Gatorz Alluminum Sunglasses - The Real Deal!


Written by: Mark Mitchell, Charlotte, NC:

Sunglasses. If you are like me you have owned dozens of pairs, some got lost, some just plain broke. Get a pair of Gatorz and you’ll never have to worry about broken glasses again and believe me you will to be very careful not to lose them.

Popular among racers, riders and extreme sports athletes Gatorz, the original aluminum sunglass, are without a doubt the most durable sunglasses you will ever own. It is no wonder they have a dedicated following as the frames are extremely lightweight, virtually indestructible and they fit snug and close to the face to provide excellent wraparound sun and wind protection for active lifestyles.

Handmade in a 22 step process the Gatorz frames are first machined from raw stock T-6 7075 billet aluminum and then formed to shape. The significance of the grade of aluminum billet used should not be overlooked. The T-6 indicates the hardness of the aluminum and provides protection against scratches, gouges and nicks to keep your glasses looking stylish and new. The 7075 refers to the pliability of the aluminum and allows for easy adjustment and a custom fit to your face. The 7075 grade of aluminum also provides optimum balance between strength and flex to hold the lens firmly in place.

The commitment to only the highest quality materials continues as the frame pieces are riveted with nickel silver hinges precision punched and hand mounted to ensure superior quality. Finally, the screws that hold the hinges are Teflon coated to resist backing out. Lenses are tension mounted into the frames and made of a distortion free high quality 1.8mm G15 polycarbonate that offers 100% UV protection.

The adjustable silicone nose pad contains a thin metal insert that allows a custom fit to any shape nose and to ensure a lifetime of use is securely mounted by screws rather than glue. Finally a neoprene rubber pad is glued to the frame on the inside of each frame arm allowing the glasses to rest on your head comfortably and securely without a hint of heat or irritation.

With a total of 13 frame styles, 7 frame colors, and 23 lens colors there are more than 8000 possible combinations to choose from. If you would like to see all of the most popular styles and options available visit www.gatorz.com to let your imagination run free and create your own custom pair of Gatorz.

- Surfeyes.com

Arnette Eyewear Launches www.ArnetteGirl.com - Girls Only!

Arnette Sunglasses recently launched their all new girls only website ArnetteGirl.com. the new website will give focus to the growing girls only sunglass styles and colors in the Arnette optics line up.

The new site will feature each women's specific sunglass styles like the:
Arnette Myth
Arnette Countess
Arnette Baha

Besides the cool shades they have team rider testimonials and freebies like desktop wallpaper and sticker downloads.

Very cool way to help girls find the styles that are just for them.

- Surfeyes.com

Transworld Motorcross Product Report: Spy Sunglasses!

Transworld Motorcross recently released a product report on Spy Sunglasses and gave them a great positive review!

Read the entire review here...

By Josh Allen

APPLICATION: One size fits most (LaCrosse, Cooper, Hielo pictured, and Nolen)

PRICE: $79.95 - $129.95

RATING: 10

WHAT IT IS: In addition to their line of popular MX goggles, Spy Optic carries a growing line of stylish sunglasses that keep you comfortable and looking cool between motos or away from the track.

HITS: While looking good is certainly an important consideration when choosing your shades, it's also critical that they offer a comfortable fit and the lenses provide a clear view while protecting you from dangerous UV rays. To ensure they meet all these requirements, Spy utilizes several different technologies during manufacturing, including crafting the frames in "propionate" for a smooth, comfortable finish. While we dig the look of the glasses, the first thing we noticed when putting them on, and after wearing them during long SoCal freeway commutes, was how comfortable they were. The glasses fit nicely to the shape of our big melons, and once we have them on, they're barely noticeable.

The lenses on the specs are called ARC (Accurate Radius Curvature) lenses, which, according to Spy, ensures an optically correct, distortion-free field of view. This ARC stuff must be working, because the view through the shades is crystal clear. The ARC technology also gives the lenses great shatter and scratching resistance, and of course offers UV protection; absorbing 100% of UVA, UVB, and UVC rays.

MISSES: We have no complaints for the crew at Spy; heck we don't even a few points of constructive criticism. The "10" rating at the top of this page should tell you everything you need to know.

THE VERDICT: Spy has hit a homerun in terms of both form and function with their line of sunglasses. With dozens of styles and colors to choose from, and cutting edge technology ensuring both comfort and clear vision, you can't go wrong with a new pair of Spy shades.

