Revision StingerHawk vs Sawfly: the same clause-cited rating, three real differences

The short verdict

Side by side

Every cell is quoted from the source linked beside it. A dash means the figure is not published on the page we cite — which on this comparison is itself the finding: the Sawfly kit page states no coating and no UV percentage, while the StingerHawk page states both.

The rating is a tie, and it is unusual

Both pages carry the same two citations: "MIL-PRF-32432A clause 3.8.4.1 Ballistic fragmentation characteristics Class 1 spectacles" and "ANSI Z87.1-2020 clause 7.1 Impact Protector (Z87+)". Nobody else in this category writes a rating like that. Most makers say "meets MIL-PRF-32432" and leave you to guess which clause, which class and which revision; Revision gives you all three and, on the StingerHawk, adds a STANAG V50 of 807 ft/s and EN 166 clause 7.3.4 for high-speed particles.

That V50 figure is worth dwelling on because it is the only published velocity number on this site. V50 is the velocity at which half the shots would be expected to penetrate — so 807 ft/s is not a marketing number, it is a measured threshold, and it sits well above the roughly 150 ft/s steel ball of the ANSI high-velocity test. What that difference means in practice is laid out on ANSI Z87.1 vs MIL-PRF-32432, and the fragment test itself on MIL-PRF-32432 explained.

So: there is no rating argument between these two frames. Anybody telling you the StingerHawk is "more ballistic" than the Sawfly is reading the price tag, not the page.

Sizes: the Sawfly's whole argument

Revision publishes the Sawfly in three sizes with dimensions: Small at 144 mm wide by 53 mm high by 165 mm long, Regular at 144 by 52 by 165, and Large at 157 by 58 by 180. The StingerHawk is offered in Regular and Large. Almost nothing else in ballistic eyewear publishes a size at all — the exceptions on this site are the Wiley X WX Gravity in Medium and Large, the WX Peak in Medium and Large fits, and Pyramex's Mini Ztek for what it calls slimmer facial sizes.

Note what the numbers actually say, because the marketing does not. Small and Regular are the same 144 mm width; the difference is a millimetre of lens height. The real jump is Large, which is 13 mm wider and 15 mm longer in the temple. If your complaint is that wraps pinch your temples, Large is the fix. If your complaint is that they sit on your cheekbones, Small is a marginal change and you may be better served by a frame designed small from the start — the options are on best shooting glasses for small faces.

OcuMax, and the gap on the Sawfly page

The StingerHawk APEL kit page names its anti-fog treatment: OcuMax. The Sawfly 1 Lens Kit page names nothing. That is not proof the Sawfly has no coating — Revision may well apply the same treatment across the line — but this site does not credit a product with a spec its page does not state, which is why the Sawfly's card says so in its cons and scores lower on fog and scratch resistance.

If you shoot indoors, in humidity, or in and out of a vehicle, treat that gap as real until Revision closes it. A named coating is the single most useful fog spec a maker can publish, and the alternatives are ranked by exactly that criterion on how to stop shooting glasses fogging.

APEL, and what buying one actually means

The StingerHawk kit we cite is the APEL U.S. Military Kit, and it is Berry Compliant. The APEL is the U.S. Army's Authorized Protective Eyewear List, managed through PEO Soldier, and the APEL logo on a pair is how the Army marks eyewear authorized for issue. A listing implies the configuration passed MIL-PRF-32432 ballistic fragmentation testing and was approved — it is the strongest third-party signal available in this product category.

Two honest caveats. First, the APEL applies to a configuration, not a model name: the same frame with a different lens may not be the listed item. Second, the APEL military kit page notes military verification for purchase; the civilian StingerHawk kits carry the same frame and are sold openly. The Sawfly 1 Lens Kit page does not claim APEL, and Revision's category page only says that all models meet or exceed MIL-PRF-32432 and that some are APEL — so we do not badge the Sawfly with it. The whole list and what it does and does not prove is on the APEL approved eyewear list.

What ships in the box

The StingerHawk APEL kit is the fuller box: frame, a clear lens with a clear adjustable nosepiece, a gray lens with a black adjustable nosepiece, a head strap, a pouch, a case and an anti-fog cloth. Two lenses means you can run clear on an indoor bay and gray outdoors without buying anything else, which matters more to most shooters than any single spec on this page.

The Sawfly is sold as a 1 Lens Kit and as multi-lens kits, and which tints you get depends on which size and kit is in stock — the Small-size kit stocked new on Amazon is the Deluxe Yellow Kit with clear, smoke and yellow lenses and a black frame. Both frames state an Rx carrier route, so prescription is available either way; the mechanics of that are on best shooting glasses with Rx inserts.

Where the ESS Crossbow sits

Almost nobody shortlists these two Revisions without also looking at the ESS Crossbow, so it is in the table. The Crossbow APEL kit states MIL-PRF-32432A and the APEL listing on ESS's own page, names ClearZone FlowCoat as an anti-scratch exterior and anti-fog interior coating, documents three separate prescription inserts, and ships clear plus smoke lenses with a tool-free DedBolt lens lock.

What it does not do is fit. The Crossbow is universal fit only — Tri-Tech Fit ergonomics, one size — and that is the line between it and the Sawfly. Against the StingerHawk the decision comes down to citation style versus coating and inserts: Revision gives you clause numbers and a V50, ESS gives you a named coating and a documented Rx path. Both are APEL kits. The head-to-head is on the Crossbow review and Wiley X vs ESS.

Who should buy which

Editorial recommendations built from the specs in the table above. No pair was on our face; every claim traces to the sources listed below.