Web: toniceyewear.com.au
I was pretty happy when the editor gave me a pair of the new Tonic Evo model to review as I was going away for the weekend chasing bream, estuary perch and flathead. Having protection from the sun is an obvious requirement but polarised vision is a huge advantage when viewing submerged structure or even sight casting when targeting these species in estuaries.
We were greeted with blue skies and sun for all three days of the trip while testing the Tonics and I wore them the whole time. The first thing I noticed was that they were comfortable. Some frames feel good when you put them on, but start to become irritating after a few hours; the Evo’s remained comfortable, which was great as I have worn some sunglasses in the past that had a great lens but the vision wasn’t worth the discomfort. I attribute the Evo’s comfort to a nice frame material, an easy fit and the fact they are very light.
Visually they are outstanding. An amber photochromic lens gave me excellent penetration through the water and I was able to view submerged structure, sight baitfish and the occasional small flathead. While the amber lens is great at penetrating through glare, it’s not the kind of lens where its too bright and everything becomes orange and over exposed. It’s a nice calming effect when the glasses are on and clarity is enhanced. In fact, I would have to say clarity is probably the greatest aspect of the Tonic lens.
The Evo and Rush models in the Tonic range come with a detachable cord system. At first I thought this was a little 80’s or something you would see your grandpa wear, however, it’s actually really convenient. Having it there made me realise how often I take my glasses off when I’m doing stuff around the inside of the boat, like looking at my sounder, grabbing stuff from the hatches and getting things out of side pockets and my tackle bag. The cord system allows the lens to stay cleaner as the lens doesn’t come into contact with anything like your hands, hair, clothing or the inside of your pockets; it just conveniently and comfortably hangs around your neck. I am converted and really like the cord system. You probably wouldn’t wear it out socially but it easily detaches off in three seconds so that’s not an issue. Definitely worth trying a pair of these on.
