Zeal Optics was
started in 1997 in Moab, Utah. They
moved their business to Boulder, Colorado shortly thereafter, which is where
they still reside. They believe in being
stewards of the environment. Their
frames and lenses are made from plant based materials and their prescription
lens lab produces zero waste, either recycling or repurposing the leftover
materials. In fact, they are the only
company in the world that uses 100% plant based materials to make their
sunglasses, which is pretty cool.
The frames
are made from the oil of the castor bean instead of from crude oil like most
companies use to make their frames and lenses.
The Castor plant is the perfect resource because it is an efficient,
fast-growing perennial that is not only drought-tolerant, but can thrive in
less than ideal conditions. Zeal Optics
calls this the Z Resin Process.
The lenses
are made using what Zeal Optics calls the E-llume process. It uses a plant based bonding agent instead
of petroleum-based materials. They can
produce great clarity using this process while still being eco conscious. They can do all of this and still provide
complete protection from UVA, UVB, UVC, and HEV light. The polarized lenses cut 99% of the glare and
use the best polarizing film on the market from Japan. Their sunglasses not only meet, but exceed
the tough ANSI Impact Resistance Standards.
The Range
comes with mirrored lenses that look great.
The lenses have a hydrophobic lens coating that repels water, oil and
dust and an oleophobic lens coating to reduce fingerprints. The nose bridge and arms are injected with
what Zeal Optics calls Pro Flex, which provides a soft comfortable hold. These are made for people with average sized
faces. I love the way that they fit and
look.
Zeal Optics offers
a 30 day money back warranty as long as the sunglasses are in resellable shape
when they receive them. That is the only
thing that surprised me. These are such
great sunglasses and all of the other sunglasses companies that that provided
sunglasses to test give at least a lifetime warranty against manufacture
defects. I also did notice that when I
was driving and the sun was shining on the tail light of the car in front of
me, there were three halos that appeared.
It seemed like the sun had to be in a specific position because I didn’t
notice this other than a few times. Not
a big issue for me.
Pros:
Very light weight material
Great fit, doesn’t bounce around while running
Great peripheral coverage
Mirrored lenses look great
Made from plant based materials, better for the environment
Cons:
The warranty is not as good as other sunglass companies
On very rare occasion, I noticed red halos when looking at a
cars tail light.
The Range is a great pair of sunglasses. I not only use these for running, but they
have become my everyday sunglasses as well.
That is saying a lot because there were several amazing sunglasses that
I tested. While they were the most
expensive sunglasses I tested (at $139.00) they are well worth the price.
Zeal Optics Social Media Links
Note:
I received this product in exchange for a review. The review is my
personal opinion of the product and I was not required to give a particular
opinion of it. I am not a doctor, so
please use all of the products that I review at your own risk.
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