Do you suffer from headaches during long PC sessions? Ever considered how much of an impact it can have on your eyes? Well GUNNAR might just have the solution to your problems….
Product on Review: Vinyl Onyx Amber
Manufacturer: GUNNAR
Street Price: £90 (At time of review)
In the world of computing today, there are many companies and brands which provide a multitude of products. Ranging from the budget conscientious to the high end enthusiast, there is massive selection of products available on the market. Whether you’re a general computer user or a professional gamer, computer screens and other digital devices can cause a condition called Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS) which causes a variety of symptoms such as headaches, neck pain, eye strain and difficulty in refocusing your eyes. With many brands providing healthier solutions to use your PC’s including products such as padded mouse mats and keyboard wrist rests to combat Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, one company in particular has dedicated themselves to reducing the effects of CVS on our eyes.
GUNNAR Optiks was created in 2007 by Jennifer Michelsen and Joe Croft, together they set out to eradicate the main cause of Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS) by designing eyewear for people who are subjected to viewing digital screens on a regular basis. Their main purpose is to reduce the strain placed on the eyes and also the fatigue this causes. With many different styles and colours available, there is a massive range available to suit graphic designers, gamers, general users and even those who need prescription glasses. With a huge array of products supported by global brands such as Carl Zeiss, SteelSeries, Monster and even Happy Madison Productions, the sky’s the limit for GUNNAR Optiks who are currently based in Carlsbrad California USA.
Today we will be taking a look and trying out one from their general range, the Vinyl Onyx Amber.
What GUNNAR have to say about the Vinyl Onyx
Mastered with the best of both worlds, VINYL’S modern digital lines combine with a vintage silhouette. Aluminium-magnesium forged temples and thermoplastic rubber sockets put ergonomics and durability onto the same track. Spring hinges and three dimensionally adjustable nose pads allow precise tuning of the fit while large lens sizing turns up the visual volume. A tech spin on classic styling.
Technical Specifications
• Soft thermoplastic rubber tipped temples grip lightly to ensure proper location of the Optics without slippage
• Aluminium-magnesium frame construction generates proper strength and optical stability through a hybrid lightweight metal alloy
• Hidden spring hinges flex to ergonomically fit a wide variety of head and face shapes
• Lightweight construction and proper weight balance guarantee long wearing comfort without pressure points or fatigue
• Micro-engineered lens locks securely retain lenses without undue stress or distortion of the optics
• Adjustable floating nose pads articulate in 3 dimensions to properly fit and comfortably secure eyewear in place
• Aluminium-magnesium frame construction generates proper strength and optical stability through a hybrid lightweight metal alloy
• Hidden spring hinges flex to ergonomically fit a wide variety of head and face shapes
• Lightweight construction and proper weight balance guarantee long wearing comfort without pressure points or fatigue
• Micro-engineered lens locks securely retain lenses without undue stress or distortion of the optics
• Adjustable floating nose pads articulate in 3 dimensions to properly fit and comfortably secure eyewear in place
Packaging & Bundle
The GUNNAR Vinyl Onyx glasses come featured inside a black box, which has a clear plastic viewing window with to give you a preview of the glasses. The GUNNAR logo is predominant in red with the company motto on the bottom.
On the rear of the box we are presented with a description of what the glasses do, including a more informative specification guide than we usually receive with products which also describes what each feature does.
Inside the box we have the Vinyl Onyx glasses, with a white microfiber cleaning pouch, and a GUNNAR RX program/warranty leaflet.
Closer Look
On the front of the glasses we can clearly see the Carl Zeiss lenses, which do have an amber tint to them. The frame itself is made out of an aluminium-magnesium alloy which provides strength but looks good while doing so.
Here we have a closer look at the side of the frame in which you can see the model of the glasses and also points out the makers of the lenses, Carl Zeiss.
From the side you can see the full length of the frame. The handles themselves are made from a soft thermoplastic rubber which aids in grip to reduce the chance of dropping them. They are an ample 133mm in length.
The hinge features 1 screw but the spring is hidden inside which is designed to flex and ergonomically fit a variety of head and face shapes.
Testing – General usage & Gaming
To test the GUNNAR Vinyl Onyx Amber glasses we conducted an array of tests ranging from general browsing and typing documents all the way to long gaming sessions to see what kind of an impact they make on our eyes after prolonged use. Is GUNNARs I-AMP technology a gimmick? Well lets us find out.
For those asking themselves questions such as, do they really work? Are they worth the money? Putting all the marketing hype aside GUNNAR published a study from March-April 2009 to back up their claims.
As you can see from the results of the study they are pretty conclusive, but in true Vortez fashion we wanted to find out for ourselves. The Vinyl Onyx glasses are from the general range which means they are all round glasses with no specific application in mind. We split the testing into two main phases, general usage and of course gaming. After using the glasses for a week here are our results.
Normal usage – web browsing, typing and Photoshop
For the purpose of this review we used the glasses not only while typing up the review, but also doing all the photo editing involved. It took a little while for my eyes to adjust when putting the glasses on as i’m not used to wearing them. When my eyes adjusted properly we could instantly notice that the lenses themselves magnified our screen slightly. This was a feature we really liked as it was clear albeit with an amber tint, I never had to strain my eyes once to view anything on screen which we can only wonder if that’s the reasoning behind the technology. While general browsing we had the same experience and the amber tint didn’t cause any discomfort, only time we took them off was while dealing with and viewing white items.
