50 Words or Less
Combining Maui Jim’s lightest lens and a high tech frame material, sunglasses from the 2018 PureAir collection are remarkably lightweight, durable and stylish. Outstanding eye protection and vivid clarity, with lens color an important consideration for golf.
Introduction
The 2018 PureAir collection combines Maui Jim’s lightest lens, MauiPure, with frames made from Grilamid TR 90 LX. For those of you who don’t read the latest thermo-plastic journals, Grilamid TR 90 LX is an extremely lightweight, tough-yet-flexible material, perfectly suited to the demands of sunglass frames. Another cool property is its transparency that allows for the amazing grey fade of the Monkey Pod and the depth of tortois-ing in the Pokawai Arch frames.
Performance
The 2018 PureAir collection utilizes MauiPure lenses, which are the lightest lenses Maui Jim offers and also feature nine layers of PolarizedPlus2 technology. PolarizedPlus2 cuts out 99.9% of glare and 100% of harmful UV light, and manages 95% of the HEV blue light spectrum. Not easily captured, you can see in the photo above that the lenses also have a bi-gradiant mirror finish that creates as a stripe down middle. The extra tint on the top and bottom of the lens is designed to “squint for you”. What I observed was near-glass clarity and eyes that don’t feel tired at the end of a round.
The Pokowai Arch sunglasses have Maui Jim’s HCL Bonze lens, which I first tested last year with the Kapuna. I still found the lens color excellent for golfing and confirmed what I stated previously:
The HCL Bronze lens is designed for high contrast and adds what Maui Jim calls a “warm tint” to the view. I found the heightened contrast excellent for seeing the subtleties of break and grain on the green. It also helped with depth perception on long approach shots, giving me a clearer picture on pin location.
The Big Wave and Monkey Pod sunglasses have Neutral Grey lenses, which have the highest light reduction. That’s a great feature in super sunny Florida, and I was impressed with how colors remained natural and vibrant. Throughout the golf course features, including grass blades, remained crisp. My only issue with the Neutral Grey lens was with difficulty following ball flight against a cloudy sky. For me, that’s less than ideal, and I’d stick with the HCL Bronze lens in the 2018 PureAir collection.
Style & Fit
The three frames from the 2018 PureAir collection I tested are sporty without looking athletic – a style that looks appropriate at the golf course as well as an outdoor reception. The Pokowai Arch frames have a traditional rectangular shape and medium fit. The wrap around style on the Big Wave and Monkey Pod frames have a more hefty appearance and a fit designed for larger heads. That hefty look is deceiving as they are amazingly lightweight. All the frames feature adjustable nose pads and a gription strip at the end of the temples.
I found the Pokowai Arch frames the most comfortable on my nose and around my ears after a full round of golf, and I could easily wear them all day. With their larger frames, the Big Wave and Monkey Pod temples settled on my ears instead of being secured behind them. That wasn’t a distraction, but I could feel that contact point at the end of the round.
If you want to use the 2018 PureAir collection to elevate your fashion game, check out the Blue Hawaii mirrored finish Maui Jim offers.
Conclusion
It’s always a pleasure to slip on a pair of Maui Jim sunglasses and see the world in full “Color. Clarity. Detail.” The 2018 PureAir sunglasses are incredibly light weight and the collection offers a wide variety of styles and lens choices. The HCL Bronze lens is well suited for golfing as well as everyday use. If golf is the main purpose of the sunglasses, I’d be leery of the Neutral Grey lens. When outdoors and enjoying life, protect your eyes.
Maui Jim PureAir - 10
Maui Jim PureAir - 14
Maui Jim PureAir - 16
Maui Jim PureAir - 18
Maui Jim PureAir - 20
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Maui Jim PureAir - 34
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9 Comments
Too bad these aren’t available yet.
I just double checked Wally, and all three sunglasses featured in this review are available on the Maui Jim website.
Matt M
Maybe if you or Maui Jim have a link to it the collection that would be great. Otherwise when I did a search on MJ’s site here’s what I got:
Kaumaha! Your search for PureAir Collection had 0 results
It does seem odd that the collection doesn’t show any results in a search. Good news is each model does. Happy shopping.
Matt M
Between johnnie-o apparel and now these just ordered Maui Jim Pokowai HCL Bronze, glad I’m not married or we’d not have a relationship. I need lightness on my head MJ’s – they shipped in 2 hours. Thanks … not … or yes. And then there is that TPT shaft and Ping G400 Max I now have … you guys are relentless.
Thanks for sharing Jerry. That brought a smile to my face as I know the lure of fresh gear.
Matt M
Matt, just received the Pokowai from MJ, and my son says, “Wow, you look like a cool Dad.” Well, appearances are deceiving, and if your visitors look under SHOP and then ACTIVITY, GOLF, they will find the POKOWAI, but the others you mention are not yet listed – they are new, so I expect them to show up soon. As to the glasses, they are light and comfortable. Will wear them this weekend during a round.
I clicked the link in my review and then hit the “SHOP” button under sunglasses and all three styles show up early on that first page.
Glad your son likes them!
Matt M
Matt, thanks for the above. I have a super thin glass MJ for driving, and while they look terrific and perform, they have weight. You are spot on in your review – the Pokowai shed that weight and are more comfortable for hours on the course or driving.