Personal Biographical Information

Background

Long since I was young, I've always been an outdoor enthusiast: sea or white river kayaking, rock climbing, long and short distance hiking, classic and backcountry skiing, mountain biking.

I can describe myself as being a hiker with a paradoxical style. On one side I tend toward fast tracking while on the other I halt frequently, gazing at various points of interest, fauna and flora. I'm also geared toward lightweight backpacking but wouldn't let my solo percolator home.

Product Information

* The clear lens is not part of the Axis Graphite package but was provided for the purpose of this test.

Introduction

I am a heavy sunglasses user: during bright sunny days or snowy ones; while running my bike over muddy trails or drinking a nice Griffon Extra Pale Ale on one of St-Denis street terraces; during sweaty backpacking journeys or while gazing at the reflective fluffy snow ocean flowing under my skis. That is why I am always interested in testing sunglasses that show the potential of covering such broad spectrum.

According to the manufacturer's website, the Axis Interchangeable Series, big brother of the Theory, provides seven frame/lens combinations to choose from. For this particular test series, I will be in for the Graphite/Dielectric Blue combination.

General Information

The Smith Axis sunglasses are packaged in a nice looking case, which is wrapped up in a colorful rectangular box. With some regrets, I must say that no cleaning clothe is provided. The additional lenses are also included in the case along with a small sticker, a tiny piece of paper instructing on how to carefully replace the lenses, and an information pamphlet. This bilingual (English, French) information pamphlet contains several information regarding maintenance, cleaning, repair, along with Smith's limited lifetime warranty, which wording is different from the manufacturer's website:

Beside the sunglasses themselves, I have the privilege to test a supplementary clear lens. This lens set comes in its own package: a small dark gray satin pouch wrapped up in the same rectangular box than the one provided for the sunglasses but about a third of the size. The pouch has a small Smith label on it, a small closing cord, and two inner compartments for both lenses.

The actual product looks like what was expected while initially inspecting the manufacturer's website.

Product Description

In terms of construction details, sunglasses remain sunglasses but let me briefly provide a general outlook of the Axis Graphite.

The frame itself is made of Smith's proprietary Grilamid™ TR90 nylon, which reveals a plastic-like finish. Its front width is about 14.5 cm (5 ¾ in). The arms, slightly curved to maximize fit, present Hydrophilic Megol™ temple pads. Curiously, most of this rubber-like fabric is located on the outside of frame while only two strips remain on the inside. I am impatiently looking forward at testing such design decision. The nose bridge, which provides a 30 degree angle, also features such Hydrophilic Megol™ pad firmly fixed to the frame.

The lenses are made of 9 base TLT™ (Tapered Lens Technology) Carbonic™ which, according to the manufacturer's website, provide optical correction while featuring maximal impact protection. The lenses are about 3.8 cm (1 ½ in) high at the inner end while being 3.2 cm (1 ¼ in) at the outer one. Paraphrasing Smith's information, all lenses provide 100% protection from UVA, UVB, and UVC.

As one may easily guess, Dielectric Blue lenses provide a bluish finish, the RC36 (Rose Copper) are somewhere between rose and orange, while the Yellow ones are, well, yellow. Smith Optics presents the following descriptions for the lenses featuring in this test series:

* VLT stands for Visible Light Transmission and represents "the percentage of available light allowed to reach the eye".

Initial Impressions & Considerations

Initially, I was generally impressed with the overall construction, packaging, and design of the Axis: the packaging is really neat, the construction seems bullet proof, while the design remains very kool lookin'.

The sunglasses fit perfectly over my nose and ears. However, I must say that the frame leaves about 0.5 cm (¼ in) between the arms and my temples, a gap that I am not used to while wearing sunglasses. Consequently, the sunglasses appear slightly oversized for my face. On the other end, this may result in better side ventilation.

Frame

At first sight, the frame does not provide any potential source of failure. However, as previously noted, I have to raise some concerns about the efficiency of the Hydrophilic Megol™ temple pad located on the arms due to the limited presence of rubber on the inside. Only time shall tell.

Being a heavy sunglasses user, I was also a bit concern about the frame robustness. While going through the manufacturer's literature and performing some test, I have come to realize that the Axis may be well on its way to endure some abuses. Indeed, not only the arms have the ability to flex backward but also the lens shell itself may tolerate some torsion. However, the lenses are liable to pop out of their shell while doing so, which was expected.

Lenses

I was really amazed by the optic performance of the Dielectric Blue lenses while wearing the sunglasses on a bright sunny day. I could not experience distortion of any sort, while the colors remained really true although somewhat dimmer, which was definitely the intended effect.

Being very excited at using the interchangeable lenses mechanism, I have tried to mount the clear lenses on the sunglasses. The experience remains a somewhat straightforward task while I followed manufacturer's provided instructions (which may also be found within the Lens Tips section of the manufacturer's website) but requires full attention and some dexterity. I really wonder what could be the consequences in the field. Moreover, I have observed that holding the lens between my fingers while removing/inserting it leaves noticeable fingerprints. Either carefully washed hands or a satin cleaning cloth would have definitely been a nice addition here.

Testing Location and Weather

I'll be testing mostly in Western Quebec with peregrinations into my near-by National Parks and Reserves. However, I plan to take a weeklong trip to the Laurentian Trail as well as several day hikes into the White Mountains or Adirondacks' High Peaks Region. During winter trips, the expected temperature will be ranging from -20 C (-4 F) to 0 C (32 F) with lots of snow while during spring outings the temperature gets milder but lots of snow remains. Summer temperature ranges from 15 C (60 F) to 30 C (85 F) with an even mix of both rainy and sunny days.

Test Plan

Besides casual and everyday wearing, I plan to test these sunglasses in various terrains and conditions. The manufacturer's website is not particularly clear regarding the best uses but much of my test will involves one of the following activities: hiking, backpacking, backcountry skiing, snow-shoeing, geo-caching, mountain biking, and kayaking. Moreover, because of the interchangeable lenses system which includes yellow, orange, and clear replacement lens, I intend to test these sunglasses in various lightning conditions, from winter's bright and reflective light or snowstorm low light to summer's high altitude sunny days or urban foggy days.

Throughout the testing period I will be looking for the following criteria:

Optic

Every lens is subject to distortion and particularly sunglasses' lens. How efficient is the Smith's Tapered Lens Technology at correcting such optical alteration? How such technology affects the peripheral vision? What is the effectiveness of the replacements lens in regard to various lighting conditions? Any issues regarding lens scratching?

Construction

Does the rimless frame increase ventilation or does the "minim[al] peripheral exposure to sun, wind, and glare" reduce aeration, resulting in potential lens condensation and fogging? What is the impact protection offered by the Axis? Does the Grilamid TR90 frame materiel really "Maximum comfort. Maximum flexibility. Maximum toughness". How light are the sunglasses?

Ergonomic Details

Does the hydrophilic nose piece prevent the Axis from slipping down my nose while sweating hard? How efficient is the temple grip rubber at keeping the sunglasses on my face while performing energetic activities such as mountain biking or bouldering? Do the frame arms prevent me from wearing my usual cap comfortably? How is the fit in general?

Design

Last but certainly not least, what is the Axis hotness factor? :-)

I would like to thank Smith Sport Optics and BackpackGearTest for the opportunity to participate in this test.