Product Description
The Cocoons OveRx Sunglasses are designed
to be worn over prescription eyewear. The Cocoons are not
a clip-on type of lens; they are a full sunglass design.
Features:
- 360 degrees of eye protection from the
sun (lenses on the side of the temples of the frame)
- Frame is made of strong ballistic nylon
with a soft finish
- Flex2Fit temples (flexible ear pieces
with a wire core that enables them to be manually bent
for a better fit)
- Polaré Polarized Lenses (available
in the gray, amber, copper, or yellow lenses)-the polarization
rearranges light and allows one to see through the harsh
glare and reflection. The lenses are made to be durable,
lightweight, and scratch resistant. They exceed optical
properties of Class 1 European Standard.
- Accessories included: zippered neoprene
case (with a belt clip and hang clip), lens cloth, and
instructions
Initial Impressions
While hiking, backpacking, and enjoying
the outdoors; I always wear sunglasses (unless I forget them,
which is rare). For a few years I was wearing clip-on sunglasses
over my prescription glasses. Then I purchased an expensive
pair of prescription polarized sunglasses. Now I am going
to try the Cocoons OveRx Sunglasses over two of my prescription
glasses.
I viewed the sizing chart on the Internet
and I was torn between two sizes. I have two pairs of prescription
glasses that I will be wearing with these sunglasses. Both
are wide frames with half framed lenses measuring 125 mm
(4.92 in) in width. The lenses are small; measuring 25 to
30 mm (0.98 to 1.18 in) in height. Based on the measurements
of my glasses the Mini Slim will work best for me. Live Eyewear
assisted me in making this decision by sending me a few different
styles to see which one would work the best. My widest glasses
that measure 133 mm (5.25 in) wide are just a hair too wide
for the Mini Slim glasses. That will be OK because I have
two other pairs of glasses I can wear with them.
The Cocoons Sunglasses come in many frame
color to choose from. But, I found it most important to select
the lens color that would be best suited for the amount of
light transmission that I wanted. So, I selected the amber
lens. This lens has the lowest light transmission of all
the Cocoons lenses at 14%. All the Cocoons lenses have 100%
UVA/UVB protection. The amber lens is designed to increase
contrast by providing improved depth perception in varying
light conditions.
The adjustable temples were easily bent
with not much effort to fit the Cocoons Sunglasses. I have
them adjusted so they are not too snug, but also so they
do not slide forward on my nose or off my face. The initial
fit feels comfortable without any sore spots.
I wore them for a brief period outside prior
to writing this report and I found that they filtered the
sunlight and the glare so that I was not squinting. Thus
far they are working well.
Field
Report
April
5,
2011 |
Testing Locations
Coyote Buttes North, Arizona/Utah: The
Cocoons were used here on a day hike for about 10 mi (16
km). The temperatures were in the 50's F (11 C). The elevation
at the Wave was 5,200 ft (1,585 m).
Mt. San Jacinto State Park, California: The
Cocoons were worn here for two days snowshoeing to an elevation
around 9,000 ft (2,750 m). The temperatures ranged from the
30's F to the mid 40's F (-1 C to 4 C). There was hard pack
and some powder snow on the trail.
Southern California: The
Cocoons were worn on early evening
hikes in El Moro, Limestone Canyon, Orchard Hills, and on
the beach path. There was no precipitation on these hikes/outings.
The temperatures were in the mid 40's F (4 C) to the low
60's F (16 C).
In addition to the above locations the Cocoons
were worn frequently while driving and getting from point
to point while I was wearing my prescription glasses. There
were a few occasions that I was wearing my contacts and I
forgot my regular sunglasses; I had the Cocoons in my car
and they came in handy.
Performance in the
Field
Since January I have been wearing the Cocoons
Mini Slim Sunglasses on almost a daily basis over my prescription
glasses. I have also worn them while wearing contacts because
I forgot my regular sunglasses. The Cocoons are very lightweight.
At first I found the Mini Slims slightly
awkward while wearing them over my prescription glasses;
this was because of how wide the Cocoons glasses are. I
would actually like to see the Cocoons available in more
sizing options, especially for smaller prescription lenses.
