You should be able to tell from my numerous photos on the site and social media that I have been espousing the benefits of safety glasses for pickleball for many years. There is the infamous photo of Michelle Pfeiffer with a black eye from pickleball and there have been people losing an eye or sight in an eye from pickleball.
I remember a time when I was regularly mocked for protective eyewear on court but with the advent of power paddles, a general speeding up of the hitting in pickleball and more pros wearing them, various options have appeared on player’s faces. I was often asked about my Rockbros safety specs with interchangeable front lenses. Like the common cycling glasses (which they were), there were polarising, light enhancing, dark and clear lenses to adapt to the conditions. I would use a prescription insert to correct my vision.
I wear varifocals/progressives in real life for the whole time and when playing cricket a decade and a half ago, a switch to wearing glasses made a huge difference to my game. I wore glasses through my tennis playing days and carried on into pickleball. It wasn’t until a few weeks ago and a random conversation with a player at my local club that not using correction was a consideration. My player said that his optician said that for many people there is no benefit to correction for pickleball and similar sports.
As my prescription was removable, I tried for a few days without the correction and seemed to adapt with no hassle. However, there was no way I was going to play without protection. Having been hit wearing glasses twice inside ten minutes by a ball ricocheting off the person next to me’s paddle edge, that was a risk I wasn’t prepared to take. Having a ball fly straight at your face from a couple of feet is not a pleasant experience. Especially when it was my ball to hit both times!!!
I’d also seen the Kitchen Blockers glasses on the face of pro Zane Ford and another player in my club knew the person launching the glasses in the UK. A pair of glasses for testing were dispatched after a call with Max discussing the product in more detail. He was really interested in my views, due to my positioning as the most visible advocate in the UK for eye protection. In all honesty, I was reticent to play without vision correction: I can’t wear contact lenses and knowing how my game had improved from wearing glasses in cricket, it was a leap of faith.
Looking at the product itself, it’s a pretty simple idea: design a frame that is one size fits all for both ball types and faces. It’s a lensless frame made out of military grade plastic tested to 60mph for impact. The fastest recorded PB serve is 68mph and air resistance will slow that down by the time it reaches you so the impact resistance is on point. The shape of the frame is such that it gives maximum vision without risking ball entering your eye. The shape of the frame means that a direct frontal impact isn’t going to force the frame apart: the cheek curve means that it curves upward so it can’t force the shape apart. This is a really smart idea as an oval or square would be at risk of being squeezed through.
The arms can be removed and replaced with a head strap for a more secure fit. The arms and nose bridge are customisable as made out of a bendable plastic and rubber respectively. The final piece of customisation is to ensure that the frame is far enough away from your eye to prevent contact. There is a foam piece that sits on the bridge that can have additional spacers added to ensure space between eyeball and pickleball on impact.
How do they work in reality? I started with the pictured blue pair and since have added a clear frame to my collection. The first thing I noticed was a little of the frame encroaching on my vision but not excessively so and for a glasses wearer, pretty much what I was used to. Comfort is exceptional, no rubbing or fatigue from multiple hours of play.
The biggest question I had was whether the lack of correction would affect my play? I’ve been playing uncorrected for a few months now: I really felt I needed to test these for a decent period of time for review. It seems to me that the two less layers of plastic in front of my eyes is better than the correction I had before. I’ve tried to go back and I seem to be in a similar place with vision and reaction time with either solution so the Kitchen Blockers are the preferred solution now. As I age, possibly I’ll need to explore corrective lenses again but as my eyesight hasn’t changed over the past three or four years, I think I’m good to go for a while without correction.
I can wholeheartedly recommend the Kitchen Blockers for any player not needing correction and I’d suggest that they are close to mandatory to play in with modern paddles and play styles. It only takes one accident to have a life changing impact/injury and I’ve had too many close calls now to ever consider playing without them. If you want to get a pair with a 10% discount, follow this link. I’ve so much belief in them that I’ve partnered up to provide a deal for my readers. Follow the link above or use code ROBW10 at the Kitchen Blockers website
Full disclosure: I make a small commission from people buying through the link but this review is impartial and not paid for in any way.