| 11 polarized specs to get you out of the glare |
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| Written by Dexter Mahaffey |
| Sunday, 01 September 2002 04:00 |
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The Shades of Summer Fess up. You’ve been paddling in a $12 pair of sunglasses you bought at Exxon, wondering if you’re frying your retinas. Despite the squinting and those crow’s feet at the corners of your baby blues, you can still see, so the specs are doing their job, right? Wrong as a hot-pink wetsuit. Polarized shades don’t just dim the sun’s light; they eradicate the glare reflected by water. It’s amazing just how much detail you can make out in choppy water when all that blinding whiteness is reduced by 80-90 percent. And on flat water, polarization allows you to see sub-surface details in the extreme. Not to mention the vast reduction in radiation exposure and eye fatigue. Most polarized lenses sandwich a thin polarized film between two layers of polycarbonate plastic, protecting the film and keeping the polarization intact. When you spend more money, you’re getting additional layers of protection or subtler processes of melding them together. Spending less typically gets you a thicker layer of polarized film without the protection, giving you less durability. Some companies’ polarized lenses retain an odd, silvery distortion, allowing the field of vision to remain tipped with super-shiny accents that disconcertingly reduce your depth perception, making the water seem more two-dimensional. This issue bears no correlation to price or other aspects of quality, but it’s worth watching out for. In terms of frame materials, plastic is the way to go. While svelte metal sport frames make you look more like Brad Pitt, if you sit on them, you’ll end up looking like Ed Grimley. Plastic frames have better shape memory, extend much further under pressure, and are affordable to mortals. Plastic lenses are the only choice for active use because they’re shatterproof. Though the optics of plastic aren’t as sharp or true as with glass, what’s a little distortion compared to hundreds of glass micro-shards in your eyeball when you slam your face into your deck? So here follows 11 of the best of what’s out there, head to head. All have one-year warranties unless otherwise stated. Action Optics "Flow," copper tint, $69.95 Primarily cast to fishermen, Action Optics only creates shades for water wear. The Flow is a sweet, super-stylish, compact frame with good lens clarity, great tinting for enhanced view of the surroundings, and no polarized distortion at all. Folks with large faces may find the coverage inadequate. You get a lot of bang for your buck here. Info: (800) 654-6428, www.actionoptics.com. Daggers "Triton," gray tint, $69.99 The Triton boasts excellent coverage, one of the few shades to achieve next to no lateral blockage while still having a full wrap-around frame. The Triton’s other great claim is the darkest lens of any in the field, a must for multi-season use or those who paddle in high altitude or desert locales. The single failing of this shade is that it has a noticeable level of the silvery visual distortion discussed above. If depth perception is crucial for your branch of paddling, this one may not meet your needs. Info: (800) 443-8620, www.daggers.com. Dragon "Rake," gray tint, $100 It would take more than a paddle to the face to bend the Rake’s frame. The design is super-solid and fits like a dream, with slippage prevented by comfortable sticky rubber ear- and nosepieces (replaceable). Built as a serious active-use sport glass, the Rake feels like the toughest shade of the lot when it’s on your face. It has sharp lens clarity as well, but its polarization causes a noticeable level of silvery visual distortion. Info: (888) DRAGON8, www.dragonoptical.com. Maui Jim "Sunset," rose tint, $129 Maui Jim is the Porsche of the water- shade world. The lens of the Sunset is a nine-layered structure (rather than the usual three) that delivers unbelievable optical clarity and refinement. The most unique feature of the Sunset is that it has no frame at the bottom of the lens. Hence you get more lens providing more protection and coverage lower on your face and no lateral blockage whatsoever. Somewhat surprisingly, the Sunset does bear a very slight bit of the silvery distortion, but it is minor and doesn’t produce the vertiginous effect of making things appear two-dimensional. Info: (888) 628-4546, www.mauijim.com. Native "LowRyder," green tint, $104.99 Native pays extraordinary attention to technical detail, and it’s all performance-focused rather than style-directed. What you get in the LowRyder is solid coverage, clear, distortion-free polarization, a lens that’s dark enough to last you all day, and a seriously comfortable frame. Native is one of the few companies to place little plates at several points on the frame right behind