Rant: Everyone pushes for full face shields on every grind, but I think safety glasses with side guards are enough for most cuts.

I've worked twenty years without a face injury because I move my head and keep a clean workspace, not by wearing bulky gear all day.

4 comments

4 Comments

max2231mo ago

Twenty years without a face injury is some serious survivorship bias. It only takes one random metal shard in the eye to make that full shield look pretty smart. Guess you're just betting your face on nothing ever going wrong.

nguyen.morgan13d ago

My buddy was grinding a weld with a regular face shield. A tiny piece of hot slag somehow shot up under the brim, bounced off the inside of the shield, and landed right in his eye. He had to go to the emergency room to get it flushed out. The doctor said the shield basically funneled it in. He switched to a sealed grinding shield the next day and won't touch a grinder without it now.

the_finley1mo ago

Yeah, but luck isn't a safety plan. I've seen a cutter wheel explode once (total freak thing), and that shield caught stuff glasses would've missed. My shop makes us wear the full shield now for any wheel work, and honestly, you just get used to it. It's not about daily comfort, it's about that one-in-a-million shot.

jana_black1mo ago

Honestly, I was right there with you for the longest time, finding the full shield such a pain. What changed for me was a cut-off wheel that grabbed and threw a piece right at my cheek. My safety glasses were on, but I felt that chunk hit my jaw and just thought... that could have been my eye. Now the shield goes on for any spinning tool, no questions. It's not about the daily grind, it's about that one weird bounce you never see coming.