We are nearing the end of our eyewear reviews and today we have a brand that was totally new to us, SunBuster. This is a company we had not heard of before but were eager to give them a try. They specialize in eyewear for the outdoor enthusiast like us crazy golfers. Their golf specific line offers two models to choose from and each one is specially made to help a golfer see better and ultimately play better. For this review we will be reviewing the Xcel Tortoise PuttReader, Xcel Black PuttReader, and the Fuzzy Black PuttReader sunglasses.
The first thing I want to talk about is the technology that SunBuster has put into their eyewear. Because of how much information there is on the technology and how important it is in understanding how these sunglasses are geared for the golfer I have provided information below directly from the company.
“Game Improvement Sunglasses – PuttReaders™ and The GolfCorrect™ Lens:
PuttReaders™ reduce the amount of green the eyes see in a putting green. This brings out the browns, blacks, yellows and reds, the colors the brain needs to read putts better. This can save one, two or more strokes a round. And, that can mean the difference between a good finish and winning. PuttReaders™ can be worn all the time without fear of distortion or eye fatigue. PuttReaders™, like all SolaRex™ lenses, have a myriad of features:
-Multi-layer Polycarbonate lens.
-Blocks 100% UVA/UVB rays.
-Maximum shatterproof protection.
-Ultra-lite weight.
AquaPel™ super anti-fog and water repellency.
S-Gard™ scratch resistance coating.
GolfCorrect™ cut and optically designed to eliminate Eye-Plan Shift disorder(ESD)™
Meets or exceeds ANSI optical standards.
PuttReaders™ are available in two SunBuster frame models: The Fuzzy and the XCel XChg™.
The GolfCorrect™ Lens:
Eye-Plane Shift disorder (ESD)™ is a common failing of sunglass lenses. Any head or eye movement up, down or sideways will result in prismatic distortion. Particularly punishing for a golfer, because a golfer sets up to the ball looking through the center of lens. However, just before starting the backswing, a golfer tilts the head and chin up in order to clear the shoulders. This forces the eyes to tilt down and shift the Eye-Plane through the bottom half of the lens. The result is a prismatic shift that makes it appear the golf ball has moved. This misperception leads to an uncertainty and very likely bad swing and a missed shot, The GolfCorrect™ Eye-Plane Shift disorder (ESD)™ lens is specially designed and ground to eliminate ESD.
All GolfCorrect™ Eye-Plane Shift disorder(ESD)™ lenses are ColorCorrect Eye-Plane Shift disorder(ESD)™ – specific lens colors for specific light, environment and playing conditions.
All GolfCorrect™ lenses incorporate the SolaRex™ remarkable technologies.
Lenses meet or exceed ANSI optical standards.
XXXCel, XCel, Fuzzy, Monterey, and East Hampton are GolfCorrect™.”
So, as mentioned in the information above the Xcel and the Fuzzy are both specifically made with a golfer in mind. The technology is there to help you read the greens better, set up your shots better, and protect your eyes from the damaging UV rays. We wanted to put this technology to the test so we selected some very critical golfers to wear these glasses for two weeks and gives us their complete and honest feedback. We wanted to know how the sunglasses performed, how they felt, and what the testers thought of the different styles.
First up is the Xcel Tortoise PuttReaders sunglasses in small. There are two sizes available to ensure complete comfort and protection based on a persons facial features and size of their head. The smaller size has a shortened lens and is ideal for someone with a more petite face and head. The larger option has a wider, wing wrap lens for additional coverage for a person with a medium to large shaped head or more pronounced facial features. We found that many of the ladies really liked the small option. In fact the tortoise style frame and the smaller size made these a perfect match for our female golfers. They enjoyed look of the tortoise shell design a lot, however, they did agree that they would have liked to have seen the shade of brown be just a tad bit darker. At first they were unsure about the color of the lenses from the outside and the slightly mirrored effect but once they put them on that was no longer a concern.
