News

Here are some top tips for cleaning your sunglasses / eyewear

• Don’t use a handkerchief or corner of a shirt/blouse. These can contain particles of dust and dirt which can easily scratch your lenses when you start rubbing. Paper towels and napkins are just as bad. They’re essentially pulped wood and surprisingly abrasive whilst also leaving particles of dust on the lens.
• Use a liquid for best results – condensation from your breath isn’t enough, even if you’re using a microfibre cloth. The simplest way is to rinse your sunglasses in warm (not hot) water. This is especially important if they’re covered in any grit, sand or salt. Run a bowl of water and add a couple of drops of mild washing up liquid to it. Then simply give the sunglasses a good dunking to remove all the dirt, gently rub them with your fingers in the water and then dry with a clean, lint-free (eg. microfibre) cloth. Don’t apply neat washing up liquids – particularly citric ones – directly onto lenses as they can be abrasive, some containing salt.
• Don’t forget to clean the frame too. When you wear your sunglasses, the areas most likely to be contaminated with grease, dirt and grime are the nose pads, temples and the frame surrounding the lenses. Cleans these too or you could end up smearing skin contact residue onto the lenses.
• Avoid household glass cleaners: general purpose household glass cleaners can contain vinegar, ammonia or even bleach – making these cleaners too ‘aggressive’ as they can strip away mirror or anti-reflective coatings on sunglasses. Use a proprietary lens cleaner such as our own one – this and other cleaning options are available in our accessories section.

We are very pleased to announce that Georgina Roberts has become the latest high profile clay target shooter to support Evolution and has endorsed our new Magnex shooting eyewear. Georgina is a regular contributor to the shooting press and has represented Wales and Great Britain at Olympic Trap. A multiple international trap shooting competition winner, Georgina is also a qualified coach.

Now wearing Evolution Magnex, Georgina said,

“I’m really impressed with Evolution’s Magnex shooting eyewear, changing lenses is quick and so easy! The variety of colours in the set is great as there’s something for all target colour and weather conditions. The height adjustment feature means that you can easily find the best setting for you, making them very comfortable to wear. Highly recommended.”

Evolutin Magnex is available as:

Magnex 3 lens set – Brown, orange & yellow lenses

Magnex 4 lens set – Brown, orange, purple & yellow lenses

Magnex 5 lens set – Brown, orange, purple, rose & yellow lenses

Here’s a terrific Christmas Gift Pack and it’s sensational value!

• Evolution Rider sports sunglass – worth £9.95
• Evolution Westport polarised sunglass – worth £14.95
• Evolution Hunter Blue Mirror – worth £5.95
• Evolution Bermuda Translucent Grey polarised sunglass – worth £16.95
• Evolution Microfibre Lens Cleaning Cloth – worth £1.00
• Evolution Lens & Screen Cleaning Spray (30ml) – worth £1.95

We have just launched our new top of the range Magnex Shooting Eyewear – an interchangeable set featuring a magnetic lens changing system – lenses can be changed “instantly” and effortlessly in about 5 seconds.

Over a year in development and manufactured exclusively for us, the new Magnex is available with up to 5 lens colours (Brown, Yellow, Orange, Purple & Rose).

These Class 1 optical grade, UV400 rated lenses attach to the frame with non-visible magnets. The frame is made from lightweight but super strong TR90 nylon with temples that flex for comfort. The nose piece is fully adjustable and can raise the frame by 5mm. The proprietary ‘Bhive’ PC lens material provides superior clarity and high chemical resistance (compared to standard polycarbonate lenses) along with high velocity impact protection that exceeds the requirements of ANZI Z87.1 & EN166F. The large, full wrap lens provides total eye protection and additionally they have a multi-feature coating that is scratch resistant and repels rain, spray, water spots, grease, smudging and fingerprints.

Magnex is available as:
– 3 Lens Set (Brown, Orange & Yellow lenses) at £125
– 4 Lens Set (Brown, Orange, Yellow & Purple) at £155
– 5 Lens Set (Brown, Orange, Yellow, Purple & Rose lenses) at £185

See this new state of the art shooting eyewear in our shooting eyewear section

We are delighted to announce that clay shooting trap legend Steve Scott is endorsing our new Rapide shooting model. Steve is amongst the UK’s most successful clay shooting trap shooters of all time and in an elite group of British clay shooting Olympic medallists, winning the Bronze in Double Trap at the Rio Olympics in 2016. In addition, Steve has won Commonwealth, European and World Gold medals in trap. He is still competing at the very highest level of the sport.

Steve said, “I’m now using Evolution Rapide for coaching and practise as they are so light and comfortable. The clarity of the lenses is excellent. With its highly affordable price, Evolution are onto a winner with this Rapide model”.

