Testing & Standards
Built to Take More Than Everyday Wear
DSRT eyewear is designed for demanding environments where durability, clarity, and protection matter.
From impact testing to recognized safety standards, we use real product specifications and verified testing to separate performance claims from marketing language.
For DSRT, that matters most with the Flatiron — our ANSI Z87+ safety-focused performance frame.
Quick Answer
What Does ANSI Z87+ Mean?
ANSI Z87+ is a designation used for protective eyewear that meets the applicable high-impact requirements of the ANSI Z87 standard.
The “+” is important. It identifies eyewear designed to meet the applicable high-impact requirements rather than only basic-impact requirements.
For the DSRT lineup, the distinction is straightforward: Flatiron is the ANSI Z87+ safety-focused frame. Phoenix and Sedona are performance sunglasses, but they are not positioned as ANSI Z87+ protective eyewear.
ANSI Z87+
DSRT's safety-focused performance frame, designed around impact protection, deeper wrap coverage, and demanding work environments.
Performance Eyewear
Built for training, movement, driving, and everyday outdoor use. Phoenix is not positioned as ANSI Z87+ protective eyewear.
Lifestyle Performance
Built for everyday outdoor wear, driving, travel, and lifestyle use. Sedona is not positioned as ANSI Z87+ protective eyewear.
Safety Rating and Sunglass Features Are Different Things
Features such as polarization, UV protection, lens coatings, frame material, and wrap geometry can improve comfort or performance, but they do not by themselves create a safety rating. A recognized safety designation should be tied to the specific product and the testing that supports it.
Impact Testing
How Impact Testing Works
Protective eyewear is evaluated against defined impact conditions rather than simply being described as “tough” or “durable.” Different tests are designed to evaluate different types of impact.
High-Velocity Impact Testing
High-velocity impact testing evaluates how protective eyewear responds when struck by a smaller object traveling at high speed.
This type of test is intended to represent fast-moving hazards that can occur in environments involving tools, equipment, debris, or other airborne objects.
The purpose is not simply to see whether a lens gets scratched. It is to evaluate whether the eyewear maintains the level of protection required by the applicable standard under a defined impact condition.
High-Mass Impact Testing
High-mass impact testing evaluates protective eyewear against a heavier object striking the product.
It represents a different impact challenge than a smaller, faster-moving object. That distinction matters because eyewear can respond differently depending on the mass, speed, and direction of an impact.
Evaluating multiple impact conditions gives a more meaningful picture of protective performance than a general durability claim alone.
Safety Eyewear Is More Than Tough Sunglasses
A frame can feel strong. A lens can look thick. Neither automatically means the eyewear meets a recognized safety standard.
Impact testing creates a defined benchmark for evaluating protective performance. That gives workers and buyers something more meaningful to rely on than appearance, material names, or marketing language.
This is why DSRT separates general performance features from actual safety designations and applies ANSI Z87+ language specifically to the Flatiron.
Important: impact-rated eyewear is not indestructible. Protective eyewear should always be selected and used according to the requirements of the specific workplace, task, and applicable safety rules.
Flatiron Safety Performance
Safety Performance Without the Safety-Glasses Look
Built for work, hard use, and the part of the day that comes after.
Flatiron is DSRT's safety-focused performance frame. It combines ANSI Z87+ protection with an 8-base wrap that provides deeper coverage around the face.
The polycarbonate lens construction supports its impact-focused design, while the Large–XL fit is built for customers who want more coverage and a secure, close-fitting frame.
Flatiron lenses also use hydrophobic, oleophobic, anti-scratch, and anti-fog coatings to help the eyewear perform in demanding work and outdoor environments.
Protective Does Not Have to Look Industrial
Flatiron was designed to move between the jobsite, outdoor work, training, driving, and everyday use. That crossover is intentional: performance and protection when you need them, without forcing the frame into a traditional safety-glasses aesthetic.
Transparency Matters
Testing, Standards & Product Claims Are Not the Same Thing
Safety language should be specific. A durable frame, a strong lens, and a recognized safety designation are different things, and they should not be treated as interchangeable.
Testing Evaluates a Specific Performance Condition
Testing places a product through a defined procedure to evaluate how it performs under a specific condition, such as impact. The result relates to that test and should not automatically be expanded into broader claims the test was not designed to prove.
Standards Define the Requirements
A recognized standard establishes the requirements, test methods, classifications, and criteria used to evaluate protective eyewear. This creates a common benchmark instead of relying on subjective descriptions like “heavy duty” or “extra tough.”
A Rating Belongs to the Specific Product
A safety designation should be tied to the specific eyewear that meets the applicable requirements. It should not be treated as a general brand-level claim or applied to other products simply because they use performance materials.