I needed the Mini Slim model of the Cocoons due to the
width of my prescription frames; my prescription lenses
are so small and the Cocoons look large over my prescription
glasses.
So far my initial fit of the Cocoons is
good. There has not been any irritation on my ears and the
sunglasses have not been sliding down off my nose. They were
easy to initially fit. Just a little bit of bending
is all it takes, no heating them up or taking them to
an eye care professional.
The amber lenses are doing a good job of
blocking the light for my sensitive eyes. I have found that
they do not block as much light as some of my other sunglasses,
but I have not found this to be an issue. The lenses are
blocking the bright harsh sunlight, reflection off pavement
and water, and adding a nice tint to the world that I am
viewing. The amber lenses are not too dark that they can
not be worn in shaded areas, at dusk, or indoors; I was happy
that I could still see while hiking and driving. I noticed
that there is no distortion with these lenses; I have found
sometimes with inexpensive polarized lenses there is some
distortion.
I like the fact that there is eye protection
in the temple area of the Cocoons, but I am having an issue
with the temple portion of the frame obstructing my vision.
I am noticing this especially when I am driving as I have
to use my peripheral vision more than when I am hiking or
walking. This issue may be due to the face that the Cocoons
are large on my face or just the design. I notice that the
lower corners of my visual field have the greatest visual
obstruction. Also when I am looking straight forward my peripheral
vision is also bothered by this temple area. I am noticing
where the frame and the temple eye protection meet and at
times it is annoying.
Long
Term Report
June
1, 2011 |
Testing
Locations
Wasatch Mountains and St. George
area, Utah: The
Cocoons were worn here on days hikes and while camping. It
was mostly sunny and the temperatures ranged from the low
70's F (21 C) to the mid 90's F (35 C).
Southern California: The
Cocoons were worn on hikes in El Moro and Orchard Hills.
It was mostly sunny on these hikes/outings, but there were
days that it was misty and foggy. The temperatures were
the low 60's F (16 C) to the low 80's F (27 C).
The Mini Slims were also worn while driving
and on my beach walks after work in Southern California.
Performance in the
Field
The
Cocoons Mini Slim Sunglasses have been worn in the field
the past two months with two different pairs of eyeglasses.
There were times that I wore them with my contacts when
I forgot my regular sunglasses. This worked to protect
my eyes, but not the most ideal situation since the Mini
Slim Sunglasses are so large on my face.
These
sunglasses are lightweight, durable, and do not cause
any irritation. They have been dropped on the ground
and luckily they did not become scratched. The nylon
frame composition is strong and does not become bent
after wearing hats or due to switching between different
eyeglasses. The Mini Slims have been staying in
place over my glasses and are not sliding off my nose or
ears. There is also no irritation where they rest on my
nose or ears.
I am still finding
the Mini Slims to be wide and quite large. It surprises
me how large they are since they are on the smaller end
of the sizing scale. Both of my eyeglasses have small
frames and lenses and the Mini Slim was the best fit. I
would like to see more options with the Cocoons Sunglasses to better fit smaller
lenses.
I am still finding
the temple portion of the frame obstructing my vision.
This is a nuisance especially while driving when I have
to use my peripheral vision.
The amber lenses are
still providing good eye protection and glare reduction,
but they allow more light transmission than I prefer. I
generally like darker lenses due to the sensitivity
of my eyes. I have worn them in cloudy conditions
and wooded areas and they still allow enough light
transmission that I can see the trail.
Summary
I like the concept
of the Cocoons Sunglasses. They offer good eye protection
with a lightweight and durable frame. The lenses of the
Mini Slims are rather large for the size of my eyeglasses,
but in Hollywood large glasses are in.
Things That Rock:
- Easy to fit
- Comfortable on my ears and nose
- Sizing chart is accurate
- Good light filtration
- No glare
Things That Are So-So:
- Look large on my face
- Field of view obstruction
Remarks
This
concludes my long term reporting of the Cocoons OveRx
Sunglasses. Thank you Live Eyewear and BackpackGearTest.org
for providing me with the opportunity to test the Cocoons
OveRx Sunglasses. |
