Spy Optic Screw Over sunglasses review

Simple performance protection

Our rating

3.0

139.95
219.95

Colin Levitch / Immediate Media

Published: September 2, 2014 at 9:00 am

Our review
A little flimsy, but highly comfortable and great vision makes these a strong choice for the road

Spy is no doubt best known in snow, skate and surf markets, but recently the eyewear brand has been making progress into cycle-focused performance options. The Screw Over is a lightweight, vented glass that retains some of the style for which Spy is known.

The Screw Over features the largest lens option in the Screw range; with the Screw (standard lens) and Screw Under (smallest lens) also available sharing the same frame.

Offering a comfortable and pressure-free fit, the Screw frame is made from ‘Grilamid’, a nylon/plastic hybrid material that is lightweight and offers enormous flexibility. If you’re one to suffer from tight sunglasses pinching at the temples, the flexibility on offer may prove a blessing.

On the subject of fit, some of our testers noted that the top of the frame came into contact with their brow, a sensation that didn’t cause discomfort or sweat dripping but felt strange at first.

The rubber temple tips do a great job of keeping the frame is place without pressure, unfortunately the single-size noise piece was a little loose for us : - Colin Levitch / Immediate Media

Highly flexible temple tips combined with Hytrel rubber provide a comfortable fit

Non-slip Hytrel rubber is featured at the temple tips and nose pad. Clipping into the base of the lens, the nose pad unfortunately proved looser than ideal for us, without enough support over rough terrain to ensure the glasses remain perfectly in place. On the road though, it’s no problem and it’s easy to forget you’re wearing them.

At 28g with such a large lens, the Screw Overs are certainly competitive on the scales – something that adds to the ‘barely there’ feel when on the bike.

The replaceable single-piece lens provides much of the sunglasses’ rigidity and is a key part to the structure. The large Screw Over lens offers plenty of protection, and we never experienced debris sneaking past beneath the lens as can happen when there's less coverage.

Considering the flexible frame, replacing the lens made us nervous because of the pressure and bending the operation required. Despite this, the frame and lens always held shape perfectly.

Our sample came in a ‘bronze with red spectra’ tint with 100 percent UV protection. This tint offers a claimed 22 percent light transmission, which makes it ideal for bright, sunny days with the spectra reflective coating cutting out much of the glare. Spy offer a huge range of other tints – including photochromic options – at very reasonable prices.

Vented lenses and scoops on the arms ensure fog is hardly an issue: - Colin Levitch / Immediate Media

Lens vents and frame scoops prevent fogging while riding

In addition to the small lens vents, large scoops at the front of the arms help to channel air in. On very sweaty days, we did experience some minor fogging when stopped at lights, but this disappeared within seconds of re-starting.

With a single lens and basic soft pouch included, value isn't on the Screw Overs' positive list. That said, while these glasses aren’t quite as refined as more expensive (by not much) options from the likes of Oakley and Rudy Project, the lens and overall comfort mean they're a worthy choice in our opinion.

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