Randolph Engineering LightPro Redline Sunglasses Lens Review
- Sunglass Science
- 3 days ago
- 10 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 Redline lens.
Check out the Redline lens on Randolph's website.
If you want to know more about how brown 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
Lens Specs | Randolph Redline |
Technology | Zeiss LightPro |
Lens Color | Brown |
Mirror Color | Red |
VLT | 15.88% |
ABBE | 52 |
Coatings | Anti-reflective, Anti-scratch, Oleophobic |
Material | Nylon |
Weight | Light |
Scratch Resistance | Moderate |
Prescription Available | Not yet |
2 |
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 main point 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 15.88%, which on first glance might seem a bit high, but it is actually just about perfect. The reason for this is that lenses designed and intended for driving have 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 has a red mirror, which is mostly solid but not as reflective as most flash mirrors. The light has to hit it at a certain angle to really get the full color. I prefer it this way, as a very bright and bold red mirror is too much pop for me, and the more subtle one it uses fits better with the matte black frame. I think the combination is really sharp; in my opinion, the best-looking Driveworks option (and I usually prefer blue mirrors).
The back has a blue shine from the anti-reflective coating. The tint is brown, a pleasant yellow brown that is very similar to another famous brown lens we will compare it to below.
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 used a yellower-brown lens for the Redline. This is an excellent brown as it is more versatile than a red-brown, like the Randolph Tan lens. As I will show below, the tint is nearly the same as the Maui Jim HCL Bronze lens or the Revo Terra lens.
Generally, it is better to add some warmth to a lens to make the world appear more colorful and vibrant. This is because blue light, which brown lenses transmit less than green and red light, is cooler and has higher energy, making it annoyingly prevalent and hurting our ability to see other colors clearly. Moreover, adding warmth and color to our view tends to increase our alertness, energy, and happiness.
This lens is what I would call a "smooth brown". It is very easy and quick to adjust to, works well in nearly every location and lighting condition, and is natural enough to easily forget you are wearing any tinted lens at all. With the view of the lens, Randolph hit a home run.
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 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 (although the tint makes up for most of that).
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 with a phenomenal tint and a high-quality coated nylon lens.
For people like myself who had no issue with polarization on my devices or with ice/rain, in my perfect world, this lens would be fully polarized. But I really enjoy wearing this lens, because I want to wear Randolph Aviators with a brown tint, and to me, this lens is much better than the Randolph Tan lens, even though that lens is glass (goes to show how with color-tinted lenses, getting the tint right is often more important than any other factor).
For people who can't deal with full polarization, however, this might be the best lens available for you, period. You get the major benefits of polarization without the drawbacks, an amazing tint, and a high-quality, well-made lens.
We haven't gotten to the conclusion yet, but for its intended purpose, Randolph hit a home run with this 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 Redline lens for yourself? Check it out here.
Here is my simulation of how the lens looks:
Often, brown lenses can be too "hot" feeling in bright sunlight. This is because they lean too much towards a redder brown, boosting reds too much relative to greens and really reducing blues. The Redline lens leans a bit more yellow, and the greens absolutely pop, the reds are bright, and the blues have a nice, deep hue.
Cloudy Conditions
The versatility of the Redline lens really shines when it is cloudy or in mixed conditions. The lens performs excellently with lower contrast lighting, changing the colors to brighten the view. When a grey or green lens would be too dark and dreary, this lens adds warmth and color in a very pleasant way.
The glare is gone, and the colors are still comfortably boosted. The view isn't bright like some other lighter browns, but it is clear, calm, and colorful. Even in darker conditions, they work well, as long as there is excess glare and haze. The colors become more saturated and calm. The higher VLT really helps in lower light conditions.
Optimal and Suboptimal Viewing Conditions
The Redline lens is amazing for all conditions, and I cannot think of any situation where it will not be good, if not great. I know I will wear this lens very often, especially when I want a brown lens in bright conditions for driving. They may not be the absolute best lens to wear in overcast conditions, but they hold their own just fine.
For what they were designed for - driving - they excel at.
As mentioned above, I would prefer this lens to be fully polarized for my lifestyle, but for anyone who cannot use fully polarized lenses, the Redline will be hard to beat.
In winter, when there isn't as much colorful beauty to work with anyway, you may prefer a rose lens, but the Redline will work fine, at least as well as most other lenses.
I will say that when I took similar lenses to Arizona, they didn't wow me, because there is so much red and so little green there that it was a bit too "hot" for me. They still performed very well, but I preferred green and grey lenses in those conditions.
To sum up, in case I am not being clear: If you want the best brown lens Randolph has to offer, in my opinion, this lens and the Le Mans Blue are the best options. And if you cannot use fully polarized lenses but want most of the benefits of one, this lens is the best you can get.
Sports
These lenses work well for sports in both sunny and overcast conditions. The color and contrast they provide, as well as an energetic tint, help with acuity, comfort, and perception.
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 Le Mans Blue
The Le Mans Blue is also a brown lens, but a rosier one, leaning more towards a Serengeti Driver vibe than a Maui Jim HCL Bronze one. In my opinion, that makes it better for driving and slightly better for overcast and winter conditions, while the Redline is better in full sun. It is splitting hairs, though, as both lenses overlap in versatility and functionality. For most people, the aesthetic difference between the red and blue mirrors will be the main difference. I like the Le Man Blue view better, but I keep taking the Redline because of the really cool look. No bad choices here.
Randolph Tan
Randolph Tan polarized lens is darker, at 10% VLT, and much more saturated and red. This makes it really only good for sunny conditions when it can either be very energizing or a bit too "hot". The Redline has a much better tint and higher VLT that works in full sun or overcast. The Tan has no mirror on it, a different aesthetic. The Tan comes in glass.
Ranolph Apex Gray
The Apex Gray lens is the gray version of the LightPro lenses. Unlike the Redline and LE Mans Blue, the Apex Gray is a mostly standard grey tint (there are some small differences, but that's the main point). If someone lives in a very bright place and does not want a brown lens but does want the half-polarized effect, this is the lens for them.
Comparison to  Lenses of Different Brands
Serengeti Drivers
The Serengeti Drivers Polarized, arguably the best driving lens (or best lens period) that you can get, is different in a few ways. It is glass, fully polarized, mildly photochromic, and redder/rosier than the Redline. The Le Mans Blue is more similar to the Drivers. The Redline will have a more neutral view in full sun, while the Drivers will have more color and contrast in most conditions.
Maui Jim HCL Bronze
The HCL Bronze has a nearly identical tint to the Redline, a great choice for both brands. The HCL comes in glass and several other materials, has a bi-gradient gold mirror on the front, is slightly darker, and is fully polarized. The Revo Terra is similar as well, it is nylon with a full silver mirror on the front. If you like the Redline but want a fully polarized version, those are perfect. If you love the HCL/Terra but want the half-polarized effect, the Redline is the right pick.
Dita Lancier Land
Another great nylon driving lens, the Dita Lancier Land lens is much rosier than the brown Redline. This is more of a comparison between a rose and brown/polarized vs half-polarized, but I wanted to show the tint differences, as these are both designed as high-quality driving lenses.
Conclusion - Randolph Engineering Redline Lens Review -Â Should you buy it?
The Randolph Redline lens 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 an excellent brown tint, solid coatings, and Randolph’s usual attention to detail, and you get a lens that’s versatile, comfortable, and especially well-suited for driving.
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 Redline stands out as one of Randolph’s best lenses.
