PSA: Never skimp on safety glasses, even for 'quick' jobs!

Just a reminder to everyone, especially those of you who think 'it'll only take a second' - ALWAYS wear your safety glasses. I was changing a brake rotor on my daily driver, thought I'd just pop the caliper bracket bolts off with an impact. One of them snapped, and a chunk of metal flew right at my face. My safety glasses took the hit, but I feel like I got lucky. Even the cheap ones are better than nothing, but invest in some good ones. Your eyesight is priceless.

Preach! I had a close call last week cleaning a carburetor with compressed air. A piece of gunk shot out and hit my cheek so hard it left a red mark. My safety glasses were on my forehead because I forgot to pull them down. Facepalm. Now they're always on, even if I'm just wiping down tools. Better safe than blind!

Absolutely. I've been restoring a classic Mustang for years, and I've had more than a few rounds with rusty bolts and metal shavings. One time a grinding disc exploded on an angle grinder - if it wasn't for a full-face shield, I'd probably be typing this with braille. Don't just wear glasses - wear the right protection for the job. Also, check for the Z87+ rating, or whatever the equivalent is in your country. And those anti-fog coatings? Worth every penny.

Good point, Sparky. Anti-fog is a game changer. I've got a pair with a polycarbonate lens and they're light enough I forget I'm wearing them. The other thing - don't store your glasses with your greasy tools, they get scratched and then you can't see worth a damn. I keep a microfiber bag for mine.

Ha, I definitely need to get a bag. I just throw mine in the toolbox and they're all scratched up. Also, Wendy, that caliper bolt story gives me chills. Did it do any damage to your car?

Nah, the car's fine - just had to use an extractor on the broken bolt. But my eyes are way more important. Get home safe everyone, and keep those peepers protected!