OMG – the Adidas CMPT is Easy on the Eyes

My first impression of the latest Adidas Sport Sunglasses – called the CMPT 54 – was the weight, or rather, the lack thereof. Glasses are fairly light in general, but this was a feature to note. It was definitely obvious when worn, as the normal feeling of pressure at the temples and bridge of the nose were nearly nonexistent. Even when running for an hour, they were comfortable and stable. I’ll chalk that up to the many adjustable features available.

The feature rubber tips on the ends have a flexible and adjustable wire core for a surprisingly stable grip, as well as actually adjustable nose pads (with three little “sweat stripes” to provide greater comfort no matter the distance on the roads. They somehow stayed snug on my face even when I tested out literally shaking my head vigorously from side to side – and all I got was dizzy.

Given the mercurial nature of weather in this region, the benefit of having more than just a shaded lens was noticeable. The new HDC (High Definition Contrast) lenses are designed to optimize the light spectrum. They obviously dimmed bright light, but also enhanced the clarity when the light was less than optimal. I still wouldn’t recommend wearing them after dark, but on runs with partial cloud cover, they did great.

They come with a second lens as well – something that I feel all sunglasses should come with – or at least for a clutz like me. Though our sample pair did not have this second pair, we will highlight that this eyewear has an easy quick-change lens system to make the process simple.

They also have a cool ventilation system which is visualized by a series of multiple (9) small aerodynamic air intakes that are said to ensure a clear view in all weather conditions. I have had ZERO issues of fogging in any situation thus far.

I was a bit skeptical at first, as the style and size of this item was not generally what I prefer. We probably also wouldn’t have elected to go with the bright neon yellow, but noted that there are multiple colors available. I wasn’t sure I was the right person for testing as these look (and are designed for) a seriously competitive (i.e. lightning fast) runner – which I am not. They look like something that I think look awesome on world-class athletes, but not necessarily for myself.

Though I may not be quick or competitive enough yet to pull these 100% off, they actually look better on then in the case. And then, once I gave them a shot, the fit and functionality definitely won me over, and I have been training in them regularly the last couple weeks. They come with a hard case for safety and security, which I appreciate, allowing me to keep them in a safe place and clean rather than dropping them in the center console of my car. They also have something called a security block hinge – a mechanism that keeps the temples secured in only open or closed positions.

Here’s the description from Adidas:

“This feature offers two main advantages: first, the hinge is much more durable than standard designs; second, once closed, the temples are blocked to prevent contact between the end-tips and the lenses, preventing them from getting damaged.”

For me, the most important trait a piece of running gear is to be so functional, I fail to notice its very existence but on the most basic level. Adidas ended up nailing it with these glasses.