I am on the market for a new pair of sunglasses and have been eying up a few pairs on the Rudy project website. Before I take the plunge and buy a set I want to be sure they are worth the money. If you own a pair of Rudy sunglasses please chime in and let me know your thoughts on:
Lens clarity
Fogging
Uv protection
Impact protectionDo they slide down when you start sweating?
Do the frames obstruct your sight
How do they hold up in the rain or if sweat gets on the lenses?
I am considering the exowind model(http://www.e-rudy.com/index_inner_detail.php?group_id=1&cat_id=&item_id=SP103978).
Or should I just put my money toward a set of Oakley Radars?
I’ve exclusively worn RP sunglasses for the last several year and owned several different pairs. I’m extremely satisfied with the product and customer service.
Right now I own a set of the Zyon glasses for everyday wear and riding (black/black) and use the cool looking bat wings included.
For my TT riding I use a pair of their Sport Mask - no frame obstruction while aero.
Personal preference between Rudy and Oakley. Both are good. I have Radars, and really like them for running, riding, mtn biking, etc. I’ve had Rudys and also really like them. Buy what you like, confident in the knowledge they both are great products. The Rudy project deal where you get all the stuff for $200 or whatever the price is, seems like a good buy.
I own a pair of Rydons with prescriptions lenses and am happy with them. But this is only pair of sports sunglasses I’ve owned, so i can’t compare them to Oakleys.
The lens clarity is excellent.
They don’t fog (and I’ve worn them on about a half dozen sprint and oly tris and many many runs and bike rides)
They don’t slip when I get sweaty.
The frames don’t obstruct my vision.
They hold up well in rain and sweat.
I haven’t gotten myself into such a situation where I’d be testing their impact resistance, nor do I know how to evaluate their UV protection except to say they seem do be doing their job there.
I wonder, too, if Oakleys are better, but I’ve got to say that my Rudys have performed well and I wouldn’t be wondering about Oakleys at all if Oakleys didn’t already have a reputation for excellent eye wear.
I bought a pair of the Rydon II last year and liked them so I got a pair of Noyz this year. I dont have problems with either fogging, other than if I leave them in the car overnight in winter and put them on in the morning.
I got the USAT special edition of both and really like the look of them.
I love my Rydons. Excellent in regard to most of your questions. They get in my vision somewhat during TTs. I would like to wear the sportmasks to eliminate that, but they just don’t fit my face. Mine do get very dirty from sweating, but I am a heavy, salty sweater. I haven’t had the chance to compare with the hydrophobic lens treatment that Oakley has. That would probably be the only thing that would make me consider switching (assuming of course that the Oakley treatment works!).
I’ve owned a couple Rudy Project glasses and currently own four pair of Oaklely’s. I’ve had zero problems or issues with either. I wouldn’t think twice about buying another pair of Rudy Projects. As to your questions- Lens clarity - I raced with the blue lenses and found them amazing in almost any light condition
Fogging- Never fogged up but mostly raced in the Sportmask not the model you’re looking at
Uv protection- They worked
Impact protection- Never impacted them so can’t help on this one, They worked day in day out so I’d say they held up well. Do they slide down when you start sweating? No
Do the frames obstruct your sight- The Sportmask did not at all, the other pair did in the aero position but not enough to be an issue.
How do they hold up in the rain or if sweat gets on the lenses? I was very impressed by how they did in the rain.
I love my Exceptions. Best sunglasses for high prescription folk. Excellent performance, great shape, wonderful choice of high performance lenses and the insert system is without peer.
I tested about 12 pairs of sunglasses in the wind tunnel with Rudy project. This was during our development testing of the Wingspan. We found the Noyz to be the fastest. Oakley Radars were tested along with a bunch of other brands. I was surprised the Sportsmask was not fastest, but the Noyz was a clear winner. I don’t have any data, but I was there freezing my butt off in that tunnel all day. Unfortunately someone stole my Noyz at the last triathlon I did, so I need to buy another pair. Fit is excellent.
