Julbo Light-Adjusting Sunglasses

When it comes to around town sunglasses for the car and strolling, I tend to go for cheapo shades I don't have to care about losing. For biking or other activities though, it pays to have quality sport-oriented sunglasses that will last.

I've been trying out some hi-tech sport shades from Julbo that look stylish without being showy. The design on these is the tried and true wraparound, but with flexible stems and an extra-comfortable nose piece.

The real money, however, is in the lenses. A photochromic Zebra lens transitions from a high contrast Category 2 to a dark Category 4 in brighter light conditions. This is ideal for conditions where you are moving between shade and sun, which is common with a lot of outdoor activities. If you like your lenses super-dark this may not be ideal, but it keeps you from going headfirst over a tree stump when you're mountain biking through the woods.

The change in reflection power was pretty subtle: expect it to take about 30 seconds for a full transition. Basically someone can see your eyes if you're inside and can't see them after you've been in the sun a little while. I wore these for hours at a time over several days and they never rubbed or made anything sore. I still don't have a single scratch on the lens, which is usually my downfall with these non-glass ones. The lenses have an anti-fog coating as well.

The Addict and The Deep versions with these lenses both retail for $110. The Deep is essentially the same frame as the Addict but fits smaller faces. (And yes, it comes in plenty of colors besides pink.) Follow this link for info on the Julbo Lifestyle line.

Julbo Addict Sunglasses - Zebra Lenses


Julbo Deep Sunglasses - Zebra Lenses