Reviews > Eye Protection > Sun Glasses > Smith Axis > Brian Tannehill > Initial Report

Backpacking Background:

I am fairly new to backpacking, but I have hunted/fished/camped all my life in East Texas, Colorado, and California. The majority of the hunting has been done from a well-established base camp, venturing out from there for the day. Because of the young kids I have (2, 8, 10), I mostly do weekend overnight camping trips, or day hikes Geocaching anywhere along the central coast of California. I am also an avid mountain biker. My two oldest boys are getting to the point where they can do more hiking and camping with me. I am looking forward to this in the future. For now I live in the Central Coast area of California (Lompoc, Santa Maria area), and am surrounded by many different areas from beaches to mountain regions ranging up to 5,000 feet (1,500 m), with the temperatures averaging about 60 F (16 C) degrees year round.

Product Information:

Manufacturer: Smith Optics
Year of Manufacture: 2005
URL: http://www.smithoptics.com/
Weight of glasses only: 7/8 oz (28 g)
Weight of each pair of lenses: 3/8 oz (10 g)
Glasses + case + two extra lenses: 3 3/8 oz (94 g)

Features from the web site:

Medium/Large Fit
Patented Interchangeable Lens Technology
9 base TLT™ Carbonic™ Lenses
Grilamid™ TR90 Nylon Frame
Hydrophilic Megol™ nose/temple pads
100% UVA/B/C Protection

Field Locations:

The locations of my tests will range from the San Rafael National Forest just east of here ranging up to 5000 feet (1500 m) and any where I run, hike, drive, or ride my bike in my local area in central California

Initial Thoughts:

I received the Smith Optics Axis Interchangeable Sunglasses in the graphite frame color with the dielectric blue, rose copper and yellow lenses. The glasses came in a small suede type pouch with room for the glasses and extra lenses. They were packaged in a grey box with the Smith logo on it and a product information label on the end. When I tried them on for the first time I immediately noticed they fit really tight. So tight that after I took them off after a few glances in the mirror that I could still feel it on the side of my head. I wear a size 7 1/2 - 7 3/4 (60 cm - 62 cm) hat size in a fitted baseball cap or any fitted hat. I took them to work and had two coworkers try them on and they noticed they fit tight also. After a week of wearing almost every day they have stretched a bit or I have just gotten used to them. The tight fit keeps them snug against my face. I have not noticed them slipping down my nose and my eyelashes have not brushed the back of the lenses.

One thing I have noticed that bothers me is because of the width of my head these glasses have to really stretch in the arm area. On the right side where the lens pops into the frames I notice that they will pop out slightly if I do not hold them there while donning them. With my index finger I hold the top of the frame where the arm meets and with my thumb I hold the lens to keep it from popping out. This seems to work well but over time will the frame in that spot wear out and the lens just fall out?

The Axis brand of sunglasses are designed with interchangeable lenses. There was a small piece of paper with instructions on how to do this in the box. The instructions say to pull the lens from the center (by the nose) out to remove and to install by placing the outer edge on the lens in first and pushing in. I find just the opposite works better. I pull on the outside edge of the lens and they come out easier and placing the inner part by the nose in first goes in better. There is also a note that says changing lenses will get easier after the first few times. One thing I was expecting was a small cleaning rag. Changing all the lenses out got fingerprints all over the lens and I did not always have a nice rag to clean them with.

The lenses are made of a material called carbonic. From the web site it says "It’s the most impact resistant lens material. Not in this country, not in the industry but in the whole world. That’s Carbonic, and it’s only the beginning. We injection mold Tapered Lens Technology for perfect optical precision and add our new anti-scratch coating to keep them fresh. Lightweight. Ideal for sport. ANSI Z80.3 surpassing. 100% UVA/B/C"

I dropped one of the lenses the first night and have three very small but noticeable nicks in them on the front of the lenses. I was sitting at my desk and only dropped them a couple of feet onto a hardwood floor. Will they scratch easily over time?

Smith's web site says the glasses have 100% protection from UVA, UVB and UVC rays. I did find on one page they only listed the carbonic lenses as 100% protection from UVA and UVB rays. I have no way to test this and have to trust the web site, but the information is a bit misleading. I also received a small sticker of the Smith logo. On the back it says to go to their web site to "register your product." Nowhere on the web site can I find a link to register my product. I can find a my account page but it only talks about buying things and not registering them. I would think registering would be important for warranty claims. Overall I found their web site very informative about what each item is and what each term means.

Smith Optics Sunglasses have a limited lifetime warranty as well. It specifically states that scratched lenses are not covered.

Questions and Concerns:

Some questions I need to answer:
Will the right side of the frames where the lenses pop out become worse over time?
How well will the anti-scratching layer hold up?
Will the frames wear out from all the swapping of lenses?
Will the lenses stay in place?
Will the arms break because of my wide head?

Test Plan:

I plan to test these glasses all over the central coast of California to the Los Padres National Forest both east and north of me. I will test them while riding my bike, I will test them while I hike. I will test them in the wind, I will test them again and again.

Brian

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Reviews > Eye Protection > Sun Glasses > Smith Axis > Brian Tannehill > Initial Report