Maui Jim Review: Hot Sands High Performance Sports Sunglasses – Perfect For Active Lifestyles

Now that Summer is around the corner, we need to pay a little more attention in protecting our eyes from the UV rays when out and about training in the great outdoors. Investing in a good quality, long lasting, protective yet affordable pair of sunglasses is crucial to one’s eye health and thought I would take this opportunity to share my thoughts on Maui Jim’s Hot Sands High Performance Sports Sunglasses I recently had the pleasure of road testing.

Maui Jim Background

The Hawaiian born brand is said to be the world’s only company to protect your eyes with up to nine layers of glare-cutting, UV-eliminating and colour-enhancing technology.

The company’s reputation is based on the development of advanced, patented PolarizedPlus2^®technologies for double and single gradient lenses in plain and prescription that reduce 100 percent of harmful UVA and UVB rays and cut glare from above, below and behind each lens by 99.9 percent.

Maui Jim offers a wide a range of stylish frames to suit all tastes, face shapes and activities. So for those looking to take up / already play golf, tennis, winter sports or water sports… for anyone that has just signed up to their first half marathon or triathlon, there is something for everyone on their website.

The lovely people at Slam PR contacted me a few months back to see if I would be interested in putting a pair of sports related Maui Jim Sunglasses to the test by way of a performance review.

I didn’t hesitate to accept the offer as one, you know I love a challenge and two, fitness accessories are a popular topic among my readers and followers and felt they would benefit from my thoughts and opinions should they be interested in purchasing sports sunglasses that have been tried and tested by someone whose word they can trust.

After spending at least half and hour on their site, a few designs caught my eye, including Olowalu and Honolua Bay, I eventually settled on  Maui Jim Hot Sands a unisex design for the reasons below.

Hot Sands are idea for a wide range of fast-paced, active sports demanding eye-wear with superior fit, durability and anti-slip features. These sunglasses are available in:

• Gloss Black
• Blue Rootbeer and
• Translucent Matte Grey

The Hot Sands style are said to allegedly withstand the most rugged sport, and is packed with advance lens technology that offers superior clarity and colour enhancement.

“The inspiration behind this particular design is Hot Sands, a popular surf spot in Lahaina near the Puamana community. With a sporty, edgy frame, Hot Sands is an ideal sunglass choice for high-performance and active lifestyles”.

In all honesty, it was the last sentence from this description on their website that made me gravitate towards choosing the Hot Sands Sunglasses.

After all, being an active individual whose outdoor training generally consists of HIIT runs, plyometric circuits, cycling and the odd calisthenics training, my sunglasses need to meet my following requirements:

• provide a comfortable fit
• do a great job in protecting my eyes from the UV rays

and most importantly, they HAVE to stay on!

Maui Jim claims to offer “unrivalled protection while allowing one to keep active and see the world more beautifully”.

I put this statement to the test over the last 1.5 months whilst training outdoors and below are my thoughts on the Maui Jim Hot Sands.

Maui Jim Hot Sands  – Black Gloss / Neutral Grey

Performance
Having tested the hot sands sports sunglasses for over a month now, I can confirm they certainly live up to its high performing claims! The close fit ensures they do not drop from one’s face.

I put these babies to the ultimate test and performed numerous planks, walkouts, an array of press up variations, burpees to squats and mountain climbers to name a few during my outdoor training circuits and to my delight, they did not budge once!

When wearing them to cycle with, I found they also protected my eyes from the awful and painful ’ bug in eye moment’ outdoor cyclist enthusiasts are unfortunately subjected to.

Score on performance: 10/10

Though I don’t need to, I will ensure to create a short video clip performing the above exercises outdoors just so you lovely lot can visually see for yourselves how well they perform during intensive workouts. I am in the process of creating the video which will be available to watch on social media platforms Twitter and Facebook and YouTube so do keep an eye out.

Fit
Despite the close snug fit, it is not too tight on one’s face to leave that dreaded indent and mark on the bridge of your nose! *no doubt we’ve all experienced this before*

This is most likely down to the fixed saddle-style design with non-slip, rubber nose pads for added comfort as pictured above.

I am always somewhat conscious of choosing sunglasses I haven’t personally tried on beforehand. My face and head shape is small and round so not all styles flatter me but must say I did a pretty good job in going for the hot sands as they fit my face shape perfectly.

Score on Fit: 10/10

Protection
The coverage from the sun is good. The black gloss neutral grey tint I opted for is not too dark but does the job in protecting one’s eyes whilst still having great visibility. You can look directly at the sun and it wouldn’t effect you with these on. It is worth mentioning I did not experience any glare during the sunny spells I took these glasses out in. These particular lenses are perfect for especially bright, direct sunlight and offers rich colour and contrast along with the highest available light production.

The thing that stood out for me though was the fact that the Hot Sands glasses do not have a gap in your peripheral vision, something I have previously experienced with others sunglasses I have purchased which can be quite distracting at times, especially when cycling.

Score on Protection: 10/10

Price
Maui Jim Hot Sands currently retails at £139.00 when brought directly from the Maui Jim Site. I would say these glasses mid-range price wise, and whilst not entirely affordable, I personally think they are a good investment for those who spend a lot of time training outside, especially during the summer months and worth saving for.

Score on Price: 8/10

Verdict
Overall I am very happy with the stylish look and performance of the Maui Jim Hot Sands Sports Sunglasses. This design gets my seal of approval, an overall score of 9/10 and would definitely recommend these sunglasses to those that lead a fit and active lifestyle like I who maybe on the market looking for a decent pair of high performance sunglasses to invest.

I am looking forward to getting more use out of these Sunglasses now that my MacMillan Cancer Cycletta training has begun. I have also agreed to do a rat race in August 14 of some kind (upcoming post) alongside my kick boxing training and know these babies will be playing a part during my training runs.

Should you be intrigued to find out more about Maui Jim, including the array of different sporting and luxury fashionable sunglasses within their range, Maui Jim can be found online by visiting the Maui Jim website, Maui Jim Facebook or by simply following them on Twitter.

Do you own a pair of Maui Jim Sports Sunglasses? If so, which ones do you have?

I’d also love to know your recommended / favourite eye wear brand for outdoor sports and event *always on the lookout for tried and tested fitness accessories to invest in*

Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post and no money has been exchanged. A PR sample was sent to me free of charge for the sole purpose of a performance review. All views and opinions expressed are honest and entirely my own.