Randolph Engineering LightPro Apex Gray Sunglasses Lens Review
- Sunglass Science
- Oct 29
- 9 min read
Randolph has partnered with Zeiss to create the perfect sunglasses lenses for drivers who cannot use fully polarized lenses but want to reduce annoying reflective glare. They ended up making lenses that nearly anyone will enjoy.
This collection is called DriveWorks and has three lenses: Redline, Le Mans Blue, and Apex Gray. This review is for the Apex Gray lens.
Check out the Apex Gray lens on Randolph's website.
If you want to know more about how grey lenses work, click here.
Randolph provided the sunglasses for this review, although they have no editorial input (I previously purchased 20 pairs of Randolph's sunglasses myself). I was not paid for this review.
In This Review
The clarity of the nylon lenses from Zeiss is great, and I have no complaints. It doesn't have the crisp feel of a glass lens, but the difference isn't major.
The key feature of this lens, and what sets this collection apart from most other lenses, is that it is roughly half polarized. This provides most of the benefits of polarized lenses without most of the drawbacks, and as such, could be the best possible lens for many people. We will discuss this more in depth below. If you want to know all the reasons for and against getting polarized lenses, I do a deep dive here.
The lenses come with all the coatings you would expect a premium lens to come with: Anti-reflective, Anti-scratch, and Oleophobic (anti-oil and grease).
The VLT is 16.84%, which on first glance might seem a bit high (and is the lightest of the Driveworks collection), but it is actually just about perfect. The reason for this is that lenses designed and intended for driving need to account for most windshields being tinted 20-30%, and needing a higher light transmission to compensate for that, as I explain in this post. They are still comfortable enough when not in a car, striking a balance between comfort and clarity, but I wouldn't choose these as my offshore fishing lenses. They are better for driving and everyday versatile use.
Is it eligible for prescription?
As of writing, there is no option from Randolph to get the Driveworks lenses in prescription.
How does the lens look?
The front of the lens is interesting. Most of the time, it has a sort of "matte" black view, but there is a very slight red flash coating on the lens that, when viewed in certain light and at specific angles, can be more apparent, though it is very subtle.
This is important to point out because, for some reason, the view on Randolph's website looks a subtle blue flash, which is not the case.
The back has a blue shine from the anti-reflective coating. The tint is gray, slightly bluer than most grays.
Randolph pulled a nifty little move by putting the Zeiss logo into the anti-reflective coating near the middle of the lens, which is very difficult for any counterfeiters to fake. It is not an engraving, and you cannot ever see it when wearing the lens, only when the light catches the AR coating when off your face. A very nice touch.
What does the view look like?
There are two parts to how the lens looks: the tint itself and the unique polarization configuration.
Starting with the tint, Randolph went with a fairly standard gray tint for this lens. The VLT is higher, which, as mentioned above, is better for driving behind a windshield that already blocks 20-30% of light. I find the lens slightly bluer than some other gray lenses, which keeps the sky a very pleasant hue, without dulling greens and reds due to the higher VLT.
What is unique about the LightPro lenses is that they are only around 47% polarized. Since this is the main feature of the lens, it is worth discussing in detail.
Zeiss makes a few claims about these lenses that deserve discussion. First, that the view looks like this:
With respect, this is not accurate.
To me, the lens performs the same as a polarized lens, but just...half. Windshields have the reflected glare reduced by half, so it isn't annoying to look at them, but they are also not fully clear to see the driver through the glass. It is essentially half of what both of these videos show:
Screens that would be unreadable with polarized lenses are now readable, but not as much as with non-polarized lenses. The main benefit of this is with heads-up displays (HUD) and some other devices (even modern smartphones are slightly altered by polarized lenses.
I took these videos from my friend's car. The first is the Seregneti Drivers Polarized. See how the HUD disappears:
The next one is with the LightPro lens (the Le Mans Blue in this case). The display isn't as bright, but it's easily visible (even easier to see in person).
The road doesn't have the "matte" look that a polarized lens causes.
Most importantly, reflective glare isn't an issue. It isn't completely eliminated, but even when driving towards the direction of the sun or standing near highly reflective water, the glare is managed well. 50% seems to work fine as a compromise.
They also claim the LightPro has more contrast than a standard polarized lens. Many people seem to have the idea that polarized lenses reduce contrast compared to non-polarized lenses. I do not understand where this comes from for three reasons. One, conceptually, it doesn't make sense because reflected glare is blocking and covering the color of the objects behind it. Removing that glare lets the color be seen, which then can contrast more prominently with the color surrounding it. Secondly, the lenses you can buy from highly regarded brands renowned for their color and contrast, like Maui Jim, Serengeti, and Costa, are almost always polarized. Third, we can talk about this all day, but just go outside and try it for yourself. It is fairly obvious that polarized lenses provide more contrast. See for yourself:
And that is my experience with these lenses. I think they have slightly less contrast, all else equal, than a regular pair of polarized lenses. I don’t mean to pick on their marketing, I am reviewing the product, but I wanted to highlight this point because, in this sense, it may be meaningfully different than a premium fully polarized lens (like Randolph themselves sell) if that is what you are used to.
That doesn't mean you need to like polarized lenses. There are reasons to avoid polarization. But with these lenses from Zeiss and Randolph, most of those reasons no longer apply, most notably the readability of all screens and heads-up displays (HUD).
