Yellow and Clear lens sunglasses

[IBOPM]

I ordered a pair of sunglasses and they just arrived in the mail. I decided to go for a ride with them. It was cloudy, almost overcast-like outside. I was on my clear lens. And then after half an hour it started raining, and I guess it was time to go home.

When I got home, I wondered about the uses for the yellow and clear lenses. They say yellow lenses help make things bright and are for low light conditions right, so does that mean I should use yellow for night riding? Or should I use clear with night riding? What about rainy days? Cloudy days?

Any clarification would be nice, thanks.

 

[fish156]

I ordered a pair of sunglasses and they just arrived in the mail. I decided to go for a ride with them. It was cloudy, almost overcast-like outside. I was on my clear lens. And then after half an hour it started raining, and I guess it was time to go home.

When I got home, I wondered about the uses for the yellow and clear lenses. They say yellow lenses help make things bright and are for low light conditions right, so does that mean I should use yellow for night riding? Or should I use clear with night riding? What about rainy days? Cloudy days?

Any clarification would be nice, thanks.

Clear for night or rainy days. Yellow for overcast or rainy. Red or rose for overcast but bright. Blue iridium or black iridium for bluebird days. Skiers and snowboarders have a much tougher problem as it's really difficult to see contours in the slopes on overcast days and if you hit a bump (that you can't distinguish) going fast it's really not good. That's how I found this out. There is a lot of good scientific data on the Oakley site about what colors work for what conditions and I recommend you read it. I have blue and clear lenses for my M-Frames but I'd like to get yellow. Also - as has been pointed out by others - remember that colored lenses like yellow and red can render colored road signs and traffic lights very difficult to interpret correctly.

 

[IBOPM]

Yellow makes things REALLY BRIGHT. I was quite surprised when I put it on. So how do I distinguish when to put on yellow or clear if its raining/at night? I suppose it doesn't matter? Or is one better than the other for rain and night?

 

[John M]

Yellow makes things REALLY BRIGHT. I was quite surprised when I put it on. So how do I distinguish when to put on yellow or clear if its raining/at night? I suppose it doesn't matter? Or is one better than the other for rain and night?

Use clear at night. On cloudy/rainy days that are really dark, the yellow will increase the contrast and may help you see better. On brighter overcast days the yellow may not block enough light and a regular sunglass might be better. Go with what makes your riding more comfortable.

It is probably safest to use some form of eye protection most of the time, although in heavy rain, glasses can sometimes be more problem than benefit.

 

[wineandkeyz]

Yellow makes things REALLY BRIGHT. I was quite surprised when I put it on. So how do I distinguish when to put on yellow or clear if its raining/at night? I suppose it doesn't matter? Or is one better than the other for rain and night?

Yeah, be careful with the yellow lenses, though. Although they brighten things up for you, the folks around you -- in cars, for instance -- AREN'T wearing them!

The first time I wore yellow lenses, I didn't realize how much brighter they make things. When I came in from my ride, I realized that it had gotten pretty dark and that I hadn't turned on my taillight or anything. Oops!

 

[531Aussie]

I just stick with clear for bleak weather. Yellow does brighten things up a bit, but if the Sun comes out, you're screwed

 

[Upstroke]

I just stick with clear for bleak weather. Yellow does brighten things up a bit, but if the Sun comes out, you're screwed

I disagree with screwed. I have been a yellow fan for 5 years. They don't brighten things up, they put a hue on everything so you can pick up more detail. I use yellow because of changing conditions. I have found I really dislike it when i have on full sun lenses and then it clouds over. My favorite is amber, it is the best all around lens.
Just my own opinion.