Smith Action Optics V-Ti Review

"-Smith Action Optics V-Ti Sunglasses-"

Price $60-$80 on Ebay

MSRP $179.00

When I purchased the Smith Action Optics V-Ti Matte Black sunglasses I chose the polarized Brown, Ignitor, and Clear Mirror lenses. I feel that this is the best combination for fishing and provides the right amount of shielding for every situation you could come across when steelhead, salmon and trout fishing. They fit snug to your face and stay that way even while running or making quick sudden movements like a fast hook set.

These glasses are extremely light, weighing in at only 1oz. Most of the time I forget that I’m even wearing a pair of sunglasses. I have been caught a few times asking where I put my glasses only to remember that they are on my head. When steelhead or salmon fishing there are situations when you spend the entire day on the river and these are the times that you can appreciate how light weight these sunglasses are.  Just like a light rod will help you at the end of a long day of fishing by allowing your arm and body not to fatigue the same goes with sunglasses. You don’t want to be thinking about how your nose and ears are uncomfortable because the glasses are pushing to hard against them.

Smith offers a nice selection of lens tints for those looking to have more options when fishing in various lighting conditions. The prices for Smith’s lenses are $20 for non-polarized lenses and $50 for polarized. I purchased the Matte Black V-Ti’s with the Polar Brown lens which also includes the new Ignitor lens and the clear mirror lens. I use the Polarized Brown (13% VLT) lens probably 90% of the time on the water and they work very well on bright sunny days as well as overcast days. I switch over to the Ignitor (32% VLT) lens when it’s a darker overcast day and when fishing at first light and last light.  The ignitor lens seems to amplify any light around and I normally don’t use these on bright sunny days because it’s almost to much for my eyes. On an overcast day when using the ignitor lenses it’s like someone turns the lights on in a dark room. This gives me the ability to still spot ledges and drop offs when steelhead fishing while other people are putting their sunglasses away for the day.  The Clear Mirror (70% VLT) comes in handy when in a boat heading back to the launch right at dark.  They keep the wind off your eyes while providing a clear line of sight.

By creating polarized lenses Smith is able to offer fisherman with a lens which reduces 99.9% of visible glare from the water and protect your eyes from harmful rays at the same time. Polarized lenses offer increased visual accuracy and object definition, decreased eye strain, and heavily reduce glare. On bright days the polarized lens comes in handy because you can see things you normally would not see due to the glare reduction. They help you spot holding steelhead and salmon with ease and when the water is high and off color you can still pick up where the main river channel is or where there are shelf’s or drops offs.

The frame itself is very flexible and can move and adjust to fit your face. I was a little worried that they would be to big for my face but after putting them on for the first time I knew that they were just right. I have a small to medium sized face and they fit me just right and with a larger face they would work just as well or even better. The downside to many sunglasses with interchangeable lenses is that they are weak at the point where the lenses (normally two separate lenses) are joined with the frame. This is where the solid feel and rigidity are compromised. Smith addresses this problem by making the lens a full one piece design, which gives the glasses a solid, rigid feel that you know won't fail you when on the water.

I honestly cannot think of any downsides to these sunglasses. At first it took a little getting used to the smith logo on the bottom right of the lens but now I don’t even notice it. Some people may not like the logos and it could annoy them, but for me I only noticed it the first time I wore the sunglasses and after that I forgot about it. I would recommend these sunglasses to anyone looking for a great combination of features that will increase your success when fishing for steelhead, salmon and trout in any type of conditions. Here is a link to the Smith Action Optics V-Ti Website for more information about these sunglasses.  Thanks for checking out this review and keep an eye out for our next tackle review.