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Reviews > Eye Protection and Binoculars > Sun Glasses > Native Eyewear Dash XP > Test Report by Brian Tannehill

NATIVE DASH EYEWEAR
TEST SERIES BY BRIAN TANNEHILL
LONG-TERM REPORT
September 27, 2008

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

TESTER INFORMATION

NAME: Brian Tannehill
EMAIL: tannehillclan (at) gmail (dot) com
AGE: 33
LOCATION: Colorado Springs, Co
GENDER: M
HEIGHT: 5' 7" (1.70 m)
WEIGHT: 185 lb (83.90 kg)

I am fairly new to backpacking, but I have hunted/fished/camped all my life in East Texas, Colorado, and California. My young kids (4, 10, 12) limit me to weekend overnight camping trips, or day hikes Geocaching. I am also an avid mountain biker. Currently I live in Colorado Springs, Co at the base of the Rocky Mountains. Pike National Forest surrounds me at 9000 - 14,110 feet (2743 m - 4301 m). Snow can happen 10 months out of the year and summer is the hottest reaching 65 F + (18 C +), the other months average 45 F (7 C).


INITIAL REPORT

PRODUCT INFORMATION & SPECIFICATIONS

Logo
Fig 1 courtesy of Native



Manufacturer: Native Eyewear
Year of Manufacture: 2008
Manufacturer's Website: http://www.nativeyewear.com
MSRP: US$ 115.00
Listed Weight: 0.65 ounces (18 grams)
Measured Weight:
Frames and black polarized lens : 0.62 ounces (17 grams)
Extra yellow lenses: 0.25 oz (4 grams)
Black polarized: 0.25 oz (4 grams)
Frames without lenses: 0.375 oz (10 grams)
Carry case: 3.125 oz (88 grams)
Cleaning bag: 0.375 oz (10 grams)

Other details from the web site: Interchangeable Lenses, Rhyno-Tuff ® Air Frames, Venting, Cushinol™, Mastoid Temple Grip™

Best fits a medium to large profile

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS

My wife called me at work when the glasses arrived. Her first statement about them was they looked cheap. When I got home and examined them, I was very impressed. The glasses are really lightweight and sturdy.

front
Fig 2 courtesy of Native



side
Fig 3 courtesy of Native



These glasses are pretty much what I expected after viewing them on the web site. The packaging included the black frames with asphalt colored lenses, a semi hard zippered carrying case, a soft cleaning/carrying bag, an extra set of lenses, and a sunglass cord to secure them to my head. The lenses are easy to change out, however I am concerned about wear and tear on those points over time. I like the fact it comes with a carry/cleaning bag to clean the lenses after installing new ones. The glasses are covered under a lifetime warranty. Everything is covered including scratched lenses. There is however a $30.00 US processing fee.

READING THE INSTRUCTIONS

The instructions are simple. There are pictures to explain the process.

To remove the lens, grasp the lens in the middle with thumb and index finger and in one motion pull lens slightly away from nose area then down.

To install lens, holding lens by the edges, insert squared lens peg into nose area socket. Insert rounded lens peg into side-arm socket while gently flexing lens.

I'm like a bull in a china shop sometimes, so to "gently" do something is sometimes tough. I was a bit concerned about installing the lenses as they did feel like I could break them pretty easily. I've now become comfortable after installing them a few times.

TRYING IT OUT

I've worn these glasses now everyday for 6 days. They stay in place!!! I can't say that enough. Sometimes it feels as if I have to pop them off my head. I can't believe how well they fit. They do not slip down my nose, and they do not put any pressure on my temples or side of my head.

However, I do wish the lenses were just a hair bit bigger. I've used them while fishing and some of the reflection off the water gets in under the lens or in from the side. My wife mentioned they look small on my face as well.

The black polarized lenses work good for fishing. I can see fish and objects under the water that I have not seen before. The water here in Colorado is very clear. These glasses cut the glare and reflection from the water and allow me to see things I normally would not have seen.

