Excellent, All-Around Shades
Written: Jul 03 '08 (Updated Jul 03 '08)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Excellent features, very lightweight, extra set of lenses included
Cons: No hard case included
The Bottom Line: If you're a baseball player, you'll love these great shades. Even if you aren't, you still will!
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| nikefreak's Full Review: Nike Skylon Exp Round Nike Lense Sunglasses |
Ok, so there is no denying that when it comes to sport sunglasses, Nike is probably not the first name you think of. But due to some nice placement and an excellent design, Nike's Skylon line of shades are ridiculously nice and are definitely getting a lot more wear from pro athletes than what was once expected. I for sure am a huge fan, owning seven pairs of these. Yes, I am also crazy, but for the prices that I got them at (look at outlets people!), you really can't beat these shades.
These are specifically made for baseball players, but the way they are designed make them good for almost any sport, including running. The frame is made of a sturdy hard PVC material and is very easy to wipe up sweat from it. One of the nice features is the ventilated nose bridge that Nike utilizes that helps to prevent fogging and reduced slippage when you are working up a sweat. There are eight micro-cutouts on each side of the nose bridge that help to circulate air throughout the lenses and I never experienced that annoying fogging feeling you get on lesser-quality shades. It's made of a very light, rubbery material that easily flexes to conform with the size of your nose. Unless you have a really big or small nose, these should fit you perfectly.
A main selling feature is Nike's Max Optics concept, in which this patented design gives you precise vision straight ahead, in your peripherals, and over your shoulder. It gives an extended line-of-sight and a 51% larger sweet spot than other competitors. Of course, this is a huge thing in baseball, when you are running towards a sharply hit ball in the outfield and need every inch of your peripherals in order to see the warning track, the ball, and your fellow fielder out there. I personally like the extended vision that you get from the frame less lenses; it allows your eyes to track more from a downward angle. The only downside is that you will have more oil on the lense from your cheeks, but that is a minor issue to me.
The secure wrap temples help to secure the frame to your head and I love the way the arms move downwards, curling around your ears, rather than have the arms stick straight out. When wearing a hat, these shades fit perfectly around without hitting the sides of the hat, unlike a lot of sunglasses. It also makes for a more secure fit, in my opinion. I own Oakley's Half-Jackets, which is a very similar sunglass to Nike's Skylon, (which you can debate who came up with this type of shade first) but I prefer the Skylon in this instance (at least when wearing a hat) because of the wrap temples. When wearing a hat with the Half-Jackets, the arms interfere with the hat and make for an unpleasant eye-jarring experience every time you move your head. The Skylons prevent this from happening.
The lens are part of Nike's Interchange system which allows you to switch out lenses when the sun goes behind some clouds or other weather conditions that you would want a different lens. I love this feature and they are very easy to slide in and out of the frame, even though it does feel as you are gonna break the lens! These particular shades come with the main color of grey, which is the standard base for a lot of lens colors. It allows for accurate color perception in sunny conditions with low reflection with a VLT (Visual Light Transmission; how much light is let into your eyes) of 16%, a very low amount. When looking through this particular lens, it does provide crystal-clear vision and everything is enhanced, without distorting anything that you look at. An added bonus is that an additional set of lenses comes with this pair, a orange pair. Orange brightens your surroundings in cloudy, foggy, or hazy conditions. A very versatile lens and is very suitable for baseball conditions and allows a VLT of 60%. It truly does brighten everything up on a cloudy day, as if the sun was still out, but does not give an impression of too much of an orangish color.
The RD you see on the box stands for a "round" lens; the other type of Skylon is the regular, squared-off cut. I like both with the round being more aerodynamic but the other with a bit more coverage. If you know Oakley's products, think of the regular cut being the XLJ on several of their interchangeable products.
Of course, the lenses block all harmful UVA and UVB rays and are made of a lightweight polycarbonate material that is scratch and impact resistant. Now don't be rubbing on hard things, that is guaranteed to give ya a scratch, but from every day use, these hold up quite nicely. This particular frame has a silver Swoosh on each side of the temple and a sweet, fade silver color that switches to black on the arms.
The retail on these is only $100 but you can find them for at least $30 cheaper if you search outlets. There are approximately 26 different lenses you can buy depending on your needs, ranging anywhere in price from $30 to $70. Polarized is always gonna be more; just know what they are for! I hate when people think they need polarization and they pay the extra money when they aren't using them for snow or water sports.
The only downside is that Nike discontinued the use of hard cases so you only receive a soft cloth that has a separate, sewn-in pouch for your extra lenses. That truly bites, but for the price of these glasses, you can't be too mad. Overall, this is an excellent choice sunglass that can be used for multiple activities. Oh yeah, and the MLB players that wear them? Check Jimmy Rollins, Albert Pujols, Derrek Lee, Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran, Jermaine Dye, and Torii Hunter, to name a few.
Recommended:
Yes
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