Ventruck
I am Jim Jannard...
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Recently, @Walleva LLC 's representative at OakleyForum posted about their upcoming Mr. Shield lenses:
Introducing Walleva Mr Shield Lenses
As their premium offering, the "Mr. Shield" stands for "Multi-Resistant Shield" which draws to the more elaborate treatments that notably are expected to withstand sea water and chlorine-treated water for continuous 24-hour exposure. The biggest draw for me, however, was the mention that they are taper-corrected.
I have previously reviewed a taper-corrected aftermarket lens, and was very impressed. I've had my share of gas station and general non-Oakley brands, and was aware of past aftermarket lens opinions, but those were my first go at such lenses in my Oakley frames; and to the best of my human perception, I've been convinced that the playing field is started to level out.
So that being said, I came into reviewing Walleva's Mr. Shield lenses with high hopes. Not to re-hash their original post, but for the sake of complete description in this thread, the Mr. Shield lenses feature the following:
Price is projected to be $40-50, and the sample I am testing was for the Oakley Jawbone/Racing Jacket with the non-vented cut.
Disclosures before I enter the review:
I approached Walleva's representative at this forum after they mentioned they were looking for testers. I have no incentives or business affiliation with Walleva LLC and am solely committing to putting out a completely objective review. Their representative is listed as a forum sponsor, but agreement to testing was solely between Walleva LLC and myself. OakleyForum staff was not involved with this process.
I'm doing this largely because I've reviewed other brands, so it fulfills my curiosity from a comparison standpoint. Hopefully it offers insight to readers when it comes to exploring the aftermarket selection for retired frames. Some people can afford to pay premium of less-available OEM and donor lenses, some plainly can't. While I personally admit to sticking with OEM lenses in my rotation as long as I can, I am very open to the possibility of the aftermarket offering improved and more comparable products over time.
In order to give full and fair focus on the Mr. Shield in this review, I will not dwell far into discussion about past aftermarket lenses I've tested. I gave this same respect to Revant when I was offered a complimentary set to review, and only making reference to OEM lenses. You may have seen my other review actually comparing two aftermarket brands. The lenses used in that particular review/comparison were not provided by the manufacturers, nor we're they in their pre-production phases. Prior to posting this review, I took any preliminary concerns (which I did have) up with Walleva as my samples are presumably pre-production. The goals here were to make sure I was handling a product representative of what will be offered and help ensure their production quality.
Contents:
1.1 Presentation
1.2 Fit and Finish
1.3 Visual performance
1.4 Other Functional Aspects
1.5 Final Thoughts
1.1 Presentation
I have covered the topic for past reviews as I feel it gives an impression of attention to detail, and what to expect.
I haven't had experience with Walleva's previous lenses, but I'd say the Mr. Shield lenses are well-packed. You start with the typical lens-size packaging box (which is plastic sealed btw), and inside is a more elaborate 2-piece box meant for storage. Inside of that is a lens pouch containing the Mr. Shield lenses, and an microfiber cleaning cloth.
(yep I was taking pictures on a piano)
The 2-piece box is perhaps my highlight as if you filled up all the lens slots in your vaults, this beats storing lenses in the foam pouches in OEM packaging boxes. Also remember that Walleva is probably offering these lenses to brands other than Oakley, and those brands probably don't have any lens storage options to start.
1.2 Fit and Finish
A typical complaint of aftermarket lenses of the past is how far off they feel from OEM when handling, and how fitting is a hit or miss. My Mr. Shield sample does feel a bit thinner than OEM, and I did address this with Margot at Walleva. The rationale here was to play on the safe side for production, delivering something a bit thinner vs. thicker than spec to the point where it won't go in. I'm assuming that part of this is also due to Walleva expanding its offerings to brands other than Oakley; so working with such a thickness was perhaps insurance to fit across their entire planned selection consistently.
As you'll find in my comments about visual performance, I didn't feel like this created a real issue. I'm gonna add that the edges have subtle bezels and smooth finishes
(OEM on the left, Mr. Shield on the right)
The lenses essentially fit my Jawbone frame as expected, although they follow suit with my previous aftermarket experiences. What I'm talking about pertains particularly to the Jawbone/Racing Jacket. It'd seem that only Oakley accounts for the rubber pads inside the frames, which eat a bit of vertical space. When installing the Mr. Shield or any aftermarket lens, the jaw will not rest into a fully closed position until clipped in place. Now before anyone gets dismissive, this does not compromise final fit, or induce distortion. There are no creaks, and had it been any other frame, this is completely non-existent. It's really a Jawbone/Racing Jacket thing.
