Rudy Project Noyz photochromatic sunglasses

Posted: 11/16/2009 In Category(s): Reviews :: Product Reviews

Rudy Project is certainly known for its high-end sunglasses geared for performance, and the Noyz is no exception. We tested the sleek, wraparound, athletic Noyz with the ImpactX Photochromic Clear lenses while running, hiking, rafting and mountain biking in all kinds of light conditions, including cloudy and rainy, in and out of shadows, and glaring sunshine.

All in all we liked the way they performed and fit, particularly the company’s newer adjustable nosepiece that sits on the nose without pinching or sliding. An older style was difficult to adjust and didn’t seem to stay put very well, but this one can be smoothly adjusted as needed and doesn't need frequent re-adjusting. 

We were told the style fits most people except those with very small or very large heads and so seemed the case. Our tester has a narrow head but others who tried it on liked the fit too.

The ImpactX technology claims the lenses are unbreakable. We can’t say we sat on them or otherwise crunched them but they did get jammed into pockets and dropped a lot by our bumble-fingers tester. Rudy Project also claims the lens technology features high scratch-resistance and certainly dropping the lenses face down on gravel, grit and dirt didn’t seem to make a difference.

The photochromic feature (i.e. light particles change from clear to darker with varying light conditions) is a continually evolving technology. 1024x768 Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 One of the beefs with older photochromic lenses is that they do not change from light to dark and back to light again quickly enough – which can be a problem when running or biking into and out of densely shaded areas. These sunglasses were interesting in that we could put them on while in the house (as to not misplace them while heading out!) and still see, but still felt our eyes were sufficiently protected on our active endeavors outdoors. The company states the lenses can block all but 17 percent light transmission.

We wore them in rainy and cloudy situations too and found we could see clearly. Where we felt there was a tiny lack of protection was on the high-end of glare or brightness. Although they darkened, we felt a little “squinty” still on brighter days or in glaring conditions. So there was a trade-off: If you KNEW you’d be in 100-percent bright conditions, a darker lens may be the best choice. Of course, you don’t always know what you’ll confront and you can’t always take along extras. If you KNEW the conditions may go darker or vary more, then these photochromic ones could work well. We have taken to choosing these on cloudy days or at dawn or dusk. Of course you can also buy extra lenses as a part of the interchangeable lens system, but we weren’t able to try that feature.

They are also prescription-ready for those users, have a flexible frame (which we feared had been bent a time or two by Bumble-Fingers Tester, but was still just fine for the wear).

SNEWS® Rating: 4.0 hands clapping (1 to 5 hands clapping possible, with 5 clapping hands representing functional and design perfection)

Suggested Retail: $204.99 ($175 to $255, depending on the frame, lenses and features) 

For more information: www.rudyprojectusa.com  

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