Julbo WAVE Sunglasses Review

As a contacts wearer and avid watersports enthusiast, I'm constantly having to deal with getting splashed in the eyes. This ends up pushing my contacts out of whack on my eyeballs and pretty much making me blind for the moment. You can imagine how stellar that is to deal with as you are crashing down a long, rowdy whitewater rapid.

Because of this and because I like sunglasses in general to cut down the harsh glare of the sun, I have been looking for a good pair of shades that I could wear on and off the water. I've tried several different kinds with varying degrees of success but haven't really found one that I really liked. Until now...

I had never heard of Julbo, but I saw an advertisement where their WAVE sunglasses were given a 2013 Outside Gear of the Year award by Outside Magazine. I looked them up online and found that they are geared towards the watersports crowd. I ordered up a pair with the Black/Sky Blue frames and the Octopus lens. They are not cheap at $190, compared to $120 for the Polarized 3+ lens, but if they worked as promised, it would be more than worth it.

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When they arrived, I was impressed by the quality and look of the WAVE. The black and sky blue is definitely a hot color combination and a popular one this year. The WAVE have a type of skirt on them that helps seal them to your face for a tighter fit that will keep a lot of the water out of your eyes. Very cool stuff and you can even unclip the skirt and just wear the glasses themselves without it. I love this feature as it makes them look more "normal" for off the water use.

As I mentioned, I opted for the Octopus lens and am glad I did. You can tell very quickly after using them what a high-quality lens it is. They are photochromic which means they get darker or lighter in accordance with light intensity and have NTS technology which means that works regardless of temperature. Also, they are polarized, have an anti-fog coating (important on the water) and are available in prescription versions. In addition, the lens have small holes in them around the edges to allow air flow for venting. While not perfect, the glasses fogged up much less than any other sunglasses I have tried on the river.

For keeping the glasses on your face and to help not loose them while participating in your favorite watersports activity, Julbo has made the WAVE sunglasses have a floating frame. To keep them from falling off in the first place, they also equipped them with a grip nose and a strap that holds them in place. This works very well unless you're an idiot like me and leave the strap unhooked from the glasses and laying on your spray skirt as you take off through Double Trouble on the Ocoee. Jublo can only do so much to keep you from loosing your glasses.

To sum it all up, I'm very impressed with the Julbo WAVE sunglasses. They look very stylish and not out of place with the skirt unclipped, while participating in dry land activities. Then when you are ready to hit the water, clip on the skirt and the strap and you're ready to go. I just got back from a SUP trip this past weekend and they worked wonderfully for that. The Octopus lens really cut the glare and allowed me to read the water better. All while being comfortable and looking good at the same time. Don't hesitate to check some out for yourself soon and head over to julbousa.com for more information.

Julbo WAVE Spec Sheet

PROS:

- Anti-fog coating and vent holes really help reduce fogging on the water. 

- Their ability to float, the strap that comes with them and the grippy nose help keep them from getting lost while being active.

- Octopus lens are amazing. Auto tinting, polarized, anti-glare, anti-fog, etc. They have it all. 

- Stylish and light. 

CONS:

- Anti-fog coating, etc help and much better than anything else I've tried, but still not an absolute miracle worker.

Julbo WAVE Promo Video