Aftermarket Lenses - Revant/Walleva/Fuse/Ikon/Linegear...etc

[joecool862]

Nice review @nicosauve1 those look awesome!!! Very detailed, thanks for taking the time to shoot all those photos! I really like the look of that 24K. I wanted one of those for my XX but couldn't source a donor. I think I'd be very happy with that Ikon lens. Also, glad to see that I'm not the only one that keeps Cartoon Network on in the background

 

[NCHornet]

Thank you very much for a great review.

 

[BubshaitSs]

thanx for the review, i actually ordered a silver mirror for my pup.. I was afraid it would be like a mirror when i wanted something like a black iridium.. Thats good its comparable to BI..

 

[flyer]

Wow!
That job interview you had a few days ago; was that with Consumer Reports?

Thanks for taking the time and effort.
Nice X metal horde BTW.

 

[NoFair]

Update. Split jacket 24K lenses arrived and they seem very good. Will try them out the next couple of weeks and get an second pair for the Splits (+Red) if my impressions are still favorable.

 

[Slojack]

Just received a set of XX Red Pol lenses. Now I need to get my frames back to put them in.

 

[Stanleybb50]

OK here's my IKON review. I bought pairs in 4 different colors after sending them my XX frame to start production for the XX frame.

Please keep in mind I do not have fancy optical equipment so I cannot provide metrics to scientifically compare these to OEM.
But, I do have 20/15 vision, an iphone camera, and enough 1st hand experience with oem and aftermarket lenses to gauge these pretty well. Unfortunately it is an overcast and kinda gray day here...so I'm gonna do my best. Also I apologize if some pics are sideways, I hate photobucket!

Introduction:
IKON caught my attention because after doing some reading I understood prism correction is one of the main things that has separated OEM from aftermarket lenses and may be what is responsible for eye strain after wearing for extended periods. Even Jim Jannard posted a thread about the "Aftermarket lens trap" and asked the question "are your lenses prism corrected?" etc.
I don't think IKON was around at the time of that post.

IKON lenses are prism corrected. They are also polycarbonate (like OEM) vs triacetate (like walleva and other brands) so better impact resistance.
They are melanin injected so 100% UV protection. They are also AR coated on the inside. In short they have more going for them than any other aftermarket lens I've seen or dealt with. Because donors for custom cuts are becoming scarce, and custom cut lenses are so expensive, I have been looking for an alternative and I am ecstatic that I found IKON.

But the proof is in the pudding right? Read on to see my impressions on IKONS Silver mirror, +Red, 24k, and Green colors.

-Arrival pics under artificial light:
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24K Gold - bronze base lens - transmission is 12%
+Red - grey base lens - transmission is 9%
Chrome - grey base lens - transmission is 11%
Green - bronze base lens - transmission 14%

OK: 1st up: +Red
Again: +Red - grey base lens - transmission is 9%

Initial Impression:
The first thing you notice obviously is the depth of the red. It is very deep. It does have a purple transition to it but not nearly as much as OEM +Red. It is very good at maintaining a deep red from all angles in my opinion. This is a breath taking lens from the outside.
From the outside:
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Now without window light coming right at it...This serves for Silver Mirror also.
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From the inside: The AR is the first thing you notice. It is there, and it's awesome.
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Looking through:
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And the polarity is spot on.
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Impression is very good. This lens is gorgeous from inside and out. No distortion at edges, no eye strain after hours of use.

See my next post for the continuation

Next up: Silver Mirror:
Again it is a grey base lens - transmission is 11%

Initial Impression:
One thing I noticed right away is the subtle mirror on the Silver lens. It is not this intense chrome mirror like you see on other aftermarket lenses. It is a subtle mirror and actually very, very close to OEM Black Iridium. Comparing OEM BI to OEM Chrome to IKON Silver Mirror, the IKON lens is somewhere in between the two:

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Installed in a Ti02 frame with window light hitting it:
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Again with the AR, bluish tint like the Red lens
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Looking through was hard to get proper pics. It has a slightly higher light transmission than the Red so it's lighter to look through if that makes sense
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For brevity I forwent the polarity Lcd test pics, but it is spot on exactly like the rest. at 90 degrees it goes dark.

Next up: 24k
Ok this is a bronze base lens - transmission is 12%

The first thing you notice is that it is a little more subtle than OEM 24k. OEM 24k is like astronaut helmet right in your face chrome gold. This lens definitely is a little darker from the outside, it's like they just dropped a thimble-full of bronze color into the mix. It is honestly absolutely gorgeous IMO. Somewhere between OEM 24k and OEM Gold.
Definitely seems to be contrast enhancing as well.
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The AR has a pinkish/purple hue about it.
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Looking through:
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And again perfect polarity:
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Impression is again very, very good. This lens rocks!

Please see my next post for the continuation!

Final lens: GREEN
So again this is a bronze base lens - transmission 14%

Initial Impression:
Under certain conditions, it looks like that nuclear piss green walleva emeraldine looks like to me. Kinda blah and eww. But take a closer look or put it under just about any other lighting condition or angle and WOW it is like, it's like G26 except usable. It has that weird bluish/purple transition thing going on as your rotate around it, but it is not as pronounced as it is with say, jade.

From the outside
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The AR is hard to describe in terms of color. This is a bronze base lens, the AR is a little pink with some green in there too I guess. You decide
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Looking through:
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And polarity:
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Again, very good impression overall. High quality and easy on the eyes. Because this is the highest light transmission lens of the bunch at 14% it is perfect for cloudy days like today.

Conclusions:
I am happy to support a USA made product and these lenses seem on par with OEM quality wise. The colors are slightly off from OEM but I appreciate the variety and I think they are fantastic. This is a small outfit with 2 cutting machines...not a giant company..so they don't have the ability probably to churn out a million color options. That being said I think the ones they've chosen and developed are excellent choices. Sort of mixes of different OEM colors into a great compromise with the Silver and the 24k. The Green is unique and the Red is honestly the best red I've had my hands on.

As donors become harder to find and the price of a custom cut polar pair being what, $140? These lenses, being prism corrected, AR coated, polycarbonate made in the USA melanin injected...for less than $40 a pair...I believe we have a winner folks...by a long shot!

Thank you Doug from IKON for your cooperation with my XX frame and my lens requests. Thank you @ikon lenses keep up the awesome work! You seem to "Get it", you see the vacuum in supply and at this quality level, at this price point, I believe you are going to clean up!!


Some final group pics
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What happened to all the pics??

 

[nicosauve1]

I don't know! They are still in my photobucket I haven't changed anything so I don't know what happened

 

[TechGuy77]

I don't know! They are still in my photobucket I haven't changed anything so I don't know what happened

Can you try editing and re-uping the images or make a new post with them? Thinking of getting some 3rd party lens but want to get a decent quality pair. Thanks!

 

[nicosauve1]

uhg that would take time..already spent so much on the original post..
You won't be dissappointed with the ikon lenses...they are on par with oem on eye comfort and clarity. Honestly I see no reason to go oem after trying ikon and I've tried a lot of aftermarket lenses.
I just bought a pair of juliet ice blue lenses from them and they look awesome.