In our digital world, we find ourselves staring at screens for a large majority of the day. Gunnar is a brand founded on the principle of enhancing our visual experience when using screens. They are known for crafting specialist glasses for gamers with blue light blocking and anti-reflective lenses. Recently, they added the Overwatch Reaper glasses to their selection. After using these glasses for weeks, here is my review on this remarkable piece of eyewear.
Gunnar Overwatch Reaper Gaming Glasses Review
KEY FEATURES
- High-wrap precision-engineered polymer frame material
- Multi-barrel hinges
- GUNNAR patented lens technology
- G-Shield® lens coating: anti-reflective & smudge resistant
- Blocks harmful blue light and 100% UV
- Officially licensed Overwatch® 2 product
For the better part of twenty years, computer screens have been an important part of my academic and professional career. And unfortunately for my eyes, two of my biggest pass times outside of work involve staring at screens: gaming and reading (on kindle). This means that my eyes are continuously under the strain of blue light. It’s scary to think about what longterm damage this is doing to my eyes over the years.
That’s why I’ve become much more conscious about eye health and eye wear over the past five years. I now keep a few blue light blocking glasses of varying strength in rotation throughout the day, in addition to my officially prescribed glasses. The Gunnar Overwatch Reaper Glasses are the newest glasses in my collection, and they’ve quickly become my go-to glasses when I’m working through the day.
Style and comfort
Not only do the Overwatch Gunnar Glasses marry my desire for eye protection with my love of Overwatch, but they accomplish this is a design that’s both stylish and comfortable to wear all day long. Some blue light blocking glasses I’ve purchased in the past are uncomfortable on the ears after a few hours. On top of this, I find myself removing those glasses if I have to answer the front door, for fear of embarrassment.
But the Overwatch Reaper Glasses are both stylish and comfortable. And should I have to open the door, I feel confident leaving them on. At times I’ll even be complimented about my cool new glasses. These glasses are so comfortable that it’s easy to forget that you’re wearing glasses.
The only downside is that depending on the gaming headset you use, the temples could press in above the ears slightly. For some, this may cause some discomfort during lengthy gaming sessions. Adjusting the headset ear cups could be a solution for this minor irritation.
Reaping The Benefits of Great Design
The Overwatch Reaper glasses feature a matte black precision-engineered polymer material, set into a rectangular military-style frame. Each side of the frame is adorned with Reaper’s logo from Overwatch. Reaper is a day-one Overwatch character and is an important part of the game’s lore. Overwatch players like myself know that he was a first DPS main for many of us. Reaper is pivotal to the Overwatch brand, so wearing glasses themed in his honor feels like a no-brainer.
It’s apparent how well these glasses are made when you consider how weightless they feel. They don’t feel heavy on the ears at all, which throws me off because for something so weightless, they’re also extremely durable. These glasses will not bend or break easily. The joints are built in a way that gives resistance if you try to bend the hinges in the wrong direction. It would be difficult to break them by accident. In this regard, it’s clear to see that Gunnar are experts in eyewear design.
Value and Presentation
For $69, not only do you receive some quality glasses, but you’ll also get some cool Reaper-designed extras. Inside the Gunnar box, I received an Overwatch cloth case and a custom Reaper microfiber cloth. These are fantastic extras to help maintain the quality of the glasses. Depending on the dust levels in your room, the lens can pick up some dust if left out uncovered. The cloth case gives me somewhere to keep my glasses safe when I’m not wearing them.
How is the tint while gaming?
Because these are blue light blocking glasses, they feature an amber tint. When it comes to blue light blocking glasses, there are varying levels of light blocking lenses out there. Some have clear lenses which block less light and are probably more suitable for daytime use. Other blue light glasses have extremely dark orange tints, which are supposed to be the most superior at blocking blue light access to the eyes.
I own another set of amber tinted blue light blocking glasses that feature a darker tint than these Overwatch Reaper glasses. The problem with those stronger glasses, however, is that they hinder my enjoyment of games. With those other glasses, it’s hard to enjoy the colorful visuals in some of my favorite video games (including Overwatch). In some cases, they actually make me a worse gamer because I miss some of the visual cues needed to excel at the game.
The amber tint on the Overwatch Reaper glasses is a healthy balance between blue light protection and visual performance. The light tint allows me to distinguish colors in video games while still benefiting from blue light protection. The degree of the blue light blocking might not be as strong as those other glasses, but at least I can still game effectively.
Verdict
The Gunnar Overwatch Reaper glasses are exactly what I needed. They’re comfortable, durable and don’t hinder my visual experience while gaming or watching TV shows. On top of that, they embody one of the most recognizable characters from Overwatch, a game that is close to my heart.
If you’re in the market for protective eyewear, then you can rest assured the Overwatch Reaper glasses are a solid purchase from the Gunnar selection.
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