Rapide is the latest addition to our best-selling range of shooting eyewear. A unisex model, it is rimless for totally unobscured vision with a full wrap fit for complete eye protection and ultra-light weighing just 26g – probably the lightest shooting eyewear available. The Class 1 optical grade, UV400 rated polycarbonate lenses are impact resistant and shatterproof, complying with EN166F. It’s available in 6 individual colours, 4 & 5 multi lens sets and a 4 colour bundle. Click here to see it

We have just launched 4 great looking new unisex leisure style polarised models made especially for us. The frames are manufactured from lightweight but super strong TR90 and the high quality, glare blocking polarised lenses are UV400 rated. All 4 also have spring hinges to the temples; combined with being ultra light in weight, they’re perfect for all-day wear. Supplied with an Evolution soft carry pouch, all four are just £19.95 each – fantastic value!

The 4 new models are:

Valence – Matte black frame with clear & black temples and glare blocking grey polarised lenses

Clearwater – Frosted pale grey frame with glare blocking grey polarised lenses

Reef – Matte black frame with glare blocking grey polarised lenses

Westport – Matte black frame with glare blocking brown polarised lenses

View all of our polarised sunglasses

We always have some massive price reductions in our Clearance section: most are typically 70% off their original price. Every one is brand new and has never been on display anywhere (not ‘returned stock’) so unbeatable value.

Good examples are these two cycling sunglasses shown: Tours (top in image) and Revel (bottom in image) at just £4.95 each! That’s 65% off their original price.

Clearance offer prices start at just £2.95 and they still come with our usual two year “no quibble” guarantee. See our clearance section.

We are delighted to announce the launch of a brand-new shooting model called Rapide. This great looking unisex model is rimless for totally unobscured vision with a full wrap fit for complete eye protection. The Class 1 optical grade, UV400 rated polycarbonate lenses are impact resistant and shatterproof, complying with EN166F. Rapide comes with Hydrophobic and Oleophobic lens coatings that repel water, dust, oil, fingerprint smudges and dirt. The easy clean, no friction lens surface also has an anti-scratch treatment.

The ‘Airflow’ frame design prevents misting up. Other features include adjustable nose pads and ultra-light TR90 nylon temples that are super strong and flex for extended wear comfort.

Evolution Rapide is available as:

• 6 individual colours priced at just £29.95 – Grey, Purple, Clear, Orange, Rose, Yellow
• 4 Lens Set at £64.95
• 5 Lens Set at £79.95
• 4 Colour Bundle at £94.95

Terrific value for a high spec shooting model. See the new Rapide model in Shooting eyewear

Our top of the range Evolution Edge shooting eyewear model now uses a new lens based on Japanese technology called ‘Bhive’. This Bhive polycarbonate lens material is made with a macro-molecular structure providing enhanced clarity, improved impact protection and high chemical resistance (compared to standard polycarbonate lenses). The high velocity impact protection of the lenses exceed the requirements of BS EN166F & ANZI Z87.1. The new lenses come with an advanced, multi-feature lens coating:
– Oleophobic+Hydrophobic (repels rain, spray, water spots, grease, smudging and fingerprints)
– Easy lens cleaning (no-friction surface)
– Scratch resistance

And the good news is we have reduced the price of Evolution Edge:
• 6 individual colours (Grey, Purple, Rose, Yellow, Orange & Light Yellow): £34.95 each
• 4 Lens Interchangeable Set: £89.95
• 5 Lens Interchangeable Set: £104.95
• 4 Colour Bundle: £119.95

….exceptional value! View Edge

After 9 years at our current offices we’ll soon be moving to far bigger, better premises, giving us much needed extra space.

Ahead of the move we have some warehouse clearance offers for you at unbelievably low prices – many at just £2 and at least 80% off their original price. All are brand new and not returned stock. Shop Clearance

We’re often asked what the difference is between a lens class and a lens category and it is easy to confuse the two. The following should help clarify the difference:

LENS CLASS
The Class of the lens refers to the refractive properties of the lens – these must be exceeded to meet the required optical level. Another way of looking at it is the level of distortion of the lens. There are also different optical distortions that give rise to various distortion effects. There are spherical, prismatic, cylindrical and astigmatic distortions. Lenses can be sub-divided into three classes.

Optical Class 1 is the best visual experience with minimal, if any distortion.
Optical Class 2 provides an ‘average’ visual experience with some level of distortion

Both Classes are perfectly good for every-day wear and necessary to meet CE/UKCA standards.

Optical Class 3 is rarely seen and provides a low-quality visual experience. A cheap, poor-quality sunglass sold by a street market vendor might be an example.

