Sunwise Equinox sunglasses review

We've tested the Equinox sunglasses from UK brand Sunwise. They're affordable, but do they match up to pricier options?

Cycling Weekly Verdict

Quality sunglasses well suited to cycling and sold at a sensible price

Reasons to buy
  • +

    Lenses for all light conditions

  • +

    Good optical quality

  • +

    Comfortable for all-day riding

  • +

    Can carry a spare set of lenses easily

  • +

Reasons to avoid
  • -

    Limited peripheral coverage

  • -

    Non-photochromatic lenses

  • -

You can trust Cycling Weekly. Our team of experts put in hard miles testing cycling tech and will always share honest, unbiased advice to help you choose. Find out more about how we test.

Sunwise is a UK sports sunglasses brand which aims at the middle ground, rather than being super-expensive. It has a wide range of styles and lens types suitable for cycling and other sports, ranging up to a frameless design with photochromatic lenses at just under £100.

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The Sunwise Equinox sunglasses are available in white, grey, blue or pink as well as the green frame we have tested. They have quite straight side arms which come with rubberised temple grips in a contrasting colour. The nose pieces are also rubberised and match the grips.

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The Sunwise Equinox sunglasses come with no fewer than four sets of interchangeable lenses, ranging from clear category zero lenses right up to smoke mirrored category 3 lenses which are suitable for strong sunlight. All the tinted lenses give good contrast, which is helpful as it enhances detail when out riding. I found that the yellow category 1 and orange category 2 lenses work particularly well in typical UK winter riding conditions.

Sunwise Equinox sunnies are lightweight and comfortable

Sunwise Equinox sunnies are lightweight and comfortable

The bonus of the two lens design is that it is easy to carry a spare pair of lenses in a jersey pocket in case light levels change during a ride. The lenses are easily swapped out, but click into place firmly, so that I had no problem with them coming loose while riding.

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The lenses on the Sunwise Equinox sunglasses are not as large as for some other glasses, which results in a bit of unfiltered light making it into the peripheral vision, but not enough to be distracting. The bonus from this is that the sunglasses are quick to clear if you mist up when stopped or on climbs.

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I found the Equinox glasses comfortable to wear for extended rides and the straight arms fitted well over a winter cap as well as being comfortable when just used under a helmet. They’re very light too and Sunwise sells replacement lenses, including non-standard tints if you lose or damage yours or just fancy a change.

I’ve been impressed by the Sunwise Equinox sunglasses, which are well suited to variable UK conditions and come at a realistic price.

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