Julbo Ultimate Sunglasses Review

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While not as well known in the US, Julbo has been making high quality eyewear since their founding in France in 1888. Originally a mountaineering sunglasses brand, they now make a complete line of lifestyle, ski/snowboard and performance products. According to their PR team, as a family owned company, Julbo prides itself on craftsmanship and lens technology. In this Julbo Ultimate review, I’m focusing on a pair of versatile sunglasses that are a favorite among runners but serve numerous roles and could easily be your one pair of performance eyewear. (But let’s be honest, who wants just one pair??)

Julbo Ultimate Fit and Coverage

The Ultimate sunglasses have solid coverage, are very lightweight and have a great fit, making them suitable for all kinds of activities. While I only had a chance to use them in the warmer months for this review, these are very much geared for year round use. Starting with the shape and coverage, I’d classify these on the smaller size in the overall current trend of larger and larger sunglasses. To be clear, they aren’t SMALL, and as a 6’1″ 210 lb man I did not find them small on my face. They simply are designed to take up less real estate on your face and fit tighter to it. I had no problems with coverage while wearing the Ultimates and never was distracted by the frames or edges of the glasses, which is my telltale sign of lenses that are too small for me for performance eyewear. That said, in high wind applications, you MAY prefer something with more coverage and Julbo has plenty of options for that as well in their line.

From a fit perspective, Julbo has applied its many years of expertise to the Ultimates and made them very comfortable and adaptable. The skinny temples are covered in a nice rubber material for almost the full length to provide comfort and grip. As a hearing aid wearer, there are two features of this design that I really appreciate. The first is that the temple tips are the same slim shape as the rest of the temple, preventing them from getting bulky at my ears. Second, the temples are very adjustable and hold their position, making it easy to adapt them to my head and ear shape. Additionally, the nose pad is adjustable for those with narrower noses or if you like/need to have the glasses sit higher up. Like many wearable products, a sign of good fit for me is when you don’t notice you are wearing them and the Julbo Ultimate just about reach this level.

Julbo Ultimate Lenses

The Julbo Ultimate sunglasses are offered with a range of lenses and I was fortunate to review the REACTIV 1-3 High Contrast version. The 1-3 refers to the lighting condition range of the lenses and 1-3 covers 72% VLT to 13% VLT.

Expressed differently, they can block as high as 87% of light or let in as much as 72% of light. The company claims to have widest photochromic range and fastest transition time in the industry. We’ll get to this range in a minute but first a few words about how Julbo’s photochromic technology differs from others. Their lenses use a material called Trivex for their light sensitive lenses, which provides a number of advantages. According to Julbo, this material is more durable and has a higher optical quality than the traditional polycarbonate lenses seen in many competitors. The lens construction process used allows them to mold the photochromic technology into the lens, which means it can’t scratch off over time.

In testing, my experience with Julbo’s excellent lenses continues here with the Ultimate sunglasses. The REACTIV 1-3 lighting range is an excellent option for the majority of situations, getting dark enough for sunny days and light enough for those evening rides as the sun is going down. I even found that there was enough light transmission to use these when it was basically dark outside. Realistically, the only reason to get the 0-3 range lenses is if you are looking to have one lens for day through night use. However, you would be giving up the High Contrast coating that the Ultimates I tested have. As with other Julbo lenses, I found the contrast enhancement and clarity to be exceptional. From the moment you put them on, you can tell they invest a lot into their lenses. I used the Julbo Ultimate while road biking, mountain biking, a quick jog, and general around town use to get a feel for them in different lighting conditions and I was always impressed. Julbo’s claims of fastest transition time could very well be true, given I never experienced a situation where I wished the lenses were lighter or darker than they were at the time, meaning I wasn’t waiting on them to catch up. In wooded areas, they lightened enough to see every root and rock while riding and on a bright sunny day, my eyes felt nice and protected.

Julbo Ultimate Review Summary

Summing up this Julbo Ultimate sunglasses review, these should be on the shortlist for anyone considering a premium multi-sport set of shades. The fit is excellent, with solid coverage and flexibility. The REACTIV photochromic lenses remain my gold standard for lens technology. Versatility is a word that kept coming to mind as I tested the Ultimates, because I could see them being used in so many situations. Though I didn’t get to test them in the winter months, I know these would be great for Nordic skiing and alpine skiing touring as well as the biking and hiking I put them through. The smaller design doesn’t have the huge coverage that a lot of modern cycling sunglasses have and you may want to consider a different model if you plan to use them primarily on the bike. However, for a year round option, I can definitely recommend the Julbo Ultimate sunglasses. For more info or to pick up a pair for yourself, visit www.backcountry.com or www.amazon.com.