The lenses actually are properly sized in respect to the bare seating profile. At worst, the pads get a bit compressed. In my general experience of using aftermarket lenses, I have yet to see the pads get compromised. So really, Walleva did a good job here. The drop-in is smooth and there's no actual fuss with clip closure.
In other regards, the Emerald mirror finish is very consistent, and there's an apparent anti-reflective coating on the backside. The lens profile is a little flatter than OEM, but I've seen flatter from another brand. I do not have equipment to verify the taper correction, so the next section covering my take on performance is the most I can offer on the subject.
1.3 Visual performance
Like I said earlier, I don't have the equipment to verify taper correction or clarity, but being in communication with Margot from Walleva, I was made aware of a testing report conducted by DIN CERTCO. I cannot distribute said report or dwell too deep in very specific details since it's not my property, but I did throw out the suggestion for Walleva to publish it on their own website — so you may be able to see it yourself in the future.
I guess since it's in positive light, most I will dig into refractive power. Most Mr. Shield samples would be reported below 0.05 dpt, and never higher. Testing pertaining to impact and UV protection also seemed to align with Walleva's claims in the thread linked near the beginning of this review.
So take it for what you will. I'm not in the industry to know everything about optics, nor the ultimate standards this testing meets in comparison with Oakley. I'm sure many eyewear/lens brands go through some form of testing to at least meet approval for safety, but bottom line is that I'm at least pleased to find that Walleva wasn't shy to show me some form of results in respect to clarity.
By perception I was very pleased with the Mr. Shield. I didn't experience a real wash out in color or definition like with some cheaper lenses. Rotating the lenses along a reference line exhibited similar behaviors to OEM. On the bike I really didn't feel like I missed any details. I'd need a projection test or something to really know if there was something wrong.
The polar filter of the Mr. Shield actually seems "milder" than other brands I've used. I didn't think this took away from glare control, and this is probably the best I've experienced in regards to darkeness fluctuation. It's pretty non-existent compared to other polar experiences I've had. Not sure why or how. The filter is angled at the same 45 degrees as OEM. Maybe it's just the mix with tint.
Ideally, I should've requested a black/neutral color, but I have a fair share of that in my collection, as well as red mirror finishes, so I really wanted to change it up with this Emerald Finish as my test sample. If you're familiar with Oakley's Jade Iridium, you'd detect the subtle violent tint on what is presumably a grey base. Walleva's Emerald goes a bit further in inducing that hue (which probably goes hand-in-hand with the more prominent mirror finish) so it pans out as a bit of a contrast lens. The photos I provided kinda give insight to how this looks. In person, the contrast is more apparent. I found yellows and oranges to pop pretty well, and greens to split a bit better. I guess it's working in similar vain to G30, but much darker. On the bike and driving, it wasn't doing too much for me beyond making road marks and some signs more prominent. If I was golfing or generally on the green on a bright day, it could've been very practical. Low light isn't as favorable.
So basically, stay mindful about picking your lenses beyond aesthetic. Each finish will have influence on what is perhaps the same grey base. Definitely recommend peeping @kronin323 's thread where he investigates and demonstrates this:
Can the iridium coating affect the base tint appearance?
The consistency of tint was pretty solid. There's some slight fade on just the inner edges (towards the nose), but nothing intrusive or distracting. Oakley's finishes on their own lenses aren't perfect edge-to-edge either, so the Mr.Shield really just meets expectations in this regard.
Last note I can make of the visual performance is that there were no signs of ghosting despite the anti-reflective treatment looking strong on the backside.
1.4 Other Functional Aspects
The hydrophobic characteristics of the Mr. Shield lenses were evident in use and fogging was a non-issue. The oleophobic coating seemed to provide practical effect. It's not completely smudge-proof, but does enough to sustain uninterrupted, continued use.
(ran it under the faucet [slow flow just for insurance] and not to be anti-climatic...but there's virtually nothing left on lenses)
I cleaned these as I would my OEM lenses, using Oakey's cleaning kit, and nothing out of the ordinary occurred. Easy wipes and I haven't induced any noticeable swirl marks the past weeks. Abrasion resistance could extend to how I shove my Jawbones in an microfiber bag which I then shove into my pocket. I even took my metal calipers to the lenses (to investigate thickness, not actually scar them up), I didn't scratch the lenses — but part of that is owed to my precise heart surgeon-tier hands. The Mr. Shield is basically meeting expectations here across the board.
