Rotary tool safety: am I the only one who skips the face shield?

Ok so I've been using my Dremel for years and I always wear safety glasses but I never bothered with a full face shield. Yesterday I was cutting some metal and a hot spark flew up and hit me right under the eye. Could've been bad. Now I'm thinking about upgrading my PPE. What do you guys use? Is a face shield overkill for rotary tools? Let me hear your setups.

Nah man, you're not alone. I used to just use cheapo safety glasses from HF until I got a cut-off wheel fragment in my cheek. Now I wear a full face shield AND safety glasses. You can get a decent one for like $15 on Amazon. Don't cheap out on your eyes, bro. That said, I still use my $30 rotary tool from WEN and it does the job. No need for the fancy stuff unless you're doing production work.

Dude, I'm an apprentice and my journeyman chewed me out for not wearing a face shield last week. He said even with glasses, debris can come in from the sides or bounce off your cheeks. I picked up a Uvex Bionic face shield and it's comfy enough to wear all day. Also, don't forget hearing protection if you're cutting tile or metal – those things scream. And a respirator if you're sanding anything nasty. Better safe than sorry.

Thanks for the replies. Yeah, I think I'll grab a face shield. Tim, good point about the cheap ones being fine – I'll check HF. Chris, appreciate the tip on the Uvex, I'll look into it. Also, what about gloves? I've heard mixed things about wearing gloves with rotary tools because they can get caught. I usually go bare-handed for control.

Gloves are a no-go for me with rotary tools. Too risky – if the bit grabs the glove, it'll suck your hand in. I only wear nitrile for grip sometimes but nothing loose. Bare hands give better feel anyway. Just keep your fingers away from the spinny part and you'll be fine. And yeah, definitely get the face shield. Your eyes will thank you.