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review

dhb Vector PhotoChromatic Lens Sunglasses

8
£90.00

VERDICT:

8
10
Reasonably priced photochromic sunnies that are excellent in loads of riding conditions
Lens clarity
Good photochromic range, can be used for a variety of conditions
Arms are quite long
Weight: 
37g

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The dhb Vector PhotoChromatic Lens Sunglasses offer an amazing field of view thanks to that extra-large lens; its clarity and the fact that it's a fast-reacting photochromic lens meant that I found myself reaching for these glasses in a wide range of conditions from low-light, dull, rainy days to sunny bright ones.

As you'd expect when you see a lens this large, the field of view is excellent. I'd go as far as saying that it's even better than you get with a pair of Oakley Jawbreakers which are still, to my mind, the oversize glasses to beat.

The frame at the top is amazingly unobtrusive; it sits close to the forehead which means that the upward field of view is excellent. This is particularly useful if you're in an aggressive position, for example when sprinting, head down in a TT position or just chewing your stem.

Peripheral vision is also excellent, and the wraparound design has the added benefit of protecting your face from wind and rain.

2020 dhb Vector Photochromatic lense sunglasses - side.jpg

Cutouts at the top of the lens ensure that the Vectors don't fog up excessively, and while riding I had no issues even on slow climbs when there's not much airflow. When stopped at traffic lights I did have a few instances of fogging, but this soon cleared when I set off again.

To keep the glasses in place there are rubberised sections on the arms where the glasses sit on the ears, and also on the nose-piece. The arms are what I would call a medium length – they're about 15mm longer than a set of Jawbreakers on their shortest setting, but marginally shorter than the Oakley Sutro's arms.

For cycling, my preference is short arms on glasses as it minimises the risk of interference with a helmet. I found that the dhbs were short enough to be fine with my Met Trenta helmet but did interfere with the larger retention system on a Kask Protone. The arms on the Vectors can extend about 6 or 7mm with a simple pull, but personally I'd rather they got 6-7mm shorter.

> Buyer’s Guide: 28 of the best cycling sunglasses

The nose-piece is adjustable, but I found the Vectors wanted to sit quite high up my nose, certainly higher than other glasses I've tried. This has both positive and negative attributes.

On the positive side it means the field of vision is excellent – you can hardly see the frame or nose-piece at all unless you're really looking for it. On the downside, I found that maybe once per ride my eyebrow would touch the lens, resulting in a nice sweaty smear which isn't great for clarity. This occurred wherever I positioned the nose-piece, but of course this could just be down to my face shape.

Generally, I'd always try to buy a pair of glasses that sit as close to my face as possible without either my eyebrows or eyelashes touching the lens. For me the Vectors are just a fraction too close, but buying through Wiggle you can take advantage of its excellent returns service if you find they don't fit your face.

When that giant lens doesn't have a sweaty smear on it, it's an absolute masterpiece! It sounds silly but it is amazingly clear, and the photochromic reaction is not only quite fast but also natural feeling. It's actually very hard to notice the change, especially on the road, but I can assure you that it is happening, just like when your pupils change size. I found the lens was most impressive when mountain biking on sunny days, when changes from light to dark are severe as you come in and out of wooded areas.

2020 dhb Vector Photochromatic lense sunglasses - inside.jpg

dhb doesn't publish a claimed reaction time for its lenses to transition, but I've timed it at under 30 seconds – Dave reckoned about 20 seconds for Julbo's Reactiv lens in the Fury glasses he tested earlier in the year, which cost £155. It's by no means instantaneous, but I never found myself thinking they were too light or too dark when out riding.

One of the things I like most about these sunnies is just how often you can use them. I'm a big fan of riding in glasses year-round as there's nothing worse than a fly or some mud in the eye, and the Vectors will be perfect for this. I've ridden on some gloomy and rainy days, on road and off, with no issues; the lens is slightly more tinted than a pure clear lens, but I found this no hindrance other than in complete darkness. At the other end of the spectrum, I've used them for some pretty bright summer rides and they perform exactly as you'd hope a pair of sunglasses would!

Value and conclusion

At £90 the Vectors aren't cheap, but nor are a lot of alternatives we've tested recently with a lens this good: I've already mentioned the Julbo Fury Reactiv photochromic glasses that have an RRP of £155, the Rudy Project Defenders are £191.99 and Oakley's Jawbreakers £180. There are, of course, cheaper alternatives out there – the RockRider XC Race Photochromic sunglasses that off.road.cc tested, for example, are £45 but don't appear to offer quite the same field of view.

> Buyer’s Guide: 13 of the best cheap cycling sunnies

Overall, although the fit isn't my personal favourite, I'd say the Vectors are well worth a try – everyone's face is a different shape so they might work better for you, and if they do, they're very good.

