Reviews > Eye Protection > Sun Glasses > Smith Axis > Brian Tannehill > Long Term Report

Backpacking Background:

I am fairly new to backpacking, but I have hunted/fished/camped all my life in East Texas, Colorado, and California. My young kids (4, 10, 12) limit me to weekend overnight camping trips, or day hikes Geocaching. I am also an avid mountain biker. 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)

MSRP: $124.00 U.S.

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 ranged 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. Additionally I was in Colorado for a week at altitudes of 6000 + feet (1800 + m) and Alabama in Montgomery and Birmingham for a month.

Long Term Reporting:

What a pair of sunglasses. By far the best sunglasses I have owned. I have used these glasses now for numerous things in the last couple of months. More precisely, I have used them every day. I have driven well over 7000 miles (11270 km), hiked, ran, biked, fished and partied with them on. All this has come at a price to the sunglasses. Please read my Initial Report and my Field Report for some of my concerns throughout this test.

I have two big concerns with these glasses at the end of the test. One I have mentioned before which is one side of the lens does not stay in the frame. The other problem concerns the lens coating peeling off.

Durability:

After 6 months of testing these glasses have shown some wear. Overall I think they are in great shape for the amount of use they have seen.

As noted in my field report, "the right side of the frames became loose during the first week. While donning the glasses the right side will pop off a bit because of my wide head. Over the last two months though this has not gotten any worse and the lenses have stayed in place during a myriad of high impact activities." To add to this the right side of the lens will pop out of the frame very easy but the side next to the nose remains in the frame. This has gotten a bit worse the last two months but not as bad as I thought it would be. I expected the lens to be falling out at this point. The good news is the frames carry a lifetime warranty.

Besides a few small scratches on the frames there appears to be absolutely no wear on them.

The left arm towards the end has a rubber coating. On the top part of the arm the rubber is starting to peel up. It's not bad, just about a fingers width.

My main concern now is with the dielectric blue lens. Some of the coating on the outside is peeling off. It's just around the edges and it started where the lens slides into the frame but since then has progressed around the whole outside of the frame.

I used these glasses a number of times while hiking. One experience I remember well is when moving in and out of the thick canopy while hiking with Coy in Alabama. The dielectric blue lenses were too dark for the bush but perfect for the bright Alabama sun in July. Of course I didn't think to bring the other lenses with me from the hotel.

I like using the yellow lenses early in the morning while riding my bike to work. It enhances things and makes visibility better (as best it can get in fog soup). The fog is so thick that water actually forms on the lens while riding. A quick wipe and they are clean for the next few miles.

The rose-colored lenses work great in just about any light but I prefer them in daylight/overcast. I used them a lot while driving in the rain and they worked great. I also like using them while hiking and going in and out of shady areas.

Overall these glasses have held up great to daily use. They have been put through the ringer twice and have held their ground. I would definitely recommend them to others.

I do have two suggestions for Smith though. My first suggestion is to sell them with a hard case. I do not want to pay that price for a pair of glasses in a soft case. I actually switched cases through the test period to a hard case I had. That has helped tremendously with packing the glasses and daily protection.

My other suggestion is to ship them with a small cleaning rag. When changing out the lenses, my oily fingerprints are left on the lenses. Not all my shirttails are conducive to cleaning lenses, and I found recently that some of my shirts just smear the fingerprints. This especially seems to be true of the dielectric blue lenses.

Questions and Concerns:

To answer some of my questions in previous reports: Will the right side of the frames where the lenses pop out become worse over time?
Yes but it is not as bad as I expected. I think another few months and I may send them in to be looked at.

How well will the anti-scratching layer hold up?
From daily use and rubbing on things it held up fairly well. I did drop them a few times in gravel and I have the scratches to show for it. Surprisingly, they do not distract my view.

Will the frames wear out from all the swapping of lenses?
The right side seems a tad loose but overall the frames seem well adjusted.

Will the lenses stay in place?
So far they have not fallen out.

Will the arms break because of my wide head?
The frames were tight for the first week or so. Eventually they stretched to fit my head and fit well they did. I also tend to prop them up on the bill of my cap like ball players and they were really secure up there. So secure I have run with them and not had to worry about them coming off.

Will the residual layer of dirt have an affect on the glasses?
The residual dirt now appears to be the coating peeling from around the lenses where they meet the frame.

How much wear and tear will the frames show after six months of hard usage? Hardly any, besides a scratch or two from a fall the only spot I can notice any wear on the frames are the tip of the arms on the inside. Nothing noticeable.

Thank You to Smith Optics and BGT for allowing me to test an awesome pair of glasses. I'll be looking to buy more lenses soon.

Brian

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Reviews > Eye Protection > Sun Glasses > Smith Axis > Brian Tannehill > Long Term Report