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Magicshine Windbreaker Polarized Sunglasses review

A promising entry into the cycling sunglasses market

Our rating

3

75.00
60.00
125.00

Andy Lloyd / OurMedia

Published: September 24, 2023 at 8:00 am

Our review
Comfortable sunglasses that don’t quite cut the optical mustard

Pros:

Frameless design means no visual obstruction; secure fit; good ventilation

Cons:

Some visual distortion; arms may interfere with your helmet

Magicshine might not be the first brand you think of when it comes to cycling sunglasses, but the Windbreaker is a good debut attempt.

Featuring a frameless design, the Windbreaker glasses fit comfortably with no visual obstruction.

However, there were some issues with visual distortion in testing that may be particularly problematic for those with larger heads.

The brand offers the polarised lens on test here, as well as a photochromic alternative and regular tinted lenses, at relatively competitive prices.

Magicshine Windbreaker Polarized features

Magicshine Windbreaker Polarized Sunglasses
The Windbreaker's arms feature a small rubber pad at their ends. - Andy Lloyd / OurMedia

The lens itself gives the glasses their structure, but means there’s no way of swapping between different tints.

The arms clamp on to the edge of the lens and are curved in form.

Over the ears is a split-arm design, with a more rigid upper portion, and a soft, flexible lower rubber area, to boost comfort and security.

The lenses have small vents in the lower corners and a small extended band of material at the top, to prevent light sneaking in over the top of the glasses if you’re in the hoods.

The nosepiece is rubber, with the wings held over a wire structure to ensure plenty of adjustability.

Magicshine Windbreaker Polarized performance

Magicshine Windbreaker Polarized Sunglasses
The Polarized lens does a good job of reducing glare from reflective surfaces. - Andy Lloyd / OurMedia

With no intrusion into your field of vision, the Windbreaker glasses don't present any visual distractions.

The polarisation of the lens is there to reduce glare from reflective surfaces, such as wet roads. It does this well, which I liked on sunny but damp days.

However, I noticed a few odd visual distortions, almost like rainbow flares, in some light conditions. Likewise, looking at LCD screens can be a bit odd – as it is with all polarised glasses.

I can’t say the Magicshine glasses were worse than others in this respect, but generally I prefer a non-polarised lens for this reason.

I found there was some visual distortion via the lens, which led to my eyes tiring quicker with these glasses than some others I tested them alongside.

This could be a function of the frame flexing to fit my head, altering the optics of the glasses.

The fit is good, with a highly adjustable nosepiece enabling you to get the position on your face just right.

Magicshine Windbreaker Polarized Sunglasses
The nosepiece offers plenty of adjustability. - Andy Lloyd / OurMedia

They’re secure, too, with the fit and the shaping of the arms working well to keep the glasses in place on rougher tracks.

I found the overall broad width of the arms – the distance they sit away from the temples – could interfere with the shell of more protective enduro helmets.

This pushed the glasses into an awkward position on my face.

With lighter-weight trail, or road bike helmets, this wasn’t an issue.

Ventilation is good, and they clear any fogging quickly. The ‘smudge-resistant coating’ seems to do a good job of keeping fingerprints to a minimum.

Magicshine Windbreaker bottom line

This is a decent first attempt at cycling sunglasses from Windbreaker, providing a comfortable fit on all but the bulkiest of open-face helmets.

The lens clarity is good, but those who are sensitive to less than perfect optics, or those with a larger head that ‘stretches’ the lens’ shape, might find their eyes tiring quicker than with other glasses.

Group test | Cycling sunglasses

These sunglasses were tested as part of a group test of long-standing and new models from established and lesser-known brands.

Also on test

Product

Brandmagicshine
Price125.00 AUD,60.00 GBP,75.00 USD
Weight31.0000, GRAM () -

Features

FeaturesLens: One lens
Included: Hard case, soft bag