If you want one pair of sunglasses with lenses that will work on everything from bike rides at dusk to walking on glaciers then look no farther than the Julbo Venturi. These photochromic sunglasses eliminate the need for multiple lenses and they will become your new best friend as soon as you put them on.
The Venturi is Julbo’s latest pair of trail running sunglasses that cost around $180. They have half frames and plenty of ventilation to prevent fog. The lenses are also large which gives you a great field of vision. The lenses themselves are Julbo’s Zebra photochromic (cat 2 to 4) lenses, which can transform from 42% light transmission to 7% in under 30 seconds.
The Zebra is without a doubt the best lens that my eyes have ever seen. It provides the perfect amount of light transmission when I am running in shady forests, at the beach, on snowfields, riding a century or doing just about anything else. I have seen this lens at the top of Mount Rainier and at the beach; it does everything. The lenses transition so smoothly that I never notice it; it just always seems right. It also helps that the Venturis do everything in their power to prevent fogging.
The Venturi seems to be well built with thick lenses and plastic frames that provide plenty of protection from wind, rain, road debris and tree branches. I do wish that the frames hugged my head a little tighter but this was not a huge issue. Also, the Venturi nosepiece is adjustable so it might take a few tries to get the fit that is right for you but trust me it is worth the effort. I should also probably tell you that he Venturis are not the most fashionable sunglasses out there; everything about these screams athlete which is fine if that is the look you are going for.
At $180 the Julbo Venturi is an amazing value. You would need to pay twice as much to get similar sunglasses from the bigger brands and that still would not get you the Zebra lens. If you want one pair of sunglasses that will perform perfectly on all your active pursuits then check out the Venturi.
New England Outside received no incentive to write this review and the sunglasses were purchased with our own funds.
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