# Optical Forums > General Optics and Eyecare Discussion Forum >  MAUI JIM...anything better on the market?

## solinc

I have had a pair of maui jim for ten years...want to update the style...are there any sunglass technologies better than Maui Jim? Just want info on technology not pricing...I really like the "glare-reducing" qualities of maui jim...my eyes are sensitive, in fact if I walk outside on a normal sunny day my eyes will usually begin to tear up without sunglasses...so I really depend on them...thus price is not much of a factor...I just want the ones that do the best job!

Thanks, Richard W.

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## Lynne

> I have had a pair of maui jim for ten years...want to update the style...are there any sunglass technologies better than Maui Jim? Just want info on technology not pricing...I really like the "glare-reducing" qualities of maui jim...my eyes are sensitive, in fact if I walk outside on a normal sunny day my eyes will usually begin to tear up without sunglasses...so I really depend on them...thus price is not much of a factor...I just want the ones that do the best job!
> 
> Thanks, Richard W.


Maybe I am biased, but I don't think you can beat them!!:)

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## solinc

i've been reading on the net for about six hours now(today) and I have yet to find any comparable lens coating technology that works like maui jim...I know their process is patented but surely, someone has come up with something equal or better in ten years! don't get me wrong, i'm not knocking them...I just can't believe something else hasn't come into the marketplace...i did read that B&L makes their lenses...is that true? if so do they (B&L) apply the coatings as well? 

Thanks, Richard W.

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## Lynne

> i've been reading on the net for about six hours now(today) and I have yet to find any comparable lens coating technology that works like maui jim...I know their process is patented but surely, someone has come up with something equal or better in ten years! don't get me wrong, i'm not knocking them...I just can't believe something else hasn't come into the marketplace...i did read that B&L makes their lenses...is that true? if so do they (B&L) apply the coatings as well? 
> 
> Thanks, Richard W.


Maui Jim has a 7 layer lens, that is patented as you said.  I don't know who makes the Rx lens now, but the factory is in the Midwest.  So far as I know B & L does not make it, but I could be wrong on that.  At one time they were made in Japan (the Rx ones), but now its the US.  Anyway, the mfr does the whole thing, whoever they are.

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## mattress

check out ice-tech sunglasses.

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## Vicki

Maui Jim's provide the best that a sunglass lens can provide.  They have glass lenses which provide better optics and scratch less.  They are all polarized and the mirror coatings and anti-reflective coating are great.  In my professional opinion, I agree with Lynn, you can't beat them!

Vicki

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## For-Life

What do you guys think about Serengetti's?

I like the brown tint much better.

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## AWTECH

Check out what ICE-TECH has to offer in technology, both in non prescription and Prescription Advanced Polarized Lens technologies.

ICE-TECH has lead the polarized industry with technological advances

ICE-TECH Thin-ICE prescription lenses is our latest advancement.

www.ice-tech.com

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## Mikef

I think there are many great options!  Maui is one of the best but most polarized glass lenses are great.  The coatings are just a matter of choice!

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## solinc

OKAY, to be a little more precise...are there any other sunglass manufacturer's that coat and polarize their lenses so you can actually see the TINT patterns in automobile windshields or other large pieces of tinted glass?

I knew when I first tried on maui jim's I could see this...do any other glasses have this MUCH protection?

Thanks, Richard W.

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## For-Life

> OKAY, to be a little more precise...are there any other sunglass manufacturer's that coat and polarize their lenses so you can actually see the TINT patterns in automobile windshields or other large pieces of tinted glass?
> 
> I knew when I first tried on maui jim's I could see this...do any other glasses have this MUCH protection?
> 
> Thanks, Richard W.


That is called polarization.  Many sunwear are made with that

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## solinc

I have "polarized" ray-bans, vuarnet, sun-cloud, revo... that won't bring out the tint like the maui jim's do......is there a different type of polarized lense or process? what other manufacturers have it...does ice-tech...i don't know...their website didn't really impress me much...I would just really like to get some info before I have to purchase again..

