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| H-Wall Swept Back - Switch Eyewear |
Recently I've been running in a pair of these cool glasses from Switch Eyewear. Trail running in Colorado requires quality thermonuclear protection, and I seldom run without some kind of sun and debris protection. Earlier this year I did a review of Ryders Eyewear trail runners here. What I liked about those was the photochromic lenses that allowed for a transition from low-light to bright sun environments.
Switch addresses this issue by designing frames that allow a quick swap out of different tinted lenses for the type of environment you are running in. Most sets come with low-light rose amber lens, as well as a polarized grey (or other color) lens for bright settings. What is really slick is the magnetic interchange system to swap out lenses.
Extra lenses can be carried in a slim protective case, with magnets (similar to the ones in the frames) to secure the lens in the holder. All you have to do is get the lens close, and BAM! it locks into the case. The case is very trim and light, and easy to tuck into a pocket, or handheld.
All you have to do is get the lens close to position in the frames, and they snap in by themselves. Very secure and very stable. As for the lenses, I liked the rose amber for early mornings or cloudy days. They work much like driving glasses to help bring out the detail of the trail. The polarized darker lenses work really great in the bright Colorado sun.. I had no issues with distortion either.
As for venting, the H-Wall design works well... even with my slow running, I get enough flow through to keep the lenses relative clear of fog. The only time I had issues was when running pre-dawn in them... I would wear them on my hat, and they got pretty steamed up so that when I went to use them, there was a lot of moisture there... I know.. gross. But a quick wipe off and they were good to go.
Here they are in action.. I know, not the best pic. On this particular day, I knew I would be running in full sun most of the race, so I stuck with the darker lens. The worked great... very light weight, but the quality of construction is good. I didn't take any face plants, but if I did, I think they would have held up very well.. at least the lenses could be popped back in if the dislodged! But I doubt they would.. the magnetic bond is really strong.
Most frame/lens combinations retail in the $75-$95 range, so a little pricier, but not crazy expensive like some brands can be. And for the price you get a great multi-lens system. Check out their website to see how easy it is to customize the type of lens and frame combo you are looking for... OR read a bit further and win a pair for yourself!
For this giveaway, I'm excited to be able to give away two pairs of Switch eye wear.. What I have is two pairs of the "Stoke" style pictured above.. one in black, and one in a demi purple. So, to make this more fun, I'll giveaway the black pair to one lucky guy.. and the purple to one lucky gal... how does that sound?
Good luck.. and happy trails!
Follow the instructions on each option below to earn entries. Contest will close on Monday, October 29th 2012, at 10PM MST. Winners will be selected at random from all entries using random.org. Contest limited to residents of the U.S. and Canada.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
I have been looking for a good pair of sunglasses for trails too, these look awesome.
ReplyDeleteI need some running shades!
ReplyDeleteI badly need some of those. Great design.
ReplyDeleteI don't have any sunglasses to run in, and these look like they would be perfect! I'd love to win a pair!!
ReplyDeleteI sometimes wear some cheapy sunglasses I bought at the pharmacy.. embarassing, but it works!
ReplyDeleteIf I don't get picked for the purple pair, can I quickly have a sex change operation for the gray ones? :) They look sweet! Thanks for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteThese look awesome but I can't seem to get into the rafflecopter widget ma thingy.
ReplyDeleteI dont wear glasses now, but I am super pumped to (hopefully) win this giveaway and start wearing some, because the snow here in Utah is killer while running on a sunny day in the winter!
ReplyDeleteThese look much better than my smith optics. I have lenses everywhere because they didn't really think that hard about how to store them. Awesome!
ReplyDeleteVery cool looking shades!
ReplyDeleteI've been running in the same pair of Costa Del Mars for 5 years. It's the longest running streak of glasses I've ever had. Would be mortified to lose them. :)
ReplyDeleteI wear whatever old/cheap sunglasses I can find as I'm always losing them. I have had fogging issues in the past and then have to remove them when it gets too dark or overcast. These look nice (but expensive too!)
ReplyDeleteI wear sunglasses all year long and these look awesome. I've yet to find a really good pair that vents well so these look great!
ReplyDeleteI usually wear a pair of Julbo Ultras or Smith- but I forget what type of Smith.
ReplyDeleteI haven't found THE pair yet.
ReplyDeleteGreat review Jeff, thanks for the heads up on these. I will definitely be picking up a pair, after the new years giveaway that is :) I run at dawn, simply because I love getting lost in a sunrise. But, it's hard because as soon as the sun comes up BOOM, I'm transformed into Mr Magoo. These would be great, if you wore the frame (not too scared to look like a nerd) then snapped the lenses in after the sun came up. That would keep from getting them all wet from rocking them on your hat.
ReplyDelete