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Bolle' Hoard Update and a Trip to the Serengeti - REVIEW


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It's Bright Out There

Bolle Banner copy.jpg

 

I was outside the other day and I realized that it's really sunny out. Now while this seems like a painfully obvious observation, it popped into my brain because I had left the house early in the morning without my sunglasses.

 

Normally, I have a back-up pair in the car, but I had actually worn the back-up pair and left them in the house the day the day before.

 

Cinderella taught us that You Don't Know What Your Got ‘til It's Gone, and that could not have been more apparent as I squinted my way along as I drove back to the house.

Good sunglasses are key to my happy summer existence.

 

The Eyewear Arsenal Expands

Over the years I have collected quite a few pairs of sunglasses from quite a few manufacturers. I tend to use them in spurts, zeroing in on a pair or two for a few months and then swapping them out for something else that strikes my fancy. While this is not the most fiscally sound eyewear plan, it does give me quite a broad range of sunglass experience. Maui Jim, Oakley, Tifosi, RayBan, Vuarnet, and a couple of other brands all vie for face time.

 

I think that the term that I used for my sunglass idée fixe last time was sequestering. It has been a year, so why don't we see how the tinted hoard has grown.

 

Revisiting Bolle'

It was about this time last year that I reviewed a trio of pairs of Bolle' sunglasses. You can check the whole review HERE. Prior to wearing those sunglasses, I had not had a pair of Bolle' shades since the late 80's or so.

 

Overall, I was impressed both with both the golf orientated sunglasses and the more lifestyle/casual wear pairs as well. The golf frames were light and stayed secure, and the daily wear pairs were comfortable enough to wear daily. In all cases, the lenses were crystal clear.

 

Bolle' sunglasses took over my face for the majority of last year, both on an off the course. I actually wore the Tony Parker King's last week. No foolin'!

 

New Models To Share

This time around I have a couple of new models to share with you, along with some new golf lens tech.

 

Photo V3 Golf Lens

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This lens does a great job on the course. It's dark enough to provide some eye protection but not so dark that you loose green contour or other vital targeting information. Unlike some of the other sunglasses that I have worn, I did not feel the need to take these off to get the correct look of the contours on the green.

 

Aimpoint has me reading slope with my feet anyway, but I still let those untrustworthy eyes be a part of the overall read. V3 lenses help rather than hinder.

 

Here are some of the models that I played around with so far this season:

Bolt – Neon Yellow Frames- NXT Modulator V3 Golf Oleo AF Lenses

http://www.bolle.com/products/bolt/neon-pink-modulator-rose-gun-oleo-af

BolleMulti4.jpg

 

Dave's Take: These are great golfing sunglasses. The yellow is bright and bold, but there are other colors if that is too much for you. To be totally honest, it was a bit too much for me some days. Not because of the sunglasses themselves, but rather because I am currently rocking a full bag of Nike Volt colored clubs. Even I sort of draw the line at matching my club paint scheme to the sunglasses. Regardless, these have great coverage, weight, and they stay secure. Total golfing win.

 

Bolt S – Satin Crystal Pink Frames – NXT Photo V3 Golf Oleo AF Lenses

http://www.bolle.com/products/bolt-s/matte-black-tns-fire-oleo-af

BolleMulti3.jpg

 

Dave's Take: This smaller version of the Bolt was a bit like wearing swim goggles when I wore them. They actually had enough coverage that I did not get glare from the edges, but they were small on my face. Think 1984 Art of Noise Close (To The Edit) music video guy.

 

My smaller-domed (i.e. normal) wife loved them though. She's a non-golfer, but totally wore them all over the place, remarking upon how comfortable they are. If they matched her prescription, they'd be no longer in my sunglass cache. I'm totally wearing these the next time I play a round in my Loudmouth Cotton Candy shorts.

 

Ransom – Shiny White Frames – Photo V3 Golf Lenses

http://www.bolle.com/products/ransom/shiny-black-modulator-v3-golf-oleo-af-

BolleMulti2.jpg

 

Dave's Take: I used the black Ransoms last year, and they actually became the store-in-the-golf-bag pair of sunglasses. That was a spot previously held by my Oakley Fast Jacket XLs. That should give you an indication about how much I like playing in the Ransoms.

These new white versions are also amazingly golf friendly. Like all of the Photo V3 lens equipped pairs, these will stay on my face the whole round. No need to remove them unless the sun has gone down.

 

 

New Lifestyle Shades

Bounty – Matte Black Frames – Polarized Brown Emerald Lenses

http://www.bolle.com/products/bounty/matte-black-polarized-brown-emerald-oleo-af

BolleMulti1.jpg

 

Dave's Take: I mentioned that the TP9 Kings got quite a bit of the non-golfing wear last year. Now they fight with these. These green lenses in these, pair well visually with the matte black frames, are fantastic lenses. So clear. Coverage is expansive, and bent in such a way that you don't get the edge glare that some are prone to. They are very light, and the elevated nosepiece gives them some breathability that other sporty frames lack.

