Vuarnet Brown Polar and Pure Brown Sunglasses Lens Review
Vuarnet Brown Polar is a dark, yellow-leaning brown glass lens built for full sun, with top-tier materials and coatings and a very specific color signature. Pure Brown is its non-polarized sibling, and while the two share almost everything on paper, they don't look the same through the lens. If you love yellow-brown lenses, one of these is probably for you.
Check out both of these lenses from Vuarnet here.
If you want to know more about how brown lenses work, click here.
I also made a video on how different brown lenses compare, which is worth watching before picking any brown.
In This Review
Lens Specs | Brown Polar | Pure Brown |
Technology | N/A | N/A |
Lens color | Brown (yellow-brown) | Brown (yellow-brown) |
Mirror color | N/A | N/A |
Polarized | Yes | No |
VLT (%) | 12% | 12% |
Lens category | 3 | 3 |
ABBE | 58 | 58 |
Coatings | Anti-reflective, scratch-resistant, oleophobic, hydrophobic, UV, infrared, blue-light blocking | Anti-reflective, scratch-resistant, oleophobic, hydrophobic, UV, infrared, blue-light blocking |
Material | Glass | Glass |
Weight | Relatively heavy | Relatively heavy |
Scratch resistance | High | High |
Prescription available | Yes | Yes |
3 | 3 |
The objective quality here is as good as it gets. Mineral glass like this is as clear as a lens material gets. The coating stack is complete: anti-reflective on the back, scratch resistance, oleophobic and hydrophobic layers to keep oils and water from sticking, full UV protection, and blue-light blocking. Water beads off, oil wipes away without smearing, and the anti-reflective layer does its job as well as any other.
There is no mirror on this lens, which means there is less vulnerability to scratches.
There is a version of this lens with a mirror: the Brownlynx. I explain the differences between those types of lenses here. There is no Brown Polarlynx lens.
Vuarnet also adds an infrared (IR) blocking coating, which most premium brands don't bother with. Glass already filters a good chunk of IR on its own, and unlike UV, infrared isn't known to damage the eye in normal sun exposure because the eye filters most of it. The main benefit is less heat felt around the eyes, which might matter in extreme environments like deserts or high altitude. For everyday use, the difference is small as far as we know.
Both lenses are listed at 12% VLT, which puts them in category 3, the standard range for bright sun (8% to 18%). But Brown Polar feels darker than 12% in practice, and darker than Pure Brown as well, which I get into below.
I've had Brown Polar for several years in the Legend 03, the frame the Dude wears in The Big Lebowski. Vuarnet doesn't always make that frame with this exact lens anymore. My Pure Brown pair is the Belvedere 02 in crystal.
Is it eligible for prescription?
Yes, even in glass. Vuarnet has more details on this page.
You can also get RX for Vuarnet from SportRx using SportRx lenses. Use code SCIENCE10 for $10 off.
Also check out: Best Sunglasses Cases, Storage, and Travel Cases
How does the lens look?
There is no mirror on either lens. From the front, you just see the brown tint, and with the uniform color it reads as a classic, somewhat vintage brown.
The back shows a blue anti-reflective shine, and behind that the tint is clearly a yellow-brown rather than a rose or balanced brown, with the polar version even more yellow-leaning. The tint is uniform across the whole lens, with no gradient. Pure Brown on top, Brown Polar on bottom.
What does the view look like?
Brown Polar is one of the most yellow browns I've tried. If you've seen the yellow "Mexico filter" Hollywood uses to make a scene look hot and dusty, this is that look. Think of the James Bond scenes set in Mexico and what they look like with and without the filter. That is roughly the difference between no lens and Brown Polar.
Yellow is basically near-equal parts green and red with very little blue. A lens that leans yellow is cutting a lot of blue light, so blues get hit hard. Skies and blue objects come out browned and reddened. Greens shift toward red, and reds and oranges come through bright and clear. I explain the mechanism in more detail in my yellow lens post.
This creates an interesting split. Color contrast is not that high for a yellow-brown, because with so little blue there is less color separation between all three primary colors we can see to work with. Spatial contrast between lights and darks is very high, though. Edges, shadows, and texture pop. If you want vivid, varied color, look elsewhere. If you want a punchy, high-definition light and dark view, this does it well. This is person preference thing.
