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Reviews > Eye Protection > Sun Glasses > Smith Theory > Rebecca Sowards-Emmerd > Initial Report
The Theory frame is a rimless
design made with Smith's proprietary Grilamid nylon. Of
the eight different standard combinations, I chose the frame color
Purple Fade, which comes with three Carbonic lens colors in Sienna
Brown, RC36 (rose copper), and Yellow (all three are shown in the photo to
the left). The frame has no bottom to it, allowing for lenses
to be snapped in and out. The bottom of the lens sits directly
against the skin and makes up the bottom of the 'frame'. Smith uses
the term 'rimless' to describe frames of this type. When the arms are extended the frames
form a curved shape that slides nicely around my head. They fit snug
but not too tight. Three things make these glasses stay put - one is
the wraparound design that hugs my head, the other is the hydrophilic nose
and temple pads which grip securely and prevent slipping, and the third is
the flexibility of the Grilamid frame. The glasses are snug enough
that shaking my head and jumping around do not budge them. We'll see
how they do when I take a tumble on my skis, or while jogging
down a bumpy trail and sweating! While the frames fit snug and
comfortably, they are a little wide for my face at the front. I
don't think of myself as having a particularly narrow face, but sunglasses
shopping has shown me otherwise. Nearly every pair of glasses I
try on is too wide. In comparison to my general experiences, the
Theory glasses definitely have a narrower fit than most sports glasses I
have tried on in the past, but they aren't significantly smaller, and in
fact still are a little wide for my face. The curving arc of the
frame shape curves a little too far away from my face between my eyes and
temples. This means there is a bit of light
leakage. The wrap design and wide temples help prevent this, but
light definitely gets through. I am looking forward to trying the
Theory Max and polarized lenses when out on snow and highly
reflective conditions, to see if the reflected light bothers me.
Finally, the last thing included in
the box was an information sheet about changing the lenses, as well
as a paper describing the lifetime guarantee. As a bonus there is
also a Smith sticker in the case. I think I'll put that on my car
next to all of my other stickers! For testing, I also received a set of
polarized brown lenses, as well as two pairs of Theory Max lenses in
Yellow and Sienna Brown. The Theory Max lenses fit in the Theory
frames but are a bit larger (in length) than the standard Theory lenses
and therefore are supposed to provide more coverage. The three
extra lens sets each come with their own drawstring bag for
protection, but the bag is not stiff or padded. I intend these to be
used as nothing more than dust covers and light scratch protection.
I will find a hard case for carrying these lenses to protect them
better. One piece of information I looked for
in the included information but did not find was details about the
different lenses. With six sets of lenses to use with these glasses,
it leaves me wondering what the best conditions are for each of the
lenses. What are the best conditions for the yellow lenses?
How about the polarized sienna brown vs. the non-polarized? Do
the advantages of switching out lenses outweigh the hassle of doing
it? Is it a hassle to change them in the first place? Since this information wasn't provided
with the packaging, my next step to find this information was to look on
the Smith Optics website. After a few seconds of poking around I
found a page on lens technology which contained a list of the lenses and
their specifications and best uses. From this page I learned the
following about the lenses that I will be using with the Theory
frames. Each lens has a Visible Light Transmission (VLT) rate, which
Smith defines as the percentage of visible light allowed to reach the
eye. All lenses included with my test set have 100% UVA and UVB
protection. The ability to switch lenses depending
on the conditions I encounter is new to me. I have been aware of the
Interchangeable lens sunglasses on the market, but I have never owned or
used a pair. Naturally then, the first thing I did after opening the
box was figure out how to change the lenses. The instruction sheet
is pretty straightforward. I have to simply hold the framed in the
center (at the nose), then grip the center of the lens with my other hand
and pull it downward until it snaps out. To put in a new lens, I do
the opposite. Test Plan So, what do I have in store for these
puppies for the next six months? Sunglasses practically have a
permanent place on my face since I live in California. One of the
advantages to living here is the amazing amount of sunshine - I rarely
step out the door without putting on a pair of shades. Occasionally
we get long cloudy rainy spurts, but I still keep
my sunglasses near at all times because you never know when that