 

I find them a little dark for the course, but I have played a round with them when I have forgotten one of the other “for golf” pairs. Face-snug; forgettable during play. That's what I am looking for in active sunglasses.

 

Bonus Company: Serengeti Eyewear

serengeti-logo.jpg

 

I have an extra surprise for you today. That's right, four more pairs of sunglasses! In addition to building my Bolle' wardrobe, this year I have also added some glasses from Serengeti.

 

Before wearing these, I was not all that familiar with the Serengeti brand. I think that my impulse was “pilots and racecar drivers”. Since I don't do either of those things, I had not taken much of a look at Serengeti. That was an oversight on my part. These are very nice.

 

My take on Serengeti is that the company really is geared more toward the fashion/driving/flying sunglass market, as opposed to the more pure athletic. If you look through their catalog, you will see a whole bunch of cool looking glasses, but not as many that you would wear for a run as you might find when shopping Oakley, or the aforementioned Bolle'.

 

Now to be fair, there are a dozen or so frame styles in their Sport range, but there are a whole lot more styles in their other lines. It's not a knock on Serengeti that they are not uber-sporty like Oakley, it's just how their products map out.

 

Serengeti reminds me a lot of Maui Jim in this way, and I am a huge fan of Maui Jim, both on and off the course.

 

Serengeti Sunglasses Models

1.Velocity – Shiny Gunmetal Frames – Polarized 555nm Lenses

http://www.serengeti-eyewear.com/Sunglasses/Products/Velocity.aspx?product=6935

SerengetiMulti3.jpg

 

Dave's Take: I didn't wear these that often because the lens coverage was a little small for my enormously sexy melon. Man, they are light though. Little more area, or a little less sweep to the lower edge of the lens and I could see these as daily wear glasses, no problem. The green lenses did not seem to block as much light as the brown driver lenses.

 

2.Sassari – Shiny Gunmetal Frames – Polarized Drivers Lenses

http://www.serengeti-eyewear.com/Sunglasses/Products/Sassari.aspx?product=7669

SerengetiMulti4.jpg

 

Dave's Take: Now these did actually become members of the daily rotation. I love, love, love the look of the frames. The thick to thin transition at the temples is just too cool. The frames resist my clumsiness, and remain strong. These are super lightweight, even with the large lenses. The brown “driver” lens is actually great for driving. Probably too fancy for golfing, but that's the only drawback I can come up with. Really liked this pair.

 

3.Maestrale – Satin Black Frames – NXT Polar Driver Lenses

http://www.serengeti-eyewear.com/Sunglasses/Products/Maestrale.aspx?product=7353

SerengetiMulti1.jpg

 

Dave's Take: Here are the sporty Serengeti frames. Amazingly light and clear. They are listed as Medium, Large in fit, but they were a little too Medium for me. Again though, the lenses are amazing. The weight on these is golf friendly, though I can't tell you much about the face snuggin' during play, as they were too small to take to the course. They do survive the head shake test though. If you were looking for a pair that you can live, and play in, take a look.

 

4.San Remo – Shiny Gunmetal/Gray Stripe Frames – Polar Drivers 8 Base Lenses

http://www.serengeti-eyewear.com/Sunglasses/Products/San-Remo.aspx?product=7604

SerengetiMulti2.jpg

 

Dave's Take: Rockin' some aviators with the San Remo. Nice big square lenses, and titanium/acetate frames. Though I didn't wear these as often as the Sassari, these also got some daily run. Very light and comfortable.

 

Overall I was very impressed with the quality and fit of the Serengeti sunglasses. Their lenses are excellent, and the frame materials are high quality. If you have a large face/head, I would counsel you to stay toward those exclusively listed as large fitting. That being said, they have a ton of different models and lens shapes that should be able to fit your personal preference and face geometry.

 

This first exposure to Serengeti glasses has piqued my curiosity.

 

Volvo Intorqueo

All the cool kids follow me on twitter: @GolfspyDave

If you are not a cool kid, following me on twitter will make you cool...

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  • 1 month later...

Anyone that buys glasses / sunglasses needs to view this 60 minutes video... very eye opening.

 

 

 

Driver - Callaway Paradym 9*  w/Fuji Ventus Blue stiff 

Fairway - Callaway Epic Speed Heavenwood

Utility Wood - Callaway Apex UW 19*

Hybrids - 3 , 4, 5 Ping G425

Irons - 5 - PW Ping G425

Wedges -50, 54 Mizuno S23 , 58 Maltby Max Milled

Putter - L.A.B. Mezz 1 Max

Bag - Mizuno

Cart - Alphard powered Caddy Tek 3 wheeler

Silence is Golden, Duct tape is Silver.

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