Fun shades. They look great! But…
A little background…
I opened my email one day shortly before Thanksgiving and found a Black Friday-esque promotion from Blenders Eyewear featuring buy-one, get-one free sunglasses. Having been considering Blenders for a while, but hesitant to order shades online (cause, I’m sure you know, you never know what you’re gonna get or how they’re going to fit and look), I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to try them out! I purchased a pair of “Salty Punch Float2O” floating shades as my buy-one, and the “Pearl River” shades as my get-one free pair.
Nordic skiing with Blenders … And Rex Specs!
On to the review…
I do like the overall design and style. They are nice and light and sit well on my more square-shaped face. As far as the good goes? Unfortunately that’s about it.
These shades feature a something that tends to be super annoying and drives me nuts…the back glare (or the glare that reflects on the inside of the lenses). I don’t know what it is with brands that feature über reflecting lenses, but for some reason they all seem to be excessively reflective on the inside (like, can see your own eyeball reflection perfectly) which impairs the clarity of the lenses and makes them difficult to see through in bright conditions. (To be fair, my super reflective Knockarounds do the same thing.)
Another issue I have with most sunglasses is where and how tight the earpiece of the arm sits on and behind the ears. Some extend too far behind the ears, making them difficult to fit under hats, some sit too heavily on top of the ears, and some, like these, seem to squeeze a bit too tightly behind the ears when worn under hats, leaving in their wake, an unpleasant little headache.
Unfortunately, liking the look and style doesn’t just cut for this girl when it comes to products. Performance, value and quality vs. price point are key (doesn’t matter if you’re a Walmart/Target brand or Patagonia/Arcteryx, you’re quality better match your value!).
My first impression of Blenders Eyewear leaves much to be desired. I am unimpressed in the overall quality of these sunglasses compared to their retail price. The plastic frame as well as the lenses seem flimsy and cheap. I won’t be surprised if a lens randomly pops out, or an arm breaks off mid adventure. Additionally, and even more disappointing, the right lens of my “Salty Punch” shades has a slight warp in the middle of the lens that messes with vision a bit (anyone else feel a little dizzy wearing these?).
But really, when the goal was to purchase a cheaper product with the purpose of knowing it won’t be long before I destroy it, what can one expect for $50 sunglasses manufactured in China? (Can we please at least bring production back to the U.S. people?
On the river with floaty Rheos Gear.
I haven’t tested their floatability yet, because, it is winter after all, but I’m sure it’s similar to other floating sunglasses I’ve tried from companies such as Rheos Gear. Which, I have to say, does offer a better quality product for the same price... For Rheos, the float factor is, just barely on the surface of the water, and forget about finding em floating if you drop em into a murky/muddy river.
On the lake with the clarity of Suncloud.
In conclusion, I am beyond glad I didn’t spend full price on my Blenders shades and got em on BOGO! As a first-time buyer, I know now that would never pay $50 for Blenders sunglasses. The quality is right up there with gas station shades (basically, why bother?) and that of the incredible over-priced, but ever so stylish, everyone should own a pair, Pit Vipers. There are definitely other brands including Suncloud and Rheos Gear that offer better quality sunglasses for a similar price.
However, if fun and cheap, beat-em-up sunglasses are what you’re looking for and you’re super stoked the the brand, BOGO is the only way to go when purchasing Blenders Eyewear. Don’t bother with sales unless they’re half-off, BOGO brings the price point value of Blenders sunglasses to be more in line with the that of say, Knockaround (which btw, if I had to choose between the two, I still would choose Knockaround over Blenders, hands down any day).
You really can’t go wrong with a trusty pair of Knockarounds. Been rocking my favorite pair of custom Fort Knocks on rivers since 2015!
Shine on and keep it fresh, folks!