Sunglass Review: Switch Lynx

Switch Lynx

Switch Lynx: further evidence that Switch is to sunglasses as sliced is to bread. 

The first pair of sunglasses I remember owning were a $2 add-on with a large pepperoni pizza at Mazzio's in Jenks, Oklahoma. I was nine-ish, and they were awesome-ish. They were nothing like the multi-neon-colored wayfarer frames the other kids in the fourth grade wore. With fancy plastic tortoiseshell bits glued to lenses and temples framed in thin "gold," my Mazzio's shades were very adult. And not only because my dad had also bought a pair for himself.

A good mountain man carries a big stick...

...and wears sweet shades.

Who knows what happened to those sunglasses? Whatever. They were good while they lasted.

I've gone through a lot of sunglasses since then. Some were cheap gas station shades. Some were pricey, save-your-pennies objects of optical lust. But most met their end at some point. My silver Arnette's melted out of shape on a hot dashboard. A classic pair of wireframe Oakley's got stepped on. Others fell off during mountain bike crashes, disappearing into thick underbrush at sundown, or were lost in slot canyon potholes. And some simply disintegrated with wear, bridges snapping inexplicably and lenses dropping out of frames like gold coins from the eyes of a wild west corpse on a bumpy wagon ride.

I digress. Disintegration is certainly not something I'm worried about with the pair I'm wearing now, in spite of the interchangeable lenses.

The Lynx, by Switch, may be my favorite all-round pair of shades. You probably wouldn't run a marathon in them, but you could. You might not wear them during an enduro mountain bike race, but you could. Perhaps you would not take them base jumping in the Swiss Alps, but...you get the picture.

What you could do in the Lynx is just about anything. They're sporty enough for sports, stylish enough for a downtown stroll, and subdued enough for an outdoor wedding reception.

The Lynx, by Switch, in the rain.

Switch is not a flashy brand. They don't seem to advertise at all. But frankly I'm surprised that the buzz about Switch hasn't been a little louder.

The unique concept behind switch is that the best way to do interchangeable lenses is with magnets.

Why has no one thought of this until now?

Switch frames have two magnets in each eyepiece that correspond with two magnets embedded into each lens. This makes lens changes fast and simple: pull one pair out, pop another in.

You don't have to wrestle or dismantle the frame while being careful not to break it, and there's no risk of the lenses wearing loose from frequent swaps.

I'm a bit OCD about smudges, so probably my favorite thing about magnetic lenses is the fact that they are so easy to clean. Pop out, polish, pop in, presto.

The Lynx is one of Switch's first full-frame models. Embedding magnets in lenses is a painstaking, hand-fitted process, and getting them to look right in a full frame is tricky, especially if you want the lenses to look like they're built into the frame.

Switch got it right with the Lynx. (See photos.)

Now, what about materials and performance?

Switch's nylon frames are tough and resistant to heat. My Lynx have spent many hot days in a parked car and have no signs of deforming. Not even the rubberized contact pieces on the temples and nosepiece have been affected.

The lenses are equally impressive. Each pair of Switch frames comes with a polarized lens for bright sunlight, and a rose amber lens for overcast conditions. Switch claims they'll put their lenses up against anyones. For clarity and durability they're at least as good, but probably better, than many lenses I've tried.

Switch gives you plenty of different lens options (sold separately). Any golfers, tennis players or trail runners ever need a high contrast lens? How about drivers? Prescription lenses? Check!

Spare lenses come in a compact plastic case that is also magnetized. The case protects the lenses and tucks away easily.

Good for reverse-duckface selfies with babies.

Performance is great too. As I've mentioned, the Lynx is sporty, but not sport specific. That said, I've run, hiked, cycled and napped in them, and I have no complaints. The lenses do not pop out of the frames on their own, even after being knocked off of my face on several occasions by my kids as I carried them on my shoulders. They are still as scratchless and clear as the first day I donned them.

I just hope I can hang on to these for a while.

(MSRP: $149, switchvision.com)

Aaron tweets @aarontlovell