Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/1488818
O p s - C o r e M k 1 Ops-Core decided on a bold approach, where the helmet is not just a part of the equipment but the very center of a head pro- tection system that can be expanded with the optional compo- nents when necessary. So soon there were ballistic and non- -ballistic mandibles (jaw guards), additional ballistic „ears", proprietary communication headsets built from the ground up (first RAC and then AMP – check out Frag Out! Magazine #32), SOTR respirators and ballistic visors, and finally it was decided to add another protective product - Mk1 eyewear. Gentex had previously supplied various types of ballistic visors and glasses for helmets (mostly for flyer's helmets), so they took advantage of the existing technology base and created a new product that was missing in the portfolio. The Ops-Core Mk1 Performance Protective Eyewear, unveiled for the first time at SHOT Show 2019, are characterized by the use of a relatively wide frame made of strong and lightweight aluminum alloy, which increases their resistance to breaking or cracking. If you've ever sat on your glasses and broken the frame, the Mk1 is extremely well protected against this. From the outset, the Mk1 ballistic goggles were designed to be fully compatible with other components of a complete head protection system, such as helmets, respirators, night vision goggles and communication headsets - the frames are quite wide to increase the protected area, and the temples are flat so as not to interfere with the rest of the equipment and to not compress the skull. They are placed on sturdy stainless-steel hinges attached with four steel rivets - you really have to make an effort to damage or destroy them. The frame also comes with a silicone nosepiece, which allows the glasses to be worn comfortably even on severely crooked and frayed noses. Ove- rall - bombproof. The Mk1 frames are currently available in four solid colors - Black, Tan 499, Urban Grey and Foliage Green. The first variant is anodized, while the color versions feature a durable Cerakote coating matching the Ops-Core helmets shells. LENSES A distinctive feature of the Ops-Core Mk1 are interchangeable lenses - until now, other manufacturers of ballistic goggles with aluminum frames, such as Gatorz, avoided such a solution and fixed the lenses permanently (their replacement was therefore only possible at an authorized service center). With the Mk1, if lighting conditions change, new hazards arise (e.glasers), or the lenses simply wear out, the wearer can replace the lenses fairly quickly, either with lenses suitable for the application or with new ones if the previous ones are worn/damaged. The len- ses are housed in inserts that take the form of gaskets. In the basic kit, the eyewear come with narrow silicone inserts, but users working in dusty or heavy conditions can replace them with thicker foam, increasing the tightness of the frames. www.fragoutmag.com