I have noticed on some occasion that with the black lenses, I get a reflection of my face on the inside part of the lens. It's kind of annoying when I see my reflection.

TESTING STRATEGY

Here is my testing strategy for the duration of this test series.

Scratch Resistant:
How scratch resistant are the lenses? While I have a hard case for my glasses, I do leave them around a lot, and most have gotten scratched. How will these hold up? They will have to handle being shoved in a pocket or in a pack sometimes without the hard case. Will the lenses delaminate over time?

Staying in place on my face:
I have an oily complexion, and sunglasses tend to fall down my face. The Native glasses tout a self adjusting Cushinol nose pad, that stays in place. How well do these glasses ride on my face? The nose pieces do not look to be adjustable. They are made of some Cushinol material, which I have no idea what it is. Will they stay on my face?

Interchangeable lenses:
How easy are these lenses to change out? Other pairs of interchangeable lenses/glasses I have owned were fairly easy, and had a secure fit once in place. How secure are these lenses? Over time will they wear out and not hold the lenses as well? Will they fall out while running? Biking? How will they hold up to impact? The web site says they have an Anti Ocular Intrusion system that keeps the lenses from hitting your eyes in a high velocity impact. What are they expecting? Hopefully that won't happen, but while mountain biking I could see getting hit in the face by a limb or something.

Interchangeable Gator-Lok temples:
The website touts a quick and easy interchangeable system for more extreme use. Looks like they have a strap that goes with the glasses that I can change out when I need a more secure fit. How well does this hold up over time?

I have a pair of glasses now that have a similar system. They were issue items and have a ventilation system around the lenses. I notice that when I wear the glasses with the strap, they force more of the lens onto my face, and this causes the lenses to fog up pretty quick. Will this happen with the Native glasses as well?

SUMMARY

In summary, I am so far impressed with these glasses. They fit well and stay in place on my face. They are very light weight as well.

This concludes my Initial report. Please check back in about 2 months (end of July) for the Field Report.


FIELD REPORT

FIELD LOCATIONS AND CONDITIONS

Since the initial report I've worn these glasses everyday for the past two months for a total of 60 days. Conditions have ranged from cool crisp mornings to 100+ F (38 C) in the desert of Las Vegas. I've worn them on five different four mile (6.4 km) trail runs and one six mile (9.6 km) road run for the Bolder Boulder Race. I've worn them while driving to work in the morning, due east and the sun is directly in my face for 30 + mins. I wear them for work, while playing sports, exercising, and even while building stuff.

PERFORMANCE IN THE FIELD

These glasses have performed great for the abuse I have put them through. They have been dropped a number of times (at LEAST close to 10) on everything from rocks to pavement to grass. There are a some chips in the lenses but nothing major that I can notice while wearing. I had to use the macro setting on my camera and get within 2-3 inches (5-7 cm) to take the picture to see the chips.
scratch1
Fig 4


There are maybe a dozen or so little chips on the front of the lenses, and some minor chips on the bottom edges of the lenses.
edge
Fig 5

scratch2
Fig 6


The lenses have fogged up on me some. On 26 May 2008 I ran the Bolder Boulder 6.2 mile (10K) road race. Temperatures were about 52 deg F (11 C), cloudy, and rainy. It rained on me about mile 5 (8 km), and the glasses started to fog up. I took them off, and propped them on my head and they fogged over even worse. At that point I had to take them off, wipe them down with my shirt, and then put them back on my face.

I also noticed one morning while playing ultimate frisbee that the glasses would fog up on me ever so slightly. It happened just after a long sprint. I was walking into a stiff wind about 8 mph (13 kmh) and I was breathing really heavy. I noticed the wind was pushing my breath back into my face and fogging up the glasses. This didn't last but just a second or two and immediately cleared up. Since those times I have not noticed them fogging up anymore.