Richard W.

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## Mikef

> I have "polarized" ray-bans, vuarnet, sun-cloud, revo... that won't bring out the tint like the maui jim's do......is there a different type of polarized lense or process? what other manufacturers have it...does ice-tech...i don't know...their website didn't really impress me much...I would just really like to get some info before I have to purchase again..
> 
> Richard W.


Polarizied is polarized!   There is only one way to do it!

Why would you want to see that pattern anyway.

You can get cheap polarized and they will do the same!

Polarized glass grey lens with a back AR are the best!  

Coatings are mostly just a matter of taste!

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## Framebender

www.rudyproject.com .  I have no affiliation with this company other than I wear their product.  It offers me the most flexability off 1 chassis.  I ride motorcycle so I might want grey polaroid or the new racing red polariod for the ride up.  Maybe clear or high contrast yellow for the ride back.  If I'm wearing contacts I put the Rx carrier in the case.  I don't wear contacts I pop the carrier in.  I use a Ketyum chassis.  I have three sets of polaroid lenses (grey, brown and the new racing red) and 2 others (clear & yellow).  2 Rx carriers (1 with a progressive and 1 with an round 22 upside down.  There is no visual condition I feel unprepared for.

You might also take a look at Costa del Mar.  They've got some cool lenses too!

Awtech,  you folks going to be at Vegas??  I really want to check your lenses out!

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## Mikef

If you like the Maui's go buy them!

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## Uni-Clip

> I have "polarized" ray-bans, vuarnet, sun-cloud, revo... that won't bring out the tint like the maui jim's do......is there a different type of polarized lense or process? what other manufacturers have it...does ice-tech...i don't know...their website didn't really impress me much...I would just really like to get some info before I have to purchase again..
> 
> Richard W.


Richard,

Click to our website www.uni-clip.com and go to the LifeStyle lens session and you'll see what kind of sun lens designs are available, what kind of coatings they have, and what function does each coating work on your vision. We don't sell sunglasses but many vendors have similar lenses. Hope this is helpful to you.

We specifically design this lens page on our website to educate patients and help ECP's to present functional sunlenses. Let me know your comment if you like the way they are presented.

A final word. Maui Jim, Costa Del Mar or any other big brand sunglasses are great but they are not the only vendors having the best lenses. But they are surely good at communicating their lens features via marketing and hence the premium prices. Sun lens technology has improved a great deal in the past 10 years. They are no longer just colored lenses but many have multiple layers to deliver multiple functions to enhance patients' vision. Consult your ECP and they should be able to explain to you especially when you wanted a high grade functional sunglasses.

Have fun shopping.

Lak Cheong
Acuity Optical USA, Inc.
www.uni-clip.com

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## For-Life

> Polarizied is polarized! There is only one way to do it!
> 
> Why would you want to see that pattern anyway.
> 
> You can get cheap polarized and they will do the same!
> 
> Polarized glass grey lens with a back AR are the best! 
> 
> Coatings are mostly just a matter of taste!


*Polarized glass brown lens with backside AR is the best.

That is why I prefer the Serengetti

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## spartus

Let me preface this by saying that I am not an employee of Maui Jim.

Maui Jim lenses in glass--and this new "Evolution" material that I'm trying to find out more about--have a proprietary color enhancing layer in the lens. There's a bunch of rare-earth-element fooferah in the big catalog that accounts get--any shop that carries Mauis should have one you can poke through. Specifically, the grey lens brings out more browns and "warm" tones than an ordinary grey lens, the brown brings out the reds, and the rose does the same with greens. I don't know if there's something special and magical that they do with the lens, or if it's just tricky tinting, but it's very nice.

I once put a pair of Mauis on a Costa Del Mar rep who was selling me hard on how _their_ lens is so much better than Maui's, and he actually stopped mid-pitch as he put them on and said (and I quote), "Whoa." Which was pretty funny to me. He took them off and continued slamming them, so it was a good recovery, at least. I don't have a whole lot of personal experience with Costa Del Mar as a line, but they didn't make a great impression on me. Great array of different tints, but like Serengeti, the profusion (one style+three sizes+four frame colors+three lenses=confusingly infinite choices) gets to be a little much.

