Gargoyles Cardinal Sunglasses Review

Gargoyles, you say? You mean those glasses made popular in the 1980′s by their military-grade lenses and pro wrestler styling? Yup… those are the ones. Well, after a brief disappearance, Gargoyles is back with the same dedication to performance and optical quality.

Over the past few months I’ve had a chance to test the new Cardinal multi-sport sunglasses from Gargoyles (part of their Instinct Collection). The wide-coverage and curved-lens design of the Cardinal offers sweeping peripheral coverage that is matched by a select few sunglasses on the market.

Gargoyles Cardinal Features:

• Lightweight flexible Nylon frame material
• Pin Stop Hinge
• Dual Toric 210º Vison Shield Lens
• Shatter-resistant ballistic defense lenses
• Soft rubber Temple tip inserts
• Non-slip Adjustable nose pads
• 100% UV Protection
• MSRP: $110

My test pair are black with the green lenses, which provides a really dark and stealthy look. I might say that the green lens tint is a tad dark for all-around use as shadowed areas became too dark. In bright sunlight, that isn’t much of an issue — there are other lens options available in a less-dark shade, if you prefer.

While I don’t prefer the green lens, there may be some advantages. This was taken from the Gargoyles Web site:

The Gargoyles trademark Green Lens provides the wearer with a unique balance of target and background brightness. Designed for the Field of Play, the Gargoyles Green Lens helps you locate and track objects in motion against a variety of outdoor backgrounds including Earth, sky and water.

Our green field of play lens has a transmission which is tailored to accommodate playing field sports and outdoor activities where tracking objects in motion is critical. The Green Lens controls low-level blue light while the middle range of light is selectively manipulated to provide optimum visual stimulation and distinctive object illumination.

While many sunglasses feature non-adjustable nose pads, the Cardinal’s stand out with their easily-adjusted noses. You can expand, contract or even move them forward or back for the proper, slip-free fit. Grippy ear pieces also help keeping things in place while running or biking.

To be honest, I’m not super-keen on the styling, but that’s a personal preference and you may like the looks on your face for your intended purpose. They are on the midrange side as far as price goes and are widely-available online or directly through Gargoyles.

The Good

• Wraparound styling provides excellent protection
• Good optical quality
• Adjustable nose piece fits nearly any face
• Extremely-durable lenses

The Bad

• Not so hip styling
• Green lens is really dark, in my opinion

Buy Now: Visit GargoylesEyewear.com