A couple of things have broken on the glasses and case. The first is the nose piece on the glasses. When I received them, I noticed a few days after the initial report that one of the nose pieces was coming out. I only glued it back in place around the 24th of July. I waited as long as I could, and surprisingly it held up well, but eventually I had to glue the piece back in place. Fig 7 is a picture taken about a week and a half after I glued it back in place. I used superglue and I already need to try and glue it in place again or send them back to the company.
nose
Fig 7


The other thing that broke is the zipper handle on the sunglass case.
case
Fig 8

It's not really a big deal, just makes the case a bit harder to close now. If that's the least of my worries then I have it made.

Now the good stuff! Like I said earlier I've worn these glasses every day. Recently I wore them while working in the Las Vegas, Nevada heat. Temperatures ran around 105-107 F (40.5 - 41.6 C) for the whole time I was there. I didn't work directly in the heat all day, but I did have to go out in the heat numerous times in the day. I also ran in the late evenings outside with the sunglasses on. The glasses stayed in place on my face great, even while pouring down with sweat.

I also wore the glasses on the drive to and from Las Vegas, for a total of 4 days total, 2 there and 2 back (16 hours drive time). On the way back, I noticed with my oily complexion that the glasses would slip down my nose some. I fixed this by wiping the bridge of my nose off occasionally, and cleaning the nose pieces of the glasses.

SUMMARY

So far I absolutely love these glasses. They are light, durable, and fit well on my face.

This concludes my field report.


LONG-TERM REPORT

LONG-TERM TEST LOCATIONS AND CONDITIONS

Since the start of this test series, I've worn these glasses everyday for the past four months for a total of 120 days. Conditions have ranged from cool crisp mornings to 100+ F (38 C) in the desert of Las Vegas. I've worn them on five different four mile (6.4 km) trail runs and one six mile (9.6 km) road run for the Bolder Boulder Race. I've worn them while driving to work in the morning, due east and the sun is directly in my face for 30 + mins. I wore them while out hiking the last four weekends of September 2008 though Pike National Forest, just west of Colorado Springs, Colorado. Conditions there included mostly bushwaking though small meadows and up and down numerous hills. Temperaturs there ranged from the high 30's F (-1 C) to the low 60's F (16 C). One weekend was foggy/rainy but the majority of them were sunny. I also wore them for work, while playing sports, exercising, hunting, fishing, and even while building stuff.

PERFORMANCE IN THE FIELD

Overall I love these glasses. There is not much to report here, except they work. They are light, sturdy, and fit well to my face. I do have a wider face and these glasses fit well around my head. I have not noticed any stretching of the arms, nor have I noticed any scratches or any more nicks in the lenses than I reported in my field report. I did note in the last report that one of the nose pieces was coming out. After I tried to fix them in the field report, I still have the same problem. I have not sent them back for repair yet. Other than that these glasses have held up great!

I used the yellow lenses during low light conditions while out bushwacking the last four weekends of September 2008. Through those four weekends alone I walked four miles a day in them for a total of 12 days out in the woods. I was mostly bushwacking through the forest hiking up and down hills, through fields and downed timber. I was constantly going in and out from light to dark, and the yellow lenses worked well for that. They work well, and everything seems a bit crisper to me while wearing the yellow lenses. However I have mainly used the black polarized lenses as that's what I am allowed to wear in uniform.

On colder mornings when I am out running/hiking I do notice some fogging of the lenses. This is usually when I stop to take a break though. As long as I have air flow moving over the glasses they do not fog up.

Things I like about these glasses:
1. Lightweight
2. Comfortable
3. Sturdy

Things I do not like about these glasses:
1. They fog up some when I get hot
2. They slip some when my face is oily.

SUMMARY

These glasses worked great! I liked wearing them, they were comfortable, fit well, and held up to my abuse. I will continue to wear these glasses for everyday use and all other activities.

This concludes my report series. Thanks to BackPackGearTest and Native for allowing me to test these sunglasses.

This report was created with the BackpackGearTest.org Report Writer Version 1. Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Read more gear reviews by Brian Tannehill

Reviews > Eye Protection and Binoculars > Sun Glasses > Native Eyewear Dash XP > Test Report by Brian Tannehill



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