1.5 Final Thoughts
In all, I think the Mr. Shield lenses are looking like a promising product. Providing some proof of clarity really instills confidence, and puts my concerns over the slight discrepancy in thickness vs. OEM at peace. I will reiterate that I don't do business with Walleva LLC or have any incentives to write a favorable review. Margot was continuously open to answering any of my questions, so this upfront communication comes off a bit more ensuring as a tester.
The execution of the polarization (at least with this Emerald lens) was one of my favorite aspects since there was minimal fluctuation of tint upon any slight head tilts. Fit and finish appear flawless, and the surface treatments demonstrated their effects in use. The slightly thinner feel of the lenses may put some people off, but I had no issues with fit or visuals in the Jawbone/Racing Jacket frame. Again, a rationale was provided so in all I'm personally not too irked by this. Hopefully any other people testing these lenses can share how they've been fitting in different frames.
I think the only thing that kinda hangs is tint. I'm personally bigger on neutral tints more so than contrast. The Emerald finish I picked wasn't making for a detrimental experience, but I can imagine it's not everyone's cup of tea because it was working like a dark G30 of sorts. Color definition otherwise was pretty good, especially in the intended bright conditions. As a consumer, you just have to pick wisely. In most cases, if you've tried Oakley or other aftermarket lens brands, you kinda know what tint goes with what finish — at least in my experience, it's pretty consistent when the base is neutral: red mirrors lead to bluish tints, violet and blue finishes end up with brown tints, jade/green pans out as violet, etc.
I think in the general scope of aftermarket, things are looking more promising. I've had my share of budget-brand eyewear, and even some pairs at hand to give me a reminder of what that's like (not that I really want to), and the Mr. Shield lenses are surely above that. I've been using these lenses in my rotation since I received them on March 25th, and quite comfortably leading up to this review.
Introducing Walleva Mr Shield Lenses
As their premium offering, the "Mr. Shield" stands for "Multi-Resistant Shield" which draws to the more elaborate treatments that notably are expected to withstand sea water and chlorine-treated water for continuous 24-hour exposure. The biggest draw for me, however, was the mention that they are taper-corrected.
I have previously reviewed a taper-corrected aftermarket lens, and was very impressed. I've had my share of gas station and general non-Oakley brands, and was aware of past aftermarket lens opinions, but those were my first go at such lenses in my Oakley frames; and to the best of my human perception, I've been convinced that the playing field is started to level out.
So that being said, I came into reviewing Walleva's Mr. Shield lenses with high hopes. Not to re-hash their original post, but for the sake of complete description in this thread, the Mr. Shield lenses feature the following:
- -Resistance to corrosion by sea water and chlorine
- -Hydrophobic treatment
- -Oleophobic treatment (oils and fingerprints)
- -Meets ANSI Z87.1 impact standards.
- -100% UVA/B/C ray protection
- -Polarization filter
- -Taper-correction
Price is projected to be $40-50, and the sample I am testing was for the Oakley Jawbone/Racing Jacket with the non-vented cut.
Disclosures before I enter the review:
I approached Walleva's representative at this forum after they mentioned they were looking for testers. I have no incentives or business affiliation with Walleva LLC and am solely committing to putting out a completely objective review. Their representative is listed as a forum sponsor, but agreement to testing was solely between Walleva LLC and myself. OakleyForum staff was not involved with this process.
I'm doing this largely because I've reviewed other brands, so it fulfills my curiosity from a comparison standpoint. Hopefully it offers insight to readers when it comes to exploring the aftermarket selection for retired frames. Some people can afford to pay premium of less-available OEM and donor lenses, some plainly can't. While I personally admit to sticking with OEM lenses in my rotation as long as I can, I am very open to the possibility of the aftermarket offering improved and more comparable products over time.
In order to give full and fair focus on the Mr. Shield in this review, I will not dwell far into discussion about past aftermarket lenses I've tested. I gave this same respect to Revant when I was offered a complimentary set to review, and only making reference to OEM lenses. You may have seen my other review actually comparing two aftermarket brands. The lenses used in that particular review/comparison were not provided by the manufacturers, nor we're they in their pre-production phases. Prior to posting this review, I took any preliminary concerns (which I did have) up with Walleva as my samples are presumably pre-production. The goals here were to make sure I was handling a product representative of what will be offered and help ensure their production quality.
