Panoptx Taku eyewear (model 570530)
Panoptx
Panoptx
$99
www.panoptx.com
925.484.0292
Hallelujah! I found my favorite sunglasses. They were missing for a couple of months, but I discovered they’d been laying low in a friend’s car. I thanked my friend (gee, thanks) and donned them immediately to savor the moment. But something was different… were these my long-lost glasses? I took them off to double check; the rickety frames dangled in my hand and the high-fashion brand stared back at me dumbly. You see, they’d been off gallivanting for some time and, well, I still had needs. I’d procured a sexy pair of Panoptx glasses and they’d been serving me quite well. I tossed the old sunglasses in the bin of old items I might need someday.
My Panoptx are the glossy black Taku model. They’re sleek with solid construction that doesn’t show any sign of losing its tautness. They’re made for motorcycling, but they look good and function well as all-purpose sunglasses too. By now every woman has picked up on the subtle tabloid public service message that big sunglasses save lives and money on Botox. My Takus aren’t Jackie O’s, but they’ll at least allow me to look like I’m making an effort to protect my suborbitals (and no, I’m not just trying to look like a celebrity). At any rate, they aren’t the goggle-type glasses made for high-speed riding. They feature what Panoptx calls an air dam, a cushioned lining in the frame that protects eyes from irritants, reduces glare, and wicks away moisture, but also allows air to flow in—mmhhh, space to breathe.
The lenses of my new favorite sunglasses are optically correct, de-centered and tapered. I’m not exactly sure what that means, but I know what anti-fog, impact-resistant, and 100 percent UV blocking mean and they’re all that too. They’re only slightly mirrored and feature ColorTec technology, which preserves the quality of colors seen through the lens by re-sorting primary color wavelengths and improving chromatic contrast, meaning my ability to see brake lights, street lights and hazards isn’t compromised.
Panotpx offers several choices of lenses, including PureTec photochromatic lenses that darken in bright sun and fade to preserve visibility as the light dims. The PureTec lenses are constructed of a material called NXT that is lighter than polycarbonate lens material and can provide a much quicker photochromatic response. While it’s only shatterproof at the thickness of a sunglass lens, in other applications it’s literally bulletproof. For now I’m content with the polycarbonate ColorTec lenses in my Takus, though. I don’t think I’ll be needing anything bulletproof… right, old favorites… old friend?
