Build Quality

At some point, the quality of replacement lenses got to the point where it's really hard to gauge the build quality because you practically need a microscope to see any flaws. Also, the difference between low and high quality lenses is usually (to me at least) the way they stand up to normal wear, or in my case, extreme wear.

So, having said all that, the build quality seems excellent. The inner and outer coatings look very uniform, and there's no aberrations in the lenses that I can see. The extreme edges have a little bit of distortion, but I have to take them off my face to see it, so it's not really a complaint.

Fit and Finish

Overall, excellent. One thing I really look for is a good, tight fit in the frames, which this pair has. If they fit too tight, they're hard to take out, and you can damage the frames. If they are too loose, they not only rattle and move around, but tend to attract dirt and debris. So, they fit as well as any pair of lenses I've seen. Not too shabby for budget lenses--bravo Walleva!

The coatings look good: no scratches or chips, rough spots, and the polarization seems nice and crisp.  A couple times I thought I found flaws in the coating, but mirrored lenses show dirt and thumb prints more than matte coatings, which is what I've been mostly wearing.

Clarity

Another thing I'm picky about is clarity. Once you look through a clear pair of polarized lenses, it's hard to go back. The clarity on these is good, but not as good as a few high end pair I have, which I'm assuming is because they're not taper-corrected. But overall the clarity is acceptable, especially for budget lenses.

Glare Reduction

One thing about mirrored lenses is that they're very good with glare reduction, and this pair doesn't disappoint. I've never tested it, but it's always seemed like lenses coated red or brown seem to do a little better in direct sunlight. It's been 20 years since I got an A in physics, but that's been my experience, and a couple people have told me the same thing.

So, the red mirrored outer coating with the ISARC inner coating really seem to deliver when it comes to reducing glare.

Look and Feel

Functionality is the number one thing I care about when it comes to sunglasses. Looking good is just a nice little bonus, and these lenses look great in my GasCan frames. I've gotten a few compliments on them, and my brother is jealous because he normally only wears red mirrored shades.

Usability

So far these have been a decent set of lenses and on par with anything I've seen in this price range. There's nothing really to pick on other than the clarity, and it's something I only notice side-by-side with high end lenses.

They have done pretty well with driving and working outside and seem to do really well with glare. But the funny thing is that sometimes the sun hits at a certain angle and I get a little glare inside the lenses. It's happened a couple times where I get a little bit of red glare on the inside if I hold my head a certain way. It's not a huge deal, and could just be a quirk of this model frames, but I thought it was worth pointing out.

Overall they seem like good lenses day to day for driving and being outside during summer. It's been sunny and in the 90s and 100s here lately, which is good weather for testing shades and lenses.

The real test of replacement lenses is use over the long term. I've seen 5 dollar polarized sunglasses that work great until the coatings get scratched and rubbed off, which starts happening almost immediately. The two weeks I've spent beating up these lenses would probably be enough to pick up a scratch of nick, which hasn't happened.

But I do have a couple pair of their budget lenses that have seen 6+ months hard use in rural areas with hardly a scratch or nick, so I'm pretty confident saying the coatings on this one seem pretty decent. The factory Oakley lenses were unusable after about 6 months. These pair have probably seen a dozen clumsy drops on the ground so far--they like to fall out of my shirt pocket.

Conclusions

I think Walleva is really nailing it, and I think these are a solid pair of budget lenses. Obviously I usually prefer the higher end lenses, but my guess is that these budget lenses are better than the factory lenses. The best complement I can give a chef is an empty plate, and the best compliment I can give Walleva is to wear their lenses every day.

To review the full review, please visit: http://www.theoutdoornerd.com/2016/08/review-walleva-isarc-replacement-lenses.html