Wind Protection: The benefit of the thick frames on either side, of course, is wind protection. At moderate speeds of up to about thirty or thirty five miles per hour (my boat), the Nunui frames protect from wind very well indeed. However, at higher speeds (Zander's boat!), wind does begin to infiltrate over the top and from the bottom of the frames. I guess it's to be expected since the Nunui shades are not goggles. I should note at these higher speeds, the shades do move around a little too which only exacerbates the wind infiltration troubles.

Comfort: Because of their size, there are times during the day, when the Nunui shades begin to feel a bit cumbersome. If you are not blessed with a proper sized snout, like I am, they will ride down your face and rest on your cheeks. Further, if you're one who likes to rest your shades atop your head when not in use, be aware the Nunui's do not sit very securely in this position. At least they did not on my head. So instead, I try to always use a strap to hang them around my neck when not in use.

Durability: The frames of these shades are pretty durable, but I did not twist and turn the spring hinges because I could not bring myself to risk breaking them or having them pop off the arm, so that aspect was not tested. As with all polycarbonate lenses, the Nunui lense will scratch if dropped on the ground. Just ask Mz Jov who kindly helped me test this aspect as the shades fell from atop her head during our photoshoot and received a nice little knick from the concrete sidewalk.

Availability: The Nunui Shades are available and shipping to stores now. Sunglass Hut is a good place to start as they usually carry a good selection of Maui Jim Shades, but failing that, you can visit the Maui Jim website to find a dealer near you and/or send in an inquiry as to where to purchase these particular style of shades.

Warranty: All Maui Jim Sunglasses come with a limited one year warranty. For items out of warranty they also offer a repair service that I have used for my Mauna Loa shades. I broke mine at the bridge and sent them in for repair with a letter explaining what happened. $70 later for parts and labor and I had my $350 pair of shades back in two weeks just about good as new.

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Pluses and Minuses:

Conclusion: Sunglasses are a tricky piece of apparel. There's so much thought and design that goes into them and most of this effort is taken for granted. The one item that a manufacturer cannot hide from though is clarity in the lense. I used to think I knew what a good pair of sunglasses was - until I tried on a pair of Maui Jims. I was literally blown away the first time I tried on a pair but I resisted. Then I became fed up with my collection of polycarbonate lenses and how easily they scratched, so I looked for a pair of quality glass lenses while on vacation. I remembered my experience with Maui Jim that first time, in a store, so I went looking to see if they had a glass lense. Lo and behold they did.

But of course, when you're out fishing, or even cycling for that matter, and you're making a run with your face exposed to all the elements, nothing beats a solid pair of wrap around lenses. I was literally on the verge of going back to my cycling shades, a pair of Oakley M-Frames. Only reason why I hadn't? They were old and not polarized. I had my Half Jackets for that, but the wind protection just wasn't there with those shades. Then we saw what Maui Jim had at ICAST and I was anxious to see how they would perform. I am happy to say they have met the majority of my expecations. They're not quite perfect, nothing ever is it seems with me, but they are a fine pair of specs and if the occasion ever arises, I'll buy another pair in the blink of my bloodshot eye.