BTB is a relative newcomer to the sunglasses market. Their shades are marketed as “the finest $100 sunglasses you can buy for under $50.” With that, I embarked on several weeks of using the BTB 900 sunglasses to reveal both good and bad about them. At a $34.95 price point, the 900’s have a lot to offer.
BTB 900 Sunglasses Features
- HD lens technology
- Side vents for fog-free vision
- Optically de-centered lenses
- Hypo-allergenic rubber nose and ear pads
- 9 base lens curve
- MSRP: $34.95
BTB 900 Sunglasses Review
When it comes to sunglasses, I’ve become pretty particular in my personal preference. When I’m not testing something, I have my trusted pairs that I consistently reach for. When BTB Sunglasses reached out for my thoughts on their new product, I agreed to do so with an open mind and have put them through the same rigors that I would any pair of glasses.
The proving grounds for the BTB 900’s has included extensive road biking, mountain biking, trail running and hiking. Each of those activities brings its own set of challenges and a solid product design should excel at a variety of disciplines.
When the 900’s first arrived, I slipped them on and immediately felt connected to the frame. The wrap-around design offers excellent peripheral vision and coverage for high-speed activities, like road biking. While some wrap designs can be fog-prone, the 900’s remained fog-free. This fog aversion is likely due to the side vents and could possibly be due to having a fog-resistant lens treatment.
The polycarbonate lens on the 900’s is actually that — a single lens that extends across both eyes. At this price-point, I wasn’t expecting the most amazing optical quality and the quality of the lenses is about on par with what I’d expect. Truth be told, polycarbonate isn’t the most opically-clear lens material out there, but is used extensively in sunglasses due to its impact-resistance. For most activities, the trade-off is subtle and acceptable. The lens design does have some distortion near the edges of the lenses — something that is common in this price range and mostly unnoticeable.
I really appreciated the overall fit of the 900’s as they really stay put on your face — no matter the activity. Oftentimes, trail running can cause some glasses to bounce around on my face and some temple designs can interfere with helmets. The 900’s traditional temple pieces and rubbery nose and ear pads keep these glasses in place under use. I couldn’t get them to budge, no matter how hard I tried, so kudos to the frame design.
Overall craftsmanship is certainly good for the price and the unique design truly excels in hard-charging athletic endeavors.
Good BTB 900
- Lenses have not scratched at all
- Love the side vents for fog-free vision
- They stay put while hard charging
- Excellent range of vision with wraparound lenses
- Worth the price of admission
Bad BTB 900
- Optical clarity is not quite up to my high expectations
- Distortion along edges of lenses
Bottom Line: BTB 900 Sunglasses
At the low price of $34.95, the BTB 900’s are a great all-around pair of multi-purpose sunglasses. I’ve appreciated using them trail running, mountain biking and road biking. I do have a few gripes with the lenses, but at this price, they are an excellent value.
Buy Now: Visit BTBSunglasses.com
1 Comment
I reviewed their BTB2100 Foam model (http://www.johnisfit.com/2011/10/27/btb-sports-optics-sunglasses-review/) and thought they were pretty good. Quality seems real good for the price.