Mild-mannered RIDZWAN A. RAHIM leads a life that is far from dangerous but he covets the high-impact ESS eyewear all the same.

WHAT: ESS Ice Naro ballistic eyeshield

IT’S LIKE: It looks cool and stops bullets. Perfect for Neo of The Matrix.

PRICE: RM198

ENQUIRIES: 019-381-0864 (Dinesh) or 012-292-2284 (Liz).

Q: So you were at the Defence Services Asia 2008 exhibition the other day. Anything interesting?

A: I was at the Eye Safety Systems, or ESS booth. The company specialises in eye protection equipment for the military, fire and law enforcement division. You’ve seen pictures of US Army personnel. Did you notice they wore goggles?

Q: Yeah.

A: Well those are ESS goggles they were wearing. In the US Army, these goggles are standard issue.

Q: So they sell them to the public now?

A: No, but they have civilian versions of their product. One range is called Ice, which is what we have for this week’s Thingamajiggy. It’s popular among extreme sports enthusiasts and recreational shooters. What they like is the ballistic nature of the eyewear. The 2.4mm high-impact lenses are so sturdy, they can stop a shotgun blast from ten metres away. It’s the only eyeshield on the market today that passes the rigorous MIL-PRF-31013 .15 calibre ballistic impact test.

Q: But what are the chances of us getting hit by a bullet in the eye?

A: Bullet, maybe not. But projectiles in general, very high. Especially if you are into extreme sports and shooting.

Q: Is it called Ice because it makes you look cool?

A: That, and the fact that it stands for Interchangeable Component Eyeshield. You see, the package comes with three lenses: grey, yellow and clear. The lenses are very easy to change.

Q: When do you use the yellow and clear lenses?

A: Yellow is for indoor shooting under dim lighting while the clear lens is perfect for the outdoors.

Q: So what do you like about the Ice?

A: Mostly, the no-nonsense frameless design. It looks like it can take abuses apart from giving me an unlimited field of view. Oh, and I like the price. For those into casual wear, ESS also makes a range of sunglasses that also provides the same level of ballistic protection like the Ice.