My son’s nearing the age where I can work on projects with him, or at least where he “works” alongside me. That means he’s going to be needing eye and hearing protection.
I came across two potential products, both by Pyramex. I can’t find any details about where they’re made, but at this point fit is more important to me.
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There’s the Pyramex Mini Ztek, which sells for close to $6 at Amazon, and Mini Intruder, which looks to be $14 and change for 12.
The difference looks to be in the arms, with the Ztek featuring non-slip rubber tips.
I’m leaning towards the Mini Intruder. At $14-15 for a dozen safety glasses, I won’t have to worry so much about breakage or misplacement. Plus, you get 12 glasses for less than it would cost for 3 pairs of the other kind.
But do they fit? The user reviews on Amazon suggest that fit all kinds of kids, from toddlers and preschoolers, to tweens.
I figure it can’t hurt to buy a pack, and worst case scenario, they don’t fit my son and I end up keeping them in a storage bin for a few years. Or I could always return them and do a search now and then search again once he’s bigger.
I’m also hoping that you guys share your insights about how you protect your kids’ eyes when working with tools or power tools.
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Buy Now(Mini Intruder Safety Glasses via Amazon)
More Info(PDF via Pyramex)
Pryamex isn’t a brand I’m familiar with. If you’ve used their safety gear of any kind, what did you think of them?
Big Adam
I’m in the same position with my 8 year old son. He wears these Dewalt Protector specs with me.
https://www.amazon.com/DPG54-1D-Performance-Lightweight-Protective-Wraparound/dp/B000FPANVG/
I picked up two pairs for free but found them waaaay to small for my head. Fit him perfectly.
Stuart
I’ve got a couple of those around here, even though they don’t fit over my glasses. The last time I tried, they didn’t fit my son very well at all, but he’s also just a preschooler.
Steve
I tried a few different types for my kids (6 and 3), and settled on the Gateway Safety Products Gumballs in the small size: http://gatewaysafety.com/products/eye/starlite-gumballs/
The key factor for my son was that the flat temples didn’t irritate the side of his head when used under hearing protection.
The Amazon ASIN of the 10-pack I bought is B00HM9Y6ZM
These are basically colored versions of the Gateway Safety StarLite that I’ve happily been using for years (in the normal size).
The Gateway Safety glasses look almost identical to the Pyramex ones you linked, to the point that I wonder if there’s an OEM arrangement there.
Stuart
Thanks! Those do look very similar. They’re not quite as low priced – $14 for 10 instead of 12, but that’s very slight.
I might have to order both sets and see which one works out better.
matt
I also use the Gateway Gumball in my shop. My daughter, 3 wears them with no complaints, and her cousins, 4,6 &7 all wear them without issue. Bonus: she gets to choose a different color each time she comes in to work!
Nathan
What timing. My daughter keeps wanting to follow me everywhere so in about a year I see her wanting to be in the garage with me.
Hearing protection I’m also looking for. Thanks.
Stuart
Hearing protection will be a separate post. =) I’m still searching for kid-friendly models. But in a pinch, both my kids like my adult-sized ones. My daughter hasn’t quite outgrown her infant earmuffs, but they are getting a little small on her.
Bill
I also purchased the Gateway Safety 3699 Colorful StarLite Gumballs Safety Glasses from Amazon, almost two years ago for my then 3yr old grandson. They fit him well then as they do now at 5.
As for hearing protection I purchased the Ear Defense 3000 EN352-1 Safety Ear Muffs, Red. Also from Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011KBE9FY/ref=crt_ewc_title_dp_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A16D0P2ZEA461U
Overall I’m pleased with both purchases and they continue to fit my grandson well, but even better he likes wearing them because he gets to look like Pop-pop.
Farid
My son liked to play with a chemistry set starting at a young age. Between that and projects for cub-scouts, he needed a good pair of safety glasses. I originally bought him a pair of standard “school lab style” googles, which he hated and did not fit him well. They often fogged up and the thin rubber strap tangled in his hair.
Then I bought these http://a.co/h7MBYHW, which looked very good, had ample face coverage similar to goggles ( without the fogging issues), and had adjustable arms. The problem we ran into when he was younger, is that they where too front heavy and kept tipping forward. There wasn’t sufficient grip on the side of his head to keep them in place as he tipped his head. Now that he is older with bigger head (literally), they fit better. I did not try to use a band to keep them in place and I wish they came with one. Looking back now, sunglasses retainer rope would have worked nicely.
Still we ended buying Dewalt Concealer googles and they worked really for him, I would say since he was 6. What I liked about them is the ample coverage all the way around his eyes – they pretty much covered half his face. Your son being younger though, the Dewalts might be too big.
JoeM
Measure the diameter/circumference of their heads, and the height from the cheek to the middle of the forehead. Keep the numbers handy, and re-measure every year.
Then go back to all the above-mentioned companies’ offerings and get the size they offer that will fit.
