Limar OF6 Sunglasses

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