Review: Ombraz Armless Sunglasses

Before buying Ombraz, my experiences with sunglasses followed a predictable pattern. I’d score a pair of cheap $15 to $20 plastic shades, sometimes at market stalls backpacking in Central America, other times as a gift at a wedding, other times at Walmart, and I’d wear them until they’d become scratched, broken, or lost. Usually this only took a couple of months. 

It was a lazy, wasteful habit, but to me, it made more sense than shelling out a couple hundred dollars for high-quality sunglasses. Ray-Bans might be a bit more scratch-resistant, I figured, but they were still just as easy to lose or break. 

A couple of years ago, I looked to Ombraz as a possible solution. I haven’t looked back.

(TLDR; I strongly recommend this product. These are the best sunglasses I’ve owned, by a significant margin. You can check them out here.)

My experience with these armless sunglasses—-which wrap around your head via an adjustable cord—is that they are supremely durable, comfortable, packable, and versatile. I’ve worn a polarized pair of the Ombraz Classics (Charcoal Frame) for roughly 2.5 years now, and I take them everywhere. I’ve touted Ombraz on dozens of backpacking and rock climbing trips. I’ve worn them surfing in Bali, peakbagging in California, and trekking in Vietnam. Over the last few years, I’ve attempted to go up every 14,000-foot peak in the Lower 48, solo, and the same pair of Ombraz was with me on almost all of those scrambles and climbs.

The “armless” design is, overall, a great improvement on traditional sunglasses, but there are a few drawbacks. In this review, I’ll address down four key aspects of the product: durability, utility, price, and sustainability. 

Wearing my Ombraz in the Sierra Nevada

Wearing my Ombraz in Indonesia.

DURABILITY: 5/5

I’m extremely impressed with the durability of my Ombraz. The “armless” design, combined with a rugged TR-90 frame, means these are virtually impossible to bend or break. The only rigid component is the lenses and the surrounding frame, so the glasses are essentially two-dimensional. Unlike traditional sunglasses, accidentally sitting on them or stuffing them into the bottom of your pack won’t put any pressure on the frame at all. This means you can pack them just about anywhere, stress-free.

The lenses are also very solid, and the neoprene case, which comes with an integrated lens wipe, protects them nicely. I had my pair for nearly two years with zero issues.

I finally got some scratches in the lenses, not while bungee jumping or rock climbing, but just while walking down the street. I absentmindedly whipped my hat off my head, forgetting I’d perched my Ombraz on top of my hat. My poor shades went skidding along the sidewalk, and picked up a few scuffs. (Although even those were quite minor. I’ve kept wearing them without issue.) 

UTILITY: 4/5

Overall, Ombraz are extremely versatile and comfortable. The corded design means you don’t have to worry about them staying on when surfing, paddling whitewater, skateboarding, mountain biking, fighting ninjas, or performing any other high-energy activity where normal sunglasses might be likely to fly off and get lost. (They also “sort of” float, although I wouldn’t put too much trust in that fact if you aren’t in flat water. You can buy a “Floatie” accessory if that’s a big concern.)

While it might look like they fit “tight” like a pair of swim goggles, you actually only need a gentle amount of tension to get them to stay on. Check out their “How to Wear” video if you snag a pair. I never feel any pressure from the cord, and I usually forget it’s even there.

Likewise, there are no glasses “arms” to irritate the top of your ears, like on normal shades. You can easily hang ‘em from your neck when you don’t want to wear them, and they easily sit on my forehead, as well. The cord also presents other possibilities for storage. You can hang them from a tree branch near your campsite, from the rear view mirror of your car (see below), or from your bike handlebars.

It also makes it easy to not lose your glasses. These are the only sunglasses I’ve ever owned that have managed to last more than a year without going missing.

Hanging ‘em from the rearview is a solid move. The strap is good for more than just hanging them around your head

I’m giving utility a 4 out of 5 because the corded design does have some inherent drawbacks. For example, I ride motorcycles frequently, and I used to always wear sunglasses when riding with the shield off my helmet. I cannot wear my Ombraz like this, because the strap must be “slipped” around the head. (I suppose I could wear Ombraz if I wore open face helmets, but I don’t.) So I still carry a pair of cheap shades for this purpose.

You can probably imagine the other scenarios where the Ombraz retention cord poses a slight problem. They fit well under a rock climbing helmet (and won’t fall off, I often wear them while climbing), but for the same reason, you also can’t simply slip them off, like a pair of shades. You have to unbuckle your helmet to take your Ombraz off or let them hang from your neck.

The other drawback is that, while Ombraz generally look pretty cool, if you’re bald (like I am now) the cord running around the back of your head sorta makes you look like Vin Diesel in Pitch Black.

When I first bought these glasses, I had long hair, and while I still wear them, it’s deffo better if you have some hair to cover up that cord : ) 

PRICE: 5/5

These sunglasses cost roughly $160. That’s relatively expensive, but for what you’re getting, the price is solid. I spent that $160 nearly three years ago, and haven’t looked back. I would have lost or broken probably a dozen or more sunglasses in that time span. These sunglasses are warrantied for life, and I’ve had good experience with their customer service. High price isn’t a bad thing if the product is worth it and it lasts.

SUSTAINABILITY: 4/5

Ombraz throws around a lot of eco-friendly, greenwash-y talk, but in this case, I think it’s largely warranted. They get solid marks. The frames are plastic, but the cord is 100% recycled, and they plant 20 mangrove trees per pair of sunglasses sold—they’ve planted nearly 2 million to-date. You can read more about their Net Benefit Impact on their website. The carbon absorbed by these mangroves (over a 20-year period) leads Ombraz to tout their shades as the most carbon-negative product in the world (apparently 1,713x negative).

That’s pretty rad, and in the grand scheme of things it’s far and away better than most companies out there. I also add marks because the durability of their product, and their willingness to perform lens repairs, means that most people who buy Ombraz will end up getting use out of these shades for a long, long time. (I give them a 4 out of 5 because they’re still selling something, and it’s still made of plastic.)

Check ‘em out if you fancy a pair, and drop a comment with any thoughts. More to come!