The lenses on the Hall Sq. (plus a number of different Oakley pairs) manipulate gentle that will help you see the colours and particulars that you just may miss with different sorts of lenses. That is key for having fun with your environment and seeing what’s forward of you on the roads or trails.
Of Oakley’s efficiency fashions, the Hall Sq. is a standout for its sporty-but-not-too-sporty look and light-weight, snug really feel. It additionally has some critical grip on each the nosepiece and the ear socks to maintain it in place, even whenever you’re coated in sweat.
Materials: Nylon, polycarbonate | Polarized: No | RX choice: No
Finest Funds Choose: Goodr Bolt G
Goodr sun shades have an enormous runner fan base for a great purpose: They’re budget-friendly, they arrive in a number of enjoyable colours and types, and the standard is nice (particularly for the worth!). Whereas the model’s OG mannequin is by far their hottest (Dr. Blitzer is “obsessed” along with her pair), it’s their Bolt G that provides essentially the most runner-friendly options, says King. Suppose: vents within the lenses that promote airflow and forestall fogging, plus an adjustable nostril piece for a customized match.
With the Bolt Gs, you even have the choice of mirrored lenses (which assist cut back glare), or gradient lenses (that are darker on the high, to dam overhead rays and enhance floor visibility).
Materials: Copolyester, TAC (tri acetate cellulose) | Polarized: Sure | RX choice: No
Finest Funds RX: Tifosi Selca
When you can add a prescription lens to a number of frames on this listing, it usually comes at a fairly steep worth. Not so with Tifosi’s aviator-style Selcas. They’re additionally absolutely customizable, so you possibly can select the colour of your frames and lenses, in addition to whether or not you’d like polarization.
Once I took the Selcas out on a long term, they have been snug and bounce-free. Tifosi shades are additionally designed to not pull in your hair whenever you slide them on and off, which is a bonus. My solely criticism is that they did fog up a bit on a scorching, humid day.
Materials: Plant-based materials, polycarbonate, rubber | Polarized: Some colours | RX choice: Sure
Finest for Marathons: Nike Victory Elite
When Underwood is able to lock in and race a quick marathon, she reaches for her Nike Victory Elite sun shades. “They’re tremendous light-weight and so they simply keep put,” she says. “I additionally love the look. Placing them on seems like I’m able to go.”
Designed particularly for girls (based mostly on insights from Nike’s high elite runners), the Nike Victory Elites have an adjustable nosepiece and temple arms for the proper match. A one-piece wraparound lens additionally supplies loads of safety and protection.
Materials: Nylon, polycarbonate, rubber | Polarized: No | RX choice: By way of clip-in
Most Sturdy: Knockaround Campeones
Knockaround sun shades are meant for simply that—being knocked round. The Campeones, the model’s full-coverage protect choice, aren’t any completely different, which I confirmed throughout testing. After a number of drops (each intentional and unintended), they survived with out a scratch.
Purposefully non-polarized, the Campeones are made for athletes who profit from depth notion, like path runners and mountain bikers, since somewhat little bit of glare may also help you inform distance, slope, and depth. (The lens’ mirrored coating helps cut back the worst of the glare.) Plus, I put my sweaty fingers all around the lenses to check their water- and oil-resistant coatings, and was shocked by simply how minimal a smudge I managed to make.
Materials: Polycarbonate | Polarized: No | RX choice: No
Finest Anti-Fog: Rudy Undertaking Astral Sphere
The lenses for many working sun shades are lower out of a cylindrical piece of glass or plastic. However your eyes aren’t formed like cylinders—they’re spheres. That’s the concept behind Rudy Undertaking’s Astral Sphere sun shades, which as an alternative are lower from a spherical piece of polyurethane. This materials can also be a higher-quality, extra sturdy plastic than the polycarbonate that the majority different lenses are constituted of.
There are many advantages to the Astral Sphere’s extra anatomical form—the additional room between your eye and the lens can cut back the chance of fogging, in addition to enhance readability and luxury. What’s to not love?
Materials: Bio-plastic materials, polyurethane | Polarized: Some colours | RX choice: Sure
Finest for Small Faces: 100 % Hypercraft XS
Strive on sufficient efficiency sun shades, and it’s not laborious to return to the annoying conclusion that the majority of them are made for males, who on common have bigger faces than ladies. Many pairs which can be supposedly one-size-fits-all are too huge for some runners. That’s why 100 % made the XS model of their common Hypercraft mannequin, with all of the options runners love in a barely smaller package deal.
The Hypercraft XS have full wraparound protection, and so they’re tremendous light-weight—at 23 grams, they really feel surprisingly sturdy. The lenses are scratch-resistant and handled to repel water, grime, and oil. And if one lens isn’t sufficient, you possibly can swap it out for one more (the case is even designed to hold a number of lenses).
Materials: Nylon, carbon fiber, polycarbonate | Polarized: No | RX choice: No
Finest Cat Eye: Roka Lola
I’ll admit it: Typically, I select aesthetics over efficiency with sun shades, and it was the Roka Lola’s trendy cat eye frames that first drew me to them. However there’s extra to those shades than meets the attention (ha), and the Lola packs as huge a efficiency punch as almost every other choice on this listing.
