TESTED: SPOTTERS BLAZE NEXUS SUNNIES
LIGHTWEIGHT, STYLISH AND OFFERING GREAT GLARE PROTECTION, THESE AUSSIE-DESIGNED SUNNIES ARE ABOUT AS GOOD AS THEY GET.
IAM A big fan of polarised sunglasses, especially when I’m driving long distances in the harsh light of day. Up until recently, my preference has been for a dark-tinted glass lens, but about 12 months ago I dropped my Ray-bans prior to a trip to the Flinders Ranges and I badly scratched one of the lenses.
Rather than grab another pair of Wayfarers, I thought it might be time for a style update. So for the past year or so I’ve been running a pair of Spotters Blaze sunnies, featuring the brand’s iridescent blue/green Nexus Mirror lens.
You’ve probably heard of Spotters, the sunnies brand that markets itself as “Australia’s premium polarised sunglass brand for fishing, four-wheel driving, hiking, biking and any outdoor activity.” Spotters is an Australian-owned company, and the sunglasses are designed locally. The lenses are sourced from Japan (there are no Australian lens manufacturers) and the frames are sourced from either Japan, Italy or China (depending on the model), but the sunglasses are handfinished and hand-assembled in Australia, which includes hand grinding, cutting and finishing the lenses, and then fitting them into the frames.
One of the most surprising aspects of the Blaze is just how light these sunnies are. At first I thought they must’ve had plastic lenses, but they actually have high definition, emerald green, polarised crown, glass lenses.
In the case of the Nexus Mirror lens, the mirror effect is courtesy of an iridescent blue/green mirror made from metallic particles. This is designed to reflect heat and glare for a cooling effect and thus reduce squinting. Beneath the mirror surface is a high-definition, emerald green, base tint, crown glass lens, designed to enhance depth perception without affecting colour perception. And the Nexus Mirror is protected between layers of crown glass, so it can’t be damaged or scratched off.
While not as dark as I’m used to, the tint of the Nexus Mirror lens certainly offers superb clarity and a soothing sensation. It also does a fantastic job of minimising glare, and it provides good below-thesurface vision when you’re on the water. And in low-light situations, such as at dusk, I find I can wear these sunnies for longer than I could with a darker tint.
The Blaze frame fits my face well, and its wrap-around shape and light weight provides good comfort. A secure fit ensures they hold on to my face well, which prevents them from falling off when I’m looking down or jumping around.
Of course, different sunnies fit different faces in all kinds of ways, but there are plenty of frame styles in the Spotters range – so chances are, there’s a pair to suit just about anyone.