Fully understanding just how vital protective eyewear is for workers like you, Bollé, a manufacturer with more than 130 years of experience, first added safety glasses and safety goggles to its product lineup in 1950.
Dedicated to ensuring workers across a wide array of industries remain as protected from the elements as possible, the manufacturer has extended its safety goggles lineup considerably the last few decades, to the point in which it now offers dozens of options.
Two such options, the UNIVGN11W and UNIVGN13W, were recently mailed to me. Known as Universal Goggles, which implies vast usage, the two safety goggles can be utilized by nearly everyone, regardless of their head sizes.
Aside from this flexibility, the safety goggles provide workers a variety of other benefits, including the following, each of which have led me (along with my fellow IRONPROS colleagues) to recommend them to you—without any hesitation whatsoever.
Appealing Appearances
As a construction worker, you want your appearance to be as professional as possible. After all, the better you look on the job, the more confident you’ll likely be, too. And, in turn, your higher confidence will potentially lead to higher productivity.
The UNIVGN11W and UNIVGN13W safety goggles have very appealing appearances, as they simply look great. They feature clear, polycarbonate lenses and either black and green frames and straps (the UNIVGN11W) or black and gray frames and gray straps (the UNIVGN13W). Furthermore, the UNIVGN11W’s straps feature the company’s logo, which is a nice addition.
Similar in design to ski masks, the safety goggles provide consistency in one other key way: aside from their frames and straps, the remainder of each offering is either black, gray or green, resulting in uniformity that further enhances their overall professional appearances.
Comfortable
Much like any other pair of safety goggles on the market, the UNIVGN11W and UNIVGN13W take some time to get used to, especially if you don’t typically wear safety goggles. However, in due time, you’ll become more and more accustomed to them, as their comfort will increase. To ensure their full potential is noticed, with regards to their comfort, you’ll have to adjust their straps though, as you can loosen or tighten them according to your specific needs and preferences.
Due to their designs, the safety goggles can be worn by virtually every worker, as nearly everyone can adjust their sizes until they fit perfectly. Along with their adjustability, ultimately leading to customized fits, the safety goggles (aside from their frames and lenses) are quite soft, flexible and, consequently, form fitting.
The bottom line? You’ll have the variability you need, enabling you to have the best fit possible. Therefore—whether you’re concerned about them possibly sliding off your face, as a result of high heat and humidity (and sweat), or you’re worried about them firmly fitting on your face for 100% protection against cold temperatures, ice, snow and wind—you won’t have any issues with these safety goggles, no matter how cold or hot it is outside.
Bollé Universal Safety Goggles. Credit: Goldenrod Photography
Durable
Simply put, both of these safety goggles are well built too, from their polycarbonate/thermoplastic rubber (PC/TPR) sealed frames, to their polycarbonate lenses, to their polyester and spandex (UNIVGN11W) or neoprene (UNIVGN13W) straps.
Of equal importance, their lenses feature a platinum coating, resulting in their scratch resistance. Thus, they’ll withstand nearly any type of hazard that may strike them (and would have otherwise potentially harmed your eyes if you hadn’t worn them), including gases, liquids and on-the-job impediments, whether natural or man-made.
As a result of their robust features, the safety goggles will possibly endure for years to come, allowing you to have professionally appearing, comfortable and form fitting goggles well into the future. To notice their benefits for long durations, you must follow the manufacturer’s instructions—concerning cleaning, maintenance and storage—though, which are relatively straightforward.
Easy to Clean, Maintain and Store
First off, you should clean both of the safety goggles on a regular basis. As is the case with any other type of protective workwear, the better you maintain them, the more likely they’ll provide you everything you’re seeking long term, including high comfort and protection.
To clean them as efficiently as possible, Bollé advises you to utilize its B-clean lens cleaning system, which will maintain their clarity and appearances down the road. In fact, if you clean them consistently, they’ll appear as if they’re practically brand new for years to come (unless they’re considerably damaged by a hazard, of course).
To avoid substantial damage, which may lead you to replace them (particularly if their frames or lenses are significantly damaged or scratched), Bollé believes you should place them in either a microfiber pouch or a stiff case whenever you aren’t using them. Further, if you don’t plan to use them for a long period of time, you should store them in clean, dry environments, thereby minimizing the likelihood of damage associated with humidity or water.
Flexible
The UNIVGN11W and UNIVGN13W are flexible in one primary manner: their straps can be adjusted considerably, enabling nearly anyone to wear them comfortably and snugly. If, for instance, you’d like to loosen them up a bit (perhaps they’ve become tighter than you’d prefer over time), you can do so easily and quickly.
The same can be said, with regards to tightening them up, too. Maybe you were working in a colder climate one day and a warmer climate the next, leading to a higher potential for sweating and looseness—if so, you can tighten them effortlessly and rapidly as well.
In fact, since the safety goggles’ sizes are so effortless to adjust, you’ll be able to transition from changing their sizes to conducting your job tasks in a matter of minutes.