the lenses to ensure that, when you run into the moose on the portage, they won’t pop out of the frame into your eyes. That’s the kind of scrutiny Native gives its design. Oh, and get the Kermit green—you’ll be a believer. Lifetime warranty. Info: (888) 776-2848, www.nativeyewear.com. Oakley "XX," gold tint, $165 Given all the hype this brand gets, it’s great to sit down with a pair of Oaks and line them up head to head to see if they’re really all that. In a word, yes; the legendary optical quality of Oakley is for real. They are super sharp, and the "Plutonite" (read: fancy polycarbonate) lens is so crisp and clear, you’ll actually think you’re looking through glass. You pay the most for these, but you do get amazing optics. The only issue is to find a shape that’s actually comfortable for you. The XX is comfortable and light, but only for people with wide faces and long heads, front to back. And what you gain in style, you lose in coverage: The field of vision could be larger and less obstructed. But if you want the lens of lenses... Info: (800) 431-1439, www.oakley.com. Optic Nerve "Rio," brown tint, $36 Optic Nerve’s pitch is this: $50 or less. The rest of us can now go and buy a quality, stylish pair of polarized specs that actually will do a sound job of taking care of our eyes without ruining your trip if you drop them in the lake. At $36, the only loss you’re getting is a slightly less resilient frame (the Rios have a slightly off-canter fit) and no protective layers for the extra-thick polarized film. Optic Nerve simply does away with the polycarbonate altogether and instead uses a 1.1-mm-thick film as the complete lens. It’s cheaper, lighter and perhaps less durable in the long run. The Rio is a small frame built for small faces, has minimal coverage, but delivers great optical clarity and only a hint of silvery distortion. Lifetime warranty. Info: (800) 234-0735, www.nerveusa.com. Orosi "Tsali," rose tint, $95 Orosi is the only company that builds shades exclusively for paddlers. The Tsali is neither flashy nor overly distracting stylistically. A modified classic-wrap design, it’s one of the most comfortable shades we’ve tried on. Great optics, superior coverage and a tint dark enough to last a summer day on the water, the Tsali also boasts a Grilamid frame structure, which is a super-flexible, and resilient plastic less likely to allow the lenses to pop out in a capsize. The Tsali is a larger frame for large faces, and the shades come with a bomb-proof, spring-hinge, metal case. Info: (866) GO OROSI, www.orosi.com. Smith "Spawn," gray tint, $99 A solid shade from a consistently solid company, the Spawn possesses a pleasingly dark lens and full coverage for someone with a medium- to small-sized face. The "Carbonic" lens material delivers adequate clarity, and the frames fit comfortably and snugly with rubber pads under the nose bridge and on the bottom of the rear of the temples (which avoids that unpleasant hair-pulling you often get with fully rubber-wrapped temples). Smith’s successful answer to view-blockage is to make the Spawn’s frame very thin at the bottom and sides. A no-frills, classically styled frame, the Spawn is a safe bet for fans of the Smith brand. Info: (208) 726-4477, www.smithoptics.com. Spy "Scoop HS," brown tint, $120 The guys at Spy have this strange Halloween thing going on. Every pair of Spy shades has a detailed black and orange trim adorning or dominating it and comes in a safety-orange cloth bag. But Spy’s got a cult following, and the more you try out their shades, the more you understand why. Despite any super-technical (or just simply odd) stylistic distractions (check out the screen mesh air-intake ports at the sides of the lenses), the Scoop HS has truly great optical clarity. Combine that with good coverage and a snug, no-nonsense fit, and you get a strong, performance sunglass. The only issue here is a high level of silvery visual distortion accompanying the polarization. Info: (800) SPY EYES, www.spyoptic.com. Zeal "Thrust," rose tint, $99 Although not a newcomer, Zeal is slowly making a name for itself by paying a great deal of attention to the technical details of their shades. For example, the Thrust’s frames below the lenses shift from black to clear to reduce visual blockage. The rubber nosepieces are actually reversible so that you can adjust how much padding you get. And the backsides of the temples have an integrated sticky silicone- type layer that holds them firm with your skin. The Thrusts are a touch small on coverage and could use a bit darker tinting to make them daylong shades. A good pick for someone with a medium- to small-sized face, the solid optical clarity and lifetime warranty make Zeals worth taking a good look at, or through. Info: (435) 259-6970, www.zealoptics.com. Originally Published, Paddler September-October 2002 |
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