Barr & Stroud Military Laser Protection Goggles
Manufacturer: Barr & Stroud ltd - now Thales Optronics ltd
Model: unknown
Country of origin: United Kingdom
NATO supply number: 8465-99-865-3493
Issued to: British army + others
Year: 1990s
Condition: Brand new and sealed
Description: Laser protection goggles
And now for something a little different. A pair of military laser protection goggles.
A pair of goggles so interesting and yet so secretive that finding their back story has become an bit of an enigma.
what is known about these goggles is that they were made by reknown Scottish optical makers Barr & Stroud sometime in the 1990s. Barr & Stroud (military optics) would end up a subsidary of french optic makers Thales.
Apparently these goggles were supplied to the UK army and other NATO forces during that time period but then appear to completely vanish from sight.
I found this pair in a very limited supply on ebay a few months ago and thought I might buy some for using with my various lasers. After all messing about with lasers is pretty risky to the eyes if you don't have a pair of special glasses or goggles knocking about.
They arrived in a very well packaged cardboard container. Double lined and wrapped to the hilt, it seemed a little over the top to be honest.
Once the cardboard outer layers had been moved out of the way the goggles hoved into view completely sealed in a thick plastic bag.
Inside the plastic bag was the goggles in their plastic case.
Removing the goggles from the case revealed a plethera of instruction labels explaining how to look after the delicately coated lens. Underneath the goggles was a piece of cleaning cloth.
The goggle frames are made from a one piece soft rubber material (or is it plastic?) with an elastic strip to attatch to the head. The lens are glass with a fine red reflective coating - and that's about it.
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'Made in England' - Don't see that much these days
In terms of quality these goggles are really good. especially for the low price paid. British engineering, british made.
Testing light penetration with a 532nm green laser proved to be very effective indeed. It was impossible to see the light through the lens.
Definately more protection than fashion accessory, these goggles certainly do what they claim to. If that means I don't get irreversable burn spots on my eye balls then that's a good thing!
This post will get updated If any more information is found.