They say Pilla is better cuz they spent a fortune and have to defend their mistake.

 

I liked my pilla lenses until I had to start using the inserts. No better than an equivalent decot color with same Rx.

 

I purchased a used set of Pilla X6 Outlaws and have to say that I like them better than my other glasses. They cover much more real estate without distortion and definitely less fogging. Are they any clearer? I don't think so.

 

Funny you mention fogging. My Pilla’s fog much worse than Rangers. I’m glad you don’t have a problem with fogging.

 

GM is better than Ford, and you'll never convince me otherwise.
An iPhone is better than any Android and you'll never convince me otherwise.
Don't get me started on chokes, because obviously there's an answer there also.

I know guys who shoot with their regular glasses. By that, I mean their everyday-wear eyeglasses. They do better than most. I've seen people use construction-grade safety glasses, polarized fishing sunglasses, or whatever junk they found in their truck door panel. Many of them also do just fine.

Ranger and Pilla are both great products and you won't go wrong either way. Perhaps one cannot tell the difference in clarity over the other, but very fine differences in clarity level have little to do with your ability to see the target. I wear Pilla because after trying on several different options, I felt like one model in particular fit my face the best and is the most comfortable. 90% of my buying decision was based on that one factor alone.

 

I'm not sure the human eye could even tell the difference.

I have somewhere b/w 20/15 and 20/20 vision, and I legitimately can't tell the difference, clarity wise, between my (relatively cheap) sunglasses and my Pillas.

RX Ranger and Decot lenses, and most plano Decot lenses are plastic, not polycarbonate (which Ranger plano lenses are made of). Plastic has a much higher clarity rating than polycarbonate. But I never saw any clarity difference b/w Ranger and Pilla lenses either.

Here's a chart I found online. So according to this, plastic CR-39 Decot lenses are significantly clearer than Trivex, which is the Pilla material.

 

Do you feel you can see more detail on a target with Pilla versus other brands?

 

I’ve had both the new Ranger Riacts and Pillas and I find them the same in clarity. My Rangers scratched up much more easily which was a shame because I really did like them (I had the style with individual lenses for each eye and that pretty much eliminates fogging). I ultimately made the switch to Pillas just because of that one issue, my Pillas scratch much less easily.

 

Tried MANY different Pilla lenses and went back to Rangers as they work best for MY eyes. Really like the Riact Ultra and Mid lenses.

 

I've been using the original panther no post for probably 13 years, they have held up great and work well for me. I like the single lens, the way the lens snaps on the frame, available colors are good although new outlaw colors are better, the nose rest works well with my narrow eyes. The frame is a tad bit heavy, that is the only real drawback. Clarity of the lenses was the best at the time, I'm sure others have closed the gap.

 

Coatings make a difference in our perception of clarity. For many, coatings that increase contrast will make a lens seem sharper. The base tint is only part of the equation. I’ve tried all the tints and lenses I’m going to try. I shoot in clears with an AR coating. They don’t make any color “jump out”, but neither did any of the tints. I have color impaired vision with one good eye. I’ve had lenses that make the world truly a beautiful place, but targets didn’t show any better. Sometimes they were harder to see with the tints. We don’t all sail in the same boat.

 

I have both Pilla and Randolph.

The Randolph’s are great, the Pilla slightly better.

I doubt the Pilla account for any extra dead birds, but the clarity is superior.

I like the “complete” coverage the Pilla offer (tried Randolph Falcon - not as good coverage as Pilla).

In hot, humid conditions I think the Pilla fog more easily than the Randolph. I suspect due to the huge area of coverage over nearly 1/2 of your entire face, which I otherwise appreciate.

 

Ranger Edge for me and I tried the Pillas as well. I couldnt tell the difference in clarity on several hundred birds in different lighting conditions.

I like the Edge because they dont fog on my face. In either case, you are spending good money on safety glasses. So, definitely get what you like.

 

I had Rangers from 20 years ago. I tried the Pillas (HiDefSpecs) when they came out. I felt they were clearer than the Rangers I had at the time. I still use those Pillas. No fancy colors all red based with different light transmission. I have not tried newer Rangers or their Hi Def lenses. I'm sure they are better than my 20+ year old set. Personally, I would not spend the kind of money they are asking for the Pillas now. Steve

 

I agree with the OP about clarity. I thought the Rangers were just as good as Pillas in that regard. I chose Pillas because they have a much greater variety of lenses that allow me to select lenses that are both the correct color for my eyes and also the correct degree of light restriction - for example, the darkest RIACT lens is not even close to dark enough for my eyes in full sunlight out in a field. I also think the Pilla system for swapping out lenses is far more user friendly.

 

I've had both brands
I still have the Rangers
To me the riact lens are the best

 

Gave some Pillas and some Rangers to my GF who doesn't shoot. I didn't tell her anything, she just wanted some sunglasses to borrow. She came back a few minutes later with the Pillas and said, "Holy crap these are like 4K UHD for your eyes! They make reality look more real..."

 

How comparable were the colors? It's likely it's a vibrancy thing more than a clarity thing.

 

My experience with pilla was the colors did seem to "pop" . I liked that quality. Mine are the original Panthers. Similar to x6. Rx inserts were the spoiler.

 

The above posts just (to me anyway) hammers home the point that each person NEEDS to try (If possible) Different makes of lens and tints as they can before buying because there's no real way to tell someone what brand/tints/colors will help them the most we all just give out likes and what works well for us that may not be so great for others.

Just my .02

 

100%. Tint preferences are very individual.

 

I was lucky and a friend lent me his Rangers with a few different tints. Shot some sporting with a mid vermillion tint in a kind of bright cloudy day with gray skies. I discovered orange targets almost disappear against a gray sky. Went back out with Max Lite lenses and much better. Here in Western NY we have a lot of gray skies so I ordered frames and Max Lites for now.