The lens is where
performance starts.

Optical-grade polyamide nylon is the premium choice for performance sunglasses. With an Abbe value of 52 - the highest of any performance plastic lens material - nylon produces less chromatic aberration and delivers sharper, clearer vision than polycarbonate, especially in peripheral view.

At a density of 1.01 g/cm3, nylon is also the lightest lens material available. UV400 protection is incorporated into the nylon compound itself - it cannot wear off or degrade. Used in Lucid and Lucid+ lenses on the Phoenix and Sedona.

Polycarbonate is the standard material for safety-rated eyewear. Its impact resistance is significantly higher than nylon - it is the only lens material capable of achieving ANSI Z87.1+ certification for high-velocity and high-mass impact protection.

Polycarbonate carries an Abbe value of 30 - lower than nylon. The direct trade-off for certified impact resistance. UV400 protection is built into the material. Used in Lucid S+ lenses on the Flatiron.

Grey lenses reduce overall light transmission without shifting color perception. What you see through a grey lens looks like the real world - just dimmer. This makes grey the most accurate tint for environments where true color recognition matters.

Grey at 12% VLT is optimized for bright sun and high-exposure environments. The standard choice for desert, outdoor, and construction use.

Brown lenses enhance contrast by filtering blue light. Objects appear sharper and terrain features become more defined - particularly useful in variable light, overcast conditions, or environments with a lot of green and brown tones.

Brown shifts color perception slightly warm. If true color accuracy matters for your use case, grey is the more neutral choice.

Polarized lenses contain a chemical filter embedded at the lens layer that blocks horizontally-oriented light waves - the specific orientation of glare reflected from flat surfaces like roads, water, concrete, and vehicles.

The result is a significant reduction in reflected glare without reducing overall brightness as aggressively as a darker tint. Vision is cleaner, eye fatigue is reduced, and contrast improves in high-reflection environments.

Non-polarized lenses reduce overall light transmission through tint alone - they darken the view uniformly without filtering by light orientation. All UV protection is still present.

Non-polarized lenses are preferred when screen visibility matters: digital displays, instrument panels, and LCD screens can appear distorted through polarized lenses. Non-polarized avoids this entirely.

Choose Lucid+ if you spend significant time in environments with reflected glare - driving, near water, on open terrain, or on a job site with reflective surfaces. Eye fatigue is lower over a long day.

Choose Lucid if you regularly read digital screens or instrument panels while wearing your sunglasses. Full UV protection is identical in both.

Polarized lenses can interfere with LCD and LED screen visibility - phone screens, vehicle dashboards, ATMs, and some equipment displays may appear darkened or show rainbow patterns when viewed through a polarized lens at certain angles.

If your work involves reading screens outdoors or operating equipment with digital displays while wearing sunglasses, Lucid (non-polarized) is the more practical choice.

Mirror coatings are a thin metallic reflective layer applied to the front surface of a lens. They reflect a portion of incoming light before it passes through the lens material - reducing overall light transmission and giving the lens its reflective appearance.

Mirror coatings are applied on top of the base tint. The combination of tint and mirror determines the total amount of light that reaches the eye.

Mirror lenses reduce glare and light intensity entering the eye by reflecting it at the front surface. Particularly effective in extremely bright conditions - snow, open water, high-altitude sun - where a standard tint alone may not reduce enough incoming light.

Mirror coatings do not distort vision. The optical quality of the lens is determined by the base lens material - nylon or polycarbonate - not the coating on top. A mirror coating applied to a high-quality nylon lens produces no additional optical distortion.

Visible Light Transmission (VLT) is the percentage of available light that passes through a lens to reach the eye. A lower VLT means a darker lens. DSRT lenses are built at 12% VLT - designed for high-sun, high-exposure environments where maximum glare reduction is required.

At 12% VLT, DSRT lenses fall in Category 3 on the international lens tint scale - the standard category for bright sunlight and general outdoor use. Category 4 (below 8% VLT) is the darkest classification, reserved for extreme high-altitude or snow environments.

12% VLT provides strong glare and light reduction for demanding outdoor conditions while maintaining enough light transmission for safe daytime use.

UV400 protection means the lens blocks 100% of ultraviolet light up to 400 nanometers - covering both UVA and UVB wavelengths. This is the maximum UV protection classification for sunglasses.

In DSRT lenses, UV400 protection is built into the lens material during manufacturing - not applied as a surface coating that can scratch or degrade. Present in every Lucid, Lucid+, and Lucid S+ lens.

ANSI Z87.1 is the American National Standard for occupational and educational eye and face protection. The "+" designation indicates the eyewear has passed high-impact performance requirements - both high-velocity and high-mass impact testing.

ANSI Z87.1+ certification is required for sunglasses used as PPE on job sites, in industrial environments, and in occupations governed by OSHA eye protection standards. Standard lifestyle sunglasses do not qualify regardless of price.

High-Velocity Impact: A 6.35mm steel ball fired at the lens at 150 feet per second. The lens must not fracture, crack, or dislodge from the frame.

High-Mass Impact: A pointed steel weight dropped from height onto the lens surface. The lens must withstand the impact without penetration or dislodgement.

Both tests are performed on the complete eyewear system - frame and lens together. The Flatiron with Lucid S+ passes both as a system.

The Flatiron with Lucid S+ is the only DSRT eyewear certified to ANSI Z87.1+. The Lucid S+ polycarbonate lens combined with the Flatiron frame constitutes the certified system.

The Phoenix and Sedona with Lucid, Lucid+ nylon lenses are high-performance sunglasses for outdoor and athletic use - they are not ANSI Z87.1+ rated and should not be used as primary PPE in environments requiring certified impact protection.