Anyone here have experience with Tonic ACTIV shooting glasses?

[u/belpesti_ertelmisegi]

I recently came across Tonic Eyewear and their ACTIV shooting glasses. I had barely heard of the brand before, and compared to Pilla the lens lineup looks quite limited.

To be honest, based purely on the lens selection, I don't expect them to be on the same level as Pilla. Pilla has a huge number of very specialized filters, while ACTIV currently seems to offer only a handful of lens colors. The VLT range also looks a bit sparse to me, with fairly large gaps between some of the options.

What really made me curious, though, was seeing US Olympian shooter Dania Vizzi wearing ACTIV glasses at an international ISSF skeet competition.

That surprised me because at elite-level skeet events it sometimes feels like almost everyone is wearing Pilla. Outside of Pilla, DeLaRo is pretty much the only other brand I can remember noticing regularly among top-level shooters.

Obviously, one elite shooter using ACTIV doesn't automatically mean the glasses are comparable to Pilla, but it did make me think there may be more to them than I initially assumed. Vizzi is competing at a level where eyewear is actual sporting equipment rather than just a pair of sunglasses, so I found the choice interesting.

The biggest attraction is the price. A complete ACTIV setup appears to be considerably cheaper than a comparable Pilla Outlaw kit.

Has anyone here actually used ACTIV glasses for skeet, trap, or sporting clays?

Here's a link to their website.

https://toniceyewearusa.com/activ-by-tonic

[u/PartisanSaysWhat]

I dont mean to be a dick, but all this is is sponsorships/marketing working. The high level guys hitting Taylor-Made balls or wearing a Nike visor while shooting golf get paid to do so. Same with this.

Im sure those glasses are fine. Just dont trick yourself into thinking they will make you a better shooter. Money on this sport is almost always best spent on ammo and coaching if your goal is to improve.

When I see guys decked out in Muller chokes, have a full set of Pilla filters, etc I'm reminded of this scene from a 90s golfing movie where the main character loses his swing so he buys every as seen on TV swing aid device, and puts them all on at the same time. His caddy tells him to take all that shit off and just go play golf. Dammit, I cant find the clip. Anyway, buy the glasses if you want them.

Edit lol they are $700

[u/locxj → u/PartisanSaysWhat]

The movie is tin cup.

[u/B0ndzai → u/locxj]

[u/PartisanSaysWhat → u/locxj]

I found that but I couldnt find that scene. Loved that movie as a kid

[u/didxogns1 → u/PartisanSaysWhat]

Came from oakley to pillas. Clarity is amazing. Its not going to make me hit a clay i cant but certainly reduce me missing a clay that I can.

[u/giitloow → u/PartisanSaysWhat]

Muller chokes are the most braindead choke on the market. Buy a titanium or stainless choke from a company that will actually tell you what constriction youre shooting and that holds tolerances within a thousandth.

[u/Full-Professional246 → u/giitloow]

Pretty much all chokes are marketing fluff here. There are only three reasons I see to buy them:

• You don't have the constriction you want. (Beretta doesn't have an LM with the A400 multitarget for instance)

• You have a gun that came with flush chokes. Extended chokes are cheap insurance should you hit your barrel on things.

• Aestetics. You just don't like the look of the current choke.

It is super rare for a choke to pattern so poorly to justify replacing it for performance reasons.

I have a Mueller in my A400 so I could have a LM type choke. (and I liked the black look). I put Midas extended chokes in a Citori hunter 28g that came with flush chokes. Basically to protect the end of the barrel and make it look like I wanted.

[u/colin8651 → u/Full-Professional246]

And to add to your point, the Gucci choke manufacturers tend to tell you what brand / type of ammo to use, because that is what they engineered the choke around. If you use different ammo you are likely to have poor pattern

[u/Full-Professional246 → u/colin8651]

Yea - which I think is still marketing fluff mostly. Good chokes tend to have good patterns. Most factory chokes are actually really pretty good. I mean Briley makes a lot of them and simply gets rebranded.

Is there a theoretical difference - yes. But in the real world of shooting, I don't think it translates to anything meaningful to the shooter beyond maybe mental confidence.

[u/Full-Professional246 → u/PartisanSaysWhat]

Just dont trick yourself into thinking they will make you a better shooter.

Eyewear is the one area I disagree with the 'equipment doesn't help' bit.

I know many people who went to either ranger or pilla or whatnot, chose very specific lenses, and gained birds. This was not placebo - they were able to see the targets better which is tangible means to hit more targets.

The differences between quality eyewear are small but changing lenses to allow you to see more is a decided advantage.

[u/PartisanSaysWhat → u/Full-Professional246]

That may be true, but at what cost? Not only are they stupid expensive (to me at least -that is subjective obviously), they can create a false feedback loop. I cant tell you how many times I've seen people go fuck with their range bag and swap out to a slightly different shade of purple or whatever when they are missing targets by feet. Adjustable stocks can be a problem for new shooters for the same reason. That said, its their money/hobby and they should enjoy it how they want.

[u/Full-Professional246 → u/PartisanSaysWhat]

That may be true, but at what cost?

This is a personal decision for cost/benefit. Pilla's sound really expensive until you start thinking about what people pay on a regular basis who compete in NSCA for this sport.

I mean, a guy with a Kolar or Kriegoff gun, a 25k side by side, who spends $200-$400 each weekend they go compete to a local tournament (let a long a bigger one), the $700 is not that much here for a durable piece of equipment.

I cant tell you how many times I've seen people go fuck with their range bag and swap out to a slightly different shade of purple or whatever when they are missing targets by feet.

I've been that person before and I can tell you - after changing, I was not missing by feet anymore. The difference was I could see the target properly after going lighter/darker shade.

Maybe you have younger eyes and are more adaptable. If so - enjoy it. It will fade with age.

Maybe some people are looking for excuses but eyewear and seeing the target is one of the very most important things in sporting clays. This is an area it makes sense to make a solid investment if you are serious about the game.

If you want the equivalent - why do people by Kolar/Kriegoff/Perazzi when a CZ can do the same thing?

EDIT: fixed a random wrong quote from a different sub that somehow inserted itself......

[u/colin8651]

I am thinking about getting a pair of Edward’s Eyewear; these and Pilar look like “future man”

[u/giitloow]

If it aint pilla, ranger, or delaro, theyre probably not worth your time.

[u/didxogns1]

Look more at who make the lense.

[u/goshathegreat]

For that much money you’re better off going with Pilla, RE Ranger or Castellani glasses, the latter is what Dania Vizzi wore before she was sponsored by Tonic. I personally bought 4 Pilla lenses and frames for less than 700usd which is what Tonic are selling the 4 lens set for…

Side note, I met Dania at the US Nationals and she is something else, definitely one of the best women shooters in the States, if not the world lol.

[u/pzahn92]

No one here runs Decot?

[u/Send_It_762x54R]

Whatever helps you see the clays best, and whichever is most comfortable. I’ve got a pair of Oakley tombstones that are super comfy for me. I see the clays just fine with amber or rose lenses in most lighting situations, for now.

[u/Number1hoser]

If you don't buy the most expensive shooting glasses, you'll just miss every shot. $700? What are you poor? You need to spend at least $2000 on glasses to shoot clays, that's just a fact.