Electronaut
Oakley Enthusiast
I was wondering... Does LT% or an iridium coating make a difference on glare? If you have two similar models of lenses (both polarized, both have iridium coating, etc.), do they cut glare equally?
I decided to do some testing. The lenses I used were:
Prizm Deep Water - Polarized lens, 12% LT, Iridium coated.
Black Iridium Polarized - Polarized lens, 9% LT, iridium coated.
Prizm Daily - Polarized lens, 14% LT, no iridium coating.
Ironman brand sunglasses - Non polarized, around 14% LT, shiny coating (not iridium).
The testing was done on water as well as from sun glare on car windows. First was the Ironman, and as you can expect, without polarization, it was the worst of the bunch even with some sort of shiny coating. It did almost nothing on the water or to car windows except make everything look a shade darker with a brown hue. The next lens was the Prizm daily, which performed better than the ironman's, but I felt were not good enough for my preferences against glare. They did reduce glare to some extent on the water as well as glare from car windows, but I felt it wasn't enough. At 14% LT, it may have been affected compared to the other lenses with lower LT, but I think it is more due to a lack of iridium coating. The Black Iridium Polarized lens cuts glare like magic. It takes the piercing sunlight right off the water and using them while driving is very relaxing on your eyes. They are a less versatile lens, and don't make colors pop, but are simply the best lens Oakley offers for super bright conditions or for cutting glare. The Prizm Deep Water is also a fantastic lens for removing glare. I kept switching between the BIP and the Prizm Deep Water's to make sure, and the lens worked great on the water as well as on car windows. There actually was a difference in the BIP and Prizm Deep water's glare cutting abilities, but it was within 2-3%. Both are very similar in how much glare they cut out, but there is a subtle difference. I think A 9% and a 12% LT lens that are both polarized and have an iridium coating perform nearly the same. I also think LT% does have a slight effect on how much glare the lens cuts, but I think polarization and iridium coatings are more important when the LT difference is so close.
I decided to do some testing. The lenses I used were:
Prizm Deep Water - Polarized lens, 12% LT, Iridium coated.
Black Iridium Polarized - Polarized lens, 9% LT, iridium coated.
Prizm Daily - Polarized lens, 14% LT, no iridium coating.
Ironman brand sunglasses - Non polarized, around 14% LT, shiny coating (not iridium).
The testing was done on water as well as from sun glare on car windows. First was the Ironman, and as you can expect, without polarization, it was the worst of the bunch even with some sort of shiny coating. It did almost nothing on the water or to car windows except make everything look a shade darker with a brown hue. The next lens was the Prizm daily, which performed better than the ironman's, but I felt were not good enough for my preferences against glare. They did reduce glare to some extent on the water as well as glare from car windows, but I felt it wasn't enough. At 14% LT, it may have been affected compared to the other lenses with lower LT, but I think it is more due to a lack of iridium coating. The Black Iridium Polarized lens cuts glare like magic. It takes the piercing sunlight right off the water and using them while driving is very relaxing on your eyes. They are a less versatile lens, and don't make colors pop, but are simply the best lens Oakley offers for super bright conditions or for cutting glare. The Prizm Deep Water is also a fantastic lens for removing glare. I kept switching between the BIP and the Prizm Deep Water's to make sure, and the lens worked great on the water as well as on car windows. There actually was a difference in the BIP and Prizm Deep water's glare cutting abilities, but it was within 2-3%. Both are very similar in how much glare they cut out, but there is a subtle difference. I think A 9% and a 12% LT lens that are both polarized and have an iridium coating perform nearly the same. I also think LT% does have a slight effect on how much glare the lens cuts, but I think polarization and iridium coatings are more important when the LT difference is so close.
For 100% bright conditions such as a cloudless, bright sunny day, go with BIP for relaxation on your eyes, and for cloudy days or if you want more contrast, go for the DWP. I've recently switched my daily lens to the DWP as it works great in both bright sunny days and cloudy days. I still pull the BIP out if its super sunny tho! Both are great lenses IMO.