Another thing we noticed is the huge reduction in screen glare, which we have never really considered to be a problem until we started testing these. Although the screen remained bright we could easily define the sheen and glare with and without the glasses on.
After we had taken our photos with our DSLR we then opened up Photoshop CS5. As I was editing the pictures it became clear on how well these glasses reduce strain. My eyes can be somewhat sensitive but I felt no irritation on my eyes taking into consideration how white our background is in our studio.
We do have to mention that if you are doing editing that involves the use of specific colouration techniques we would recommend taking the glasses off while doing so as the amber tint will not show a true reflection on colour.
There may not be a GQ award heading this way, and the glasses do appear to be a little on the small side in comparison to the headshot. They did however fit snug and we had no issues with comfort.
Gaming
As these particular glasses are not designed for gaming specifically but more of an all-round solution we were not planning on expecting fantastic results. The first game we tested them with was Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, the reasoning behind this is that we feel first person shooters are very fast paced and would stress our eyes the most. After adjusting our eyes to the glasses by general web browsing for 10 minutes we jumped in game. The amber tint didn’t really hinder the gameplay at all and actually found it helped with aim and made picking out targets far easier. We felt that the slight magnification and glare reduction, we were able to enjoy the game quite a bit more than usual and actually played well for once!
The next evening we decided to try another FPS, this time we used Battlefield 3. Just like during Black: Ops 2, we felt the little bit of magnification made quite a bit of difference especially in helping pick out targets across the map. With Battlefield 3 having expansive and large maps it became enjoyable having what we thought as a slight advantage. We still couldn’t feel our eyes getting tired and after a whopping 4 hours of consecutive playtime we decided to call it a night. Only drawback during the gaming sessions was slight irritation around the nasal area after removing the glasses. Whether that’s from not wearing glasses in general or having an oddly shaped nose, it is the only thing we could possibly mark it down on but we won’t because the overall experience was superb.
To put it into perspective without the glasses, I could really only spend an hour or so in game before I would lose focus, and give in, but while wearing the GUNNARs, it was a completely different story.
Conclusion
For the last week or so we have had the chance to put a set of GUNNARs Vinyl Onyx through its paces and determine if it’s all marketing hype or it’s actually beneficial for the health of our eyes. With GUNNAR offering different types such as its Crystalline lens for designers or their advanced gaming eye wear, there is something for everyone.
So are GUNNAR’s glasses a gimmick or are they the real deal? Well in our opinion they are far from a gimmick. Even if our experience while testing was due to the placebo effect or not, it would have still been easy to dismiss them due to their expensive cost, especially for around the same price as a top of the range mechanical keyboards. But why should you opt for the eyewear? Well it’s time to find out.
The design and shape are very appealing, with their adjustable nose pads and lightweight frame, we found them to be a very attractive package. The lenses themselves have a coating on them which reduces glare and also provides magnification which in the words of GUNNAR themselves, they turn up the visual volume. Aside from looks, they feel well built, the frame is a strong aluminium-magnesium alloy and I would really feel confident that if we applied a bit of pressure to the frame, it would take quite a bit of force to damage them which we can really only consider being a good point. It’s nice to see a very well thought out product which provides fantastic build quality, proven performance with elegant style.
From our testing we found that while using them after prolonged periods of time, our focus levels remained alert especially in first person shooters. In reducing the screen glare even just slightly we felt no strain on our eyes during gameplay and was able to inflict some serious damage to the enemy! Even during general activity such as browsing which is what the Vinyl Onyx are designed for, we had no eye strain or fatigue and can confirm that our eyes were not bloodshot.
If we were to pick faults with the glasses they can be considered quite expensive, they might not appeal to those on a budget, but can you really put a price on protecting one of the most important organs in the human body, your eyes? We had a hard time taking them off as it took time for our eyes to adjust after wearing them for four hours, but this is to be expected. The other thing was the Vinyl Onyx frame itself seemed to be a little on the small side, so it might not suit everyone especially those with larger than normal heads. Other than that as mentioned they do fit snug, and are very comfortable during usage which is very important.
So do we believe the hype? We more than believe it, and with a mixture of very informative packaging all the way to the great experience we had while wearing them we can’t really fault them. We did wonder if the results were from a placebo effect but either way we really liked them and priced at €99 we feel them to be a sound investment for anyone who suffers from CVS or wants to prevent the symptoms.
We feel GUNNAR have done an excellent job in not only designing a very useful tool in combatting CVS, but also in how well they are engineered and manufactured. We would have no issues in recommending them, as in the tests we did and their own study they seem to do the intended job. Based on the results we concluded that we couldn’t give the GUNNARs Vinyl Onyx glasses anything less than our gold award. Good job GUNNAR Optiks.
Pros
+ The I-AMP technology works
+ Lightweight and durable frame
+ Stylish
+ Eliminates eye fatigue
+ Reduces eye strain while gaming
+ Comfortable
Cons
– Expensive
– Amber tinted lenses can sometimes hinder white objects
+ The I-AMP technology works
+ Lightweight and durable frame
+ Stylish
+ Eliminates eye fatigue
+ Reduces eye strain while gaming
+ Comfortable
Cons
– Expensive
– Amber tinted lenses can sometimes hinder white objects
Click here for an explanation of our awards at Vortez.net.
