It is no secret that at Riding Bumps we are long time Oakley fans. Unfortunately, Oakley, to our knowledge, does currently not make sunglasses that float. Having lost a pair or two in the water, our beloved Oakleys do not always come paddling when we do.

Enter Barz Optics.

Barz contacted us a few months ago. In the spirit of full disclosure, Barz sent us two pairs of floating sunglasses to wear test. We received a FLOATER model with the polarized  photochromic acetate lenses that darken relative to the ambient light and the CABO which is a sport wrap model.

Both models came with a string attached through holes in the earpiece of the frame. Barz does not seem to make a big deal of this feature on their website but the importance of this little feature cannot be overstated if you intend to wear your glasses while paddling. Although you can attach a third party string retention device around the earpiece of any pair of sunglasses or your can slide the frame into some retention devices (ala the Croakies method) with the Barz method you have no worries that the string will separate from the frame because the string goes through the frame. There is essentially no way for it to detach.

Although no sunglasses are likely to survive on your head during a big wipeout, in our experience,  the Barz string attachment will prevent your glasses from falling off if you fall off your paddle board in flatwater, take a spill on a small wave, or go through a wave while entering through the surf on a prone paddle board.  Truth be told, I added on a generic shoelace lock so we could tighen things further when going through the surf. Floating glasses are good. Glasses that don’t fall off your head in the first place are better.

Before wear testing we did a quick buoyancy test. To test buoyancy we simply threw the glasses in the surf to see what happened with repeated pounding by waves. These glasses have buoyancy air cells in the temples and nosepiece so, as expected, the glasses floated. It may be of interest to note, however, that it was difficult to locate the FLOATER model in the surf and dark(ish) San Diego ocean as the model we had was black. It was much easier to locate the CABO model as the model we had was white. If you are serious about taking your glasses through the surf, we highly recommend a colored model. We are also going to be swapping out our black stringh for a yellow or orange one when we get around to it.

As far as bouyance goes, the FLOATER model fitted with the acetate photochromic lens has a density of .6521gm /ml and the CABO fitted with the polycarbonate lenses have a density of .8244 gm/ml.  Fresh water is 1.00gm/ml and salt varies between 1.02 and 1.03gm/ml. According to Barz, the less density under 1.00gm/ml the better something will float.

Although I do not have a great way to test the quality of the optics we had zero complaints during wear testing. Actually, the photochromic (variable darkness) lenses were more beneficial than expected. In San Diego, we routinely have overcast conditions in the morning when we set out and the sun invariably pokes through the clouds half way through our workout. Having one set of glasses that covered us through the clouds and sun was a bonus.

In the past when I tried to wear sunglasses while paddling (especially prone paddling) water droplets on the lenses obscuring vision were an issue. I tried RainX but fogging was a significant issue.  Barz offered us the following tip to keep water drops and salt from drying on the lens.

“use a soft wax based polish – put a little on a tissue and buff into each side of the lens. The water will bead off just like when you polish your car and so there will be no dried salt on the lens.”

For the most part, that is where we are going to leave you. As a general rule we do not offer our feelings about the look and/or fit of products as look and fit are highly personal.  That said, I felt that the CABO model was a bit lighter and held its place better (e.g. may be better suited for the paddler). This should come as no surprise as the CABO model is a sport style wraparound model.

Bottom line: if you are looking for a pair of sunglasses that will float if they are knocked off of your head, check out Barz Optics as they performed as expected and that little string thingy will help keep them on your head. Considering the fact the these glasses float and they are not likely to fall off if you use our shoelace lock hack wearing glasses while you paddle is probably a good ideas to protect your eyes from the damaging effects of UV light.

Technical notes: Wear testing in this article was done by Matt Wright. We received two pairs of glasses but no additional compensation from Barz. Barz requested a review but did not request to see the review before publishing nor did they influence this review in any other way.

For more information please contact Barz at https://barzoptics.com

From the Barz Website:

Barz Optics is an Australian based family company located at Burleigh Heads in Queensland on the east coast of Australia. The Company was established in 1996 by Kevin Barr – a former surfing champion with 39 years experience  in the surf, snow ski and sailboard industries. Kevin began as a retailer then progressed to Manufacturers Agent, representing companies such as; O’Neill wetsuits, Oakley eyewear, Vans shoes, Freestyle watches, Hot Buttered surf products and Creatures of Leisure accessories.

During his years in the surf industry  Kevin encountered many surfers and outdoor sports enthusiasts who suffered eye problems  such as pterigium (a type of cataract caused by prolonged exposure to UV rays wind, spray and salt )who expressed the desire to protect their eyes from UV rays and obtain sunglasses to withstand their sports, and into which prescription lenses could be fitted.

This desire inspired Kevin to develop the sunglass / goggle in collaboration with the optical industry and materials manufacturers from around the world to assist surfers in reducing the chance of developing pterigium and ensure maximum protection from UV rays and the elements. Originally hand made from cellulose acetate requiring 16 routing processes and three days of of tumble polishing, each pair took twelve days in production. A maximum of 200 pairs could be produced per week.

Eighteen years of design and development has culminated in the fourth  generation ARFA . The frame is injection moulded using a hybrid nylon TR90 in our Currumbin factory as are five other components. The assembly is also carried out in the same facility which now has a capacity of 1200 pairs per week.

Barz have been approached by many companies in the optical industry over the last 18 years to supply or develop variations of the Arfa. These companies include include Arnette, Tommy Hilfiger, Smith Optics, H2O Optics and Bolle, but we have remained true to our vision and continue to research, develop and manufacture the ARFA model and assemble some of the sunglass range in our Australian, Burleigh Heads factory. Barz also produce private label eyewear for marine companies in Australia, the USA, Germany, Denmark and Sweden.

Over the last ten years Barz have expanded their products to include a wide range of unique sunglasses which contain polarised or non polarised lenses utilising many different lens material variations.  Our full range is  featured on this web site including our floating models, polycarbonate melanin lenses, prescription swim goggles and the Arfa cross sport  sunglass / goggle.

New products include our Melanin infused polarised sunglass lenses available in polycarbonate polarised and polycarbonate polarised photochromic and our latest floating models – the San Juan, Kuta and