Sunglasses from a celestial deity

Words - James Raison

Britain-based Sungod came about in a very twenty-teens sorta way. A slick crowdfunding campaign promising stylish, lifetime-guaranteed, and customisable eyewear saw them smash through funding targets (949%) for their inaugural Renegades style sunglasses. Forward to present day, and they offer 3 models of sunglasses and ski goggles through their online store only.

THE PACEBREAKERS

The set that landed at my doorstep were their sports-oriented Pacebreaker model. Ordering Pacebreakers involves choosing frame colour, lens colour and optional polarisation, Sungod “icon” colour, and ear sock colour.

The set supplied for review had:

Matte Carbon frame in Sungod’s trademarked Adventureproof material.
Polarised 4KO Pace Green lenses with scratch resistance, impact resistance, anti-reflective, and 100% UV protection.
White icon and ear socks.

Retail price is $155, and each set comes with a microfibre storage pouch, small nose piece, and Sungod stickers. Replacement lenses are $55 for non-polarised, $100 for polarised, and ear socks are $15.

STYLE AND COMFORT

Sungod isn’t breaking any new ground with their styling. They’re contemporary sports sunglasses a-la-mode. That means a wrap-around style that's present in the range of many makers. I'm not overly fond of the faux carbon styling, but they do offer alternatives.

Comfort is excellent and they comfortably hugged my cranium like an old friend. They tip the scales at a waifish 32g so there’s no distracting heft. The nose piece sits nicely in place, and I didn’t need to switch to the smaller option. The rubber ear sleeves are comfy indeed and don’t cause any friction. I regularly find glasses without rubber over the arms will cut in uncomfortably and irritate my ears (yes, POC Do half blade, I’m looking at you). Wearing them is easy and comfortable.

LENS & OPTICS

Sungod’s optics are generally good but occasionally frustrating.

Let’s start with the positives though. They’ve gone for a low-tint, brightness-busting, colour-saturated look. They’re marvellous to look through on a sunny day. Mixing the low tint with a heavily colour saturated style makes the everything look beautifully vivid. The lens favours greens and blues, giving the world around you a lush and lovely look. The low tint mixed with the polarisation means you can enjoy plenty of light without getting blind most of the time (more on this below). These are the cliched “rose tinted glasses” - but for cyclists who want to enjoy the beautiful colours of the world around them. The polarisation is subtle too. So it won’t interfere when you look at your phone or GPS screen, but cuts out the nasty angular lights that can make you squint.

Field of vision is excellent. You have to look well into your peripheral vision to see the edge of the lens, or the frame. The thick frame sits nicely against the forehead and diverts sweat laterally, instead of letting it course down the lens. Post-ride these glasses were much cleaner than others I ride with because of how they divert sweat. I didn’t have any issues with fogging, but it’s been a toasty Australian Summer without many cold weather opportunities.

Now the one bad thing about the optics: that low tint makes these sub-optimal at sunrise and sunset. Riding into the setting or rising sun is blinding. They’re overwhelmed by the light intensity and become less usable than darker tinted glasses. So riding around those times, which I do a lot, has me reaching for other glasses. It’s a bummer! I was hopeful that the polarised/low tint lens would make these usable in wider light range but that isn’t the case here.

GUARANTEED FOR LIFE

Sungod's Pacebreakers come with a lifetime guarantee against defects and accidental breakages. It's laudable to see such confidence in their product given the beating sports sunglasses take. It increases the value of the product too. So next time you drop your sunglasses and your ride buddy crushes them into the pavement, you can send them back!

WRAPPING UP

Sungod offers a very good product for a competitive price. Comfort is very good, styling is adequate, all the materials are well-made and backed by a lifetime guarantee. I liked the optics too. A lot. They’re clear, polarised, and make the world look beautiful. It’s a shame that their low tint performs poorly when the sun is low. That's my biggest gripe with the Pacebreakers. They are otherwise a solid value option for those with a taste for personalisation.

Disclosure statement: This set of sunglasses was supplied for review. Go to the Sungod website to purchase a pair of Pacebreakers.