Contents:
1.1 Presentation
1.2 Fit and Finish
1.3 Visual performance
1.4 Other Functional Aspects
1.5 Final Thoughts
1.1 Presentation
I have covered the topic for past reviews as I feel it gives an impression of attention to detail, and what to expect.
I haven't had experience with Walleva's previous lenses, but I'd say the Mr. Shield lenses are well-packed. You start with the typical lens-size packaging box (which is plastic sealed btw), and inside is a more elaborate 2-piece box meant for storage. Inside of that is a lens pouch containing the Mr. Shield lenses, and an microfiber cleaning cloth.
(yep I was taking pictures on a piano)
The 2-piece box is perhaps my highlight as if you filled up all the lens slots in your vaults, this beats storing lenses in the foam pouches in OEM packaging boxes. Also remember that Walleva is probably offering these lenses to brands other than Oakley, and those brands probably don't have any lens storage options to start.
1.2 Fit and Finish
A typical complaint of aftermarket lenses of the past is how far off they feel from OEM when handling, and how fitting is a hit or miss. My Mr. Shield sample does feel a bit thinner than OEM, and I did address this with Margot at Walleva. The rationale here was to play on the safe side for production, delivering something a bit thinner vs. thicker than spec to the point where it won't go in. I'm assuming that part of this is also due to Walleva expanding its offerings to brands other than Oakley; so working with such a thickness was perhaps insurance to fit across their entire planned selection consistently.
As you'll find in my comments about visual performance, I didn't feel like this created a real issue. I'm gonna add that the edges have subtle bezels and smooth finishes
(OEM on the left, Mr. Shield on the right)
The lenses essentially fit my Jawbone frame as expected, although they follow suit with my previous aftermarket experiences. What I'm talking about pertains particularly to the Jawbone/Racing Jacket. It'd seem that only Oakley accounts for the rubber pads inside the frames, which eat a bit of vertical space. When installing the Mr. Shield or any aftermarket lens, the jaw will not rest into a fully closed position until clipped in place. Now before anyone gets dismissive, this does not compromise final fit, or induce distortion. There are no creaks, and had it been any other frame, this is completely non-existent. It's really a Jawbone/Racing Jacket thing.
The lenses actually are properly sized in respect to the bare seating profile. At worst, the pads get a bit compressed. In my general experience of using aftermarket lenses, I have yet to see the pads get compromised. So really, Walleva did a good job here. The drop-in is smooth and there's no actual fuss with clip closure.
In other regards, the Emerald mirror finish is very consistent, and there's an apparent anti-reflective coating on the backside. The lens profile is a little flatter than OEM, but I've seen flatter from another brand. I do not have equipment to verify the taper correction, so the next section covering my take on performance is the most I can offer on the subject.
1.3 Visual performance
Like I said earlier, I don't have the equipment to verify taper correction or clarity, but being in communication with Margot from Walleva, I was made aware of a testing report conducted by DIN CERTCO. I cannot distribute said report or dwell too deep in very specific details since it's not my property, but I did throw out the suggestion for Walleva to publish it on their own website — so you may be able to see it yourself in the future.
I guess since it's in positive light, most I will dig into refractive power. Most Mr. Shield samples would be reported below 0.05 dpt, and never higher. Testing pertaining to impact and UV protection also seemed to align with Walleva's claims in the thread linked near the beginning of this review.
So take it for what you will. I'm not in the industry to know everything about optics, nor the ultimate standards this testing meets in comparison with Oakley. I'm sure many eyewear/lens brands go through some form of testing to at least meet approval for safety, but bottom line is that I'm at least pleased to find that Walleva wasn't shy to show me some form of results in respect to clarity.
By perception I was very pleased with the Mr. Shield. I didn't experience a real wash out in color or definition like with some cheaper lenses. Rotating the lenses along a reference line exhibited similar behaviors to OEM. On the bike I really didn't feel like I missed any details. I'd need a projection test or something to really know if there was something wrong.
