Choosing sports sunglasses is quite complicated, in this article we give you some tips that you should follow when buying them.
The most important thing when choosing sports sunglasses is the light transmission categories of the selected lenses. These categories determine how much light is let in, in other words, how dark the sunglasses are, which also determines what conditions they are best suited for.
There are a total of 5 categories:
S0 - visors with the S0 category are completely clear, they have around 90-99% transmittance, so they are especially suitable for rain, fog, darkness and other conditions when you need to protect your eyes from wind, insects, rain or other objects. With some manufacturers, you can also come across glasses of yellow color. The VIF brand offers 2 variants of lenses in this spectrum, the first are purely transparent lenses, or photochromic self-darkening lenses of category S0-S2, which adapt to the amount of UV light.
S1 - slightly darkened sunglasses, which are especially suitable for cloudy conditions. This category within the VIF brand includes photochromic lenses.
S2 - classic sunglasses with a transmittance of around 30-40%, which are usually available in stores without major specialization. Lenses of the 2nd category are more or less universal and will serve you whether the sun is shining in the morning or at sunset. All VIF coloredmirror lenses have just this transmittance.
S3 - very dark visors of the 3rd category are especially suitable for sports during spring and summer sunny days, for mountains up to 3000 meters, or at the beach. VIF polarized visors are in the S3 category which, in combination with a polarizing filter, ensures ideal comfort during sports in these conditions.
S4 - sunglasses for extreme conditions. These are mostly sunglasses with side "flaps" so that the eyes do not come into contact with direct sunlight. The only sunglasses of this type on the commercial market are the POC Glacial, which costs around€280, but unless you are planning a week-long trip to the Sahara or intend to climb a mountain or glacier higher than 5,000 meters, you will not find use for sunglasses of this type in European conditions.
Another aspect when choosing sunglasses is the sport you do most often. If you're running 90% of the time in the woods, you'll obviously need different sunglasses than if you spend most of your time in the saddle of a road bike in direct sunlight. Based on thousands of questions from our customers, we have prepared a categorization of sports and suitable sunglasses for you:
- Running or cycling in the forest, trails - photochromic lenses category S0-S2
- Mountain bikes, running, road cycling during spring, winter and autumn - universal lenses category S2
- Alpine skiing, mountain hiking, climbing, running, road cycling, fishing, beach volleyball, water sports in the summer months - S3 polarized lenses
When choosing quality sunglasses, also make sure they have a UV400 filter to protect your eyes. This filter does not pass any UVA or UVB light with a wavelength of 400-280nm. A UV400 filter is in all VIF visors that are available.
The weight of the sunglasses is also very important. Heavy sunglasses can put pressure on your ears and nose during prolonged performance. The VIF sunglasses weigh only 29 grams, making them the lightest sunglasses on the market. VIF sunglasses are therefore comfortable even after a whole day on the bike or even a whole marathon.
Polarized sunglasses are also a recent trend. Light spreads in all directions. But if it is reflected from a shiny surface such as glass, water surface or wet road and snow, it becomes polarized and we perceive it as white blinding light. Normal sunglasses without polarization cannot filter it. Howeever, polarized sunglasses can provide a clear image without reflection. For safe cycling, cross-country skiing or even driving, we definitely recommend the polarized version of our VIF sunglasses.
If you need any help choosing the correct sunglasses for you, do not hesitate to contact us in the contacts section or our Live Chat via Facebook Messenger or Instagram Direct.