ProView – Julbo Shield Sunglasses Review

For the last month or so I’ve had the opportunity to test the Julbo Shield sunglasses in various terrains and activities in both a personal and professional environment. These sunglasses use reactiv 2-4 polarized lenses, perfect for all sorts of mountain activities in California with full long days of being exposed to the sun in snowy conditions. I have worked as a year round mountain guide in the Eastern Sierra Mountains for the last few years, guiding trips that vary from a day out rock climbing, week long mountaineering courses, to Mount Whitney summit climbs. 

Throughout my guiding and climbing career I have used many technical sunglasses including both the Julbo Vermont Classic and the Julbo Explorer 2.0 extensively. I wanted to try out the Julbo shields to compare them to other Julbo models and because I was in search of a lower profile, comfortable pair that was still highly technical.

Overall, I would say that they met my general expectations and I was able to use them functionally in every activity I put them through. 

What stood out to me and impressed me was their comfort and versatility in being worn both casually and under a helmet all day. I’ve always gotten headaches from sunglasses under helmets but these were extremely mild in comparison to use with other similar models. 

The biggest drawback in wearing these  for me is that I sweated profusely in them regardless of what I did to try and adjust them. 

Quality

The quality of these glasses, especially the reactiv lenses, are incredible. It’s clear that julbo prioritizes using quality materials in all their sunglasses. I never once felt like the reactiv polarized lenses were ever lacking in performance while being used. 

Features

I love most of features that comes with these sunglasses such as the tight fitting retainer to hold them in place. However, the shields do come off and I had them come off a couple of times when I didn’t want them to as I was fiddling with my sunglasses with gloves on. I understand the concept but I think I would just prefer for them to be permanently attached. 

Fit

These glasses fit incredibly comfortably. More so, I would say, than any other pair of technical sunglasses I’ve worn. They do, however, sit pretty tight on my face, and because of that I found myself sweating into the inside of the lenses very often. It happened often and was quite annoying to have to wipe them off frequently while in the middle of an objective. 

Durability

I have no reason to not give these a high durability rating as I experienced no issues with the durability of the glasses. I’m also a firm believer that any piece of gear will last if taken care of and used in the way it’s meant to. 

The Final Word

Overall, these sunglasses will always be a good choice for me for going out into the mountains. They’re, comfortable and versatile, and perform at an extremely high level. The few qualities that presented themselves as slight annoyances could easily be managed without too much time or trouble. I would highly recommend the Julbo Shield sunglasses to anyone who would benefit from the incredible versatility and overall high performance of these technical glasses. 

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