The Key Specifications
- Price: $190 ($220 for photochromic version)
- Sizing and fit: Standard sizing, with Rx option
- Best for: Runners wanting full eye coverage with a wide field of view
In this Rudy Project Spinshield sunglasses review I’m sharing my thoughts on the Rudy Project Spinshield Air sunglasses, including the pros, cons and who they’re best suited to, as well as whether or not they made it on to our regularly-updated list of the best sunglasses for running.
This particular version of the Rudy Project Spinshield Air sunglasses has a Matte Black frame and a Multilaser Blue lens, which provides an 18.5% LTV – light transmission value.
The lower the LTV percentage, the better the lenses are for brighter conditions, so these blue lenses are a great choice for where I run the most, in California. Other lens color options are available on the product page of the Rudy Project’s website, including a photochromic (light-reactive) option.
Features of the Rudy Project Spinshield that I really like
The key feature that stands out on these Rudy Project sunglasses is the Spinshield Air wraparound cylindrical lens, which provides loads of coverage for your eyes.
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If you have sensitive eyes or are particularly mindful of ensuring you project your eyes (and the skin around them) from UV exposure, the size of the lens is going to be highly appealing to you.
Moving away from the more traditional wraparound athletic sunglasses style of brands such as Oakley (such as the Oakley Flak 2.0 XL), the one-piece cylindrical lens gives these sunglasses a more modern look as well as offering a wide field of view.
The lens clarity is excellent, in keeping with what you’d expect from sports sunglasses that are made in Italy and cost around $200.
The non-slip nose pieces do their job at keeping the Spinshield sunglasses in place when I run – there’s no bounce or movement there, which is a highly important quality to have on any sunglasses you choose to run in.
There are also non-slip ear pieces, however they don’t make all that much contact with my head due to the length of the frame’s arms (see my ‘areas for improvement’ comments on this, later in this review).
These sports sunglasses are also very light – and this contributes to comfort while you’re running – or wearing them for other sports such as skiing and cycling, for example. The stated weight is .95 ounces (26 grams), which is super lightweight.
For those needing prescription sunglasses for running, it’s also worth knowing that these Rudy Project sunglasses are prescription ready via a proprietary Rx optical insert that can be clipped to the nosebridge behind the sun lens, which you can learn more about on the Rudy Project’s website.
Features that I feel could be improved
The biggest disadvantage of these Italian-made sunglasses for me personally is that the wraparound fit doesn’t quite work for me as well as other sunglasses frames I’ve owned and reviewed.
Specifically, the arms are longer than I need, so they extend further back behind my ears which interferes with some of my running caps – and I always run with a sunglasses and cap combo.
This is a challenge I have encountered with a variety of sports sunglasses that perhaps have been designed to better fit men or generally individuals with a larger head!
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If you have a medium to large head, or don’t tend to wear caps as often as I do, this probably won’t be an issue for you.
Despite this, as noted above, I have no issues with the sunglasses moving when I run, they stay put, which is one of the most important things to have right with a pair of running sunglasses.
Lastly, while they come with their own microfiber pouch, you’ll probably want to get a hard case to protect them when traveling – I haven’t tested their flex to extremes, but do have concerns that overly-enthusiastically stuffing them into a pocket in your running hydration vest may not end well.
Rudy Project Spinshield Sunglasses review summary
If you have an average or larger head, value the wide field of view, and comprehensive UV protection these sunglasses provide to not just your eyes, but the delicate skin around them, then at $190 the Spinshield Air sunglasses are definitely one to consider for running, cycling and any other sporty or adventurous endeavors.
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Rudy Project Spinshield Sunglasses – image gallery
