Rider: 70kg,advanced
Style: Freeriding, Surf, Freestyle
Weather: 0-25 knots
Build Quality: 10/10
Satisfaction: 10/10
Disclosure: no affiliation with Leech.
Hey folks,
Finally found something I have been on a very long search for: sunglasses that are not a PITA to wear while kiting.
I thought I'd share, it might help someone in their quest.
I've tried a bunch of different sunglasses over the years (had Ion, Kurtis, Oakley, Seaspecs,..., goggles & even masks), but I've never found a pair that really worked for me.
So my strategy for the last couple of seasons was to buy a few pairs of cheap seaspecs-like to go through the summer.
They always end up broken, lost and you don't see s*** after 10 minutes on the water but it was better than nothing for the summer sessions.
I don't need fancy sunnies but for kiting (and sport in general) I want them to be strong, safe, protective, relatively comfortable & floatable (if possible).
After hearing some good feedback about the Leech sunglasses, I decided to give a go.
There are many different models and I went with the Tornado which seems to be best for watersports, so here is my take on them.
* Safe:
The legs are made of soft plastic and are quite flexible. I think this is an absolute requirement for sport glasses: no metal! I 've spent a fair amount of time with the ski patrol in the Alps, the number of accidents due to glasses is just crazy ...
Some people go skiing wearing Ray ban, thinking they look cool, but one nasty face plant and it's gameover (leg of the glasses puncturing the eye, bad cuts, etc...).
The rest of the frame and the lens is also in plastic. The lenses are made of nine different layers that make them super scratch and shock absorbant.
* Strong:
Build quality is top-notch. I had a massive crash the first day I tried them on, my hands slipped in the middle on a F16 and I fell like a rock, head first, in (not enough!) water. That was bad, one of the worst crash I've had in years. I broke a footstrap, a fin (not sure why...) and my handlepass leach in the process but hopefully no broken bones...
Anyway, I was surprised that my glasses were still on, I had a leash on them just in case but they didn't even move.
So crash test results: 5 stars.
* Eye-protection:
One thing that made me turn away from my cheap glasses is the quality of the lenses.
Sure they were tinted and helped to make the glare more bearable but I ended up with a cornea sunburn so I don't think they were so UV protective after all...
The Leech lenses are very good quality, there are different colors to choose from (copper, gray, yellow).
It's hard to estimate what's the real UV protection but I can really feel the difference at the end of the day (no red eye, no eye fatigue at all).
There are plenty of info on their website and definitely much more R&D behind these lenses compared to some random glasses you'd get off ebay.
* Comfort:
The contact areas are made of soft plastic. They fit very well, you can wear them all day, no problem.
The lenses have some a hydrophobic coating that works really well, the water just drips off.
I don't how long this will last but I've used them quite a lot and so far it's still super effective.
You just forget about the glasses and enjoy your session, that's confort to me.
* Floatable:
Yes, they do float. They won't swim back to you though...
But, the legs have holes to fit a strap so you don't have to chase them up. I've attached the Leech strap (which is also floatable), it fits perfectly.
Kiting in sunny conditions without any eye-protection is just as stupid & dangerous as riding without a kite leash, when things go wrong it's too late.
If you don't wear any because of the inconvenience (I didn't myself for years), you should definitely check Leech sunglasses out, I'm totally stoked with mine.
Cheers!
