The lenses in the Julbo Ultra sunglasses are awesome. When I think of Reactalite lenses, I get this image of a 1980s Polaroid advert in my head but things have come a long way since.
A lens like the photochromic Zebra Light is the logical progression from multi lens glasses sets. Instead of having to predict the conditions or stop and change lenses, it all just happens. The lenses adjust from a pretty clear cat 1 lens to a pretty dark cat 3 lens. I couldn’t say exactly what the reaction times are but I just never really notice it going on, so it must be alright.
The frames are light and comfy and the lenses are held just a little further away from your face than classic sunglasses to make sure they never mist up. Face coverage is excellent with no wind getting into my eyes. The nose piece is adjustable if you need it but it was fine for me as it was. The only adjustment I made is to the width of the arms, the distance between the arms ends when fully open. I have a narrow pin head so find most glasses don’t grip my head properly, which I notice when looking down. My solution to this is to superglue a piece of elastic band to the frame just inside the hinge. This stops the hinge from opening fully and makes them grip my head a little better. Because I use elastic band, it’s sort of like a mini shock absorber.
If you compare the 2 images in this post, the top one is in a studio with no UV, so the lenses are as clear as they can be. The image just above is a fairly sunny day on Middleton Moor. You can really see how much adjustment the Zebra lenses offer, photochromic lenses are really the way forward.