BORELLI CONSULTING: Tactical Equipment Reviews

BlackHawk HellStorm Goggles
By: Chuck Bennett, 25 April 2005

Recently I had the opportunity/privilege to test a pair of eyewear from Blackhawk Industries. Their Hellstorm goggles are listed on their site as “Special Operations Tactical Goggles”, so I thought the tactical thing to do would be to try them out jumping from 13,500 feet in minus 16 degree weather.

The Hellstorm goggles are built to last and cover a great deal of the wearers face. Some users may prefer a smaller lens, but in the case of cold or sandy conditions, the more of my face that gets covered the better. These goggles are also very roomie, so much so, that I was able to wear a pair of prescription sunglasses comfortably underneath the Hellstorms. I also prefer to have my goggle strap outside of my helmet. This allows me to leave them on my forehead until just before exiting the aircraft and remove the goggles for the canopy ride. The downside of this is that there is nothing to keep the goggles from flying off it the strap isn’t secure. Thankfully this wasn’t a problem with the Hellstorm Tacticals. The Hellstorms remained secure in every attitude of flight, including vertical in excess of 170 mph.

Evaluating eyewear is very subjective. What I find comfortable may irritate some else to death. When the temp is near zero and the wind chill is off the charts, comfort is important. The closed cell foam in the Hellstorm goggles remained pliable in extreme temperatures and the soft urethane construction was the perfect shape to seal to the top of my Bonehead Composites flight helmet. The lens in the Hellstorm goggles is also remarkable. They feature dual-pane anti-fog protection with a shatterproof polycarbonate outer lens. When I mention shatterproof I mean it, they’ve been tested with 9 shot from a 12 gauge shotgun at 20 meters with no penetration. Maybe you don’t need this kind of protection, but it gives me a warm fuzzy feeling knowing I have it.

The Hellstorm goggles are available in Clear, Smoke, Amber and Yellow lenses. All lenses are 99.9% UVA, UVB and Infra-Red protected.

I have a comment on this article.

New American Truth eMagazine
Dedicated to ALL citizens who oppose terrorism and injustice.
Subscribe Today!

Subscribe To New American Truth