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Reviews > Eye Protection and Binoculars > Sun Glasses > Guideline Eyewear Spray Sunglasses > Test Report by Nancy Griffith

GUIDELINE EYEGEAR SPRAY SUNGLASSES
TEST SERIES BY NANCY GRIFFITH
LONG-TERM REPORT
February 28, 2015

CLICK HERE TO SKIP TO THE FIELD REPORT
CLICK HERE TO SKIP TO THE LONG-TERM REPORT

TESTER INFORMATION

NAME: Nancy Griffith
EMAIL: bkpkrgirlATyahooDOTcom
AGE: 48
LOCATION: Northern California, USA
GENDER: F
HEIGHT: 5' 6" (1.68 m)
WEIGHT: 130 lb (59.00 kg)

My outdoor experience began in high school with a canoeing/camping group which made a 10-day voyage through the Quebec wilds. I've been backpacking since my college days in Pennsylvania. I have hiked all of the Appalachian Trail in Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina. My typical trip now is in the Sierra Nevada in California and is from a few days to a few weeks long. Over the past few years I have lowered my pack weight to a lightweight base weight of 15 lb (6.8 kg) and use a tent, stove and quilt.


INITIAL REPORT

PRODUCT INFORMATION & SPECIFICATIONS

Guideline Spray
Photo: © Fisherman Eyewear
Manufacturer: Fisherman Eyewear
Year of Manufacture: 2014
Manufacturer's Website: http://www.glpolarized.com
MSRP: $49.95
Listed Weight: Not Listed
Measured Weight: 0.8 oz (23 g)
Color Tested (Frame / Lens): Matte Brown Tortoise / Brown
Other Colors Available: Matte Black / Gray, Matte Black / Amber
Made in China


PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

The Guideline Eyegear Spray sunglasses are what I call blade type with no rim around the sides and bottom of the lenses. The 1.4mm (1/16 in) thick polycarbonate lenses are polarized with 100% UVA and UVB ray protection. There is a small opening at the top of the lenses supposedly to provide for ventilation airflow to reduce fogging. The rubberized nose pads are floating on a wire held out away from the frame. The temples have rubber molded on for grip.

The polymer frame material is called Grilamid BTR bioPlastic which is made from 54% castor bean oil instead of traditional crude oil. They also claim that by using this material there is 44% less CO2 emissions created during production. It is supposed to be very durable and flexible and is also fully recyclable.

They come with a soft case that has a hard support to keep it from crushing. The case is lightweight and is closed with a hook-and-loop closure.

The glasses are also available in a prescription lens.

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS & TRYING THEM OUT

I've been interested in Guideline Eyegear for some time but this is my first pair of their sunglasses. I have also never owned a pair of polarized sunglasses so I'm very keen to try that out. I was very happy to see that they offer a brown pair of glasses since most sunglasses come with black frames which aren't the most flattering for my lighter skin and hair color. I was a little concerned at how well they would fit since they are advertised as being 'best for medium to large faces'. However, they fit well on my smaller face.

The first thing that I noticed when I put them on was how clear the lenses are. I wasn't sure if that just meant that my usual sunglasses are scratched but when I went back and forth I still like the color and clarity of these lenses better than my old ones. I also love the lack of frame around the sides and find it very noticeable. It makes my view so much less obstructed. Unfortunately softball season is over for this year, but I can't wait to try them for that since I'll be able to see the ball without the frame blocking my view.

So far I'm really impressed with the clarity and comfort of the glasses so I don't want to compromise them. I'm not accustomed to bother using cases for sunglasses but I may try it with these just to keep the lenses in the best shape possible.

THE WARRANTY

The sunglasses have a lifetime warranty against defects in workmanship and materials. Nice. Of course this doesn't include normal wear or scratched lenses which is to be expected.