I had the Sportmask Performance sunglasses for about a month and then they broke at the hinge. I originally purched them because they were light and had no frame to obstruct visibility. I think the lightness of the frame reduced the durability of them. I babied them and was gentle when handling them so I do not think that is was user error.
Other than that the sunglasses felt great when wearing them and never fogged or moved around when running, biking or heavily sweating.
My friend just got the Rydon kit that has 4 different lenses. The other day we were riding in overcast weather and he had the orange lense in and the visibility was amazing. I really looked like high definition vision. I was impressed. And that frame seems of good quality and durability.
I have 6 pairs and love them all. I have some set higher on my face for riding, as when staying aero they do not block the sightlines. They are amazingly adjustable as well. I prefer them over the Oakleys I have had, and in fact, sold all of the Oakleys as I like the Rudy’s and their support of the sport so much better. Great helmets too!
Had a pair that broke after two seasons. Switched to Oakleys and have been much more satisfied with their impact resistance.
Other than breaking at the joint between right on the corner of the lens and the earpiece, they worked very well.
Funny, I had some Oakley eyejackets that broke. Oakley wouldn’t warrantee them. I switched to Rudy. One my third pair. I did the $200 deal on a pair of Rydons. Frame, two pairs of lenses, helmet, a sweet duffel bag, and cheap t shirt and hat.
Radars & Exowinds are not really on-par with one another; Radar & Sportmask Performance are more similar.
That said, I’ve owned all three of the above and currently use the Exowinds. To address your areas of inquiry…
Lens clarity - Crystal clear on the Racing Red, multilaser red, and ImpactX clear which darkens in bright sunlight.
Fogging - Slight problem at first but was remedied by adjusting the nosepiece
Uv protection - Excellent protection
Impact protection - Only broken one set of standard lenses in five years, and that was from my stepping on them. Including several drops & a few crashes, no problems.
Do they slide down when you start sweating? Nope
Do the frames obstruct your sight - The Crystal Clear frameset is what I use. The black frames proved a tad distracting for me when aero, but that could just be me.
How do they hold up in the rain or if sweat gets on the lenses? - I sweat a lot and have not had any problems with them. Same with heavy rain, although mist can be a bit of a pain. This is the only area in which I will give props to Oakley: Their Hydrophobic coating works extremely well. However, the coating is available as a spray-on for any set of eyewear.
I have a pair of the Zyon’s, love 'em. Similar look and style to the Exowind’s, but with a full frame and different earpeices. Notes below: Lens clarity - Very good, crystal clear and they’ve held up with absolutely no marks in 1+ years with the pair I have. Fogging - 99% of the time, none. In VERY cold weather when I’m sweating, if I stop at a light there’s *slight *fogging but seriously, that’s IT. UV protection - supposedly very good but it’s not something you really notice. Impact protection - I haven’t dropped mine but as I mentioned above there’s been zero scratching Do they slide down when you start sweating? - Not at all. Adjustable nose piece to eliminate this exact problem. I have, however, had to replace the nose piece after about a year, the metal under the rubber broke from use and was, I believe, $15 to replace. Do the frames obstruct your sight - Negative; this would be frame specific so I’m not sure about the pair you’re looking at but the Zyons have big frames, not too large that they look awkward but big enough that I’ve never noticed the frames when looking around at all. How do they hold up in the rain or if sweat gets on the lenses? - Good; I can’t compare them to something similar like the Jawbones but sweat does build up on inside (I’m a VERY heavy sweater), though I feel like it’s something that if you do sweat a ton you’ll be dealing with it regardless of the shades you’re wearing. Interchangeable lenses - not mentioned but I like the ability to switch out lenses depending on the weather outside. Clear or yellow for overcast days, blue, red or black for nice days.
All in all, very happy with the Zyon’s, I’d highly recommend them and RP, I’m actually getting a pair of the Genetyk’s for next season.