Kids grow fast. I have tons of nieces and nephews, and I can tell you with certainty, that going back to the exact same set over and over again is going to backfire. They grow one way, and then they grow another. They’ll need a bigger set, then, for reasons unknown, they’ll need a smaller set because they stretched somehow.
These are all good safety glasses. Just buy whatever ones you can A ) afford to waste/lose, and B ) fit the dimensions of your kid’s head. chances are good, next year you’ll be buying them again, and any leftovers will come if one pair get destroyed, scratched, or utterly rendered useless. This will continue until they’re Adult-sized in dimensions, and they finally get their first full-sized set of pro glasses. Until then, it’s Safety in Numbers. Keep lots of options around, so they can grow, and it doesn’t matter if they break or get lost.
And, always remember… you can always use heat-shrink tubing on the arms to create a non-slip coating if they’re slipping off. So, don’t worry if slippage is the problem. We’re tool users, we can learn to solve any problem put in our paths.
As for hearing protection… Standard 3M foam plugs, size small, in a bulk pack. Start there, and have a talk with them after every session of work. Listen to the words they use to describe what they don’t like about the standard ear plugs, and look for something that suits their little needs. Remember, they’re genetically related to you, so chances are good that what they need is going to resemble what you’ve found best for yourself, just scaled down to fit them. If there’s no genetic similarity between you, this conversation you have with them will really, REALLY, help you go looking for what they need.
Like I said… LOTS of Nieces and Nephews… And Cousins… I don’t have the burden of buying these things, but I have the burden of caring about their safety. I’ve had to have this conversation with at least 20-odd kids in the past 15 years, because their parents want me to teach their kids what I know about making things. Because of that, I’ve had to do this many, many times and send the kid home with notes for their parents about what they need. I’ve never seen the same solution twice unless the two (or sometimes three) kids were siblings.
For all of you parents who have commented already… Keep up the good work! Never stop trying to keep these kids interested in this stuff, and high fives for Safety Training them!
Diplomatic Immunity
How about we get a best safety glasses for adults that don’t fog up even when they say they don’t?
Stuart
They don’t exist yet. =)
John
My soon to be 6 year old son has claimed a set of Bosch safety glasses that came with my 23 ga pin nailer as his own (I wear prescription safety glasses). The temples / ear pieces are a little long for his head but the glasses don’t slide around and he doesn’t complain about them – we even see him playing around the house with them on sometimes. The problem with these glasses is that they have a rounded temple / earpiece shape making use with earmuffs uncomfortable.
His choice of hearing protection is earmuff style that we picked up at either Bass Pro Shop or Cabelas for parades and fireworks when he was a baby. Quickly outgrowing them so time for an upgrade.
Will
Used the 3mno fog goggles from local ace hardware. Fit my kids ages 5 & 8 for now. Tried them on presage to ensure. Since I wear glasses I am stuck with over glasses goggles not very stylish. Son says I look like nerd lumberjack
Ear protection. I doubled up foam inserts in wars with shooting ear muff style headphones from cabelias We allowed to mention stores? I have no affiliation with stores mentioned
Adam g
My kids suffer from familial flathead syndrome so adult glasses fit great, sorry no help here
Max
I got a pair that fit my 4 year old pretty well free from Lowe’s when they used to have their Build and Grow projects. They stopped doing the projects, but they still sell the goggles. They’re pretty basic but functional.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Build-and-Grow-Kid-s-Tool-Belt-Set/3745577 (the description is incorrect but the product is right)
They also have kit that includes an apron and small hammer for only a couple bucks more
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Build-and-Grow-Kid-s-Starter-Kit/3523598
Frank S.
I like these. They are adjustable and seemed to fit my 3 and six yearold equally well.
Radians – G4 Junior Child Safety Glass-Clear Lens (1, Clear) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000GUR8RM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_flLaAbN2DR5HF
Jim
I bought those same ones for my twins who are now at when they were 6 – they worked well then and still fit well today – plus there were colors that each one of them liked (boy and girl) – good luck!
Tool of the trade
Get him a pair of swimming goggles. Not a mask, but goggles. They work and they won’t fall off his face. You may have to shorten the strap. That’s what I got for my boy. Safety glasses that fit are hard to find for kids that age. Get the goggles. Foam ear plugs.
Alex
I have a number of pairs of adult size Ztek Pyramex Glasses, and they’re definitely my go to. I’ve tried others that just don’t fit me as well, or squeeze my temples, while I have worn the Zteks for 14 hour days with no issues. The tinted ones are nice, and inexpensive as well. I probably have 5 or more pairs of them kicking around now, they’re pretty commonly available where I am. Now that I’ve found they fit I tend to stick to them.
Jon B
I bought the ‘Rugged Blue’ branded version on Amazon which look nearly identical to those in your original post. They fit my 5 and 7 year old girls great, but are a bit big for my 2.5 year old. We don’t usually work with power tools together so I can’t speak to how they fit with ear muffs on. I’m not sure I would use ear plugs with smaller kids as some people have suggested. I think you’d have a hard time verifying they fit properly.
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B015WZFSEK/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1