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review

Limar OF6 Sunglasses

8
£53.99

VERDICT:

8
10
Practical, protective eyewear with four sets of lenses for all light conditions
Weight: 
25g
Contact: 
www.todayscyclist.co.uk

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

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Italy's Limar are best known for their helmets but they do a whole range of eyewear too, including these practical specs at a mid-range price that put in a fine performance.

The frame is made from Grilamid TR90 which is a lightweight polymer with high flexural strength. High flexural strength, huh? In plain English, that means you can bend the frame all over the place without it snapping. Drop them on the ground, put them in a pocket and sit on them, sling them in a bag and stick a load of stuff on top – let's be honest, you will do one of these things sooner or later – and chances are that the frame will survive okay.

The arms are quite closely spaced but there's enough spring in the frame that they sit comfortably on your temples with a little pressure to hold them in place. Rubber sections on the inside of the arms grip well even when you work up a sweat and the same goes for the rubber nosepiece. That nosepiece isn't adjustable though. It worked fine for me and for nearly everyone else I got to give these specs a whirl, but there were a couple of exceptions so you might want to try before you buy to be sure they fit.

The polycarbonate lenses are pretty good too. They provide ample coverage to keep stones, insects, sun (you get 100% UV protection), wind, rain and everything else out of your eyes, and if the worst happens and you crash, they're highly impact-resistant. Plus, even with these very curved lenses, the optical quality is good; at least, I didn't notice any distortion when I was out on the bike.

You get four sets of lenses here... which is generous: clear (allowing 89% light transmission), orange (43% LT), pink (23% LT) and blue (13% LT). That lot should see you right all year round. Swapping between the lenses is easy once you get the knack; you just flex the frame a bit and pop them out. They'll never come out by accident.

The other thing I really like is that the frame just extends around the top of the lenses; it doesn't surround them. With some glasses I find it annoying that when I glance quickly over my shoulder to check the traffic, all I see is the side of the frame. You get uninterrupted vision here, even when you're looking out of the corner of your eye.

I found these specs to be okay at staying fog-free too. The lenses have an antifog coating and they certainly don't mist up every time you stop at traffic lights. Race up the biggest hill around and immediately stop and things might get cloudy, but I didn't have any problems on this front even during cold morning rides.

These don't have the overall look and feel of super high-end eyewear but they're decent quality and they do their job well. You get a zipped case and a microfibre pouch/cleaner as part of the deal.

Verdict

Practical, protective eyewear with four sets of lenses for all light conditions

road.cc test report

Make and model: Limar OF6 Sunglasses

Size tested: White/Red - 4 Lens

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

They're cycle-specific glasses.

Limar list these features:

- Polycarbonate Interchangeable 4 Lens

- Anti-Fog Coating

- Lens 1 Pink Flash Mirror 23%LT

- Lens 2 Clear 89%LT

- Lens 3 Orange 43%LT

- Lens 4 Blue 13%LT

- Grilamid TR90 Frame

- Double Injection rubber Temples

- Rubber Nose Piece

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

These glasses provide UV400 protection: this means the lenses protect your eyes from all UVA and UVB radiation.

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10

You get good coverage and good vision.

Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10

Sooner or later you'll drop these or put something heavy on top of them; that's the way life is. The amount of flex in the frame means they cope with that sort of abuse well.

Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
 
7/10
Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
 
7/10

The rubber contact points hold them in place well without any discomfort

Rate the product for value:
 
8/10

The four sets of lenses means you'll get year-round use from them.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

They did a good job.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

The amount of coverage the lenses provide and the fact that the frame doesn't extend down to interrupt your vision.

Did you enjoy using the product? I did. They did a fine job.

Would you consider buying the product? They're certainly worth considering

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yep

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 40  Height: 190cm  Weight: 74kg

I usually ride:   My best bike is:

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Most days  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, sportives, general fitness riding,

 

Mat has been in cycling media since 1996, on titles including BikeRadar, Total Bike, Total Mountain Bike, What Mountain Bike and Mountain Biking UK, and he has been editor of 220 Triathlon and Cycling Plus. Mat has been road.cc technical editor for over a decade, testing bikes, fettling the latest kit, and trying out the most up-to-the-minute clothing. He has won his category in Ironman UK 70.3 and finished on the podium in both marathons he has run. Mat is a Cambridge graduate who did a post-grad in magazine journalism, and he is a winner of the Cycling Media Award for Specialist Online Writer. Now over 50, he's riding road and gravel bikes most days for fun and fitness rather than training for competitions.

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