Oakley EVZero Range vs. Smith Optics Attack Max sunglass review

One could be forgiven for thinking the Smith Optics Attack Max and Oakley EVZero Range were penned by the same designer. Although they’ve obviously not identical, both use a frameless design and a large-format lens with a raised center for maximum coverage. And just as Oakley does with its Prizm lens technology, Smith Optics claims its ChromaPop lens tints provide better color clarity and detail definition than a more conventional lens.
                                           

On the bike, both provide similarly expansive fields of view, along with superb protection from flying debris, wind, and rain. I could barely see the edges of the lens on either set, and even at 80km/h, my eyes didn’t water from wind irritation. Both sunglasses are fantastically lightweight — 32g for the Attack Max, the EVZero Range even lighter at just 23g — and combined with the similarly gentle fit on my relatively narrow head, it doesn’t take long to forget that you’re wearing them at all.

But there’s no getting around the fact that Oakley only offers the road cycling-specific Prizm lens in a single version, and as good as it is most of the time, the 20% light transmission rating isn’t going to work all the time. Here in the high-altitude sunshine of the Colorado Rockies, for example, Prizm sometimes just isn’t as dark as I’d like. There’s still the same awesome level of contrast, but almost too much of it — sort of like a top-shelf sound system that’s turned up a little too loud.

Oakley may offer the EVZero in versions to suit nearly any lighting condition (and don’t forget those five different lens shapes), but the lenses can’t be swapped after the fact since the temples are permanently fixed in place. The Attack Max, on the other hand, has a clever magnetic clasp setup that still allows for a frameless design, but also the ability to change lenses at will. The standard ChromaPop Sun Red Mirror lens of my test set is noticeably better in bright sunlight with its darker 15% transmission rating, and Smith Optics further hammers the point home by also including a ChromaPop Contrast Rose lens with a much lighter 48% tint that works well in lower-light conditions.