beautiful California sun will shine through. It's one thing to wear shades during
the day while driving around and running errands. It's another thing
to wear the same shades while playing. My basic plan for the
next six months it to wear the Theory sunglasses whenever I am
outside, be it driving to work or skiing in the mountains. I intend
to wear them while snowshoeing, skiing, hiking, backpacking,
running, peak climbing, rock climbing, and any other activity that sounds
like fun. On the weekends they'll be worn in snowstorms as well as
warm sunny fresh powder days in the Sierra Nevada and Southern
Cascade mountains. During the week they'll be worn hiking in my
local area, where the sun shines brightly most days of the year. As
summer emerges in the Sierra they'll be worn hiking and backpacking at
high altitude where the sun is intense and good eye protection is
absolutely necessary. Even if I'm wearing these glasses
every day and for countless activities, I have to have a test plan
for them. What kind of things will I be paying attention to while
I'm wearing them? I am really excited to wear these glasses for the next six
months. The Interchangeable lenses are a new experience for me and I
am very curious as to how I will use this feature. I hope that my
experiences and subsequent reports will provide Smith Optics and the
backpacking community with information that is valuable. Thank you
to Smith Optics for this testing opportunity with
BackpackGearTest.org. Read more reviews of Smith gear Read more gear reviews by Rebecca Sowards-Emmerd Reviews > Eye Protection > Sun Glasses > Smith Theory > Rebecca Sowards-Emmerd > Initial Report | |||||||||||||
The Smith
Optics Theory Interchangeable lens sunglasses are sport glasses intended
for a wide range of uses. The Theory is the same as the Axis frame,
with the Axis being the larger fit and the Theory being the smaller of the
two. The frame is designed to maximize peripheral vision while
minimizing sun exposure, or as I like to call it, "light leaks." The
Theory boasts eight different standard frame/lens combinations made
up of six frame designs and twelve lens choices. Any lens can be
purchased to enhance the standard set, and to customize the glasses to any
user's particular frame and lens combination desire.
The special Grilamid material that makes up the frame
deserves further discussion. According to Smith, Grilamid is,
"Maximum comfort. Maximum flexibility. Maximum toughness.
Maximum sunscreen/lotion resistance...Well-suited for sport or casual use
in hot or cold temps." I understand that one would want sport
sunglasses frames to be tough and comfortable, but...flexible? I
picked up the frames and gently pulled the end of one of the arms outward,
in an opposite direction of the natural curve of the frame. It
easily bent outwards and then bounced back to its original
position. I am so used to babying my sunglasses
that I had been handling these so gently that I didn't notice the
frame flexibility until trying it. This is an amazing
property of the material used for the frames and I look forward
to trying these out in the field. I wonder if cold temperatures
will affect the frame flexibility.
Also included with
the Theory glasses was a soft case with convenient pockets for the extra
lenses. This case, pictured above, does not offer heavy duty
protection, so I will likely switch to a harder case since I like to toss
my sunglasses in my packs and purses without worrying about crushing
them. Similarly, the lens pockets are very nice and protect from
scratching and general use, but I don't think the case would protect them
well when thrown in the bottom of a pack.
The extra lens boxes came with the Lifetime
Guarantee paper and a sticker, but no instructions on how to change
them. Presumably, anyone who buys the extra lenses already has the
frames which came with the instructions. Fortunately, if the
instructions are lost they can be found on the Smith website. As I
will discuss later, it's a rather straightforward process and once it's
done once the instructions shouldn't be needed again.
That
sounds simple enough, right? I gripped the glasses exactly as
the instructions said. I pulled on the lens and it felt superglued
into place. I tugged a bit harder, then a bit harder. I was
getting a bit nervous that I might break the lens. Just as I was
about to give up in fear of breaking the lens it snapped out with a clean
pop. I tried putting it back in. I had to apply more pressure
to snap it back in than when I took it out. I did the process of
removing and reinstalling the lenses a few times and it got a bit
easier. I don't know if it is because the glasses were 'breaking in'
or if I was just getting used to the right 'feel' to pop them out and
in. There is a note at the bottom of the instructions that
says it will get easier with time - I sure hope so! On the
other hand, I am glad the lenses are in there tightly because I'm not
worried about them falling out.