Review: Maui Jim Black Coral

I recently had the opportunity to try out a few pairs of Maui Jim sunglasses. First up on the review list are the Black Corals. 

As a quick background update for anyone not familiar with Maui Jim products, they offer a wide assortment of styles and truly offer the best optics out there. I was extremely skeptical for years about the importance of polarized lenses, but once you wear a quality set of polarized lenses there is no looking back. Even more, Maui Jim’s patented Polarized technology is even hands down better than other quality polarized lenses I’ve tried in the past. 

Add the stylish, flexible, comfortable, and sturdy frames along with a variety of lens types and colors and I’ve been hooked on Maui Jims for some time now. As a quick comparison, my last few pairs of sunglasses before trying Maui Jims were Ralph Lauren, Gucci, and Burberry. Not only are the optics offered by Maui Jim superior, but in most instances, they are more affordable as well. 

If you’re only worried about having a set of “designer” frames on your face, I’m not one to tell you how to spend your money, but in terms of quality of frames and lenses, I don’t consider it even close. 

Now, to the Black Corals. I have been eyeing this model for quite some time and I have not been disappointed after using them for the past week and change. These things are obviously subjective and up to your own preferences, but I personally think the frames are very good looking, they are extremely durable and high quality frames, and they offer the highest quality lenses Maui Jim produces. 

The lenses are Maui Jim’s “Super Thin” (ST) which is provides the highest level clarity while being 20% thinner (and therefore lighter) than traditional glass lenses. The lenses are available in two shades, Neutral Grey and HCL Bronze. 

Neutral Grey is the best lens available for bright, direct sunlight. It offers the highest protection, but also allows true colors and natural contrasts to shine through. This is rare as I’ve had other dark lens sunglasses that do a great job of blocking out the sun, but they also block out all of the color as well. The frames available with the Neutral Grey lenses are black with a coral design on the sides (check out the pictures to see what I mean). 

The HCL Bronze lenses are my personal favorites. They are great for everyday conditions from full sun to overcast. At times, depending on the level of cloud cover, the Neutral Grey lenses can be too dark if the sun isn’t out. The HCL Bronze, however, allow enough light in so that they are great in overcast conditions. They also allow the highest degree of contrast and natural colors in and make a huge difference from other lenses. The HCL Bronze lenses come with a darker brown frame with the same coral design on the sides. 

Both shades of lenses come with Maui Jim’s “Polarized Plus 2″ technology. Like I said before, I didn’t know how important polarized lenses were until I started wearing them. And then I had no idea what a difference there could be between Maui Jim polarized lenses and other brands. They market blocking out 99.9% of glare and 100% of UV rays while boosting color. 

I can’t comment on the 99.9%, but I can say that glare is of no concern when wearing any of their products and all of their lenses make the world around you look better. 

Check out these pictures of the Black Corals and for more information check out their website.