Wiley X Citadel Sunglasses Review: Unobstructed Safety Coverage

I’ve reviewed quite a few Wiley X sunglasses over the years, and I can confidently say that the WX Citadel enters new territory. Is its bold, broad style right for the way you work and play? I’ll share what I’ve discovered from wearing them to help you decide.

Wiley X Citadel: What They Say

Like all Wiley X glasses, the Citadel is designed with safety built in. It takes clarity to the next level with a toric design to give you distortion-free vision no matter which part of the lens you’re looking through. At the same time, they’re lightweight, so they remain comfortable all day long.

Key Features

• Interchangeable Toric Lenses: Easily swap the distortion-free lenses to match the conditions
• Side Shields Included: Keep your safety manager happy when side shields are recommended or required
• Dual-injected Temple Tips and Nose Pads: Keep your Citadels where you put them without sacrificing comfort at contact points
• UVA/UVB Protection: Blocks 100% of harmful UVA and UVB rays
• Safety Certified: ANSI Z87.1+ for clarity and impact, MIL-PRF-32432A for ballistic impact (the blue lens option is not ballistic certified)

Sizing

• Recommended Face Sizes: Medium, Large
• Lens Width: 145mm
• Lens Height: 58mm
• Temple Length: 132mm

Wiley X Citadel: What We Say

Fit and Coverage

From a style standpoint, there’s no doubt the Citadel is bold, but don’t mistake it for something overly broad. The single-piece lens is tall at 52mm, but it’s not as wide as some of the other sunglasses making their way around various sports circles.

Because the arms come back a little straighter, the Citadel actually wears slightly narrower than my more wrap-around styled Wiley X glasses.

While they’re not a style I normally gravitate towards, I really like how the tall lens puts the upper and lower sections of the frame out of my field of view. Not only does it open up how much I can see vertically, but it also means there’s less light coming in from around the edges.

From a protection perspective, you also get more overall coverage, especially around the bridge of your nose.

There’s another benefit I noticed while cycling. Often, I wear close-fitting glasses, like the WX JAKL, to prevent wind from coming across my eyes and drying them out. The consequence is that they fog more easily. However, the size of the Citadel’s lens doesn’t let much wind around your eyes while allowing enough air in to resist fogging better. It’s the best of both worlds.

There’s also one detraction to keep an eye on. When wearing a ball cap, the extra height gets in the way. I found I couldn’t bring the brim down to the normal level I wear it at without pushing the frame into my nose. Under a hard hat, it’s fine; it’s only ball caps that are a problem.

Comfort

With glasses that have this large of a front profile, it can easily add weight that eventually adds discomfort around your nose and/or makes them slide forward.

While Wiley X doesn’t do glass lenses that can make the problem worse, they’ve also taken additional steps to ensure the Citadel isn’t too heavy. Most of the effort is put into the frame, where even though the tough edges look like they add some bulk, the total weight is only 38 grams (1.3 ounces). For context, that’s just 2 grams more than the WX Apex.

Combined with temple and nose tips that are both comfortable and hold well, they wear more easily than you might think. Even over the course of a full day, I haven’t experienced any discomfort from the weight or undue pressure at the contact points.

Lens Quality

If you’re new to Wiley X, every pair of glasses they make carries at least one safety certification (usually ANSI Z87.1+). Even though polycarbonate can’t match the clarity of glass lenses, Wiley X’s Captivate polycarbonate lenses are some of the best I’ve ever worn when it comes to clarity.

The Citadel takes it to another level with a toric design. If you wear contact lenses, that may be a term you’re familiar with, as toric lenses have a more precise shape to deal with astigmatism in your eyes. When it comes to lenses for your glasses, you may notice the image can slightly distort as you look through different sections, especially at the extreme edges.

Wiley X’s toric design on the Citadel’s lens eliminates that distortion. So, not only do you have more lens coverage, but it’s also clear and crisp over every part of it.

Wiley X Citadel Pricing and Options

There are currently eight configurations of the Citadel. Since the lenses are interchangeable, you can always order replacements to cover the conditions you run into most often or simply start with a multi-lens option.

• Matte Black Frame w/Captivate Grey and Clear Lenses: $170
• Matte Black Frame w/Captivate Grey Lens: $150
• Matte Black and Tan Frame w/Captivate Tungsten Mirror Lens: $160
• Polished White Frame w/Captivate Mirror Lens: $160
• Matte Black Frame w/Grey, Clear, and Light Rust Lenses: $180
• Matte Graphite Grey Frame w/Captivate Gold Mirror Lens: $160
• Water-Dyed Tortoise Frame w/Captivate Blue Mirror Lens: $160
• Matte Black Frame w/Captivate Green Mirror Lens: $160

Should You Buy Them?

The more I wear the Wiley X Citadel, the more I like it. For both work and play, it fits my lifestyle extremely well. That said, it’s still not the look I generally go for.

I think that’s the debate most people will have when they consider these. If you’re on the fence, go find a local dealer and just try them on. Even though the style may be different from what you’re used to, the Citadel is functionally one of the best sunglasses I’ve worn from Wiley X.

When it comes to specific applications, they’re at home in nearly any environment. The safety ratings and large field of view make them great for most jobsites, endurance sports, shooting, fishing, and law enforcement/military duty.

So far, the only application where I’ve wished for something else is when a gasket is in order. If you’re kicking up fine sawdust, concrete dust, or other tiny, light debris, look for something like the WX Boss that has a removable gasket.