Specialized San Remo

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
The San remo's are very nicely made sunglasses. The quality of materials and construction is very obvious from the first moment you pick them up and put them on. I love the styling. They feel firm and stable on the head and form a close fit against the brow which isn't always a good thing since it allows sweat to pool up.

The adaptalite action is subtle and I cannot notice the lenses darkening or lightening in use. So subtle infact I completely wrapped one lens up and placed the glasses in open sun light for a few minutes just to see the difference between a one lens exposed to bright sun light and the other complete darkness. To look at the difference isn't all that much and it got me wondering if it was worth paying the extra for adaptalite lenses.

The big negative for me with the San Remo's is the red enhancing nature of the lenses. They're "positive red" to use Oakley's terminology. This enhances the appearance of all red and orange colours to the eye. On paper the theory seems ok in that it enhances the red brake lights of cars and other hazard warning marks/signs etc but in practice after only a short time I find it uncomfortable and tiring on the eyes. Car brake lights are not the only red or orange things in the world and you become even more aware of that when wearing the San Remo's with every remotely red or orange object jumping feet first into your eyes with exagerated brightness. I don't like it at all, it even gives me headaches.

So unfortunately as much as I like them in all other respects, I just can't get on with the view of the world through the San Remo's. Despite the short time I've owned them, I've boxed them back up and put them away, quite possibley never to be worn again.