designed for a small to medium head. On hot days when I’m sweating the glasses do not have a fogging issue.
The CDI comes with interchangeable lenses and features a simple locking system. When the glasses are open the lens is locked in place. When the frame is folded the lens can be easily be removed. The CDI allowing the lens to be changes in seconds without having to pry and flex the frame or lens. As I said in my review for the ESS Rollbar, the interchangeable lenses are a major advantage. The CDI is a full frame sunglass that still allows for easy changing of lenses. If the lens or frame is damages, I can now simply order a new set from ESS. The lenses can be switched in less than a minute. The CDI is ideal for patrol. I can carry one set of glasses and simply swap lenses in seconds rather than spend extra money on a second pair of glasses for night shift. I save weight, space and money.
Compared to other brands of sunglasses I believe CDI is definitely worth the money. $100 is not as hard a hit and is cheaper than other sunglasses. The name brand quality and reliability that the ESS CDI provides are worth it. At $22 for a set of replacement lenses these glasses are well worth the investment. You can even get the frames is different colors for the same price.
Thanks for Reading,
Johnny
Company Info: ESS, http://www.esseyepro.com/
Product: ESS CDI, 740-0296
loving, supportive and understanding wife gives me “the look.” The resistance has failed. I speak somber and threatening, “Take care of them.” My son rips the glasses from my fingers, like taking the treasure key from cold dead grip of “One Eye Willie.”
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