Reviews > Eye Protection > Sun Glasses > Smith Factor with Ignitor Lenses > Jennifer Hay > Field Report

Smith Optics Factor Sunglasses with Ignitor Lenses
March 8, 2006

Tester Bio
Name: Jennifer “Kasdira” Hay
Age: 29 years old
Gender: Female
Height: 5’ 4” (1.62 m)
Weight: 204 lb (93kg)
Email Contact: kasdira @ yahoo . com
Location: Pensacola, Florida USA

Backpacking Background
My backpacking background is very limited to the last couple of years and to the Northwest Florida area. While I started with the typical comforts of “car camping”; I found a love for Ultralight Backpacking. I like the idea of getting away – AS far away as my feet can take me. Right now my current gear consists mainly of “Walmart specials”, a few lucky finds from the Florida Trail Association’s state conference auctions, and a birthday shopping spree at REI’s online store.

Overall Product Information
Product Name: Smith Optics Factor Sunglasses with Ignitor Lenses
Manufacturer: Smith Optics Manufacturer
Website: www.smithoptics.com
Manufacturer Date: 2005
Total Weight Frames, Lenses, and Case: 3.5oz (98g)

Recapped Description & Preliminary Thoughts
The Smith Optics Factor Dark Ale Frames with their Polarized Sienna Brown lenses arrived in a soft-style collapsible carrying case with 3 other sets of lenses (RC30, Clear, Yellow). The Smith Optics Ignitor Lenses, not included with the Dark Ale Factor Frames, have become the predominate lenses of choice for the duration of the testing. For further information regarding the initial thoughts and descriptions, go over here.

Current Test Setting
The Northwest Florida Panhandle is a diverse locale for visual conditions for testing the Smith Ignitor Lenses and the Factor Frames. The beginning stages of my test have included some use on the bright sandy white beaches of Perdido Key, and in the Long Leaf Pine, the River and Live Oak canopies in the Blackwater River State Park areas. So far the temperatures have been pretty consistent with our averages of 41 F (5 C) to 69 F (21 C) for early winter. Most days have been more overcast than our typical clear skies for this time of year. However there have been many opportunities for use of the sunglasses. The elevation for this area averages less than 50ft (12.7m) above sea level.

The Test Plan So Far
While I had hoped for many hiking opportunities through out the duration of the testing, I have unfortunately had only a few times out of regular everyday use. However I hope while I continue testing the Ignitor Lenses and Factor to continue to answer my questions posed in the Initial Report.

Current Thoughts on Every Day Use
The majority of my usage with the Smith Optics Factor Frames and the Ignitor Lenses have been my daily commute to and from work in my car. I catch the direct morning and afternoon sun, so sunglasses are a necessity. I have enjoyed the use of the Ignitor lenses far more than the other 2 "daytime" lenses, because it gives me a more true color of what I view. I have had to adjust to the curve of the glasses, in the beginning I think they were causing a mild eye strain. It does not affect me as much as in the beginning, but there are occasions where I do have to move the frames on the bridge of my nose to assist in focusing. I have found that when I use them I have not had to remove them to read non-digital text. I hope to have the opportunity of using them with a GPS in the next few weeks when hiding some geocaches.

January 14 and 15, 2006
Krul Lake, Blackwater River State Forest, FL - Florida Trail Rigging Class
Temperature: 39F(3C)/57F(13C) and 30F(-1C)/60F(15C)

While most of our first day was lecture indoors, the second day of this class was outside under a slightly overcast sky. The light was just high enough to require sunglasses and I liked the lighter view through the Ignitor lenses instead of the dark tint of my safety glasses. I had to also wear a hard hat while we were preparing the operations for the set up of the rigging equipment. One thing I had an issue with was the lenses fogging up. It seems that because the temperature was so low, that the hard hat kept the body heat around my glasses keeping them fogged. After many attempts of fanning the fog away with my glove, I had to wear the glasses a little further down the bridge of my nose to keep the fog at a minimum. Once it had warmed up some, it was no longer an issue. The only other problem that came up was duration of wear caused a low grade headache at the end of the day. This was noticeable above the ears after the glasses were removed.

