UKC

Does anyone have any experience with these sunglasses? (For alpine mountaineering in summer above the snowline / above 4000m) 

Would anyone recommend them?

They seem to be a classic brand that’s been going for a long time, but not many reviews or very prominent on YouTube - so was just checking to see if they are the real deal.

Thanks.

They look beautifully retro and make for a great photo.  However in reality they're not as nice to wear as modern glasses (though personally as a brand I think Julbo are best; all my goggles and sports glasses are Julbo with reactive lenses).

I find that the behind-ear loops of the legs make them a total pain to don when wearing a helmet, while the field of vision doesn't compare to modern shapes.

Personally I now use a Julbo Explorer 2.0 with the cat 2-4 lenses.  While I look like a bug-eyed plonker in photos now, the glasses are superior in every way to the Vermonts.

+1 for the Explorers and reactive lenses. Bug-eyed to victory! I love the reactive lenses; can put them on when the sun rises and leave them on until dark.

I agree that the Vermont style of glasses are excellent and steam-punk (I actually have a pair for fun) but they do limit peripheral vision in a way that wrap-around designs do not. I also find the frames a bit uncomfortable behind the ears, and they're not the easiest glasses to fasten a neck cord/lanyard to (which means you have to find somewhere to put them if you want to take them off for a bit).

Basically I think there are a few main things to look for:

1. lens must be at least a category 3 or 4, my understanding is that 3 is usually okay in the Alps but 4 can't hurt and may be necessary depending on eye sensitivity etc. 
   1. Also note that I believe category 4 are too dark to drive in even during the day
2. if you can spend the money, reactive glasses that oscillate between categories 2-4 are well worth it IMO
3. the glasses either come with or can be adapted to have a lanyard so that you can hang them around your neck - otherwise risk of dropping them/having to faff around putting them in a pocket etc. when taking them off
4. obviously comfort and being happy with the look/feel.

Some options depending on budget might be:

1. Julbo Explorers or a similar model/brand with wraparound design and a photochromatic/reactive lens that ranges between cats 2-4 depending on light intensity
2. A similar style of wraparound glasses with a fixed cat 3 or 4 lens (i.e. non-reactive) - the downside of these is that when it gets a bit darker (cloud or reduced visibility) then you might need to take them off, which I find I never do with reactive/photochromatic lenses
3. Decathlon seem to have some Julbo 2-4 reactive lenses for a pretty good price at the moment (these aren't quite the same as Explorers but seem decent and a good price) - https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/photochromic-sunglasses-category-2-to-4/_/R-p...
4. Decathlon also have some Simond branded photochromatic ones that will probably be good although I haven't used them, can't argue with the price: https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/mountain-photochromic-sunglasses-category-2-4... 
5. You can also get much cheaper fixed cat 4 glasses from Decathlon and I'm sure other places: https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/adult-category-4-sunglasses/_/R-p-312990?mc=8...

(I don't have any affiliation with Decathlon but it's hard to beat some of the prices, and the products they make are all to spec and generally decent).

Basically there is nothing wrong with the Vermonts and Julbo are a good brand, but objectively speaking there are probably better/cheaper options out there.

There are also many other brands/models out there but I haven't used them so can't really say.

Received them today.

Feel heavy/strong - very well made.

Very secure to the face (will not come off even if you shake your head around).

little bit uncomfortable on the nose, and feel a bit tight around the back of the ears. This hopefully get better after wearing the leather and arms in a bit. 

My modern Oakley Clifden glasses are definitely lighter and more comfortable - but probably not as durable.

I’d give the Julbos a 7/10.

Not in the Alps or at altitude, but I lived in a pair of these in the Arctic last summer.

Yes. They're great. Very comfortable IMO, and a lot better at blocking out peripheral light than the wrap around style, which I find never quite mesh with my face in the way I would like. They're also easy to keep clean because of the very simplistic lens shape. You lose FOV but I honestly don't find that especially important myself. I've been snow-blind a couple of times so am very sensitive to stray light, and use the Cat 4 version personally (I actually think mine are a Cham Alt rather than a Vermont, but same style).

Plus, they look way cooler than generic modern wrap-arounds.

Julbo all round are good - I've had a few pairs of their glasses - but they don't spend loads of money on flashy marketing and aren't so prevalent in the anglosphere in my experience.