Verdict

Reasonably priced photochromic sunnies that are excellent in loads of riding conditions

If you're thinking of buying this product using a cashback deal why not use the road.cc Top Cashback page and get some top cashback while helping to support your favourite independent cycling website

road.cc test report

Make and model: dhb Vector PhotoChromatic Lens Sunglasses

Size tested: One size

Tell us what the product is for and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

These sunglasses are aimed at both road and offroad riders. dhb says: "Vector PhotoChromatic Lens Sunglasses come with a wide field of vision with a PhotoChromatic lens which adapts to changes in your lighting environment. The lightweight frame is stabilised with an adjustable nose piece that provides a comfortable fit and keeps the glasses in position during intense activity."

I agree with all of that, although I have found that other sunglasses fit my face better. The photochromic lens is excellent and meant I used them successfully in a wide range of conditions.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

From dhb:

Photochromic lens technology

Adjustable nose piece

Fixed lens design

Full frame with wide field of vision

Vented lens to avoid fogging

Suitable for Road or MTB riding

Weighs 36g

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
7/10

Good for the price, if not quite as über quality feeling as high-end options from the likes of Oakley.

Rate the product for performance:
 
9/10

Excellent field of view and brilliant photochromic lens.

Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10

Lens seems quite robust, I got whacked by quite a large stone and not even a scratch.

Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
 
9/10

37g ain't much!

Rate the product for comfort (if applicable)
 
6/10

Rubber in all the right places, but for me sat a little high up my nose – everyone's different though.

Rate the product for value:
 
7/10

They're not cheap but they should get plenty of use as they're more than capable in lots of conditions.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Performed well both on and off-road, field of view is useful in both disciplines where the Vectors excelled.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Field of view.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

The occasional eyebrow rubbing with the lens leaving smears.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

You can get glasses for half the price – such as the Rockriders at £45 that I mention in the review – which do nearly as good a job, but others that don't seem to offer a lot more can cost twice as much. I think these are good value in comparison.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? No

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your overall score

Overall they're very good – comfort, field of vision and high lens quality are all excellent for the money.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 22  Height: 6ft  Weight: 74kg

I usually ride: Specialized venge pro 2019  My best bike is:

I've been riding for: 5-10 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, time trialling, cyclo cross, commuting, club rides, sportives, general fitness riding, mtb,

Jamie has been riding bikes since a tender age but really caught the bug for racing and reviewing whilst studying towards a master's in Mechanical engineering at Swansea University. Having graduated, he decided he really quite liked working with bikes and is now a full-time addition to the road.cc team. When not writing about tech news or working on the Youtube channel, you can still find him racing local crits trying to cling on to his cat 2 licence...and missing every break going...

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11 comments

Avatar
Cheesyclimber | 3 years ago
0 likes

These look more or less identical to the ones Planet X are currently selling for £55.

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fenix replied to Cheesyclimber | 3 years ago
0 likes

Similar but hinges are different. 

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Rick_Rude | 3 years ago
0 likes

Once you buy a pair of these you can put that serious cyclist face one, like your leading Geraint Thomas or whatever. 

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Prosper0 | 3 years ago
0 likes

Not a particularly keen price by Wiggle. I spent about £100 on my Oakley Radar photochrome glasses which are often on sale. 

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fenix replied to Prosper0 | 3 years ago
0 likes

Seriously ? That's a good price. £235 now.

Or just get the non branded photochromic lenses that fit whatever Oakleys you have now. £30 from Amazon. 

Avatar
Sriracha | 3 years ago
0 likes
Quote:

dhb Vector PhotoChromatic Lense Sunglasses

Seriously, lense? But this is not just slack journalism, it's there on the Wiggle product page. Something in me rails against paying over inflated prices when they want to sell what they can not spell.

Avatar
mdavidford replied to Sriracha | 3 years ago
0 likes

Strictly speaking, it can't be a misspelling, because it's part of the product name, so it's spelt however they decide to spell it. For all we know they did it deliberately because they thought it added some kind of foreign mystique to it or something. I mean, you wouldn't complain that they couldn't spell 'block' because of this, would you?

Where they refer to the actual lens elsewhere on the page, they do spell it without the extra 'e'.

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Hirsute replied to mdavidford | 3 years ago
0 likes

Did you mean: dhb Vector PhotoChromatic Lens Sunglasses

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mdavidford replied to mdavidford | 3 years ago
0 likes

They've definitely confused their colleagues at Chain Reaction though - they've spelt it different ways in the main page header and the description header. 

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Sriracha replied to mdavidford | 3 years ago
0 likes

Strictly speaking, David, it can be a misspelling, because they have now corrected it 😉. However their shame is preserved in the URL, and throughout their website.

Avatar
mdavidford replied to Sriracha | 3 years ago
0 likes

Strictly speaking, they don't know if they're coming or going, because this one still has the 'e'.

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