January 19, 2006
SeaSpray Condos, Perdido Key, FL - Escambia County Fire Rescue High Rise Training
Temperature: 40F(4C)/63F(17C)

The beaches in this area can be comparable to snow, made of white quartz sand there can be an intense glare on a sunny day even when you are not near the waters on the Gulf of Mexico. This day I was doing some photography for the IAFF Local Union 4131's web site, while some of their members were involved in high rise training. I was pleased with the fit of the sunglasses this day, because I was 7 floors up on an unfinished building. I spent much of my day looking down from balcony railings taking pictures. Not once did the glasses shift, even being up in the higher gulf winds. I had a lot of pictures taken while I was under a shaded area, for the most part I could leave the sunglasses on while using the digital camera. The only time I had to remove the glasses to take pictures was when I was in the interior of the unfinished building, where there was considerably lower lighting.

February 26, 2006
Bayview Park, Pensacola, FL - Picnic and Socializing
Temperature: 44F(6C)/65F(18C)

This day there was a lack of cloud cover. It was an ideal day to go out for a picnic with friends. Bayview Park is located on the Bayou Texar. There was constant sun coming up off the water during the 5 hours of leisure. Being in the sun during cool whether can make one easily forget things like sunscreen and eye protection. I was impressed that after all the time out there my eyes did not feel fatigued from the glare off the water. I know this would have been an issue with my previous sunglasses. I feel that the protection from the UV rays was pretty evident with the appearance of raccoon eyes on my face at the end of the day.

March 5, 2006
Pensacola Fair Grounds, FL - Rennaisance Faire
Temperature: 47F(8C)/70F(21C)

I mention this occurrence for another good point in how well the lenses protected my eyes. The Gulf Coast Renaissance Faire now takes place at the Pensacola Interstate Fairgrounds, meaning vendors and entertainment are predominately set up on faded sandy asphalt reflecting the sunlight upward. There was also a considerable amount of armour and swords that shined very brightly in another cloudless sky. With all of the vendor white and beige tents, it was a very well lit place in the middle of the day. Four hours of walking around and observing spectacles would have most likely put a great strain on my eyes in my old pair of sunglasses. It did get slightly warmer than it has been in the last couple of weeks. It was warm enough to keep the chocolate chips on the cannoli being sold very soft, and I found that chocolate does come off the Ignitor lenses with very little problem.

As The Test Plan Continues
There are still some things I have left to address and hope they will be challenged in the next couple of weeks. There are 2 back to back weekend camping trips coming up, both involving 2 overnights each. I am hoping this will allow the opportunity to wear the sunglasses in the early mornings with some low visibility to compare the Ignitor lenses with the yellow lenses. The first of these weekends will take place on the Blackwater River itself, so there will be a higher probability of unexpected occurrences such as sand, sap, and clay on the lenses and frames. There will also be an opportunity to compare the glare of river water versus the glare on the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. I will also continue looking at the following that were in the original test plan.

1. I plan on taking one or two more trips out to the beach where sea spray is a usual occurrence so I can see how clean off of sea spray from the Gulf of Mexico can be when hiking on the beach. Further beach testing will also allow the opportunity to test the scratch resistance of the lenses and the continued ease of changeability of the lenses when in contact with the beach's fine grains of sand.
2. Since I have not had any forest hikes yet I will still be checking out the capabilities of moving from shaded to sunny areas and vice versa on the trail and hope that I will not have to remove these glasses to adjust to the lighting. As stated before I hope to check out the clarity of use with such items GPS or a digital watch without the aid of a backlight.
3. While the Factor frames do fit securely on my face and when resting on the top of my head - will their construction hold up to horseplay? In the event they fall or are thrown into my pack in haste or are forgotten in my pack and I load things on top of them will they still survive?
4. Because frame construction has been a contributing factor to headaches for me; I will attempt to see how long I can wear them before the pressure above the ears or across the bridge of the nose becomes noticeable.
5. While I have not had the opportunity as of yet, rain can happen at anytime in Florida, so I will still be testing the special Hydrophilic Megol on the nose area that prevent slipping and falling when walking or in the event of racing to get out of a deluge or freak hail storm. Playtime in the Blackwater River will also give the opportunity for testing this attribute.

I plan to continue my report with any other incidents that may take place with the Ignitor lenses and Factor frames not outlined above.

Many thanks to BackpackGearTest and Smith Optics for allowing me the opportunity to test these very groovy sunglasses.

Reviews > Eye Protection > Sun Glasses > Smith Factor with Ignitor Lenses > Jennifer Hay > Field Report