Salice 026 RW Interchangeable Lens Sunglasses

A cycle trip on the Cornish Camel trial on perhaps the hottest and sunniest day of the year was a perfect time to prove the Salice 026 RW sunglasses [©MG]

When the sun is out athletes need to both protect their eyes and improve their vision ~ Salice 026 RW Sunglasses do both, writes Mike Gormley.

Family-owned Salice Occhiali is an Italian eyewear manufacturer, established on the shores of Lake Como in 1919, which after WWII started producing motorcycle goggles and then expanded into the emerging snow sports market. As Italians are generally good at design and have a lot of sun, the ingredients are there for a good product when it comes to sunglasses.

In this recent sunny weather I have spent a fair bit of time on the water, especially in the evening sun, when the Salice 026 RW sunglasses with Orange lens fitted have proved to be great [©MG]

The model featured here is the Salice 026 RW White Black; take note here as the W stands for Wide Fit and there is also S version for slimmer face users. This is just one from a very significant selection, with no less than nine colour combinations for the 026 R model alone.

Note the improved contrast provided by the Orange lens [©MG]

These sunglasses, which although protective and ideal for sportsmen and sportswoman are not marketed as military standard ballistic eyepro, come in a substantial protective case and include two very different lenses; Mirror Black Cat 3 and Orange Cat 1. The lens of these really forms the basis of the product with the individual ear pieces simply clicking onto either side and the nose bridge piece is also a separate item which slots into the centre with a squeeze releasing it. A lens change is just a quick and straightforward procedure.

The Mirror Black lens offers significant protection against the bright light of the beach and lens also improves contrast very well [©MG]

The Salice 026 lenses are of a wraparound design, so offer all-round protection. They hold firmly in place so are very good for sports and other active uses. I find they also fit over prescription glasses if you need this. The straight but curved side pieces have non slip Megol rubber inserts, which are very good at holding the glasses in place but are easy to remove as required. I have found when cycling and kayaking that I did not feel there was a need to have a security cord around the back of your neck. I have used these a lot now in the recent sunny weather, and not lost them yet!

¤ The clip-in / squeeze-to-remove nose piece is both comfortable and easy to fit [©MG]
¤ The click-on side pieces, the legs, are a good fit and make it easy to swap lenses [©MG]

The lens shape is said to prevent fogging, and I must say this has not been a problem for me. Lenses are quoted to be UV400 rated and offer 100% protection against UVA, B and C rays. I must confess to be an infrequent user of sunglasses, always have been, but I find these are easy to wear, comfortable and offer very good protection and significantly improve vision, especially when on the water with a low and bright sun with lots of reflected light. When I first saw the Orange lens I was in doubt if I would use it much, but in reality this is the one I use most as it is not too intrusive and gives a good level of contrast.