Specifications

Product Type: metal frame, plastic lens, gray tinted and polarized sunglasses
Maker: Oakley
Website: www.oakley.com

Model: A Wire
Version: Carbon/ Black Iridium Polarized
Lens Material: Plutonite (plastic)
Frame Material: C-5 alloy
Lens Tint (rate of light transmission): 9%
UV A, B and C wavelength blockage: 100%
Impact Protection: Meets ANSI Z87.1 standard
Manufacturer Weight and Dimensions: None specified
Measured Weight: 0.8 oz. (23 g)
Measured Lens Height & Total Width: 1 5/16  x 4 13/16 inches (34 x 122 mm)
Comes With: Microfiber storage bag, instructions
Country of Origin: USA
MSRP: $195
Year purchased: 2003

Reviewer Info (bio at end of review)

Rick Dreher
Redbike64 (at) hotmail (dot) com
Male, 51
Height: 6 ft (1.83 meters)
Weight: 175 lb (79 kg, 12.5 stones)
Head Size: Large
Location: Northern California
Years backpacking experience: 37

Review Date: June 14, 2005

Introduction

Sunglasses for mountain travel are serious business. It’s all too easy to damage eyes, temporarily or permanently, by exposing them to too much sunlight and glare. In the mountains the thinner air blocks less of the harmful portion of the sun’s spectrum and reflection from water, snow and ice compound the problem. Maintaining eye comfort is important too, as is preserving night vision.

I wore prescription glasses most of my early life so didn’t know or understand the benefits of “proper” sunglasses. I instead relied variously on clip-ons, goggles or prescription sunglasses, none of which worked particularly well for backpacking, I now realize. After finally getting contact lenses, I discovered what I was missing and have been an unrepentant sunglasses junkie ever since. The Oakley A Wire sunglasses are the pinnacle of my collection and my eyes have never been happier.

Environments of Use

I wear the A Wires hiking and bicycling, as well as around town (where I’m perceived as 2.5% cooler than without the A Wires). I’ve worn them in subfreezing weather and blazing hot—well above 100 F (38 C). I’ve worn them on day hikes and snowshoe trips, and weeklong backpack trips. I’ve used them from sea level to 12,400 feet (3,780 meters), at the coast and in the mountains, on exposed snow and granite, in deep woods and in broken shade. I can’t say how strong a wind I’ve worn the glasses in, but wearing them routinely cycle at about 20 mph and occasionally as fast as 50 mph (80 kph) (gravity-aided, of course).

Design, Materials and Construction

The Oakley A Wire-series sunglasses are metal-frame, plastic lens sports glasses available in a vast array of lens tints (nineteen in all), with or without temple springs. The review pair have “Black Iridium Polarized” lenses—the darkest that Oakley makes—and do not have spring frames. The lenses are made of a plastic Oakley calls “Plutonite,” which they claim passes a rigorous American National Standards Institute (ANSI) impact test. I can’t find any documentation of what type of plastic Plutonite might be. The plastic encasing the polarizing material is tinted neutral gray. The combination of polarizing material and tinted Plutonite makes these lenses significantly darker than far more common standard plain polarized lenses. The lenses are scratch-resistant, anti-glare coated and curved to closely fit the face. The lenses are also relatively narrow in height compared with a lot of sports shield-type sunglasses, making them fairly compact.

The metal (“high-modulus C-5 alloy”) frames differ significantly from typical glasses, especially the bows, which curve rather far from the temples and wrap against the side of the head above the ears but do not wrap behind the ears as do most glasses. If typical glasses viewed from above look like three-fourths of a square, the A Wires form the shape of a letter “C” with no straight sections. The frames completely encircle the lenses, i.e., there are no exposed lens edges as with some sports glasses. The A Wires hold to the head with to a combination of spring pressure from frame flex and the rubberized pads covering much of the bows. The frame color—matte gray—is applied and is unique in texture and appearance compared to the many metal-frame glasses I’ve owned (it appears to be a baked, powder-coat finish). The lenses and hinged bows are held in place with screws.

The glasses come in a microfiber storage sack that doubles as a lens polishing cloth.

General Impressions

The A Wires are a little spacey looking at first glance, a contemporary, high-tech wrap-around design. Whatever thoughts I had about the design disappeared as soon as I put them on. The lenses provide instant relief to sun-dazzled eyes while dramatically heightening visible detail and color. They also block wind and airborne debris surprisingly well, considering how slender the lenses are.

Fit

The A Wires contact the wearer in three places: the bridge of the nose and the scalp areas immediately atop each ear (Oakley says they contact the bridge of the nose and both temples, but my experience is they contact well behind my temples). With their straight bows (viewed from the side) they don’t rest upon or wrap around the ears as typical glasses do. This makes them fit an array of head sizes without bending. The bows are slender but very strong and springy, even though this pair is not fitted with springs. In combination with the grippy rubber that covers most of the bow, the glasses fit snugly and stay in place, even when wet from sweat or spray. They don’t slide my nose and seem impossible to inadvertently knock off when I’m active or clumsy.