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## fjpod

Maui Jim, Serengetti, and Rudy Project...they are all top notch.  It's a matter of preference.  Rudy projects are a little more "task specific" in that they are designed for sports or "high activity" like riding a motorcycle or skiing.

Personally, I prefer an amber lens.

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## AWTECH

Reply to this Quote:


> Awtech, you folks going to be at Vegas?? I really want to check your lenses out!


Yes we will be in Las Vegas for Vision Expo West, whether we exhibit or not has not been decided.  If we do not we will be available for a personal viewing of our line.  I have rooms reserved at the Venitian Hotel, which is attached to the convention hall and it is easy for me to set up meetings.

Please contact me by private message to set up an appointment with ICE-TECH.

solinc Quote:


> I have "polarized" ray-bans, vuarnet, sun-cloud, revo... that won't bring out the tint like the maui jim's do......is there a different type of polarized lense or process? what other manufacturers have it...does ice-tech...i don't know...their website didn't really impress me much...I would just really like to get some info before I have to purchase again..


For you the good news is that the business of ICE-TECH is about lens technology and not web sites.  There are many types and methods of making polarized lenses.  Each element of a polarized lens adds or subtracts from its ultimate function.
The quality of the polarized film used? 
The method this polarized film is formed to match the curve of the lens material.
The type of bonding agent used and its optical clarity.
The anti reflective treatments applied to the back surface of the lens.
The type and quality of any mirror coating applied to the front.
The type and quality of the hydrophobic outer layer and how it is bonded to the surface of the lens.
These are some of the areas polarized lenses are different, and I have not even mentioned the lens material itself, which could be some type of glass, polycarbonate, CR-39 or the ICE-TECH Armor lens material.

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## Mikef

> *Polarized glass brown lens with backside AR is the best.
> 
> That is why I prefer the Serengetti


I like the brown lens better too.  It's a happy lens

The only reason I said grey was the best is because that is the only color that does not change the color of the things you are looking at.  Grey just makes everything darker.  

Either way its not that big a deal.

Serengetti, Maui Revo etc.  Buy what u like best!  They are all great!

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## solinc

Hmmm...now i'm getting some info I can use...thanks for the input everybody!...I already own Maui Jim's...just wondered if anything better was on the market...the reason I mentioned the "see the tint" thing is I really, really ,really like the glare reduction....I often fish off shore, I drive 100+ miles daily, I live in the "sunny" south and enjoy the outdoors...sooo, I really depend on my "shades"....
My sunglasses, as we speak, are at maui jim for repair on the spring hinge...after ten years one side just couldn't take it anymore and gave in to metal fatigue...I hope they can fix them...but since they are old i'm think i'm probably going to get a call that i will have to replace them...so i'm just trying to prepare for a new purchase....

...I think spartus understands...he said the sales person said "whoa"...that happened to me when i first put on a pair of maui jim's...it really got my attention...I was standing outside on the beach in the South Carolina (myrtle-beach)and the optician was wanting to show me the difference between a number of upper-end name brands...and Maui Jim beat them hands down...but that was 1995...so I was wondering who had improved this technology in the last ten years...and with everybody's input I believe I am getting closer to an answer...Thanks Everyone...great board!...please keep the response coming...I need the education!...
Thanks, Richard W.

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## solinc

[QUOTE=AWTECH]Reply to this Quote: 


Please contact me by private message to set up an appointment with ICE-TECH.

solinc Quote: 
For you the good news is that the business of ICE-TECH is about lens technology and not web sites.  

ICE-TECH, Sorry about the website comment. I just had a hard time finding what i needed...the site just didn't "flow"...but none the less I read about the tecnology used and then went to look up price on the titanium models and there were no prices...the link didn't work(just for the titanium models, all of the other links worked)... sorry, maybe it's just me...anyway, I definitely want to read more about the technical aspects more than pricing...also I would like to try some on and compare...do you have any dealers in the atlanta ga area?

