****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
I've owned many Revo glasses and been a big fan for well over 30 years. Admittedly my loyalty waned after they sold out to Oakley/Luxottica and I was glad when they later left the conglomerate to join Sequential.Anyway, I moved to AZ and need good coverage. I liked the idea that these offer good coverage with light weight. I have many Revos with glass lenses and one of the trade offs for the best optics is weight. These do indeed deliver when it comes to weight; or lack thereof. I like the contrast enhancing trait of the lenses, which are quite clear and clean for thin plastic. The lense color from behind is very warm (swung to the red side of the spectrum), and while it looks a pleasant amber color, and could potentially be beneficial in daytime rain, I prefer a more neutral & natural representation of what's in front of me. That said, they're not over the top on amber/red tint, or contrast enhancement.So why aren't they for me then?First, the blue mirror coating on the front/outside is strange - it's not really sure if it's supposed to be mirror or not. Others looking at you might be distracted by what the lenses do/don't reveal, which is ever changing. That same mirror coating appears to be (but isn't, I'm sure...) on the BACK of the lenses, because there are very few times, unless I have a hat pulled down very low, (well, as low as the glasses frames will allow - more on that below) they show a very distracting and annoying reflection of my own face. So I'm looking thru a reflection of my eyes, lashes, brows, and face to see what's beyond the glasses. This ghosting leaves me "seeing things" out of the corner of my eye far too often. And the reflection can be so pronounced that it can actually 'cover' / disguise something that IS in front of me.Next, the frames are really large. I have a medium face when it comes to fitting glasses, and these look 1970s disco-era big on me. Because they are that big. This is also a trade off, and honestly one I can live with if all else is good. I'm less fashion minded and more function, and bigger frames mean more coverage. Outdoor, AZ remember?But, the size and shape of the frames often keep me from getting a baseball cap or other brimmed hat low enough to shade out the aforementioned back-of-lense reflection problem.They are changeable lenses, meaning they darken and lighten depending on ambient light brightness. This is nice for those who'd rather just leave glasses on when indoors but don't need prescription lenses. However, for the price, I find that the degree to which these darken can't hang with AZ clear sky sun. I catch myself squinting behind my sunglasses, defeating their purpose.The nosepad is comfortable to the touch, but is also one big, smooth (slippery) piece that doesn't hold well under wet/sweaty conditions. And I've only very mildly (and inadvertently) tested this. If one was actually working up a real sweat, these would clearly and annoyingly need constant adjustment from sliding down the nose. Same goes for the temple ear pieces - smooth and comfy but not very grippy to keep stationary on face/nose.As for styling, I wasn't very impressed with the look of their natural carbon fiber and shiny 'chrome' stainless steel mix when looking at them online. And I have to say to my eye, they look even worse in person. A bit too gauch and 70s disco/porn styling for this mix of you ask me. Perhaps if this same frame were offered in black chrome, or matte black, more CF, etc., it'd look better and less like a car windshield on the face. But this... Enh. Again though, if all else were satisfactory, I'd keep them, 'cause now that I'm in the land of the sun, function certainly trumps fashion (well, it really always did for me.)As it is though, for $379, I feel they are drastically overpriced. Revo glasses have ALWAYS been EXPENSIVE. And I've been willing to invest a LOT in their products literally since they came out. But this feels and looks cheap, desperately needs anti-reflection coating on lense backs, a grippier nose bridge pad, and wider changeable range (darker) to make them even close to $379 worth. $179's a stretch as is AFAIC.Unfortunately, I'm returning them.The good news is I also purchased a pair of $199 Revo Descend E frameless wraparound glasses which are indeed great! I'll be keeping those and the $180 difference. ;-)May your search for sunwear be fruitful, and this review prove helpful.