Lightweight
Weighing only 0.24 lbs. (the UNIVGN11W) and 0.26 lbs. (the UNIVGN13W), respectively, the safety goggles are also relatively lightweight, resulting in further comfort. Not only will they feel good on your face, but you’ll be able to easily transport them on your jobsites, too.
As you know all too well, the less cumbersome a product is to transport, the better. You likely already have to haul heavy toolbelts, along with other heavy items, whenever you work, so the last type of object you need is yet another heavy form of equipment. Thankfully, you’ll never have to worry about adding more burdens to your load, while utilizing either of these safety goggles, though.
Bollé Universal Safety Goggles. Credit: Goldenrod Photography
Optional Additions
To further protect you from the man-made and natural hazards you’ll encounter on your jobsites, the safety goggles are available with optional faceguards as well, which will cover your cheeks, chin, mouth and nose, along with at least part of your neck (if not all of it). In addition, the goggles are available with optional visors, resulting in even more protection.
Plain and simple, you won’t only have eye protection when you wear the UNIVGN11W and UNIVGN13W, but face and neck protection, too. In turn, you’ll be able to enter your jobsites and encounter numerous hazards with full confidence, knowing you’re well protected.
Sustainable
If, for some reason, a frame, lens or strap is damaged to the point in which it can no longer be used, you can easily dismantle each part from one another. From there, you might choose to recycle them separately if you prefer. In fact, when the time comes, every component of the safety goggles can be recycled, leading to their high sustainability.
Additionally, due to the safety goggles’ designs, you’ll be able to dissemble them and separate each part from one another in a timely manner. Therefore, you’ll be able to focus on other aspects of your job instead. And, as a result, you’ll enhance your on-the-job productivity, while also reducing your carbon footprint.
“Wave” Technology
Offering low bridge fits, further leading to their comfort, the UNIVGN11W and UNIVGN13W can adapt to your individual facial characteristics too, due to their “Wave” technology. By adapting to your face, the safety goggles will eliminate any potential for gaps between it and your nose and so forth, resulting in high protection.
As an example of the “Wave” technology’s impact, you’ll be fully guarded from the elements, as none of your skin (that’s covered by the goggles, that is) will be exposed. And, just as importantly, pressure points—which are often associated with tightly fitting safety goggles—won’t be an issue either, leading to more comfort overall.
Bollé Universal Safety Goggles. Credit: Goldenrod Photography
Should You Purchase Bollé Safety Goggles?
Absolutely! If you’re seeking safety goggles that will offer you comfort, durability and protection (among many other benefits) for potentially years to come, look no further than two of Bollé’s most popular options: the UNIVGN11W and UNIVGN13W.
Firstly, they simply look great, from their clear lenses and black, green and gray frames, to their straps, whether they’re black and green (UNIVGN11W) or gray (UNIVGN13W). Simply put, you’ll feel confident whenever you wear them, leading to higher productivity (which is often correlated with high confidence).
Secondly, they fit tightly against your face, as their fits can be adjusted according to whatever you prefer, particularly due to their straps. Whether you need to loosen or tighten them, they’ll fit exactly how you need them to. To further ensure they fit properly, the safety goggles feature “Wave” technology too, which eliminates any likelihood of gaps, thereby guaranteeing you’ll be protected from virtually any man-made or natural hazard.
Created to last for long durations, as they have polycarbonate/thermoplastic rubber (PC/TPR) sealed frames, polycarbonate lenses, and polyester and spandex (UNIVGN11W) or neoprene (UNIVGN13W) straps, the goggles’ lenses also feature a platinum coating. Consequently, they’ll be able to resist practically any type of scratch.
Weighing 0.24 pounds (the UNIVGN11W) and 0.26 pounds (the UNIVGN13W), respectively, the safety goggles are light to carry, too. And, due to their lightness, they can be comfortably placed on your face, even if you’re working long shifts. As a result, they’ll provide your face the protection it needs in a highly comfortable manner.
For protection beyond your eyes, you may also utilize optional faceguards and visors with them, which will cover much of your face, from your nose down to your neck. Hence, your face will be nearly protected as you encounter various types of hazards on your jobsites. Not to mention, you’ll have more confidence as well, with regards to your on-the-job safety.
Finally, the safety goggles will enable you to decrease your carbon footprint, as each of their components can be recycled. This is especially important during the later stages of your goggles’ lifespans, as they’ll be more prone to being broken or worn out at that point in time. Capable of being dissembled quickly—one component at a time—the safety goggles will offer one final benefit, prior to being replaced: sustainability.
With all of these primary benefits in mind, in my opinion, the UNIVGN11W and UNIVGN13W are quite affordable too, as each pair costs $31.20. When you consider how vital eye protection is (and how often it’s overlooked), Bollé’s safety goggles are certainly an investment you should make—as soon as you can!