For one, they’re our lightest choose, at a virtually unparalleled 19 grams. And through my run, they carried out completely, with no fogging, bouncing, or slipping (the latter due to Roka’s proprietary Geko expertise—there are barely sticky pads at your temples and nostril that get even stickier once they get moist). If not one of the Lola’s eight coloration and tint combos fit your fancy, you possibly can construct your personal pair, with 4 frames and 12 lenses to select from (plus, you possibly can add a prescription). And if the match across the nostril isn’t ideally suited, attempt one of many different nosepieces included together with your buy—one is sure to really feel good.
Materials: Nylon, polycarbonate | Polarized: Sure (except you select a non-polarized lens in customization) | RX choice: Sure
What to contemplate when purchasing for working sun shades
An important issue to search for in any pair of sun shades is UV safety, says Dr. Blitzer. Go for sun shades which have a 400 UV ranking, which signifies that they shield towards 100% of UV rays. Heads up: Darkish lenses aren’t essentially higher—the colour and darkness of the lens is not associated to the quantity of UV safety it provides. As an alternative, choose your tint based mostly on the sunshine circumstances and setting you’ll usually be working in (some tints work higher for decrease gentle, for example, or for trails) and your preferences.
Polarized lenses, which filter out the glare you may expertise coming from the street, vehicles, or water, are key for whenever you’ll be working in brilliant, direct daylight. However polarization isn’t a should, relying on the place you’ll be working. And, in some circumstances—like in the event you usually run on trails or in low gentle—chances are you’ll wish to keep away from it, as it will possibly mess together with your depth notion and make screens troublesome to learn.
There are additionally photochromic lenses, that are just like transition lenses in that they modify to altering gentle circumstances. These are an amazing choice for runners who’ll be out and in of the solar (like on a path run by the woods), or for individuals who wish to mix them with prescription lenses, in order that they will depart their frames on (even when there’s no solar).
Sun shades which can be too small may cause complications. Pairs which can be too massive might bounce or slide round and may fog up extra simply. Most manufacturers will label their sun shades as finest for small, medium, or massive heads—some even include adjustable nosepieces or temples that will help you discover the proper match.
That stated, nothing beats making an attempt on a pair before you purchase it. Dr. Blitzer recommends shifting your head up and down to check in the event that they’re truly going to remain on and be snug when you’re on the transfer. (For those who usually run with a hat or headphones, convey these with you to verify the match is suitable.) Additionally key for consolation: Grips across the nostril to forestall slipping, even whenever you’re sweaty.
Working sun shades weigh lower than your typical sun shades—most will likely be beneath 30 grams and made with gentle, sturdy supplies (like polycarbonate), slightly than the glass you’d discover in a extra fashion-forward pair. Keep away from sun shades with thick rims, which can lower your peripheral imaginative and prescient.
The form of the frames comes down to non-public desire—you may want a sportier, shield-style pair, or extra of a traditional body that may work exterior of your run too. But in addition, take into account that wraparound shield-style frames may give you extra safety from the solar—in addition to anything which will attempt to get in your eyes, like mud, pollen, or particles.
Working sun shades can include dozens of different options—like interchangeable lenses, which let you make a swap in the event you want a special tint, or wish to use the identical body on your prescription lenses.
Lenses can include completely different coatings, like anti-scratch, anti-fog, anti-smudge, or a mirrored coating, which may also help cut back glare. Some efficiency shades even have air flow options, to maintain air shifting and your lenses fog-free.
How we discovered and examined these sun shades
To seek out the very best working sun shades, I requested an eye fixed physician (who can also be an avid runner) and a working coach for his or her favourite pairs, then went looking for different high fashions available on the market. For a month, I examined their ideas and extra pairs on runs starting from a number of miles to a dozen, together with straightforward paces and races. I paid consideration to how effectively they blocked brilliant daylight, the readability and distinction they supplied, how snug they felt, whether or not they bounced or slipped, and the way effectively they held as much as sweat and humidity.
Incessantly requested questions on working sun shades
Are polarized sun shades good for working?
Sure, polarized sun shades are good for working—particularly on brilliant, sunny days, as they cut back the glare that may come off of issues round you. (Meaning much less eye pressure, i.e. much less squinting.) There are some downsides to polarization, although, as it will possibly make it troublesome to learn screens and may cut back your depth notion. For those who’re regularly working in low gentle or depend on depth notion for technical trails, chances are you’ll wish to go for non-polarized lenses.
Why do my sun shades fog when working?
“Sun shades fog normally comes from the sweat in your face steaming and getting caught beneath the glasses,” says Underwood. “To keep away from it, you want airflow shifting beneath the lenses. For those who’re a heavy sweater, put on a body that sits out out of your face extra or has holes within the lenses to permit for airflow.” You can too search for lenses which have an anti-fog coating.
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