Maui Jim makes some of the best sunglasses for bright and colorful conditions and the Maui Jim HCL Bronze lens is easily one of the best and most versatile lenses on the market today. This lens is on the shortlist of the best lenses to buy if you could only have one.
Check out the Maui Jim HCL Bronze lens on Amazon (which is often cheaper than Maui Jim's website).
If you would like more details as to how brown lenses work in general, click here.
In This Review
Lens Specs | Maui Jim HCL Bronze |
Technology | PolarizedPlus2 Color Boosting |
Lens Color | Brown |
Mirror Color | Bi-gradient gold/no mirror on gradient lenses |
VLT | SuperThin Glass ~14%, MauiBrilliant ~13%, MauiPure ~15%, Category 3 |
ABBE | 58 in glass, 56 MauiBrilliant, 52 MauiPure |
Coatings | Anti-reflective, Scratch-resistant, Oleophobic, Hydrophobic, UV, Infrared and Blue-light blocking |
Material | Glass, unspecified |
Weight | Moderate for glass, Light for others |
Scratch Resistance | High |
Prescription Available | Yes, in MauiBrilliant only |
1 in glass, 2 in Pure or Brilliant |
The clarity of Maui Jim's glass lenses is off the charts. The non-glass MauiBrilliant and MauiPure are both great.
Sometimes with Maui Jim, the different lens materials will render the same color lens differently. For example, the Blue Hawaii lens is very different in tint and color between the three options. For the HCL lens, I find the colors are close to the same for all of them, but the clarity is noticeably more pronounced in the SuperThin glass.
The glass lens is sharper and redder than the MauiPure. The MauiBrilliant is closer to the glass but just a bit less red, having a barely noticeable difference other than the glass being a little sharper.
They are all around the same VLT. The MauiPure is slightly lighter if I had to pick one that was different, but all are comfortable in full sun.
Is it eligible for prescription?
Yes, in MauiBrilliant material
For non-prescription, Check out the Maui Jim HCL Bronze lens on Amazon (which is often cheaper than Maui Jim's website).
How does the lens look?
The front has a subtle bi-gradient gold mirror on the top and bottom of the lens, which Maui Jim advertises as acting as if the lens is “squinting” for the wearer. While I’m not sure that is the best way to describe it, the effect of the mirrors are very easy to get used to and it is not noticeable when wearing.
The back has a blue shine from the anti-reflective coating. The color of the tint is brown, and a more yellow brown than many of the browns sold by other brands, which are usually more red. The mirror effect of a gold mirror on a brown lens is only to make the areas with the mirrors darker and slightly more neutral.
What does the view look like?
Generally, it is better to add some warmth to a lens to make the world 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. In addition, we like to add warmth and color to the view because it makes us more alert, energetic, and happy.
Not only is this brown tinted beautifully, but the added color-enhancing PolarizedPlus2 technology that uses rare earth elements in the lens to boost red, greens, and blues takes this lens to the next level. The glare is removed and the colors are boosted spectacularly. This is one of the lenses people merely need to try on outdoors to be completely sold on. I have yet to meet anyone who isn't wowed by the HCL Bronze.
These photos are what Maui Jim and other sources 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 lens for yourself? Check out the Maui Jim HCL Bronze lens on Amazon (which is often cheaper than Maui Jim's website).
Sunny Conditions
Often, brown lenses can be too "hot" feeling in bright sunlight. This is because they lean to much towards a redder brown, boosing reds too much relative to greens and really reducing blues. The HCL Bronze lens leans a bit more yellow, and the greens absolutely pop, the reds are bright, and the blues keep a nice deep hue. This is one of the best brown lenses to wear in full sun.
This view is somewhat accurate but it doesn’t give a good impression of what the lens really does.
Here we start to get a better idea about the lens. The greens and reds are boosted and the blues are tuned down, creating a lot of contrast and color. The polarization allows you to see right through the water.
These two pictures give a great idea of what the lens view looks like in full sun.
The gradient lens is still plenty dark and close to what the full tint looks like, which is nice because many of the frames for women come with the gradient tint. This is a favorite of my wife’s.
The MauiBrilliant is very similar to the glass, just slightly not as sharp and a tiny bit softer on the colors, but we are splitting hairs. It’s remarkable how close the lenses are when you factor in different lens materials with a difficult tint like brown. This is also great because, unlike some other lenses where the MauiBrilliant is a noticeable step down from the glass, here it keeps pace well. As the only prescription option in this lens color, it’s great they could pull it off.
The MauiPure is very similar to the other two lens materials, but less red and less sharp, though still a world-class lens. In full sun the difference is less pronounced than in overcast conditions when the slight extra boost the glass has adds a bit more richness to the view.
This last picture is very accurate but with the focus unfortunately only in the foreground. It does show how rich and warm the colors are rendered with the HCL Bronze lens.
Cloudy Conditions
The versatility of the HCL Bronze lens really shines when it is cloudy or in mixed conditions. The lens thrives 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.
These pictures from Maui Jim sort of capture it but not really.
This is a better representation of what it looks like. 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.
Optimal and Suboptimal Viewing Conditions
The HCL Bronze lens is amazing for all conditions and I cannot think of any situation where they will not be good, if not great. I wear this lens very often, especially when I want a brown lens in bright conditions. They may not be the absolute best lens to wear in overcast conditions, but they are close to the best.