- Surfeyes.com

Spy Optic's Parent Company, Orange 21, Reports First Quarter 2007 Financial Results

CARLSBAD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 21, 2007--Orange 21 Inc. (NASDAQ:ORNG), a leading developer of brands that produce premium products for the action sports and youth lifestyle markets, today announced financial results for the three months ended March 31, 2007.

Three-Month Results

Consolidated net sales were $9.4 million for each of the three months ended March 31, 2007 and 2006. Consolidated gross profit increased 9% to $4.9 million for the three months ended March 31, 2007 from $4.5 million for the three months ended March 31, 2006. Gross profit as a percentage of sales increased to 52.2% for the three months ended March 31, 2007 from 48.1% for the three months ended March 31, 2006. The increase in gross profit and gross profit as a percentage of sales is primarily due to sales during the three months ended March 31, 2007 of some inventory items that were previously written down and efficiencies achieved at LEM S.r.l., our subsidiary and primary manufacturer.

Sales and marketing expense increased 9% to $3.8 million for the three months ended March 31, 2007 from $3.5 million for the three months ended March 31, 2006. The increase was primarily due to increased depreciation expense on point-of-purchase store displays of $0.2 million due to a reduction in depreciable lives to two years on the point-of-purchase displays effective as of October 1, 2006 and employee-related compensation.

General and administrative expense increased 17% to $2.5 million for the three months ended March 31, 2007 from $2.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2006. The increase in general and administrative expense was primarily due to increases in employee-related compensation expense in the U.S. of approximately $0.2 million, increased severance pay for LEM employees of $0.1 million, accounting and software consulting costs due to the implementation of our new enterprise resource planning system of $0.1 million, and increases in depreciation expense, bank fees related to the new BFI Loan Agreement, and share-based compensation in accordance with SFAS No. 123R. The increases were partially offset by a decrease in legal and audit fees of $0.3 million.

Shipping and warehousing expense consists primarily of wages and related payroll and employee benefit costs, packaging supplies, third-party warehousing and third-party fulfillment costs, facility costs and utilities. Shipping and warehousing expense increased 34% to $0.6 million for the three months ended March 31, 2007 from $0.5 million for the three months ended March 31, 2006. The increase was primarily due to increased costs related to shipping methods used (air freight versus sea shipment) as a result of manufacturing delays experienced in 2006 and the three months ended March 31, 2007.

Research and development expense currently consists primarily of wages and related payroll and employee benefit costs, consulting fees, travel expenses and prototype and sample expenses. Research and development expense decreased 27% to $0.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2007 from $0.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2006. The decrease is mainly due to an effort made late in 2006 to reduce research and development expense through a reduction in employee compensation expense.

Other net expense was $0.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2007 compared to other net expense of $0.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2006. The change in other net expense is primarily due to increases in net interest expense, foreign exchange losses and losses on disposals of fixed assets.

The income tax benefit for the three months ended March 31, 2007 was $0.7 million compared to $0.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2006. The effective tax rate for the three months ended March 31, 2007 and 2006 was 27% and 11%, respectively. The increase in the effective tax rate was due to the significant proportion of the pretax losses incurred in the U.S. versus in Italy.

A net loss of $1.8 million was incurred for the three months ended March 31, 2007 compared to a net loss of $1.7 million for the three months ended March 31, 2006.

Cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments at March 31, 2007 totaled approximately $3.3 million compared to $3.5 million at December 31, 2006. At March 31, 2007, $2.1 million of cash and cash equivalents were restricted as collateral for an outstanding letter of credit and future earn-out payments for the purchase of LEM.

Commenting on the first quarter results, Mark Simo, Chairman and CEO, said: "We continue our efforts to stabilize the business and position it for long term growth, and we are making progress. In the first quarter we made gains in terms of the quality of our inventory and our overall ability to execute as we move into our peak sunglass season. We are now focusing on creating and meeting demand for our core styles through the summer season. My goal continues to be to demonstrate stability this year, while positioning the brand for future growth."

John Pound, Co-Chairman, commented, "I believe that Mark's oversight and guidance continue to move us in the right direction. In order to keep our team fully focused on execution, we will be foregoing quarterly conference calls from this point forward, instead we will be providing public commentary on our results in our earnings release documents."

About Orange 21 Inc.

Orange 21 designs, develops, markets and produces premium products for the action sport and youth lifestyle markets. Orange 21's primary brand, Spy Optic(TM), manufactures sunglasses and goggles targeted toward the action sports and youth lifestyle markets.

- Surfeyes.com