Adaptation takes a few minutes for me, and it never fully goes away. I've worn both lenses for hours at a time and I always feel like I'm wearing a lens. That is a sign of how strong the color shift is.
This is a love it or not kind of lens. From my experience with a lot of people and their sunglasses, around 80% of people really like rose browns like Serengeti Drivers, around 80% enjoy balanced browns like Maui Jim HCL Bronze, and closer to 60% like yellow browns like Randolph Tan, Persol Brown, Costa Copper, and this lens. I'm personally not a big fan of yellow browns, but if you are, you'll love Brown Polar.
How does Pure Brown differ from Brown Polar?
The obvious difference is polarization, but the tint isn't the same either. Pure Brown is less yellow, less dark, and shows more color overall. Brown Polar is darker, more saturated, and has less color variety.
Both are listed at 12% VLT, but Pure Brown looks lighter. The tint itself also differs, which is why Pure Brown feels less yellow rather than just a lighter version of the same color.
Personally, I prefer Pure Brown's view. That's unusual for me, because most of the time I prefer polarized. I think this pair is one of the examples that leads people to say non-polarized looks better. Compare these two side by side and the non-polarized version wins. That comparison doesn't hold in general, though, and there's no reason to limit yourself to one brand. You can get a polarized lens that looks better than Pure Brown, even if you like yellow-browns, and I name a couple below.
Everything else in this review applies to both lenses. Pure Brown performs slightly better across the board in every condition, except anything where you actually need polarization, like water glare.
Sunny Conditions
These photos are what Vuarnet and I have used to show the view. 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 Brown Polar or Pure Brown lens for yourself? Check it out from Vuarnet here.
From the Vuarnet website:
This is fairly accurate, you get a sense of how saturated and yellow the lens is.
Here is my simulation of how the lens looks:
In full sun, Brown Polar gives you that heavy, warm, filtered look. Compared to no lens, blues are pulled down and everything takes on a golden-brown cast. The light and dark contrast is strong, so it's a crisp view with a lot of depth.
Pure Brown keeps the same character but with more color coming through and less of the yellow weight. It looks more natural next to Brown Polar, while still very clearly being a yellow brown. You might need to swap the pics back and forth a few times to see the difference properly.
Compared to the grey, the difference is stark. Grey keeps colors close to true and feels comfortable and neutral. Both browns trade that for warmth and contrast. Next to grey, Brown Polar can look too hot and distorted, unless that is exactly the look you want.
Cloudy Conditions
On an overcast day, Brown Polar is too dark. The yellow-brown tint does add spatial contrast, which normally helps in flat light, but at 12% (and feeling darker than that) you lose too much light for it to be a good cloudy day lens.
Pure Brown is a little better here because it feels lighter, but it's still too dark for overcast compared to other options.
Optimal and Suboptimal Viewing Conditions
These are full sun lenses. Bright, clear days or just slight, bright haze are where they make sense, and that's where the spatial contrast works best.
Overcast is not great, for the darkness reasons above. Low light and dusk are a no, as both lenses are far too dark.
Winter is fine for both. The contrast on snow is good, but the view looks a bit muddy to me, and I prefer rose lenses in winter.
On the water, Brown Polar should be okay. The polarization cuts surface glare, and warm lenses in general work well for seeing through water. Pure Brown isn't a water lens because it has no polarization.
For driving, these aren't my pick. They're dark, and there isn't enough color. Worth reading if you drive a lot with dark lenses.
For frames, Brown Polar is currently offered in the Belvedere 02 (Havana), the Ice 02 (Tortoise), and the Edge 04 (Matte Gold / Tortoise). Pure Brown has a much wider range of frames. Both are glass and fairly heavy, so they fit best in everyday lifestyle frames.
Sports
These can work for sports, and Vuarnet has a following among mountaineers and hikers, going back to the brand's alpine roots. They are heavy, though, and glass is not what you want if there's any chance of a hit to the face. If your sport comes with impact risk, choose a poly or nylon lens etc.
