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Reviews > Eye Protection and Binoculars > Sun Glasses > Guideline Eyewear Spray Sunglasses > Test Report by Duane Lawrence


GUIDELINE EYEGEAR - SPRAY SUNGLASSES

 by Duane Lawrence

Initial Review - October 14, 2014

Final Report - March 3, 2015

Tester Information

Name: Duane Lawrence
Email: duanesgear AT yahoo DOT ca
Age: 42
Location: Sparwood, British Columbia, Canada
Gender: Male
Height: 5 ft 9 in (1.79 m)
Weight: 160 lb (72.6 kg)

I have been an avid outdoor enthusiast for the past 25 years.   I enjoy a variety of outdoor activities including mountaineering, day hikes, multi-day backpacking trips, river and ocean kayaking, backcountry skiing, snowshoeing, mountain biking and rock climbing. I have climbed and hiked throughout British Columbia, the United States and when opportunity presents itself in Europe and India. I carry a wide variety of gear depending on the type and length of trip.  I am a Search and Rescue team member in the Southern Rockies and am part of the swift water, rope rescue technical teams and ground search team.

Initial Report - October 14, 1014

Product Information

Manufacturer: Guideline Eyegear

Manufacturer's URL: http://glpolarized.com
Year of Manufacture: 2014
Model: Spray Sunglasses
MSRP: US $49.95
Colors Available: Matt Grey, Brown and Tortoise
Lenses Colors:
Amber, Brown, Grey
Color Reviewed: Matt Grey with Grey Lenses
Listed Weight: 1 oz (29 g)
Measured Weight: 0.8 oz (22.7 g) Glasses; 1.3 oz (36.7 g) Case
Construction 1.4 mm (0.06 in) Polycarbonate Lenses and  Polycarbonate Frame
Fit:
Medium to Large Faces
Features:
Polarized, 100% UVA and UVB Lenses, Vented Lenses, Protective Case, Floating Nose Pads

Product Overview 

The Guideline Eyegear Spray Sunglasses are available in three styles, matte brown tortoise with brown lenses, matte black with grey lenses and matte black with amber lenses.  The lenses are rated as polarized with 100% UVA and UVB protection.  They are made of a light weight polycarbonate, weighing in at 0.8 oz (22.7 g).  Guideline Eyegear has incorporated venting into the lenses and floating nose pads that can be adjusted to ensure a good fit. Guideline Eyegear has also included a semi-ridged protective case with the glasses.

First Impressions 

The light weight fames and lenses were a comfortable fit.  The flexible nose pieces are adjustable which helped in creating a good fit and allow for adjustments in order to reduce pressure points on the nose bridge.  The frame fits well with the arms hugging my medium sized face and appear to hold snugly enough to ensure they do not slip during activities.  The arms are rubberized which further grip the sides of my head. The glasses come with a protective, semi-firm case that should protect the glasses from breaking when thrown in a pack and will also help protect the lenses from scratching.  The curved design fit my face well and gives the impression of full protection from glare that could pass by the protective lenses from the sides of the glasses.  Overall the Guideline Eyegear Spray Sunglasses appear to be a solid pair of sunglasses that will be ideal for hiking and skiing.

Testing Plan

Throughout the test period I will be looking at fit and how they perform in a variety of light conditions.  I anticipate using them in moderate to strong light and throughout the winter for skiing.  I will be interested to see if the vented lenses keep the lenses clear during cold conditions where vapor accumulates from heavy breathing.  I am also interested in seeing how they preform when it is snowing, keeping the snow away from the eyes and how the polarized lenses preform in high glare conditions.  Other things I will be looking at are durability, scratch resistance, how well they hug the face and overall performance. 

Summary

The Guideline Eyegear Spray Sunglasses are light weight and form fitting.  The adjustable nose piece allow for me to adjust the fit and support on the nose bridge and the lenses venting look to offer good vapor control and will hopefully keep the lenses clear.  The case also looks to be well constructed and will help protect the glasses e even when thrown in a pack.  With overly sensitive eyes in bright light conditions I am looking forward seeing how the Spray Sunglasses polarized lenses and UVA and UVB treatments help keep me from squinting all the time.  Many thanks to Guideline Eyegear and BackpackGearTest.org for this testing opportunity.      

