Vallon Ventures Sunglasses
If you hike in the mountains like I do, you know just how important a good pair of sunglasses can be. The sun seems to hit differently in that high, thin air. I feel completely lost if I don’t have a pair with me. I recently heard about a new brand, Vallon, that was formed by two brothers and wanted to see what they were all about in the sunglass space. Here is my review of the Vallon Ventures Sunglasses.
As a disclaimer I would like to mention that I was sent this product so that I could write this review. All opinions on this page are my own and based on my own experiences with this product. I am not compensated for the opinions on this review. Your experience with the product may be different. This site uses affiliate marketing links. If you click on a button or link and make a purchase I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.
About Vallon
Vallon hasn’t been around for all that long so I wanted to let you know a bit about the company. They were founded in 2019 by two Swedish brothers, Richard and Marcus Franck and are still family owned and independent. They are currently based in Amsterdam. One of the coolest things about Vallon in my opinion is the way that they give back. For every pair of eyewear sold, 1 kg of plastic waste is cleaned up and recycled.
Vallon on the Ventures
Before I get into my thoughts, I like to see what the brand is saying about their products. Directly from their website, Vallon says this about the Ventures, “Sustainable lightweight performance meets classic style. Ventures offer exceptional optics and eye protection for people with an active lifestyle.”
Here are the stats and features directly from the website.
Price*
$124.00 USD
Colors*
Sage, Dark/Tortoise/Silver, Black/Blue, Brown/Orange, Brown, Black (shown)
Features and Materials
Lens features
- VALLON V52® lens
- Category 3
- Polarized
- Made from nylon (highly impact resistant)
- 100% UV400 protection
Lens options
- Black: Grey tint – 9% VLT
- Brown: Brown tint – 12% VLT
- Sage: Green tint – 12% VLT
- Black-Blue: Grey tint – 14% VLT – Blue mirror
- Brown-Orange: Brown tint – 16% VLT – Orange mirror
- Dark Tortoise-Silver: Brown tint – 12% VLT – Silver mirror
Frame
- Bio-TR90 (45% recycled materials)
- Transparent frame with shiny finish
- Rubber nose pads
- Sports hinges
Weight
- 26g (lightweight)
What’s included?
- VALLON Waterproof Pouch
Gender*
Unisex
*All information from Vallon.com and subject to change.
What I Liked
There are a ton of things that I liked about the Vallon Ventures sunglasses. First off, I loved that they are independent in a world of giant companies. Their pricing is also really good and even way less than some similar brands. They are also durable, stylish and maybe most importantly, do a great job of blocking the sun! Here is more of what I liked about the Vallon Ventures.
Durability
I am a lot of things, but gentle on gear is definitely not one of them. It doesn’t matter how nice a pair of sunglasses are, if you have to treat them with kid gloves. For me, Glasses need to be pulled in and out of a pack or jacket pocket without risk. They need to hold up to falling on the ground, getting abused by rain and wind and sit out in the hot sun for hours on end. The Vallon Ventures passed every test that I threw at them!
The Vallon frames are made out of a flexible thermoplastic which is impact resistant. I found the frames to be rigid but with enough flex to not strain under small twists. The temples that extend behind the ear have even more flexibility and always return to their original shape. Vallon uses a sport hinge that goes beyond 90 degrees to allow for my wider face but also some forgiveness if the ends get caught in a pocket.
I was really impressed with how flexible these were. I grabbed and twisted lightly and could see the plastic bending but never breaking. They also do very well in drop tests, well not so much tests as me just dropping them off my hat several times. Each time that they have fallen, they have come back in perfect shape and without a scratch. Overall, I found the Ventures to be extremely durable.
Lens Clarity
Sunglasses don’t really matter if they don’t help on a sunny day. That is why I am happy to say that the Vallon Ventures do a really nice job of sun protection. There are two factors in how these lenses work. First, is the sun protection. Vallon uses a category 3 lens in the Ventures which blocks 82-92% of UV rays. There are different lens options (see above in spec section) that have different protection levels. the Visible Light Transmittance, of VLT, is a percentage of light that makes it through the glasses. 0% means that no light gets through while 100% means all light gets through, so the lower the number the better for super sunny conditions like mountain hiking. The Ventures VLT% vary based on lens color with the black having a 9% VLT and the brown/orange has a 16% VLT. So if you have sensitive eyes I would recommend the black.
The other factor is the polarization. Polarized lenses have a few different benefits but the main features I like are that they reduce glare off of water or reflective surfaces and an improvement in color perception. Glare reduction is super important for mountain hiking in the spring and summer because of all the lakes and snow and this has been very helpful with the Ventures. I also found the greens to be super vibrant while hiking in the woods with these shades on.
Overall, I was really happy with the sun protection and polarized lenses that Vallon uses. I had the black glasses so they did have the most VLT and sun protection and was glad I did in the bright Colorado Sun.
Style
Nobody has ever accused me of being overly stylish. I wear the gear that gets the job done first, and the fact that it looks cool is definitely secondary. However, I have to say that I think the Vallon Ventures look pretty cool! I like that they have a sleek design. Smaller temples keep the glasses with a thin profile. The lenses come down far enough to provide total coverage but aren’t overly large or cover too much of the face.
I think the Ventures do a good job with my rounder face and Vallon has a ton of different styles so I think they should have something that would fit every face just as well. Again, I’m not going to be asked to consult for Vogue but I definitely think that these glasses improve my cool points by a factor of about 10!
Family Owned
There are a few major companies that control the sunglass market so it is great to see a family owned and independent company competing with the big dogs. It is a little thing but I think being smaller and independent allows them to create some different and unique styles of sunglasses. They have a lot of performance styles but also have a large lifestyle line as well. I just always prefer a smaller business when I have the option.
What I Didn’t Like
There is so much to like about the Vallon Ventures Sunglasses but they will take away my blogger card if I don’t find something I didn’t like. In this case it is one of the strengths that also can be a bit of a weakness. I love how lightweight the Ventures are, but sometimes they are almost too light! As I move from the bright sun to the darker woods, I usually transition my glasses from eyes to the top of my hat. Well the Ventures are so light that I often forget they are on my hat and I’ll take my hat off and they will go flying. Granted, this is mostly a me problem but I thought I would mention it.
Video Review of the Vallon Ventures
For those of you who prefer a more visual approach to the review I have put together this quick video review. If you enjoy the review or any of my videos make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel. It is free to subscribe and will give you updates to new content.
Wrap up of the Vallon Ventures Sunglasses
I have to tell you I was impressed with the Vallon Ventures. When I first took them out of the box, I was a little skeptical. They are super lightweight and I was worried they would break quickly with how bad I am at taking care of my gear. But they held up. Not only did they hold up but they actually performed just as well as some of those bigger brands. All for a reasonable cost. Overall, I would definitely suggest these to anyone who loves to be outdoors and active in the summer!
More Reviews from the Fatman
If you like this review, you can see other products I have reviewed on my Product Review Page. If you have any items you would like me to review or any comments feel free to email me at fatmanlittletrails@gmail.com or you can follow me on any of the below social media platforms. Happy Hiking!