Keep your eyes from buggin’ out in the summer sun with these sport-specific shades. All these glasses offer 100 percent UV protection.  For more reviews, check out the August 2005 issue of Hooked on the Outdoors magazine.

Maui Jim Makaha

Key Features
Super lightweight glasses with a nice fit. High contrast bronze lenses keep your eyes relaxed in the brightest light and offer clear contrast on overcast days.

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These glasses fit comfortably on several different face profiles. Rimless lenses won’t obstruct your vision and the featherweight frames are surprisingly strong (unless you step on them).

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Besides the steep price tag, a few testers noticed radiant light sneaking in beneath the rimless lenses
Best For
Boating, fishing, windsurfing, and any beach-related activity. Nice around-town glasses, thanks to a stylish look.

Zeal Swap-It

Key Features

Sturdy enough for the rigors of action sports, these glasses stay on your face no matter how fast you’re moving. The Swap-It lens system offers some truly unique and practical lenses for a variety of conditions, making these glasses useful all year round. Included are clear lenses with no eye cups, tinted lenses with foam and rubber eyecups, and two different head straps to keep the glasses in place.
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Lenses switch out easily and quickly without any threat of breaking the frames. The lens option with the rubber eyecups eliminates all indirect light, which is great for those with sensitive eyes and protects from radiant sun on snow and water (as well as keeping splashed-up water out).  Comes with two different straps to keep glasses in place and three different pairs of lenses.

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Frames are bulky. Even though they are very comfortable, you’re going to look like Sir Edmund Hillary fresh off of Everest with most lenses. Also, the protective hardcase resembles a small jewelry box.

Best For

Dark lenses with eyecups are great for boating, jet skiing, mountain biking, mountaineering, snowboarding, skiing and any high-impact sport where you need protection. Yellow lenses with foam eyecups are great for fishing, especially on overcast days or twilight casting sessions.

Native Eyewear Hardtop

Key Features

The sleek, well-fitting Hardtop comes with three different lenses (black, yellow, and clear) as well as two sets of frame arms: one for all-around wear and one with a built-in headstrap for when you’ll be bounced around. Made of lightweight components, the wraparound fit is snug without being too tight and offers good peripheral light protection.

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The swappable lenses and frame arms make these glasses a great investment. Despite being very light, they are tough enough for mountain biking and other high-impact activities. The fit was the best of all the models we tested and even better, we looked really cool in these shades. Seriously.

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People with big ol’ heads will find the Hardtops a bit small for their faces. The rimless lens bottoms will also let reflected light in with certain face types. 

Best For

Active sports, especially well fit for women, biking, and all-around wear.

Oakley M-Frame Hybrid

Key Features

Oakley has taken the Build-A-Bear concept and incorporated it into their stylish line of M-Frame glasses. Choose from several frame colors and styles as well as a dozen different high-quality lenses (which explains the pricing difference). Users can swap out additional lenses (sold separately), though the Hybrid initially comes with only the built-in lens.

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You’ll see quite a few professional athletes, from baseball players to golfers, with M-Frame glasses. Besides the modern look, the unique design allows for unobstructed views thanks to a low-sitting nosepiece. The rimless lenses wrap around and offer excellent light protection, and the snug fit means they’ll stay in place when you’re on the move..

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The M-Frames aren’t going to look right on everyone. When they do fit, they look great. If they don’t, you may end up looking like a character from Star Trek. It would have been nice if Oakley included a hard case with these pricey glasses.

Best For

Mountain biking, baseball, ultimate Frisbee, softball, golf and rock climbing, thanks to the unobstructed views from the one-piece lens. Also good for water sports, motor sports and the beach. 

Smith Factor

Key Features

Smith’s Factor comes with four lenses: black, amber, yellow, and clear. The lens versatility makes these glasses useful for a lot of different settings, especially in overcast or low-light environments.

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For those with bigger faces Smith provides a good fit. The rimless/interchangeable lenses are slightly bigger than other models and offer better light coverage. Adding in the amber lenses is a nice touch for hazy, overcast, and foggy days without the buttery effect of pure yellow lenses.

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The Factor is looser fitting than other glasses, even when matched with the proper face profile. Lenses are tough to put in and take out.

Best For

Low-impact activities, hiking, fishing, and water sports. A contoured fit is especially comfortable on men, though this is a unisex glass and looks good on the ladies as well

Last Updated: Feb 24th, 2006 - 14:18:11
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