Here’s what I prioritized when deciding which sunglasses to test and what I looked for during our testing:
Coverage: The more curvature that sports sunglasses have, the more protection they provide. “Base curve,” “wrap,” and “bend” are all terms used to describe lens curvature. I tested models advertised as having base curves ranging from 6 to 10; I preferred models with a 7 or 8, for their balance of protection, versatile styling, and prescription compatibility.
Fog resistance: Some sunglasses value protection over breathability, which may make them more prone to fogging during vigorous activities—especially when you stop moving, which reduces airflow. Most high-quality sunglasses have an anti-fog coating, but it’s hard to prevent fogging if the sunglasses are very close to your face. I looked for sunglasses that balanced coverage with airflow.
Fit: I looked for sunglasses that come in more than one size. I also looked for adjustable sunglasses, meaning that I could alter the temples permanently by bending them, or swap the nosepieces to change how the bridge fits. If the temples weren’t adjustable, I tested their flexibility—looking for temples that’d spread enough to fit comfortably.
Weight: Unless you’re a professional athlete, the weight of your gear usually shouldn’t be a huge concern. However, while testing sunglasses—often for 12 hours at a time—I did notice which pairs were lighter and which were heavier. (Our picks range from 24 to 33 grams.)
Durability: I sat on each of the sunglasses I tested, pressed their nosepieces to the temples, flexed the temples in opposite directions, and threw them across my office at the wall or onto a hard floor. I also accidentally dropped several pairs while running (when removing them to wipe away sweat) and while ski touring (when changing from sunglasses to goggles). All of our picks came through these tests admirably. Still, I also prioritized sunglasses with replaceable parts—including lenses, temples, and nose pads.
Lens quality: When moving fast, you want sharp optical quality; that is, no eyestrain and the ability to see details clearly while in motion. Most sport sunglasses lenses are made of polycarbonate, a strong plastic resistant to shattering that also has great optics, especially when lenses are preshaped in a mold, which most high-quality lenses are. Our runner-up pick and our budget pick both use polycarbonate lenses; our top double-lens pick uses polycarbonate lenses in its cheaper lens options.
Trivex is an even stronger material with an edge in optic quality over polycarbonate; it’s sold under a few other brand names as well (NXT, Phoenix, and Trilogy). The Rudy Project Rydon’s pricier lenses are made of Trivex (the company’s proprietary name for it is ImpactX). The material is typically more expensive than polycarbonate.
Nylon (sometimes referred to as polyamide) also provides excellent optics—better than polycarbonate and close in quality to Trivex. Our top shield-style pick has nylon lenses. Very lightweight and flexible, nylon isn’t rated as being as impact-resistant as polycarbonate and Trivex, but it’s tough enough for sport use.
The cheapest lenses we’ve seen are often made of basic plastic or acetate plastic, which is cut from a sheet, then bent to shape. Such lenses are almost sure to cause eyestrain over time. “They might seem fuzzy, dirty, or foggy, but they’re not,” said SportRx’s Rob Tavakoli. “They’re just not good lenses.”
Lens darkness and tint: I looked for sunglasses that come in a wide-enough variety of darknesses and tints that most people will be able to find a lens that’ll work for them.
Lens darkness is measured in variable light transmission, or VLT. A higher VLT means less light for bright days, and a lower number means more light for darker days. By tint, I mean base tint—what you see from the inside of the lens. Coatings and mirrors can alter a lens’s exterior look, but it’s the inside that counts.
Since you might need different lenses for different conditions, I also looked for sunglasses with lenses you could swap out (and tested to see how easy it was to do so).
Prescription compatibility: Not every pair of sport sunglasses is prescription-ready. It’s challenging to build a prescription into lenses as curved as those you find on sports sunglasses. “A heavy wrap in even a low Rx is going to cause some problems,” said John Seegers, optician and founder of OpticianWorks, who is also a recreational cyclist and mountain climber. “As the Rx power goes up, so will the distortion.”
Shield sunglasses are even less well suited than double-lens sport sunglasses for people who need correction. This is because prescriptions are made for each eye, and building in two prescriptions into one lens is difficult, especially as the prescription gets stronger.
If you have a strong prescription—generally, this means prescriptions of +/- 4 power or more—you’ll likely need double-lens style sunglasses, whose lenses can be individually dialed in to fit your prescription.
Availability and return policy: Some of the sunglasses we tested are available only online, while others are available in stores. For those that are available only online, we prioritized those with good return policies.