Thanks, Richard W.

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## solinc

> Richard,
> 
> Click to our website www.uni-clip.com and go to the LifeStyle lens session and you'll see what kind of sun lens designs are available 
> Have fun shopping.
> 
> Lak Cheong
> Acuity Optical USA, Inc.
> www.uni-clip.com


Thanks!...I'm going to check out your info...i appreciate the info...and YES!, i like the way you said it...I want a pair of "high grade functional sunglasses"...that's it!

-Richard W.

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## jherman

how many PVA film manufacturers there are currently? My sources say less than 10. Not sure if that is correct?

My opinion is MJ lenses are no better than any other highend polarized lenses.

I would like to see an authority on the subject chime in.

James

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## efsamuel

I just put in the new Silhouette sun lens system and carry the Addidas line as well. I have had a great reaction with the new Silhouette suns as they break down into 4 catagories of lenses (Golf, Image, Driving, Water). At this point really trying the glasses on will be the best thing for you to do, lucky for you that yes there are improvements to the lenses now yet every manufacture has "proprietary" something or another so it can get a bit like apples to oranges. We all compare our reactions here and everyone has a different prefference. Doc still likes her Maui Jims the best,Addias is a second due to she can get several lenses for ski, bike, etc. 

Looking at the activities you participate in you may want to look into a combination type sunglass where you can change out the lens to optimize each condition (Brown/Fishing & Driving, Grey/Water & Glare, etc.)

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## drk

I think it's safe to say that Maui Jim is in the top three or four, and that they are all too close to differentiate.

It's safe to say that there's "no better" than Maui Jim.  (Maybe equal, though.)

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## solinc

So, who would be in the top three or four? From a technical standpoint...
-Richard W.

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## chip anderson

Yeah, there are even some with lenses that can stand saltwater without delaminateing (think of the concept, sunglasses that can't be exposed to saltwater, although it's probably not a problem in Kansas).


Chip

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## AWTECH

James Herman said:


> how many PVA film manufacturers there are currently? My sources say less than 10. Not sure if that is correct?


I am not quite sure how many there are today but I know there are more than 10.  The quality of a polarized lens is the sum of its components and the PVA film is just one.  There are actually other methods to polarize beside PVA but PVA is by far the most popular.  Once you have a flat sheet of PVA and you have a steep spherical curve you now have your first of many challenges to make a high quality polarized lens. The PVA polarized film must follow the curve of the lens.

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## jherman

Aside from absorbing certain wavelengths, and the quality of the PVA, What other methods are there to polarize light and increase acuity.

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## drk

Mirror and AR coatings.

Wrap compensation/ prism.

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## HarryChiling

A younger polarized lens with a mirror coating from opticote.  Check out www.opticote.com

I consider this an alterntive to the MJ and prefer it do to the ability of controlling some of the processes in house.  MJ does nothing special with their lenses that I know of and I was under the impression that they used younger lenses.

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## Scott R

Ive sold MJs for about 8 years. All three colors (grey, brown, maui rose) have great followings. Rx work is usually as good as non-rx. Some of my patients tried Tag Heuer Rx in different colors. They like the style of the Tags but swear the MJ lenses are superior.

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## Barry Santini

> A younger polarized lens with a mirror coating from opticote. Check out www.opticote.com
> 
> I consider this an alterntive to the MJ and prefer it do to the ability of controlling some of the processes in house. MJ does nothing special with their lenses that I know of and I was under the impression that they used younger lenses.


Harry,

I believe you may not understand the special and proprietary qualities of Maui Jim's lenses. Their's *is* a very special formulae...I believe from my own experience with my MJs...that they are definitely what MJ claims them to be...more color saturation and contrast.

However, their Rx work *still* leaves much to be desired. Their circumferential edging does not meet our in-office standards, requiring us to check, colmascope and correct many of their Rx jobs (and plano sunglasses, for that matter).

