[Right about now, most of you are not thinking about sunglasses. Heck, most of you are looking down the barrel of sub-zero temperatures so it’s a little humorous for us at The Watercraft Journal to be going on like it’s the midst of summer. Nevertheless, we’ve got plenty of content and products to review, so hopefully this gets you revved up for riding season. – Ed.]
It’s not the first time that I’ve soliloquized about my love for a certain pair of horribly scarred and scratched Arnette Catfishes. To this day, they remain the best non-floating sunglasses that I have worn while riding at speed. Their wraparound frames hug comfortably, their featherweight resting nicely on my nose and ears as if hardly there at all. And nary once have they been blown off.
That is why the Barz Optics Floater Acetate Polarized sunglasses struck a chord with me. Much of their shape and design are similar to the 20-year-old shades that I have long since retired. Yet, more importantly, the Acetates are smartly designed, incorporating lightweight buoyant padding in the arms to keep these sunglasses from sinking to the bottom of the lake.
This added material does give the Acetates a fair more heft and thickness, but nowhere near as much as some mainstream floating sunglasses that resort to merely gluing squares of Hydro-Turf to their sides. Equally, the durable TR90 frame features non-slip padding at temples and at the nose and brow. This also keeps them from fogging up quickly. A nice addition.
While the faux carbon fibre coloring may not be a personal favorite, the Acetates do come in three other color options: matte grey with apple green temples and nose piece; matte black with grey temples and nose piece; and gloss tortoise with tan temples and nose piece. And like ours, all come with a supplied neoprene case, microfiber cloth and retainer strap.
Priced at $90 each, the Barz Optics Floater Acetate Polarized sunglasses are comfortable, sturdy and again buoyant, which is a must for most of us. They did feel a bit bulky at times, and at no point did we become unaware that we weren’t wearing a pair of sunglasses – as we tend to do with sunglasses with lighter, thinner frames. It’s a bit subjective, yes, but worth noting.