Brown Polar has the same polarization caveats as Grey Polar. It can make LCD screens and instrument panels hard to read, and on snow it can hide icy patches by cutting the glare that would normally show them. For pilots and some winter sports, that's a deal-breaker. More on that here.
Pure Brown avoids all of those issues because it isn't polarized. For sports where polarization is a problem, it's the better choice of the two.
Comparison to the same brand - Vuarnet
Grey Polar
Grey Polar shares the same glass, coatings and 12% VLT, but it's a dark grey that leans slightly blue instead of warm. It keeps colors close to natural and is very comfortable and crisp in full sun. If you want a neutral lens that doesn't change the world's color, pick Grey Polar. If you want warmth and strong light and dark contrast, and you like yellow browns, pick Brown Polar or Pure Brown.
See here for the full Vuarnet Grey Polar review.
Blue Polar
Blue Polar uses the same specs at 13% VLT, but it's a dark blue lens, much bluer than Grey Polar. Blues look great, while greens and reds are pulled down. That makes it almost the opposite of Brown Polar, which cuts blue and boosts red and greens. They aren't really competing for the same buyer. If you know you want warm, it's Brown Polar. If you know you want cool, it's Blue Polar.
Skilynx
Skilynx is non-polarized, darker at 10%, and much more yellow. It gives an otherworldly, extremely high-contrast yellow view. Next to it, Brown Polar looks natural. Pick Skilynx if you want the most yellow contrast you can get. For most people, Brown Polar or Pure Brown are the more livable choices.
Comparison to Brown Lenses of Different Brands
One quick note first: Garrett Leight Coffee Polar is basically the same lens as Brown Polar. If you like the look of Garrett Leight frames better, you're getting nearly the same view.
Maui Jim HCL Bronze
HCL Bronze is a balanced brown with a bi-gradient mirror and a higher VLT, around 13% to 15% depending on material. The view is much more natural, and it works well in nearly every condition, including a lot of cloudy days where Brown Polar is too dark. It's the easier lens to recommend to most people. Only go with Brown Polar over HCL Bronze if you love yellow browns.
See here for the full Maui Jim HCL Bronze review.
Serengeti Drivers
Serengeti Drivers is a photochromic rose-brown and one of the most beautiful browns out there. It's a radically different view from Brown Polar, with warmth that comes from rose instead of yellow and much better color. It also adapts to changing light, which Brown Polar can't do. Only pick Brown Polar if you specifically like yellow browns. Use code SGSCIENCE30 for 30% off.
See here for the full Serengeti Drivers review.
Etnia Barcelona HD Brown Polar
At 15% VLT, Etnia's HD Brown Polar is lighter and more colorful than even Pure Brown, and it's polarized. That makes it the lens that breaks the "non-polarized looks better" idea from earlier. It's still a yellow-brown, just a better one. If yellow browns are your thing, I'd choose Etnia HD Brown Polar over both Vuarnet lenses. Use code SUNSCIENCE25 for 25% off.
Smith ChromaPop Brown Polar
Smith's ChromaPop Brown Polar matches Brown Polar at 12% VLT. It's slightly more rose, but still in the yellow-brown family, and it's far more colorful and natural in comparison. ChromaPop filtering sharpens the separation between colors, which is exactly where Brown Polar falls short. For a dark yellow-brown polarized lens, Smith is the better choice in my opinion.
Conclusion - Vuarnet Brown Polar and Pure Brown Sunglasses Lens Review - Should you buy it?
Both lenses are Tier 3. The glass, clarity and coatings are top quality, and nothing about them is poorly made. What keeps them out of Tier 2 is the view. There's no spectral tech, and there isn't enough color separation to compete with the best browns.
The buying advice is simple. If you like yellow browns and want a dark full sun lens, these are great, and Pure Brown is the better view of the two unless you need polarization. If you don't love yellow-browns, don't buy either one. A balanced brown like Maui Jim HCL Bronze or a rose-brown like Serengeti Drivers will suit you much better. Even if you are a yellow-brown fan, Etnia HD Brown Polar and Smith ChromaPop Brown Polar are worth a look first.