The lenses wrap past my eyes to the side, blocking direct light from right angles, and hug my brow, blocking from above. There’s some open space below so that when I look straight ahead, perhaps the nearest three or four feet of ground is in direct view.

Because the bows stand a good distance from the side of my head (due to the “C” shape) I can wear them over helmet straps or a “Gunga Din”-style sunhat. This proves quite handy and is a key element of the A Wire’s versatility.

The glasses, at less than an ounce, are comfortable to wear for long stretches provided I’ve been using them regularly beforehand (e.g., daily for a couple of weeks). If I try to wear them for hours without getting used to them first, they eventually make me sore where they contact me above the ears. To alleviate the problem when it arises, I sometimes wear them over the shade of my sunhat, which nicely reduces the pressure points. It’s also possible to slide them up the head a bit; they’ll generally stay put when I do so.

In Use

Because they block 91% of visible light, the black polarized lenses are dark enough for mountain travel. And because they’re polarized, they’re more effective than simple dark lenses in bringing out details and heightening colors. They cut water surface glare, enabling me to see creek and lakebeds (and whatever trout may be finning their noses at me). Polarizing also cuts atmospheric light scatter, detailing clouds and deepening the blue sky, oftentimes to a dramatic cobalt hue. It also helps define snow and polished granite surface detail and irregularities, sometimes a safety issue. The neutral gray tint maintains true colors.

Over the span of a long high-country day, proper sunglasses offer a huge benefit in easing my eyestrain. I squint less, my eyes dry out less, and my retinas literally are healthier in the evening versus when wearing poor or no sunglasses. My night vision, not particularly keen on the best of days, is noticeably better on backpacking trips when I’ve worn these glasses.

Early and late in the day there’s a time when the lenses are too dark and I have to take the glasses off sooner than I would ones with a lighter tint. I sometimes need to take them off in wooded areas for the same reason. Especially dark lenses like the Oakley black polarized are a hindrance in broken shade—my eyes seem to have a harder time making out shaded detail—and this causes me some problems while cycling fast on country roads with poor pavement. It’s difficult to see irregularities in time to steer around them.

When on foot, I take the glasses off when not needed and keep them atop my head where they stay firmly in place, so I don’t need to use a keeper strap (a benefit). More than once, however, I’ve forgotten they’re there and flipped them to the ground while taking off my hat.

The A Wire lenses sit close enough to my eyes that I can wear them while using most cameras or binoculars. Only those lacking high eye relief force me to take the glasses off for a good view.

Shortcomings

The A Wires aren’t a substitute for total coverage “glacier” glasses because they have a fairly wide area open beneath the lenses that allows some surface glare in. During my travels this hasn’t been a problem, but I don’t know whether they’d be right for a summertime summit of Rainier. In really windy conditions the glasses don’t completely shield the eyes, especially when the air is debris or snow-filled. Sometimes, only goggles will do.

When it’s hot, the A Wires can collect sweat from my brow where the frames hug my face. It runs down the lenses and drips off below. Because it smudges the lenses I have to clean them off intermittently.

All polarized sunglasses will black-out LCD displays when they’re aligned in certain directions. Most watch and GPS makers are smart enough to align their displays at right angles to polarized glasses, but it’s occasionally a problem, e.g., I can’t read the shift display on our van while wearing the Oakleys (or any polarized glasses).

Wear, Tear and Care

After three years with these Oakleys, they’ve developed small areas on top of the frames where the paint has worn off to bare metal (at the point where the frames touch whatever surface I’ve placed the glasses on). Oddly, similar marks haven’t appeared below the lenses, where they normally rest. The lenses have some small nicks where I’ve dropped them on the ground; fortunately, these aren’t large enough to cause distortion. At least in part because I’m a stickler for only cleaning the lenses after I’ve rinsed dust or dirt off, there’s little evidence of surface scratching or coating loss. These are the longest lasting plastic lenses I’ve ever owned, either in sunglasses or prescription glasses. The rubber bits (nose pads and temple coverings) are in good condition and work as they did when new. The screws are also in good condition.

The bow screws have required surprisingly little tightening, I’ve done so perhaps three or four times. The screws are combination Phillips/slotted, so most any small, precise screwdriver will work. The frames are still straight and true, and haven’t required bending back into shape despite my heavy use.

Conclusions and Suggestions

I can’t think of anything I’d change about the A Wires. They’re been effective and dependable for three years and are nearly as good as new. Sometimes they’re too dark for conditions and sometimes they don’t cover enough of my face, but as do-all sunglasses for challenging conditions they’re the best I’ve owned.

Backpacking Bio

Most of my hiking is in the Sierra Nevada, the trips ranging from overnight to weeklong excursions. I like alpine territory a good deal. I’ve shed several pounds from my pack for several reasons: traveling easier and farther, freeing myself from as many trappings as I’m comfortable discarding, and extending the duration of my backpacking career. My total pack weight for three-day summer excursions, including food and water, is now roughly 25 pounds (12 kg), longer trips see pack weights ranging into the mid 30s (17 kg) with water.

rtd 6.14.2005