Rudy Project Rydon Review | 2017

A few years back I had the unfortunate luck of losing my prescription Oakley Flack Jackets on a trip to Mexico.   Not wanting to let this get me down, I decided to turn a negative into a positive, by seeking out another eye-wear manufacturer to see what they had to offer.  After looking at the competition, in my mind, there really was only one clear winner and their name is Rudy Project.

Rudy Project are known for their quality glasses, I mean come on, everything is made in Italy and we know the Italians have a flair for fashion.  Rudy Project got their start in 1985 and have been moving and shaking ever since.

The next step was contacting the right people at Rudy Project and thankfully I was able to do just that.  They provided me with excellent guidance on what to choose.  Browsing Rudy Project’s website, I decided on the Rudy Project Rydon.  A great feature on Rudy’s website is their RX portal for choosing prescription glasses.  It’s a simple process, but before you start you want to make sure you have your eye prescription and your pupil distance.  Once ordered, the glasses arrived in about a week.  Super fast and super easy.

When the Rudy Project Rydon’s package arrived, inside was a nice display box.  Opening the box revealed a really nice eye glass case, something I hadn’t expected as well as an eye-wear tool and an extra set of nose and ear attachments (fiery orange) and a glass cleaning cloth.

Below is Rudy Projects Rydon accessories kit and their 4-functions multitool (flat screwdriver, Phillips screwdriver, 2.2 hexagonal head & 2.5 hexagonal head).  From what I could see the only tool needed to remove the nosepiece and arms is the flat screwdriver.

The Rudy Project Tech Protector Case fits the Rydon comfortably and has extra pockets for lenses, should you need or want extras.

When ordering the Rydon as prescription glasses, you have the option of Direct In Frame or RX Adapter.  I chose the Direct In Frame.  After making the frame selection, you choose the color and the type of lens technology.  I went with the straight up photochromatic clear lens.  The photochromatic lenses start out… well clear, but then change to a smoky grey when enough sunlight hits them.  I like this option as it transitions to dark when it’s bright out and clear when your indoors or on cloudy days.  Once you have your lens selected, you simply add your prescription and any additional lens options you need and you’re done.  Rudy does the rest and your glasses are ready in about a week or two.

Rudy Project Rydon Highlights

• Quick Change System – Rudy’s patented system to quickly change out lenses
• RP-D-Centered – Rudy’s patented to give you crisp clear optics
• RX Friendly – Meaning these glasses can hold prescriptions
• Adjustable Nosepiece – Helps accommodate different noses and how close you want the glasses to you.
• E-Lock Nosepiece – Rudy’s patented nonslip nosepiece
• Safety Hinges – Help prevent damage to the eye should an accident occur while wearing the glasses.
• Adjustable Temples – Adjustableto different size heads

Here is a quick video that shows most cool stuff that these glasses have to offer.

Below are examples of what the glasses look like after being exposed to the sun.  As you can see the lenses get a little grey tent to them.  They certainly aren’t as dark as many of my current sunglasses, but they do make it easier to see when it does get bright out, over plain clear lenses.  During the mornings and early evenings I found the shading to be perfect.  By afternoon the sun can get pretty bright, so opting for a darker pair of shades is usually my preference.

Here is a comparison of Oakley’s glasses case vs Rudy Project.  The Oakley glass case is tapered on one side while the Rudy Project is about the same on both sides.

Rudy Project Rydon – Overall Impression

I have had a chance to run and cycle in the Rydons and so far they have performed flawlessly.  One thing I found sort of interesting is the glasses just don’t seem to fog up or get too much sweat on them.  I recently ran in them for about 1 1/2 hours through some pretty hot temps, sweating like crazy (Lost 8-10lbs, yes that isn’t a typo) and the glasses for the most part remained sweat free and didn’t fog up once.  At some points during the run, the cloud cover opened up to reveal the sun and the photochromatic lenses went to work dialing them into a darker shade.  When the sun hid back behind some more clouds, the glasses went back to almost clear.

I haven’t had to swap out lenses, since I don’t own any others, but the quick change system is rather simple and easy to swap out if the need arises.

I also haven’t had the need to replace the current nosepiece and arms attachments, but it looks pretty straight forward.  You simply unscrew one screw that holds the nosepiece on and 1 screw on each arm.

I am a big fan of Oakley’s glass case, but I found the Rudy Glass Case to be really nice as well.  Both seem to protect the glasses and offer room for other lens options.  The Rudy case does win on style.

Are there any negatives.  Honestly the glasses are pretty slick and do exactly what they are designed to do.  Look good on, perform great in various sports, infinitely adjustable to a user’s nose and head and are able to adapt based on different lens options.  While I have read a review or two where people didn’t like them for running because of their weight, I found they performed fantastic for me.

As Rudy Project says, the Rydon is Technically Cool.  We totally agree.  The Rudy Project Rydon glasses are technically cool, fun to wear and help you perform at your best.  Check out Rudy Project’s website for the Rydon and all the other cool stuff they make.