All of the above being said, I really like Essilor Lab's Flashback Polarized lenses. We properly wrap-compensate these, and put them in Ray ban and Oakley frames. The advantages:

1. Polarized
2. Mirror (non-gradient)
3. Alize/Cleargard rear surface
4. TD2/Clearhsield
3. Alize/on the front surface, over the mirror: This means the mirror DOES NOT RUB OFF..unlike Oakley's Iridium Rx lenses
5. 2 year, multiple instance scratch warranty
6. Life of the lens/same-Rx guarantee against adhesion failure

What could ensure client satisfaction more than these type of features/warranty...especially if you ask for the proper (read: BIG $$$) we do for these types of lenses

Barry Santini, ABOM

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## HarryChiling

Our MJ rep also came in recently and told one of our staff members that they have a new proprietary AR coating with absolutely no risidual color.  We called teh company and asked about it just to make sure it was not just our rep and the lady on the phone said you mena the invisible AR.  

I think there is some hype behind their product.  If you want more color saturation and contrast, tint a brown polarized lens slightly rose and see what you get. JMHO

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## EyeFitWell

I'm not sure why this thread from march showed back up, but for the record, any essilor lab can do a double gradient mirror like a MJ, but the MJ quality is the best I've seen.  Plus, more to the origional question that started the thread, the folks who have improved on Maui Jim in the last ten years are Maui Jim!  They're forever coming out with cool new styles and new lenses.  Their latest release involved some sort of poly substitute (I don't remember all the details) that is a string mount rimless (three piece).  Doc has a pair-loves them!

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## Barry Santini

> Our MJ rep also came in recently and told one of our staff members that they have a new proprietary AR coating with absolutely no risidual color. We called teh company and asked about it just to make sure it was not just our rep and the lady on the phone said you mena the invisible AR. 
> 
> I think there is some hype behind their product. If you want more color saturation and contrast, tint a brown polarized lens slightly rose and see what you get. JMHO


I've seen this coating through my consulting work with telescope & eyepiece companies..

It's *not* invisible...but closer to invisible than what we've seen so far

Barry

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## HarryChiling

> I've seen this coating through my consulting work with telescope & eyepiece companies..
> 
> It's *not* invisible...but closer to invisible than what we've seen so far
> 
> Barry


They say invisible, not closer to invisible and that's the sales pitch.

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## Barry Santini

Well, the one's I've seen are not invisible...

now to what I think is really happening here:

As seen from the back of the lens, the front surface reflection on these Maui Jim lenses probably overwhelms (via amplitiude) the residual reflection seen on the back. For the most part, the front & back reflections will *coincide* making it hard to *see* the backside AR, with the right angle, you probably will see it.

However, I will keep an open mind as to when I view these new coatings

Barry

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## edKENdance

Ok, let me wrap my head around this.  Maui Jim is selling a coating that you can't see?  That's farkin' great marketing!

Oakley lawsuit impending

/no doubt

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## AWTECH

I have not heard the Maui Jim sales pitch on this invisible AR.  What do they say makes this a needed or desirable product?

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## hotsauce

> I have not heard the Maui Jim sales pitch on this invisible AR.  What do they say makes this a needed or desirable product?


I can't tell you the number of times I've heard people complain about that "purple stuff" on the back of the lens, or call the lens "blue" because of the back AR. I have several pair of Mauis with different ARs, and they have gotten less apparent over time. The other benefit, if I'm not mistaken, of a less visible AR would be that fingerprints and eyebrow markings on the backside of their lenses would be less obvious.

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## Audiyoda

> Harry,
> 
> I believe you may not understand the special and proprietary qualities of Maui Jim's lenses. Their's *is* a very special formulae...I believe from my own experience with my MJs...that they are definitely what MJ claims them to be...more color saturation and contrast.


Rather interesting since MJ poly lenses come directly from Younger Optics.  MJ is Younger's largest client and even makes the _Maui Rose_ in plano only just for MJ.

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