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Here is a good video explaining the Kaenon product!

08.13.08 | Author: Jason Mitchell

I’ve tried a number of sunglasses from all the top companies over the years: Smith, Oakley, Scott, Ryders, Julbo and others.  Each one offers something unique and is made to fit different size faces or made to serve a specific function. Lately, I’ve noticed a trend towards offering more and more polarized lenses.

As such, I’ve had a number of polarized sunglasses and goggles come my way. Polarized lens technology has been around for a long time, but some do it better than others and some lens materials are better suited to it than others. I had a chance to sit down with Derek Newton, the local Kaenon Polarized sales rep while at Outdoor Retailer. He showed me a thing or two about the Kaenon Polarized lens that blew me away.

About Kaenon Polarized Lenses - SR-91®

I approached Kaenon Polarized like the many other sunglasses I’ve seen in the past–they’re all high quality, they all block the sun’s rays and they all offer protection, but why Kaenon?  As it turned out, the lens story is pretty much a no brainer. When it comes to polarized lenses, the best lens is a glass one. But, that doesn’t always work for all activities because glass lenses can shatter, they are heavier and you have a limited amount of frame styles that you can mount to a glass lens.

Looking at a standard polycarbonate polarized lens through a bright light, you could see the distortion around the edges–something I’ve seen before with polycarbonate polarized lenses. But, with the Kaenon SR-91 lens, there was no distortion.  On top of that, the standard vertical flip of the lens should yield a blackout lens (showing the polarization at work). With the polycarbonate lens, it didn’t totally black out, but wit the Kaenon SR-91 lens it did.

On top of the pure optical quality that is next to glass, the SR-91 lens is nearly scratch-proof, shatter-proof, bullet-proof and flexible.  The material isn’t stiff like glass or polycarbonate, so it absorbs shock when dropped.

Kaenon Polarized SR-91 Lenses Feature:

• Radically new, proprietary lens material
• Optical clarity as crisp as glass (a “40″ rating on ANSI Z.87.1 scale… the highest rating possible)
• Lightweight and flexible lens
• Highly scratch-resistant (on par with glass)
• Impact-proof to exceed ANSI Z.87.1 standards
• Material is capable of being drilled for frameless designs, etc.
• Learn more

Kaenon Kore Sunglasses

With so many styles to choose from, I zeroed in on the sport-specific styles. The two frame styles that stand out here are both the Kore and Hard Kore. Each one features a sport-friendly wraparound design with open frame designs and rubberized nose and temples.

In the past, I’ve been mixed on polarized sunglasses–mainly because of the lack of optical clarity. I also live in Utah and don’t spend much time on the river or at the beach. Though every time I go home to Seattle, I appreciate the polarized lens technology as I goof off on the Puget Sound. But, with Kaenon’s lens technology, optical clarity and light weight, the potential is there to have the perfect sunglasses for all conditions that just happen to be polarized.

The Kore is their original cycling and skiing-friendly sunglasses and is available in a variety of frame colors, lens tints and lens sizes (S, M, L). MSRP is $209.00.

As mentioned above, Kaenon Polarized sunglasses are available in many frame styles. They focus on providing a high-quality lens in a fashionable design. With all that variety, there’s bound to be one that suits your tastes and activity.

by REH on August 7, 2008

Kaenon lenses are impeccable in any tint. They’re fashioned from a proprietary cousin of polycarbonate called SR 91 that almost glasslike in clarity, but strong as any material out there. These happen to be an oh-so soothing gray that let in 12 percent light. Polarized? Kaenon is all polarized, all the time, a certified hydrophobe, and antireflective. Baton has a frame that begs to be fondled. Clear on the inside, a nifty wood-grain exterior that they call Ocean Reef. See that side logo? It’s screwed into the frame—nice bit of detailing, as are inset nonslip rubber bits where frame meets nose. Baton is beefy yet sleek, an 8-base wrap styled to suit normal-sized faces. You can’t look bad in unisex Baton. Comes with a bomber case and lens-cloth bag. $209. Info: kaenon.com.

