3M SecureFit 400 Series Safety Glasses (SF401AF) vs Milwaukee Performance Safety Glasses (48-73-2020)

The SecureFit 400 is the pair most people will actually keep on their face, because 3M's published 19 gram weight and pressure diffusing temples remove the two excuses people use to take safety glasses off. Milwaukee gets closer than anyone else on paperwork, publishing a signed certificate that names the part number, but its stated standard is the 2015 edition, which predates the anti-fog marking entirely.

3M SecureFit 400 Series Safety Glasses (SF401AF)

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The pair that disappears on your face, from the one maker in this group that publishes a real technical data sheet for the series.

• 3M publishes a 19 gram weight for the SF400 series and a polycarbonate lens and temple, which is at the light end of anything with an integrated side shield.
• 3M states the SecureFit range uses U6 rated polycarbonate lenses that absorb 99.9 percent of UVA, UVB and UVC between 200 and 380 nanometres, and U6 is the top of the Z87.1 ultraviolet filter scale.
• 3M sells a prescription insert, the RX-SF400, that fits the SecureFit 200, 300 and 400 series, so a spectacle wearer has a route that does not involve a custom frame.

• The SF401AF carries 3M's traditional anti-fog coating. It is the Scotchgard versions, sold as SF401SGAF, that 3M states meet the ANSI/ISEA Z87.1 anti-fog (X) optional testing requirement.
• 3M's own product data for the SF401AF is stated against the 2015 edition of Z87.1, not the 2020 or 2025 edition.
• 3M's European data sheet for the SF400 series notes plainly that safety spectacles cannot be tested and approved for use against liquid droplets, so this is not the pair for splash work.

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Milwaukee Performance Safety Glasses (48-73-2020)

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The only pair here whose maker publishes a signed compliance certificate that names the exact part number you are buying.

• Milwaukee publishes a Certificate of Compliance for eye protection, signed by its Director of Product Safety and Regulatory Compliance, that lists 48-73-2020 by name against ANSI/ISEA Z87.1-2015 with the (+) impact rating and CSA Z94.3-15.
• Milwaukee's product page states CSA Z94.3 and CSA third party tested, which is a stronger statement than the self declaration most eyewear ships with.
• Milwaukee lists it as a fog-free lens with an anti-scratch treatment, and sells it in single blister packs at ordinary hardware counters rather than only by the case.

• The stated standard is the 2015 edition. The anti-fog (X) marking did not exist until the 2020 edition, so a 2015 pair cannot carry it no matter how good the coating is.
• Milwaukee does not publish the lens and temple marking strings, a weight, or a lens thickness, so there is less to check before it arrives than with Pyramex or 3M.
• The frame is a fixed size with no adjustable temple length or lens angle, which is a real problem on small or very wide faces.

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Side by side

The bottom line

Our overall pick is the 3M SecureFit 400 Series Safety Glasses (SF401AF) - The pair that disappears on your face, from the one maker in this group that publishes a real technical data sheet for the series. Choose the Milwaukee Performance Safety Glasses (48-73-2020) instead if someone who wants an impact rated pair from a shelf today and would rather have documentation they can download than a longer feature list.

Want the full picture, including the other options we compared and the popular one we'd skip? Read the complete The Best Safety Glasses: 4 Compared (and One to Skip).