[REVIEW] Sunday Shades – good shades for running
Republished with permission
Author: Stephen Yuen
If you follow me on Instagram, you will no doubt have seen me sporting some snazzy looking shades in various colours while running around Singapore. These shades are from Sunday Shades, a company started to provide a cheaper option for those people looking for shades that can be used for treks and running, but don’t cost an arm and a leg.
As a disclaimer, I purchased my first pair of Sunday Shades with my own money, and I have to say they have been worth every cent – though more on that later. As you know, I buy a fair amount of running gear so that I can review them for you, so that’s what I intend to do here – so without further ado, let’s get to the review!
Technical Specifications
Let’s get the nitty gritty details out of the way before we get stuck into my opinions.
Each pair of Sunday Shades measures 14cm across the front, 14cm along the sides of your head, and sits 5cm tall. The design is intended to be unisex, so really you’re just choosing your favourite colour, of which there are currently 18 different choices of coloured lens and frame combinations.
The frame is made from high quality polycarbonate, and all lenses include anti-scratch technology (triacetate), polarization, and meet the UV 400 Category 3 level of UV protection, which if you don’t know, makes these shades good for outdoor trekking among open mountain ranges, let alone running.
Along with your pair of shades, you will also get a Sunday Shades-branded case and microfiber cleaning cloth, as well as some stickers, in case you want to make your newfound love for Sunday Shades known.
Design
All Sunday Shades make use of the iconic Wayfarer-style which features a thicker rim, which is punctuated by your reflective lenses of choice. I’ve found that some of the colours are more reflective than others in the sun (and when taking selfies), so if you’re the kind of person who wants to hide what they’re looking at, do take that into account.
Overall, the design is simple and sleek, with a subtle “Sunday” branding on each arm. It’s tried and true design, and these Sunday Shades executes it well to help you look cool whether you’re actually trying to look cool, or you’re dying at the end of your long run.
Fit
As a person of Asian background, I’ve always needed to be cautious of sunglasses as not all provide enough stability when sitting on your face (thankfully I have quite a big head, so this mitigates it mostly, but I know many of my friends and family have an even more legitimate concern than I).
These concerns were immediately allayed as soon as I put on my pair of Sunday Shades as I notice that much of the staying power and stability is provided not by how it sits on your nose, but rather the fit of the arms around my head.
This is also how Sunday Shades manage to stay on your face all-day-long no matter the activity you’re engaging in – I’ve had them on walking, wading around a swimming pool, and spent many, many hours running in them and I’ve not experienced a moment when I felt like they were going to fall off my face. The fit is snug, though not too tight for me, which is exactly the assurance you want when you’re running out into the sun.
Robustness
Another general concern I have with glasses in general is how robust they are – as a native glasses-wearer, I have a bad tendency of tearing glasses off my face in every which way, which has generally exposed any weaknesses in the construction of said glasses. After almost two months of wear, my Sunday Shades aren’t showing the slightest bit of wear in the hinges or the finishing.
With that in mind, it’s a good time to mention that these shades are pretty damn good at resisting sweat. Ever since moving to Singapore, I sweat like I’m competing with Niagara Falls for most impressive waterfall and it gets everywhere, but a simple wipe down of the outside of the shades after each run gets the sweat right off, ready for your next adventure.
Here’s where this review gets really interesting – on their “About” page, the founders of Sunday Shades say they started this company to give runners and adventure buffs a choice when it came to functional sunglasses, instead of having to fork out $200. Worse still, if you happen to lose those shades, you’re forking out the same amount again to replace your original pair.
Enter Sunday Shades – they currently cost $49 SGD here in Singapore, which is darn cheap compared to your Oakleys and other high performance brands. Of course, design and preference come into the picture at some point, but if you’re not opposed to the classic Wayfarer design, you’d be hard pressed to find shades suitable for running on basically every level AND at that price point.
Overall
Before Sunday Shades came into my life, I found it extremely difficult to find a decently priced pair of sunglasses that could both protect my eyes and withstand the rigours of my running – blood, sweat and tears, and all. Thankfully I decided to try them out because they have since become an essential part of my running quiver – and they look stylish to boot!