Longstanding concerns about polarized sunglasses inspired ADS Sports Eyewear to take a closer look at polarized lenses. The results of this research were often contrary to conventional wisdom, and the lessons learned are so significant that some fundamental safety information should be rewritten.

Dallas, TX (PRWEB) July 16, 2008 — This research focused on three long-standing beliefs:

- Polarized sunglasses should not be used as motorcycle sunglasses because polarization makes it harder to see puddles on the roadway.- Polarized sunglasses should not be worn by snow skiers because polarization makes it harder to see ice patches on a ski slope.

- Polarized sunglasses should not be worn by golfers because polarization affects depth perception.

This myth busting project began by investigating the belief that glare from a puddle will help a rider identify a water hazard more quickly. Motorcyclists have repeated this for generations. We found this to be the most disturbing misconception that we investigated.

Glare is scattered light that obscures vision. A motorcyclist may be able to determine that a bright splash of light in the roadway is water, but the glare would make it very difficult to determine the safest response to this hazard. By eliminating glare polarized sunglasses made water hazards much more recognizable. Obstacles such as rocks and sticks in the water were more visible, and the depth of the water was more evident. Our testing never found a single instance where glare made any obstacle easier to see.

Polarized motorcycle sunglasses had an adverse effect on rider safety in only two instances. Some full-faced helmets and a few motorcycle windshields have stresses in the material that are visible through polarized lenses. These stresses can become opaque when viewed through a polarized lens.

The exact same logic that applies to motorcyclists identifying a puddle applies to snow skiers identifying a patch of ice. Glare obscures the obstacle as well as everything around it. Polarized ski goggles or ski glasses allow the skier to see rocks and sticks in the ice and identify inconsistencies on the surface of the ice.

The belief that polarized sunglasses alter depth perception for golfers was more difficult to evaluate. We were unable to create any situation where polarization had an adverse effect on depth perception. Conversely the sharper contrast from polarization created much better depth perception. Polarized copper or cinnamon provided the best contrast on a green or blue backdrop. We were testing polarized eyewear from Kaenon, Maui Jim and Native Eyewear. These higher quality lenses may explain the positive results. Lesser quality lenses can affect depth perception whether they are polarized or not. The fact that many professional golfers are winning tournaments wearing polarized sunglasses supports the conclusion that polarization is not a handicap.

Every step in the patented SR-91 manufacturing process focuses on one goal – Visual Performance. Starting with the proprietary SR-91 lens material, every ingredient going into its formula ensures that the highest resolution is maintained for maximum clarity that rivals the finest glass lenses. But being performance driven, Kaenon didn’t stop there. Kaenon strove to increase SR-91’s strength-to-weight ratio to a level that positions it as the leader in the lens industry. As a result, SR-91 is ultra-light weight, while easily passing the rigorous US Government ANSI Z.87.1 high-mass impact standards, and achieves the highest optical clarity score possible in the ANSI Z.87.1 testing criteria, 40 lines of resolution.
Every SR-91 polarized lens offers:
• Razor Sharp Optical Clarity
• Unsurpassed Glare Reduction
• A thin profile and is ultra lightweight
• Superior scratch resistance and durability
• Impact resistance – exceeds ANSI Z87.1 for high mass impact
• Lifetime Guarantee against delamination, cracking or splitting
• Filtering of all harmful UV rays and blue light.
SR-91 Rx lenses are available in Single Vision and in Freestyle Progressive. Ideal for both sport / performance and fashion frame mounts – full-frame to rimless. SR-91’s advanced technology ensures that every lens offers high-resolution clarity, light weight and impact-resistance. And every SR-91 lens is guaranteed for a lifetime against delamination, cracking and splitting.

For the complete Kaenon line, please visit: www.pointlomaoutfitting.com/c/KAEN.html