For every pair purchased, Ombraz’s partner plants 20 trees. Photo: Ombraz
I have an unfortunate problem. Call it a First World problem. How does it relate to sunglasses? Bear with me. I have an awesome puppy. Her name is Luna. Her rambunctious puppy energy is contagious, but often I need to pick her up off the ground so she doesn’t jump all over friends, family members, and elderly passersby. Every time I do, my sunglasses fall off my face, or off my collar, lens first. As a result, every pair of sunglasses I own has scratched lenses. I don’t blame Luna. But I blame Luna.
Recently, I was gifted a pair of sunglasses that solve said problem – and they’re radically different than any pair of sunglasses I’ve ever owned.
Pull the beads to tighten. Pull the cords to loosen. Photo: Ombraz
They’re called Ombraz Sunglasses, and here’s the skinny: they’re sunglasses with a fundamental design shift that replaces sidearms with an adjustable cord. That sounds weird, and honestly, it kind of is at first, but after some practice they stay on your face or around your neck wherever you take ’em. The elimination of the sidearms also gets rid of two major points of failure universal to all sunglasses, making them nearly indestructible.
Most interestingly, though, for every pair purchased Ombraz plants 20 trees through their non-profit partner Eden Reforestation Projects. “Enjoy our shades, while creating some yourself!” they say.
So after a few weeks of wearing the sunglasses, here are some candid thoughts:
The Good
Functionally, these sunglasses are great. As I said, they stay on your face. And instead of tightening the cord around my head I let the strap hang in the back like Croakies and they still stayed on my head fine. That said, when not fully tightened they’re less stable than traditional sunglasses perched on my schnoz. Overall, these are hardy great travel sunglasses that are flat and can easily go in a pocket. I’ll definitely keep in my quiver of shades.
The Bad
This is a personal thing, but I have a big face. For that reason, I typically stick with wider, bigger frames when choosing sunglasses. For now, Ombraz only offers one frame style with two color options. Normal size craniums (e.g. most people) will like the frames, but those of us unfortunate enough to have a noggin with its own gravitational pull would likely want a wider option. The other consideration is there’s a bit of a learning curve using Ombraz. Instead of pulling them straight off your face, you have to loosen then pull over your head. Not a huge deal but it’s an adjustment.
Bottom line
For bulletproof sunglasses that are purportedly carbon negative with 20 trees planted per pair, these are pretty rad.