LONG-TERM REPORT

LONG-TERM TEST LOCATIONS AND CONDITIONS

Pyramid PeakI wore the Spray on a nearly daily basis during most of the test period since we had so much nice sunny weather over the winter. I wore them on four backpacking trips for eleven days as well as for two car camping trips, thirteen day hikes and two snowshoe day hikes. I also wore them for mountain biking, softball, fishing, disc golf, yard work and for driving. Some examples of my usage include:

Backpacking:
Desolation Wilderness, California: 3 days; 17 mi (27 km); 6,700 to 9,983 ft (2,042 and 3,043 m) elevation; 39 to 65 F (4 to 18 C) with clear to cloudy and windy conditions.

Point Reyes National Seashore, California: 3 days; 19 mi (31 km); 0 to 780 ft (238 m); 50 to 66 F (10 to 19 C) with heavy mist, partly cloudy and sunny conditions

Pacific Crest Trail, Southern California: 3 days; 35 mi (56 km); 2,245 to 4,500 ft (684 to 1,372 m); 39 to 74 F (4 to 23 C) with clear to partly cloudy conditions

Snowshoe Backpacking:
Rubicon Trail, Sierra Nevada, California: 2 days; 10 mi (16 km); 6,327 to 6,500 ft (1,928 to 1,981 m); 30 to 59 F (-1 to 15 C) with clear conditions and gusty winds

Snowshoeing:
Loon Lake, Sierra Nevada, California: 2.5 mi (4 km); 6,327 to 6,478 (1,928 to 1,974 m); 32 F (0 C) with snow and sleet

PERFORMANCE IN THE FIELD

PCTAlthough I usually never use cases for my sunglasses, I tried to always use the protective case with these because I like how clear the lenses are and want to keep them that way for as long as I can.

I really appreciated the clarity of these glasses and the lack of a frame around the lower portion allowed me to see very well for playing outfield in softball. I'm amazed how clear the glasses still are with no noticeable scratches at all despite a lot of use. The polarized lenses were nice for fishing and seemed to reduce glare considerably.

The tint is a nice compromise. I found the lenses to provide good protection while not being so dark that I had to remove them in the shade. This is particularly useful while mountain biking and transitioning back and forth from dark shade to bright sun. I often forgot that I still had the sunglasses on since they are so comfortable and the lens clarity is so good.

On one backpacking trip, I was attempting to break some branches for campfire wood and managed to nearly knock myself out with a projectile that hit me square in the eye. The Spray sunglasses protected my eye completely although the wood hit so hard that the lens of the glasses cut into my cheek and the nose pad into my nose. I had a nice cut and bruise for days. Amazingly the lens was not even scratched! The floating nose pad was slightly bent but was easily moved back into position with no permanent damage. The Spray don't claim to have a safety glass rating but they certainly worked as safety glasses in this instance.

I absolutely love these sunglasses and will certainly look at Guideline Eyegear in the future when I or my husband need a replacement pair. They are a great value as compared to any other sunglasses that I've ever owned (and I've owned a lot of sunglasses over the years). The price point is amazingly low for the quality and durability of these glasses.

I don't have any complaints at all and if pressed to come up with a negative, the only thing that I can think of is that the nose pads stick to my nose when the glasses are left in place for a while. It seems that the type of material wants to stick so well that when I remove the glasses it almost hurts my nose to detach them.

SUMMARY

The Guideline Eyegear Spray sunglasses are a lightweight, quality pair of performance glasses which turned out to have amazingly high scratch resistance and an amazingly low price.

Love It:
No rim around sides and bottom
Brown color option
Protected my eye!
NO scratches
Great value

Not so great:
Nose pads stick to my nose

This concludes my Long-Term Report and this test series. Thanks to Fisherman Eyewear and BackpackGearTest.org for the opportunity to test these wonderful sunglasses.

This report was created with the BackpackGearTest.org Report Writer Version 1. Copyright 2015. All rights reserved.
Read more gear reviews by Nancy Griffith

Reviews > Eye Protection and Binoculars > Sun Glasses > Guideline Eyewear Spray Sunglasses > Test Report by Nancy Griffith



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