I wanted all to know that I found my lost Thresholds with the problematic stems - on the ground and in the mud where they must have fallen out of my pocket 2 months ago. I cleaned them up a bit, and sent them to Smith under their 'lifetime warranty'. To my surprise, I received a new pair in less than a week - no questions asked. My new Thresholds appear to have very solid rubber coatings over the wire stems, and I don't see any potential problems. I also recieved a new case, and new set of lenses, even though I didn't send the old ones back as they are still in good shape. Thank you Smith Optics for your excellent lifetime warranty, and unsurpassed customer support!

My first pair was was an excellent fit, worked great on many mountain bike trips, and backcountry ski days. They stay in place when you sweat as advertised. They were also my main pair of shades for everyday use, driving around town, and general all-around use.

The interchangeable lens system works very well. I used the versatile rose copper lenses the most, but yellow also came in handy on low-light level morning trail rides, and clear works very well at night on trails, and skiing. All of these lenses came with my glasses and can be stored in a Smith soft case that will compress when placed in a backpack taking up very little room.

Their only weakness lies in the rubber coverings on the stems where they contact your head, or your hat if you where them over the bill when indoors. There are malleable internal wires inside the rubber that form the stems that allow you to shape them to fit you noggin, and the tips of these began to wear through the rubber over a period of about a year of everyday use. I repaired them several times with 'shoe goo', but to no avail. I didn't send them back to Smith to take advantage of the lifetime warranty because I didn't want to part with them for even a day. The protruding wires will also scratch the lenses where they contact them when folded shut, but the scratches are not in your field of view.

So when I finally lost my beloved pair after three years of continuous use what do you think I did?

I went down to my local bike shop and bought another pair! I'm hoping that these will not have the same issues as the last, but if they do, I will (probably) send them in to Smith for warranty.

I would definitely recommend these to a friend - the most comfortable fit and best optics that I have ever owned.