The polar filter of the Mr. Shield actually seems "milder" than other brands I've used. I didn't think this took away from glare control, and this is probably the best I've experienced in regards to darkeness fluctuation. It's pretty non-existent compared to other polar experiences I've had. Not sure why or how. The filter is angled at the same 45 degrees as OEM. Maybe it's just the mix with tint.
Ideally, I should've requested a black/neutral color, but I have a fair share of that in my collection, as well as red mirror finishes, so I really wanted to change it up with this Emerald Finish as my test sample. If you're familiar with Oakley's Jade Iridium, you'd detect the subtle violent tint on what is presumably a grey base. Walleva's Emerald goes a bit further in inducing that hue (which probably goes hand-in-hand with the more prominent mirror finish) so it pans out as a bit of a contrast lens. The photos I provided kinda give insight to how this looks. In person, the contrast is more apparent. I found yellows and oranges to pop pretty well, and greens to split a bit better. I guess it's working in similar vain to G30, but much darker. On the bike and driving, it wasn't doing too much for me beyond making road marks and some signs more prominent. If I was golfing or generally on the green on a bright day, it could've been very practical. Low light isn't as favorable.
So basically, stay mindful about picking your lenses beyond aesthetic. Each finish will have influence on what is perhaps the same grey base. Definitely recommend peeping @kronin323 's thread where he investigates and demonstrates this:
Can the iridium coating affect the base tint appearance?
The consistency of tint was pretty solid. There's some slight fade on just the inner edges (towards the nose), but nothing intrusive or distracting. Oakley's finishes on their own lenses aren't perfect edge-to-edge either, so the Mr.Shield really just meets expectations in this regard.
Last note I can make of the visual performance is that there were no signs of ghosting despite the anti-reflective treatment looking strong on the backside.
1.4 Other Functional Aspects
The hydrophobic characteristics of the Mr. Shield lenses were evident in use and fogging was a non-issue. The oleophobic coating seemed to provide practical effect. It's not completely smudge-proof, but does enough to sustain uninterrupted, continued use.
(ran it under the faucet [slow flow just for insurance] and not to be anti-climatic...but there's virtually nothing left on lenses)
I cleaned these as I would my OEM lenses, using Oakey's cleaning kit, and nothing out of the ordinary occurred. Easy wipes and I haven't induced any noticeable swirl marks the past weeks. Abrasion resistance could extend to how I shove my Jawbones in an microfiber bag which I then shove into my pocket. I even took my metal calipers to the lenses (to investigate thickness, not actually scar them up), I didn't scratch the lenses — but part of that is owed to my precise heart surgeon-tier hands. The Mr. Shield is basically meeting expectations here across the board.
1.5 Final Thoughts
In all, I think the Mr. Shield lenses are looking like a promising product. Providing some proof of clarity really instills confidence, and puts my concerns over the slight discrepancy in thickness vs. OEM at peace. I will reiterate that I don't do business with Walleva LLC or have any incentives to write a favorable review. Margot was continuously open to answering any of my questions, so this upfront communication comes off a bit more ensuring as a tester.
The execution of the polarization (at least with this Emerald lens) was one of my favorite aspects since there was minimal fluctuation of tint upon any slight head tilts. Fit and finish appear flawless, and the surface treatments demonstrated their effects in use. The slightly thinner feel of the lenses may put some people off, but I had no issues with fit or visuals in the Jawbone/Racing Jacket frame. Again, a rationale was provided so in all I'm personally not too irked by this. Hopefully any other people testing these lenses can share how they've been fitting in different frames.
I think the only thing that kinda hangs is tint. I'm personally bigger on neutral tints more so than contrast. The Emerald finish I picked wasn't making for a detrimental experience, but I can imagine it's not everyone's cup of tea because it was working like a dark G30 of sorts. Color definition otherwise was pretty good, especially in the intended bright conditions. As a consumer, you just have to pick wisely. In most cases, if you've tried Oakley or other aftermarket lens brands, you kinda know what tint goes with what finish — at least in my experience, it's pretty consistent when the base is neutral: red mirrors lead to bluish tints, violet and blue finishes end up with brown tints, jade/green pans out as violet, etc.
I think in the general scope of aftermarket, things are looking more promising. I've had my share of budget-brand eyewear, and even some pairs at hand to give me a reminder of what that's like (not that I really want to), and the Mr. Shield lenses are surely above that. I've been using these lenses in my rotation since I received them on March 25th, and quite comfortably leading up to this review.
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