What we end up with is a compromise polarization and a high-quality coated nylon lens.
If this lens were fully polarized, it would be an unremarkable (high-quality) gray lens. It is only notable due to the semi-polarized feature.
For people who can't deal with full polarization and want a gray lens, however, this might be the best lens available for you, period. You get the major benefits of polarization without the drawbacks, and a high-quality, well-made lens.
Sunny Conditions
Keep in mind that photos will never look as good as the real view looking through the sunglasses with your own eyes.
Interested in experiencing the Apex Gray lens for yourself? Check it out here.
Here is my simulation of how the lens looks:
Cloudy Conditions
Gray lenses aren't the best choice for overcast or mixed lighting. Since they dim the light without enhancing colors, they can make the environment feel flat and lifeless. In this case, the higher VLT allows enough light to keep the view bright enough to be manageable. Still, a brown or rose lens, like the Randolph Redline lens, will perform better in cloudy conditions.
Optimal and Suboptimal Viewing Conditions
Unlike the other two lenses in the DriveWorks collections, the Apex Gray is better for regular sunny conditions and lacks versatility for overcast or mixed conditions.
This is the lens they made for those who want the semi-polarized feature, but live in a sunny place where a neutral view is more comfortable, or for those who want a simpler gray aesthetic.
Gray lenses excel in bright, sunny conditions, providing consistent comfort over extended periods. Unlike other tints, gray lenses preserve true-to-life color perception, reducing the need for your brain to "recalibrate" how objects appear. This natural alignment with our color memory minimizes eye fatigue, making gray lenses feel more natural, even after hours of wear.
Color memory refers to our brain's ability to remember how objects are supposed to look and automatically adjust for them. Since gray lenses maintain accurate color perception, they prevent dissonance in how we see familiar objects, like the sky or greenery. Other tints, like amber or rose, can make colors look warmer or cooler than usual, which can be disorienting over time. This is one of the key reasons gray lenses feel so “right” during prolonged use.
Typically, beaches, deserts, and other sun-drenched environments are where gray lenses shine. However, in this case, because of the higher VLT, in very bright long-exposure situations, this lens might feel too bright. That is a personal preference, as some people prefer a higher VLT even in those conditions.
Sports
In full sun, grey lenses are fine for sports but not the best choice. Since grey lenses are neutral, they don’t evoke feelings of energy or warmth. When playing sports, you want a lens that makes everything feel especially vibrant and dynamic. For this, a brown or rose lens is a better option. Brown and rose lenses also provide a lot more color enhancement and contrast which are advantageous for sports.
The nylon lens provides a decent amount of impact resistance, and the half-polarized lenses will avoid most of the issues of fully polarized lenses, like depth perception for ball sports.
For water sports, these will not be ideal, because you will most likely want full polarization in high-glare environments.
Comparison to the same brand - Randolph Engineering
Randolph Driveworks Redline
The Redline is also part of the Driveworks collaboration with Ziess, and is semi-polarized. The Redline is a brown lens, and is more versatile, works well in all conditions, but will not be as comfortable in very bright conditions as the Apex Gray, though the Apex Gray is not a particularly dark lens itself. It comes with a red mirror.
See here for the full Redline review.
Randolph Le Mans Blue
The Le Mans Blue, like the Redline, is a semi-polarized Zeiss lens. It has a blue mirror and a rosier brown tint than the Redline. It is, in my opinion, the best pure driving lens of the DriveWorks collection.
See here for the full Le Mans Blue review.
Randolph American Gray
The Randolph American Gray is darker than the Apex Gray, but not by much. It comes in polarized or non-polarized (but not semi-polarized) and comes in glass. There is no mirror or flash coating on the American Gray. The main differences to consider is the level of polarization and the lens material. The view is not that much different.
See here for the full American Gray review.
Comparison to the Gray Lenses of Different Brands
Maui Jim Neutral Grey
The Neutral Grey lens is arguably the best gray lens available on the market, with greens, reds, and blues all boosted with exceptional clarity. That feat is very hard to do on a gray lens as there is no natural color shift that a color tint would normally provide. It is still not that far off from the Apex Gray, as both have all coatings and a nuetral tint, but you would be able to see the difference. The reason to choose the Apex Gray would be for the semi-polarized lens and frame styles.
See here for the full Maui Jim Neutral Grey review.
Dita Lancier Sea
Another great nylon lens, the Dita Lancier Sea lens is a similar VLT to the Apex Gray but bluer, though that doesn't dull the greens and reds in this case. This is more of a comparison between polarized vs half-polarized, but I wanted to show the tint difference in tint.
See here for the full Dita Lancier Sea lens review.
Conclusion - Randolph Engineering Apex Gray Lens Review - Should you buy it?
The Randolph Apex Gray is a smart blend of innovation and practicality. By working with Zeiss to create a half-polarized design, Randolph has solved one of the biggest drawbacks of traditional polarized sunglasses: screen visibility. Pair that with a well-thought-out gray lens, solid coatings, and Randolph’s usual attention to detail, and you get a lens that’s classy, comfortable, and especially well-suited for driving in bright places.
If you need full polarization for activities like fishing or long days on the water, this may not be your first choice. But for drivers, everyday wear, and anyone who has struggled with the downsides of polarization, the Apex Gray stands out as an excellent option.
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