It has served me well in spring, summer, and fall. I have taken them to Florida and worn them nearly the whole time. In winter, when there isn't as much colorful beauty to work with anyways, you may prefer a rose lens but the HCL Bronze will work fine, at least as well as most other lenses.
I will say that when I took them 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.
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.
Avoid the glass lens if the activity has any chance of significant impacts to the face. Avoid this lens entirely if polarized lenses would not work for your sport.
For water sports these would be great, and many people prefer this lens for inshore fishing.
Interested in experiencing the lens for yourself? Check out the Maui Jim HCL Bronze lens on Amazon (which is often cheaper than Maui Jim's website).
How the lens is marketed
Maui Jim says about the HCL Bronze lens:
"This "High Contrast Lens" provides a beautiful warm tint, excellent for varied, everyday conditions. Best for everyday use."
"A “high contrast lens” that gives you a gorgeous warm tint that is perfect for a variety of everyday conditions. This tint is ideal for sports, like fishing and cycling."
Is the brand’s marketing accurate?
Yes, I think they undersell this lens, especially the SuperThin Glass
Comparison to same brand - Maui Jim
Maui Jim Neutral Grey
The Neutral Grey lens is arguably the best grey lens available on the market with greens, reds, and blues all boosted with exceptional clarity. That feat is very hard to do on a grey lens as there is no natural color shift that a tint would normally provide. Compared to the HCL Bronze this lens is much more neutral and cool, and may be easier to wear in full sun for long periods because it does not feel as "hot". The grey lens performs very poorly in overcast conditions compared to the HCL Bronze, and as such, is not as versatile.
See here for the full Maui Jim Neutral Grey review.
Check out the Maui Jim Neutral Grey lens on Amazon (which is often cheaper than Maui Jim's website).
Maui Jim Blue Hawaii
The Blue Hawaii lens has a blue mirror that adds a level of warmth and amber color to the Neutral Grey lens. This brings it closer to the HCL Bonze, but still nearer to the grey lens. A better overall lens for full sun, in my opinion, as the slightly added warmth is perfect without being too "hot", it does perform better than the grey in overcast, but still a far cry from the HCL Bronze.
See here for the full Maui Jim Blue Hawaii review.
Check out the Maui Jim Blue Hawaii lens on Amazon.
Maui Jim MauiRose
As Maui Jim's other color and contrast boosting lens tint, the rose lens feels even "hotter" than the HCL Bronze, which can be amazing in bright hazy conditions but overwhelming in full sun. This lens has certain situations where it thrives, like sports such as golf, but overall the HCL Bronze lens performs well in the same situations while excelling in other places this lens would not work well in.
See here for the full Maui Jim MauiRose review.
Check out the Maui Jim MauiRose lens on Amazon.
Maui Jim Hawaii Lava
This lens is the same as the HCL Bronze lens but with a red mirror. The red mirror acts to block red light, a major component of brown. This counteracting effect to the tint results in the lens view remaining roughly the same, but being a little more neutral than the regular HCL Bronze. There is no major difference between them.
Check out the Maui Jim Hawaii Lava lens on Amazon.
Comparison to same color of different brands
There are other lenses to compare this lens to, like Oakley Tungsten and Smith Chromapop Brown, but we will limit this section to four other options.
Serengeti Drivers
This is the only lens that can compare to the versatility and beauty of the HCL Bronze lens, and the only lens I wear more. The colors are even more vivid, the clarity is off the charts, and the view is even more stunning. This lens is photochromic, so it gets much lighter than the HCL Bronze but never gets quite as dark. The Drivers lens is better in mixed or overcast conditions, but the HCL Bronze is more comfortable in full sun.
See here for the full Serengeti Drivers review. Click here to buy on Amazon.
Ray-Ban B15 Polarized
The Ray Ban B15 is an excellent brown tint that is actually not too far off in hue from the HCL Bronze lens, just slightly redder. The HCL having the PolarizedPlus2 technology included makes the big difference, as the colors are noticeably richer and more pleasing.
See here for the full Ray-Ban B15 review. Click here to buy on Amazon
Costa Del Mar 580G Green Mirror
Costa Green Mirror is one of the most red-brown lenses available. The colors are extremely saturated, the blues very dark, and the reds glowing. Costa does an excellent job with the comfort as well, and though this lens feels "hot" it does not feel bright. For anyone who does not like the more yellow HCL Bronze, this would be the lens to try.
See here for the full Costa Green Mirror Review.
Click here to buy on Amazon.
Revo Terra
This lens is almost a carbon copy of the HCL Bronze in the MauiPure material, but the mirror on this lens is a subtle silver instead of the bi-gradient gold. This is a good alternative if you want to see different styles than Maui Jim has to offer or if there is a price difference. I also find Revo to be a bit more comfortable to wear in bright light, though both lenses are excellent.
Click here to buy on Amazon
Conclusion: Should you buy it?
In conclusion, the Maui Jim HCL Bronze lens stands out as one of the most versatile and high-performing lenses available today. Whether you find yourself in bright, sunny conditions or under an overcast sky, these lenses deliver exceptional clarity and enhanced color contrast. Their unique blend of brown tint and PolarizedPlus2 technology provides a rich, warm view that brings the world to life, making them an excellent choice for a wide range of activities, including sports and everyday use. For these reasons I have put the HCL Bronze lens in Tier 1 for glass, and Tier 2 for MauiBrialliant and MauiPure. If you're looking for a single, all-purpose lens that excels in varied lighting conditions, the HCL Bronze lens should be at the top of your list.
