Everybody has a special purpose when shopping for a brand new pair of sun shades. For some, sun shades are a style assertion, and the only real goal of their shades is model. For others, efficiency is paramount, they usually’re looking for one thing safe and comfy for athletics. Others could also be looking for a pair of sun shades that can supply the very best safety and protect their eyes from the solar’s dangerous glare.
After I’m looking for a brand new pair of shades, I’m in search of the entire above. After testing the Smith Wander on the water, within the mountains, and round city for months, I’ve lastly discovered a pair that may do all of it. Learn on to be taught why the Smith Optics Wander Sun shades ($205-215) tick all my bins.
Briefly: Smith Optics has efficiently bridged the hole between model and efficiency with the Wander sun shades. These polarized shades are usually not solely trendy, however they’re additionally light-weight, sturdy, steady, and supply a stellar view of the world round you.
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Body materials
Evolve bio-based body, stainless-steel temples -
Polarized
Sure -
Lens colour examined
ChromaPop Brown -
Lens top
47 mm -
Bridge width
18 mm -
Temple size
140 mm
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Fashionable and excessive efficiency -
ChromaPop polarized lenses have wonderful optics -
Six lens choices -
Nostril pads assist stop the glasses from slipping
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Don’t include a tough journey case -
Would possibly match small on bigger faces -
Costly
Smith Optics Wander Sun shades Evaluate
In my expertise, it may be difficult to discover a pair of ladies’s sun shades that look good and carry out properly. After testing a number of completely different sun shades, I can confidently say that the Smith Optics Wander efficiently bridge that hole and have turn out to be one in all my absolute favorites. These sun shades can transition from a morning hike to a day out in town with out skipping a beat or wanting misplaced.
After I’m out on a hike or paddling, I don’t at all times wish to put on a pair of sporty sun shades, however I do need high quality optics and good protection. Certain, some sports activities sun shades look fairly cool, however they don’t essentially look very trendy and sometimes don’t actually slot in while you’ve completed your out of doors exercise.
That’s the place the Wander Sun shades come into play. By combining an aesthetic and considerably female aesthetic, a light-weight body, and Smith’s high quality ChromaPop polarized lenses, the Wander is a wonderful all-arounder.
The Wander sun shades sport skinny, stainless-steel temple arms coupled with a slim plastic body. The frames have a “basic spherical keyhole form” for a timeless look, whereas the metal arms add a little bit of distinction. The Wander glasses presently are available in six completely different body and lens colour mixtures — I opted for the tortoise frames with polarized brown lenses — all of which have minimal branding within the type of a small Smith brand etched within the temple close to the hinge.
Though the frames look pretty run-of-the-mill, they’re comprised of Smith’s Evolve bio-based materials. Smith claims that the Evolve body materials makes use of 53% bio-based materials with the purpose of constructing its product extra eco-friendly. For those who’re undecided what bio-based is, don’t fear — I needed to Google it myself.
Primarily, bio-based merchandise are partially or solely comprised of supplies from residing and/or once-living organisms (e.g., crops). Whereas it’s onerous to quantify how a lot this reduces the carbon footprint of those sun shades, it’s refreshing to see main manufacturers taking steps to be extra sustainable.
By way of match, I’d say my face is on the medium to small aspect, and the Wander’s medium match and protection match the form of my face properly and felt safe with out being too tight. That mentioned, they may match a bit small for these with bigger faces or wider heads.
Due to the slim body and temples of the Wander sun shades, they’ve a light-weight really feel, and the grippy Megol rubber nostril pads hold them steady and safe for many actions. By means of my testing, I’ve worn them on quite a few hikes, runs, and paddles, they usually by no means moved round excessively.
Nonetheless, they aren’t fairly as safe as a slim pair of wraparound sports activities glasses, and I discovered they have been higher suited to walks, hikes, standup paddling, and seaside days versus high-intensity or higher-impact actions like operating.
One of many Wander’s largest promoting factors is the standard lenses. The lenses are polarized and use Smith Optics’ signature ChromaPop know-how, which boosts colour and distinction whereas concurrently slicing glare. I felt that they delivered, and the Wanders supplied a crisp view each on and off the water.
Polarized lenses are sometimes the best option for fishing, and I appreciated hem whereas out on the water close to my house in Hawaii, the place they dealt with the cruel reflection of the mid-summer solar off the ocean. Not solely did I discover the optical readability to be wonderful, however the brown lens tint supplied a cheery heat that made the world round me look much more nice.
Smith sells the Wander sun shades with each mirrored and non-mirrored lenses. The usual non-mirrored lens fashions retail for $205, whereas the mirrored choices value a bit extra at $215. I examined the ChromaPop Polarized Brown lens, which has minimal reflectivity for a barely extra delicate look in comparison with the flashier mirrored choices.
A lot of the lenses fall between 14% and 18% VLT (Seen Gentle Transmission), making them well-suited for full solar to combined gentle situations. I discovered them to work simply as properly on vibrant however cloudy days and when climbing by means of shady forests as they did when there wasn’t a cloud within the sky.
The Wander sun shades include a microfiber cleansing and storage bag. On the $200+ value level, it’s a bit disappointing that they don’t include a tough case for defense like high-end shades from another manufacturers.
For those who’re susceptible to breaking your sun shades otherwise you’ll be stuffing them right into a backpack or suitcase for journey, we’d positively advocate buying a extra sturdy case to guard your funding. Whereas they really feel well-made and sturdy, I can’t think about they’d fare properly being by accident sat on or tossed round by a baggage handler within the storage bag alone.
Conclusion
As an avid outdoorsperson residing in Hawaii, my life-style calls for that I put on sun shades just about the entire time. Till lately, I’ve struggled to seek out the right pair of shades that carry out properly and look good it doesn’t matter what I’m doing.
After testing quite a few the greatest girls’s sun shades available on the market, the Smith Optics Wander sun shades sit on the prime of my listing due to their light-weight really feel, wonderful optics, and classy aesthetic. At $205-215, the Wander sun shades aren’t low cost, however they’re comfy, impressively versatile, and transition seamlessly from the path or water to life in town. For those who worth each model and efficiency, the Smith Optics Wander is certainly price a glance.
The Wander Sun shades are bought on the Smith Optics web site and main on-line retailers like evo.com.