LENS CATEGORY
The lens category number equates to a percentage of the VLT (Visible Light Transmission) that is, how much light the lens lets through. The higher the VLT the lighter the lens, and conversely the lower the VLT the darker the lens tint will be, blocking more light coming through to the eye. The majority of sunglass/eyewear lenses fall within one of five lens categories:

Category 0: 80-100% VLT
Category 1: 43-80% VLT
Category 2: 18-43% VLT
Category 3: 8-18% VLT
Category 4: 3-8% VLT

The lens category VLT can cover quite a wide spectrum such as Category 1 which is 43-80%. Some lens colours are right on the “border” e.g. a yellow lens can have 78% VLT which is on the border between Category 0 and Category 1. The following is a general guide to the categories that apply to different lens colours:

Category 0 – Clear, Light Yellow, Yellow, Pale Orange
Category 1 – Orange, Rose & Vermilion
Category 2 – Purple, Red, Amber & Light brown
Category 3 – ‘Standard’ Grey & Brown
Category 4 – Dark Grey & Dark Brown

We have just launched 3 terrific looking new unisex polarised models, all made with super strong TR90 frames. Ultra-lightweight, they also have spring hinges to the temples making them ideal for all-day wear. The distortion-free lenses feature a subtle graduation, are UV400 rated and 100% polarised to block glare. They are supplied with a cleaning cloth, soft carry pouch and hard case – all for just £19.95 each!

The 3 new models are:

Torino – Dark Brown frame with Brown polarised lenses

Genoa – Matte Black frame with Grey polarised lenses

Rivoli (2 colour options) – Matte Black frame with Grey polarised lenses & Dark Brown frame with Brown polarised lenses

See them on our Polarised Sunglasses page.

If you’re confused about what different sunglass lens categories mean here is a simple guide: the category number equates to a percentage of the VLT (Visible Light Transmission) that is, how much light the lens lets through. The higher the VLT the lighter the lens, and conversely the lower the VLT the darker the  lens tint will be, blocking more light coming through to the eye. The majority of sunglass/eyewear lenses fall within one of five lens categories:

Category 0: 80-100% VLT

Category 1: 43-80% VLT

Category 2: 18-43% VLT

Category 3: 8-18% VLT

Category 4: 3-8% VLT

The lens category VLT can cover quite a wide spectrum such as Category 1 which is 43-80%. Some lens colours are right on the “border” e.g. a yellow lens can have 78% VLT which is on the border between Category 0 and Category 1. The following is a general guide to the categories that apply to different lens colours:

Category 0 – Clear, Light Yellow, Yellow, Pale Orange

Category 1 – Orange, Rose & Vermilion

Category 2 – Purple, Red, Amber & Light brown

Category 3 – ‘Standard’ Grey & Brown

Category 4 – Dark Grey & Dark Brown

All Evolution grey and brown lens models are Category 3 sunglasses and suitable for use in strong sun conditions. Shop Evolution leisure sunglasses.

Lens materials

We like to keep things simple and for lenses we only use two different materials.

For almost all our sports styles including shooting and cycling models we use polycarbonate. This is the ideal lens material for sports eyewear. It has up to 10 times more impact resistance than regular plastic lenses. We use a minimum thickness of 2mm which means the lenses will withstand the impact test requirement of EN166F. Historically the image transferred to your eyes with polycarbonate was poorer quality than plastic but with the advent of Class 1 Optical Grade polycarbonate the difference is now much less significant. All our polycarbonate lenses are Class 1 optical quality. Additionally, polycarbonate naturally blocks most UV light and do not need the application of a UV coating although we always apply a UV filter coating to all our lenses to ensure our eyewear can be UV400 rated.

The other lens material we use is TAC (Triacetate) for our polarised models. In common with Evolution it’s used on virtually all lower priced polarised sunglasses. This multi-layer material has the polarised film applied to the front of the lens. Even though it’s multi-layer, a TAC lens is thin, usually no more than 1.2mm providing little impact protection and they can shatter, so Evolution polarised sunglasses should not be used if impact protection is important.

Frame materials

Historically, we used polycarbonate to make our frames (a different grade of polycarbonate to that used for lenses). About 2 years ago we switched over to TR90 and all current production now uses TR90. TR90 Grilamid is a type of nylon and the one of best materials available to make eyewear frames. It’s super strong, flexible and lightweight for all-day wear. It’s more resistant to extreme temperatures and has high chemical resistance. As the material is pliable, TR90 frames are far less likely to break or bend from impact. TR90 is more expensive to use and so not not normally found on less expensive eyewear. Another good reason to buy Evolution!

Our high quality Evolution cap, made by cap specialists Beechfield, is black with a grey trim and features an embroidered Evolution colour logo. Made with 100% cotton in a contrast panel design with red piping. It has stitched ventilation eyelets, a pre-curved peak and is universal sizing/fitting with a quick Rip-Strip™ size adjuster. The normal price is £6.95 but it’s yours FREE when you spend at least £20 on anything on the website – just use voucher code ECAP to claim at checkout. Offer ends 31.10.21.