Eyewear Diaries… a Europtics blog

Posts Tagged ‘polarized’

Since I just wrote about Maui Jim’s other Reading Sunglasses, the Ho’okipa, I felt it only fair that I should talk about the smaller Reading Sunglasses, the Makaha sunglasses. The Maui Jim Makaha reading sunglasses fit smaller faces, and work well on more petite women. They still have full polarization and are fully UVA and UVB protected, as are all Maui Jim sunglasses. They also have the bifocal in the bottom of the lenses, so you can read outside, and perform all  of the other daily duties you forget you need bifocals for. You know how it goes: Your regular sunglasses are great…until you need to read something.

Like the Maui Jim Ho’okipa, the Makaha sunglasses come in 3 different lens colors: HCL Bronze, which is a high contrast lens, good in any light; Neutral Grey, which is great in very bright light, and a new color: HT. This is Maui Jim’s newest color, and it is a medium green. It’s very high contrast, and beautiful on overcast days with flat light. Maui Jim is using the HT in a few of their frames, and it’s definitely something to check out.

Since summer is still here in Colorado, and probably will be for a while, and it’s still awfully bright out, I thought it would be a good time to talk about Maui Jim’s line of reading sunglasses. The Ho’okipa is the larger of the 2 styles Maui Jim uses for their reading sunglasses. They’re also (of course) polarized, as is everything in Maui Jim’s line-up. The Ho’okipa is now available in 3 colors: HCL Brown, Neutral Grey and Maui Jim’s newest HT, which is a lighter green lens, great for contrast and days with more flat light. It comes in 3 powers: +1.50, +2.00 and +2.50, and these will fit most needs. They’re great for reading by the pool, hiking, golfing, or even driving in your car. The small bifocal towards the bottom of the frame doesn’t interfere with your distance vision, but comes in quite handy. You can read books and maps, and write on your golf scorecard, all without having to remove your glasses.

The polarization is essential if you’re on or near the water, and it’s pretty helpful everywhere else, as well. It really cuts down on the surface glare, and makes things more comfortable for your eyes. These glasses are wonderful, and everyone who needs reading glasses should have a pair of these Maui Jim sunglasses, too.

Since it’s the first day of summer, I think it’s time to speak about sunglasses. We all know how important it is to protect our eyes from the harmful rays of the sun (which I will likely expand on in a future post), but we also want to look good while doing it. I spoke with Bill at our Park Meadows location, and his suggestion for men’s sunglasses is the Oliver Peoples Nitro 64. He likes them because they’re large enough to fit most men very well, and they’re a “rock star” shape. He says they’re big and cool, and make you look like a rock star. And, everyone knows, if you LOOK like a rock star, then you FEEL like a rock star. It’s the next best thing!

The Nitro 64 is a full titanium frame, making it very durable. It’s not as lightweight as it might have been, because it comes with polarized glass lenses; which give the frame a nice heft. Polarized lenses tend to be the most comfortable on your eyes (unless you’re a pilot!), and the glass is the most scratch resistant material out there.

The Nitro 64 is one of Oliver Peoples’ classic frames, and it’s still one of their most popular sunglasses. If you’re looking for a sexy pair of sunglasses for your man (or yourself), definitely give these a chance.