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TESTER INFORMATION  

I've been hiking and backpacking in and around Central and Southern Indiana for the past 20+ years either solo or with my wife and daughters. In recent years, I've become an avid long distance hiker with sections of the Appalachian Trail (AT) under my belt, as well as other long distance hiking. In 2000 I started to lighten my backpack in order to have a more enjoyable hike. I continue with this process today and have managed to bring my solo base Summer pack weight down to the range of 10 to 15 lb (4.5 - 6.8 kg)

FRAMES

The FACTOR'S Polarized interchangeable lens system creates a sleek and subtle design allowing unobstructed peripheral view perfect for the running trail, golf course, or weekend ride. Smith's Interchangeable lens system utilizes distortion-free, 9 base lenses to provide precise optical clarity and maximize coverage while minimizing peripheral exposure to sun, wind, and glare.

The Factor frames are arced to conform to the rounded shape of (my) face.  The frames form an almost circular shape.  This allows the frames to only contact my face at the bridge of my nose, and along the sides of my head at the top of my ears.  Additionally, if I push them back all the way, the entire top of the frame contacts my eyebrows.  This has been an issue in previous pairs of sunglasses I have owned.  The heat of my exertion in exercise sometimes caused condensation on the lenses due to lack of ventilation at the top of the sunglasses. 

As you can see by the photo at the top of this section and next to my bio, the Factor Frames are not your ordinary sunglasses.  They are impressively stylish and frequently garner comments and admiration from my gear addicted friends. 

I am exceptionally pleased with the Factor Frames ability to grip my head and also with the fact that I can wear them for long periods of time without any stress or discomfort.  I really feel so comfortable in the Factors that I forget I'm wearing them.  I will address in more detail my experience with the Factors and the provided lenses in the Field Test Report section below but for the short version here I'll say this;  The glasses are nearly perfect.  The one thing that makes them imperfect may very well be me.  Regardless of who's at fault, the frames or my face, cold weather + my head getting hot and sweaty = fogged up glasses=irritation for me :-( 

LENSES

In my Initial Report, I listed the specifications of each of the lenses as provided by the manufacturer.  In this report, I will talk about my experiences with each of the test lens configurations.

In generic, day-to-day use, I am most fond of the Ignitor and Rose Copper tints.  My overall impression of these two lenses is that they are as close to perfect as a lens tint could be.  They provide me with just enough light filtration that I can wear them in almost every condition.  The only conditions that I have so far encountered that were better suited to the other lenses was extremely bright "cold" winter sun (Polarized True Color Gray) and Alpine Skiing at night (Clear).  The Yellow lenses tend to give me a headache for some reason so I have used these lenses the least of all.

INCLUDED WITH FACTOR FRAMES

Polarized True Color Gray:     Used for daytime driving, skiing (Alpine, Nordic), running, (street, trail) during the day, day hiking.

RC36 - Rose Copper:     Used for driving, walking, running, skiing, kayaking all between sunrise and sunset in conditions ranging from snow through rain to bright sun.    

Ignitor:     Used for driving, walking, running, hiking, backpacking, skiing, kayaking all between sunrise and sunset in conditions ranging from snow through rain to bright sun.

FIELD TEST RESULTS

As I began wearing the Factors, I was kind of a fanatic about changing the lenses at every new opportunity.  I would have my wife or one of my kids change them for me while driving so that I could compare conditions as viewed through different lenses.  I was, however, sadly mistaken in my belief that this was not a dorky thing to do.  After the first few weeks of the test, my wife felt obligated to correct my mistake.  Now I endeavor to choose which lens I might be likely to need in a given day prior to going out.  I have come to the point, now, where I usually use either the Rose Copper or the Ignitor tints.

I have been in denial really, about the one problem I'm having with the Factors.  It has to do with my inability to do anything really physical without bursting into a full on sweat.  It's really quite aggravating truthfully;  I have quite a robust  cooling system.  When I am in the middle of a long run on a cold winter morning, with the wind blowing at my face and the sun blasting, things are all good.  I love the Factors.  But as soon as I round the corner and get a little break from the wind and the sun, the cold takes over again and my body heat isn't being blown behind me.  At that point, the sunglasses instantly turn into blinders.  The top of the Factor frames touch my eyebrows all the way across.  This contact makes ventilation between the glasses and my hot face virtually impossible.  It's really aggravating, as I've already said, but I don't believe it is any fault of Smith's.  It is my opinion that the size and shape of my face is the key factor in this issue.  I have made this assessment by asking friends, family and co-workers to try the Factor's on and examining the area in question.  Additionally, my wife has worn the Factors while running and has not had the same issue.

In all other areas of use, and even those where I am exercising, but when the outside temperatures aren't so cold, I have found that the Factors are ideal. 

I used them on one Nordic skiing trip and found that the level of exertion and temperatures involved were the wrong combination (excessive fogging!).  On two Alpine skiing trips, however, there was much less exertion, and slightly warmer temperatures so the fogging only occurred at the base of the hills and only for a few moments. 

On two Kayak trips on small creeks/ rivers in the area, I found that the temps were quite warm and my exertion was fairly low (mostly paddling to keep on course, and all down stream) so there was no fogging at all.

Finally, I was able to take one weekend out to go backpacking.  This was a rainy, overcast, weekend and there were only one or two opportunities to even consider wearing sunglasses, but I made the most of them!  There was no fogging.

All temperatures for the aforementioned activities ranged between 25° F (-3° C) and 50° F (10° C).

TEST PLAN

In my application, I said I would be testing for three major criteria.  They are:

• Comfort

• Function

• Dork Factor

I feel comfortable now stating that the Factors are the most comfortable and functional sunglasses I've ever worn.  As for the Dork Factor issue, The sunglasses pass with flying colors but I, unfortunately, do not. 

Throughout the remainder of this test, I will be searching for ways to overcome or work around the issue I have with using them while exercising.  As the last resort, I will cease wearing the Factors for activities when I know I'm going to be working up a sweat.

Thank you again to BGT and Smith Optics for the opportunity to participate in this test.

Rami Benhameda