Usage:
2 overnight (one night each) snowshoeing trips – Washington Cascades (5500’/1700 m)
12+ days of Nordic Skiing (Ski Patrol) – White Pass, Washington
1 day of Nordic Skiing (for fun) – White Pass, Washington
1 day hike – Bear Canyon, Eastern foothills, Washington Cascades
1 day hike – Cowiche Canyon, Yakima, Washington (with a side trip to a winery)
5 day family (holiday) trip to Cancun, Mexico
I
have been wearing these glasses for about 4 months now. I think it is
important to note that in addition to the above usage I have worn them
virtually every day since receiving them. This ranges from the short
drive (~10 min) to/from work to almost all day. I am sure there were a
few days I have not worn them, but I can’t recall any.
Fit/comfort:
I think a short story might illustrate this better than anything I
could describe. While snow camping, I snowshoed up to a ridge and
wandered around the trees on the top until I found a good camp spot. I
got mostly through setting up my tarp and arraigning my camp, packing
snow to make my temporary home a bit more comfortable and I was
surprised that despite it still being early evening, it was
surprisingly dark. So I figured I would need to hasten my preparations
and dig out my headlight while I could still see. It was not until I
attempted to scratch my nose that I realized the reason it was so dark
was that I was still wearing my sunglasses. Yes, more than once I have
completely forgotten I was wearing them. I am not sure I could want
more when it comes to glasses. Not once have I had any issue with them
rubbing or being too tight. This is especially notable since they do
not fit loosely. That is, they do not slip, nor have they come off when
moving my head quickly (or during the few times I have crashed while
skiing).
Lenses:
Despite some hard use the lenses are still in good shape. I can be ruff
on glasses, wiping them on whatever I have handy (shirt, paper napkin,
back of my glove, etc.), and have dropped these a few times including on
concrete and ice. And when not in use they tend to just be tossed on my
desk, or a table at home, or on the passenger seat when I am driving.
I
have found the tint to be a very good balance for a range of lighting.
I have yet to want them darker, even in the brightest light (Cancun
Mexico beach or Cascade snow) and while they are too dark for rain/fog
they are still usable in lower light levels such as light overcast.
They are advertised as being resistant to fog. While I have gotten them
to fog under extreme cases (e.g. pulling a heavy toboggan by my-self on
the cross-country ski trails) I have to say they do not fog easily and
when fogged they do clear quickly. These are as good if not slightly
better than other fog resistant glasses I have worn.
Frame: As
noted above these glasses fit me well and have been very comfortable
even during extended wear. I have worn them in hot (Mexico) and cold
(skiing in the Washington Cascades) temperatures, and in both dry and
humid conditions. The frames have been comfortable and show no visible
sign of wear or deterioration. And I have detected no signs of
loosening of the hinges.
If I were pressed to suggest any
change/improvement to these, the only thing I could think of would be
replaceable lenses. Since I wear my glasses to help protect my contacts
from drying and to reduce glare, I wear them even in low light
conditions such as rain, overcast, and even twilight. So being able to
replace the lenses with very light amber for those conditions would
make these ideal for me. But as it is, I fully expect to continue
wearing these as my primary glasses for the foreseeable future.
I
will conclude by saying that I would recommend these glasses to friends
and family, in fact I already have, and look forward to wearing them on
all my outings and adventures this coming summer.
Specifications from the manufacturer:
As
for fit, the glasses are intended for medium to large faces and I find
I fall into the large face category so they should be good for me, and
they seem to be. Putting them on the first time I noticed they seem to
fit quite well and are very light. The floating nose pads are attached
to a metal frame that is screwed to the glasses and can be adjusted. So
far I have not worn them for more than an hour or so at a stretch and
found the nose pads to be mostly comfortable. The ear pieces do not
seem to be adjustable short of heating them like is done at my eye
doctor’s office, but from what I have been able to tell so far they fit
me just fine as is; snug enough to stay on securely but not too tight.
Being as light weight as these glasses are 29 g (1 oz) I am looking
forward to seeing if they remain comfortable for extended use.