Final Report - March 1, 2015

Test Conditions

I wore the Spray sunglasses almost every day for the past four months and thanks to a holiday in the Caribbean was able to test them out in a wide variety of conditions, beyond just snow.  I spent a week in the Dominican Republic on the beach and ocean, hiking, sailing and just enjoying the beautiful Caribbean sun.  Temperatures ranged to upwards of 30 C (54 F) and I wore the glasses on the ocean sailing, in the water, and just on the beach.  Back home I used them on a couple of day hikes up local mountains with a maximum elevation of 2410 m (7907 ft) with weather conditions of mixed sun and cloud with a low of -6 C (-11 F).  I used the glasses on a variety of back country ski trips including two day trips and one five day hut tip.  Temperatures ranged from +6 C (11 F) to -14 C (-25 F).  Weather conditions ranged from fog in the alpine, light snow, wind, bright sunny days, rain, full cloud cover to a mix of sun and cloud.  During the ski in and out of the alpine and during the hikes the glasses were worn during the transitions periods between shaded forest trails to open meadows. Overall I was able to use the glasses in the back country during seven overnights and eight day trips plus regular everyday usage driving and walking around town.


Observations

I tried not to treat these glasses any differently than I normally do in order to see how they would live up to everyday abuse and was very pleased with their performance.  Normally I am very picky about the sun glasses I wear due to overly sensitive eyes, bright light gives me headaches so I end up wearing sunglasses a lot, but the weight, polarized lenses and overall fit of the glasses performed very well. The glasses are very light and the adjustable nose piece allowed me to get a good fit on the bridge of my nose and throughout the entirety of the test period they did not slip.  The flexible arms fit snugly against the side of my head and retained their grip throughout the test period.   The case was an added bonus.  I've never used one before but really liked the fact that I had somewhere to store them without having to worry that I would scratch the lenses or crush them.  The case kept them clean and the semi-rigidness of the case saved them from being crushed in my pack.  I usually use my shirt or anything handy to clean the lenses but having the case allowed me to keep a glass gleaning cloth handy which I used all the time.  Even with the specialized glass cleaning cloth I still used my shirt, toque and other garments to clean the glasses and was happy to note that the lenses did not scratch at all.  Even being exposed to sand from the ocean and beach did not scratch the lenses.  

I really liked the polarized lenses and level of tint.  With shifting light intensities, bright sunlight reflecting off of snow then to cloud cover in the trees, refracted light in fog or direct sunlight the polarized lenses and ample tint provided the needed protection for my eyes.  I was concerned that the tint may have been a little dark for times spent in the trees but they were just fine.  Having them on also provided some excellent eye protection from tree branches.  During a four night ski trip the ski in went through some dense trees and bushes that had a ton of small branches right at eye level.  Honesty I lost count of the times the glasses kept branches out of my eyes.  It was also great to note that there were no scratches afterwards.  Guideline dose not list these glasses as certified for eye protection but they did a fantastic job regardless.

The Spray sunglasses are designed to wrap around the side of the head which proved a great design feature.  With lost sun and snow there is typically a lot of light penetration that occurs from the gaps at the side of the head and between the glasses.  These glasses fit snugly around the side of my head and limited any unfiltered light from getting to my eyes.  The wrap around style was also great at keeping rain and falling snow away from my eyes when skiing.  Yes, we skied in the rain, crazy weather year around here with unseasonably warm temperatures.

I was really hoping that the venting would prevent fogging but sadly it did not.  That being said I do not think any design could.  When skiing with a large overnight pack I sweat and invariably my glasses fog up.  The Spray sunglasses did an admirable job of staying clear but unless there was a breeze they still fogged up.  I did note that even a little breeze kept them clear or cleared them of vapor on the lenses. Overall I think they did a pretty good job of dealing with fogging.

Overall I was very happy with the Spray sunglasses.  The fit, polarized lenses, good amount of tint and overall design lived up to and beyond expectations.  Whether it was the intense Caribbean sun on the ocean or beach, reflected light off of snow or the transition from shade to bright intense sun light they did great.  Whether worn for everyday regular use or in the rain and snow on a backpacking trip I would totally recommend the Spray sunglasses. I do not have any complaints regarding these glasses, even the fogging up was expected as I have never had a pair of glasses not fog up when backpacking.  The design actually did a great job of dealing with vapor build up as soon as a breeze came up.  

Summary

The Guideline Spray sunglasses are a well designed performance pair of sunglasses. The light weight, wrap around design provide great protection both from objects and light.  Overall a great pair of sunglasses that preform.

Likes
  • Wrap around design
  • Light weight
  • Adjustable noise piece
  • Do not scratch
  • Level of tint
  • Polarized lenses
Dislikes
  • None
This concludes my long-term report for the Spray sunglasses.  Thanks to Guideline Eyeware and BackpackGearTest.org for the opportunity to test the Spray sunglasses.


Read more gear reviews by Duane Lawrence

Reviews > Eye Protection and Binoculars > Sun Glasses > Guideline Eyewear Spray Sunglasses > Test Report by Duane Lawrence



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