Durability Is Not a Substitute for a Safety Rating
Terms such as durable, performance, rugged, or built for hard use can describe intended use or construction, but they do not by themselves establish compliance with a recognized protective-eyewear standard.
We Keep Safety Claims Attached to the Product That Earned Them
For the current DSRT sunglass lineup, ANSI Z87+ language belongs to the Flatiron.
Phoenix and Sedona use performance materials, protective lens coatings, UV protection, and purpose-driven frame designs, but they are not positioned as ANSI Z87+ protective eyewear.
That separation is intentional. It makes product information easier to understand and prevents general performance language from being mistaken for a formal safety designation.
Real-World Use
Where Flatiron Fits in the Real World
Protective eyewear still has to work as eyewear. Fit, coverage, comfort, coatings, and how the frame behaves over a long day all matter once you leave the test environment.
Built for Work Environments
Jobsites and trade work can introduce debris, tools, equipment, dust, and other hazards that ordinary lifestyle sunglasses are not designed around.
Flatiron combines its ANSI Z87+ safety designation with deeper 8-base coverage and a Large–XL fit for customers who want protective performance in a sunglass-style frame.
Protection Has to Last Through the Day
Outdoor work adds another layer of demands: sun, glare, sweat, heat, dust, repeated handling, and long periods of wear.
Flatiron's lens package includes hydrophobic, oleophobic, anti-scratch, and anti-fog coatings to support use in those changing conditions.
Designed to Cross Over
Flatiron was not designed to stop being useful when the workday ends. Its wrap, coverage, and performance-focused construction also make it suitable for training, driving, and everyday outdoor use.
That crossover is central to the DSRT approach: performance disguised as lifestyle.
Use the Right Eyewear for the Task
ANSI Z87+ does not replace site-specific PPE requirements. Always follow the safety rules, hazard assessment, and protective-equipment requirements established for the specific job, employer, or work environment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Safety Eyewear Questions
Clear answers about ANSI Z87+, impact testing, safety ratings, and how the Flatiron differs from the rest of the DSRT lineup.
ANSI Z87+ is a designation used for protective eyewear that meets the applicable high-impact requirements of the ANSI Z87 standard. The “+” indicates the applicable high-impact classification rather than basic-impact performance alone.
The distinction relates to impact classification. The “+” designation is used for eyewear meeting the applicable high-impact requirements, while eyewear without that designation should not automatically be treated as high-impact rated.
The Flatiron is DSRT's ANSI Z87+ safety-focused frame. It combines that safety designation with an 8-base wrap, polycarbonate lens construction, and a Large–XL fit.
Phoenix is designed as athletic and everyday performance eyewear. It is not positioned as ANSI Z87+ protective eyewear.
Sedona is designed as lifestyle-performance eyewear for everyday outdoor use, driving, and travel. It is not positioned as ANSI Z87+ protective eyewear.
No. Polarization is a lens feature designed to reduce reflected glare. It does not indicate impact protection and does not create a safety rating. Polarization, UV protection, coatings, and safety classifications describe different characteristics of eyewear.
High-velocity impact testing evaluates how protective eyewear performs when struck by a smaller object moving at high speed. It is one way protective performance can be evaluated under defined impact conditions.
High-mass impact testing evaluates protective eyewear against a heavier object striking the product. It represents a different impact condition than a smaller, faster-moving object.
ANSI Z87+ indicates applicable high-impact performance, but the correct eyewear still depends on the specific hazard and workplace requirements. Always follow the PPE rules, hazard assessment, and eye-protection requirements established by the employer or jobsite.
No. No safety designation means eyewear is indestructible. ANSI Z87+ indicates that the eyewear meets the applicable high-impact requirements associated with that designation. It should still be inspected, maintained, and used appropriately.
Related Resources
Learn More About Safety & Performance Eyewear
Go deeper into protective eyewear, lens materials, and the technology behind the DSRT sunglass lineup.
Safety Glasses vs. Safety Sunglasses
Understand the difference between ordinary sunglasses and eyewear designed around recognized protective standards and impact performance.
Lens MaterialsPolyamide vs. Polycarbonate Lenses
Compare two common performance-lens materials and how their different characteristics affect intended use.
TechnologyDSRT Technology Overview
Explore the materials, construction, lens technology, and design decisions used across DSRT eyewear.
Eyewear LineupCompare DSRT Sunglasses
Compare Flatiron, Phoenix, and Sedona by fit, intended use, lens technology, and performance features.
Meet the Flatiron
Flatiron is DSRT's safety-focused performance sunglass: ANSI Z87+, 8-base wrap coverage, polycarbonate lenses, anti-fog coating, and a Large–XL fit built for hard use.