The only different between the Xcel Tortoise and the Xcel Black are the color of the frames and the size of the lenses. The Xcel Black were large rather than small like the Xcel Tortoise. The Fuzzy pair, on the other hand, have a different style frame and design element to them. These were actually designed by famous PGA Tour pro Fuzzy Zoeller. I had expected the golfers to have a preference of one design over another but they really didn’t. Even though the frames on the Fuzzy are a little bit thinner and slightly lighter in weight there didn’t seem to be much of a preference one way or the other. Both styles, when put on the face, are fairly similar so there was no outright favorite between the two styles. When it came to comfort and performance there was also little to no difference between the three pairs as they all received very high scores in both categories.
For performance all the golfers agreed that the technology described above really works. They all raved about how well they were able to read the greens and how easy it was to follow their golf balls. No one complained about the need to squint and everyone felt that the sunglasses offered a great deal of eye protection. The sunglasses did a great job of conforming to the golfers faces and there never seemed to be any issue of slippage or moving around while swinging or putting.
The final test was comfort because if something isn’t comfortable chances are we won’t wear the eyewear. The unanimous response was that these sunglasses were so lightweight that the golfer didn’t even feel like they were even wearing glasses. The nose piece was so comfortable and did pinch anyone which made our golfers very happy. The part of the frame that goes over the ears has a rubber coating that not only helped keep the sunglasses in place but it was also so light that there was no interference from anyone’s hats or visors. This meant no headache or that pinching/throbbing feeling on the ears after a round. There was only one complaint in the comfort department and that came from the golfers with longer eyelashes. They said because the sunglasses have such a close and snug fit they could feel their eyelashes rub up against the lenses which was a bit of an annoyance to them. This is an ongoing battle with people with long eyelashes because it’s great to have a snug, comfortable fit with glasses but this often leads to the problem mentioned above. Even with that minor hiccup everyone was really pleased with the overall comfort of all three pairs of the SunBuster sunglasses.
What is really exciting about the Xcel sunglasses is that the lenses are easily removed and are interchangeable with other color options. Another great feature is that all the eyewear discussed are prescription ready. SunBuster eyewear really had the golfer in mind when creating their selection of sunglasses and the lens, frame, and color choices really allow someone to personalize these sunglasses to best fit their needs. To read more about SunBuster and all they have to offer you can visit their website here.
I really like the Fuzzy Black glasses. My wife would like either of the other pairs; she has commandeered my wraparounds since I got a prescription pair!
Digging the tortoise/blue lens combo of the Xcel tortoise!
I’m going to find these somewhere to check them out. I really want to see what the technology can do.
The fuzzy’s look great, I would love to give them a try.
Unfortunately a search of the web turns up nothing available
and the SunBuster website lists no retailers:(
Here is a website that sells them http://www.sunbusterglasses.com/.
Bought Sunbuster Shooting glasses for my son about 3-4 years ago based on the
still advertised “Unlimited Lifetime Warranty”.
The glasses frame failed, and I was willing to pay the $10.00 to have a new frame
sent under their warranty provisions.
I was informed that they changed their frame design, and the “Unlimited Lifetime Warranty”
they still advertise does not apply,,,,,,sorry!
Be very concerned about a company who does business in this manner. All I wanted them to do was to
honor their stated warranty. Apparently, the “Unlimited Lifetime Warranty” is only good until they
decide they need to “tweak” the design, so they no longer have to honor the advertised “Unlimited
Lifetime Warranty”
Bought a pair, with one year they broke. I paid 10.00 to get them replaced and I was assured that it would be returned priority mail two days after receiving the broken pair. Two weeks later we called them, they just sent them out over the weekend,5-7 days after they received them. The ten dollars was to get them back quickly, they refused to give us the tracking number and were very rude about the whole thing.
I won’t buy another pair from these guys and I won’t recommend them either. If you don’t heed the message then Good Luck
I’m another sucker that bought their piece of crap glasses. First pair fell apart at the hinge when I took them out one day – WENT TO their offices (Local to me, that along with the “lifetime” “warranty” was a reason to buy) and got charged $10 for a replacement frame. BOUGHT a second frame for $29 because when I need to have eye protection, I NEED to have them working.
Next frame broke within a year – stopped in and got “we don’t carry them anymore” not even an apology – or a proper “lifetime warranty” solution which would be to offer a current model replacement…
Backup frame had one side fall off last weekend, and just today taking them out to take a pic, the other side was broken off – IN THE CASE!
RUN AWAY from their products!!!!!