SH+ RG 4600 Eyewear Review

SH+ RG 4600 Power

When you’re racing endurance sports, you need your gear to be light. Hours and hours of training and racing make even the lightest of sports equipment a nuisance when it clings to any part of your body during the most stressful and strenuous part of your activity. Though you need these equipment to protect yourself from the elements, there are times when you just want to risk it and take it off.

Not with the SH+ RG 4600 Power eyewear.

Made by Italy’s Ma.ro Group SRL, this state of the art eyepiece is every cyclist’s and triathlete’s dream: light, flexible and durable…and most of all, easy on the pocket.

I have had the RG 4600 for weeks now ( thanks to our friends from Bikezilla ) and have found it to be a letdown at first, then a must-use a few days later, then a regular ornament on my face ( yes, even after sundown ) since. No wonder Paolo Tiralongo of Astana, as well as Team Katusha of Russia, never ride a grand tour without it.

The box

Inside the box

The eyewear is wrapped in a box made of fabric. Opening the box reveals the following:

- RG 4600 frame with an opaque lens attached
- A spare orange light lens
- A spare clear lens
- 1 piece of strap
- 1 piece of cleaning pouch/cloth
- Manual

The 3 lenses in the box basically covers all types of lighting condition: Opaque or Cat 3 for sunny days, Cat 1 or light transparent orange for cloudy days, and clear or Cat 0 for night riding. The manufacturers know cyclists or endurance sports athletes don’t choose any time of the day to train, so they included what we need inside the box.

First Impressions

Trying out the RG 4600 for the first time, I was a bit disappointed when I found it a bit big for my face. Looking down was an issue as the eyewear seem to not grip my temples enough to avoid slipping away from my face. I had to push it back to my nose consistently to avoid dropping it on the floor. I didn’t want to do anything yet to the gear so I kept it that way for about 3 days.

I find the RG 4600 lens bright but dark enough to avoid the glare of the sun. Its perfect for outdoor riding and/or running when the sun is in its full glory. One thing I hate when doing outdoor activities is squinting due to the sun’s glare. The RG 4600 Cat 3 lens made sure I won’t be adding wrinkles on my forehead anytime soon. Comparing the lens with other brands, the Cat 3 lens is brighter than all the sports eyewear I compared it with, at only a fraction of the price.

With the Cat 3 lens

The orange light lens and the clear lens that came with the eyewear

On my 4th day out with the eyewear, I already got annoyed with its fit that I risked damaging it and tried to bend the temples so that it hugs the contour of my face. Lo and behold, it’s made of silicon and is really meant for bending to fit anyone’s face ( yeah, just learned about it after I read the manual, tsk, tsk ). I also bent the nosepads so that it clings in there more securely. Result: Perfect fit!

The temple made of silicon for perfect fit

The nosead is also made of silicon and can be adjusted to anyone's nose easily. So you think your nose is flat? Not a problem. hehe

The lenses have anti-fog technology that REALLY works! I’d like to emphasize the word “REALLY” as I’ve had eyewears that are claimed to have anti-fog lenses only to make me half blind with mists during bike rides or long runs. With the RG 4600, you are assured that no fogging up would happen once you slow down on your rides or runs. It works, period.

On my 5th day out, I accidentally dropped the eyewear to my horror. I’m almost 6 feet and that’s how high it fell.

It remained scratchless and intact.

Over-all, SH+ RG 4600 Power eyewear is my perfect companion. Its just a joy to own it. Gone are the days when I would dig thru a selection of eyewear and choose whatever will fit my workout for the day. Now, its just one eye equipment for all workouts, one stress generator down.

PROS:

- Light
- Comes with 3 lenses for all riding/ running conditions
- Fits anyone’s face perfectly
- Tough and durable
- Affordable
- Really nice colors

CON:

- Cheaper than Oakley and Rayban but more expensive than Spyder, Sprinto and other mass produced sports eyewear.

SH+ RG 4600 retails for Php 4,500.00 at BikeZilla. Be nice to the staff there and you might just score a discount.

Deo P.