Adam Meyer Headed Out for Some Exercise Wearing the Ombraz Leggero Sunglasses | Photo Connor Burkesmith Mountain Weekly NewsFrom Ombraz, the Armless Sunglasses company, comes the Leggero aviator-style sunglasses. Ombraz describes the sunglasses as “perfect for that ‘cocaine dad’ look.” The pitch of these armless lenses is that “by replacing the arms with a built-in cord, Ombraz (pronounced ohm-bruhz) don’t break, won’t fall off, and, when worn correctly, are surprisingly more comfortable than ordinary sunglasses. Ombraz are equipped with world-class Zeiss optics and a lifetime warranty.”
Materials and Build Quality
We previously reviewed sunglasses from Goodr and these Ombraz are on another level of simple. No arms to break off and the frame is one piece with no nose bridge pads. When I performed my usual “can I break these with my hands” test they passed with flying colors. Simple and sturdy. Me likey. The lenses themselves are great at keeping your eyes safe without darkening up your surroundings. The lack of arms means you have better airflow and visibility out the sides.
We love the idea of stashing these as a backup pair of indestructible sunglasses in your bag while on a trip. We’d love to see other brands follow the lead of Ombraz by stitching the microfiber cloth to the case so you never lose the cloth. The flexible minimalist neoprene case speaks to how rugged the frames are. The company’s commitment to the environment really shines through with the compostable zero-plastic packaging that uses soy-based inks. For every pair of sunnies sold, Ombraz plants 20 mangrove trees in Madagascar. They claim this makes Ombraz the most carbon-negative product in the world – 1,714X carbon-negative.
Fit and Style
I found the Leggeros fit quite well. Adjusting the pullcord only took a few seconds and I haven’t had to touch it since I first adjusted it. The nose bridge is comfortable and the lenses have stayed clean. For folks that enjoy aviator-style sunglasses, Ombraz has all the classic color combos covered. There’s even an option to include prescription lenses.
For folks doing high-output activities such as running or ski touring, we found these lenses can fog up easily. Furthermore, our testers with long hair had trouble with the cord getting stuck in their hair. Because you can’t rest these on top of your head when not using them, we’d recommend these for raft guides, lifeguards, or other folks who spend long amounts of time in the sun without taking their sunnies off.
Folks clearly love Ombraz’s Leggero sunglasses given the 415 reviews on their site have no one or two-star reviews. However I think Ombraz deletes bad reviews off of their website and mislabels the rest. If you filter by “Lowest rating”, the first result is a 5-star review which appropriately states:
“I like the idea of the armless sunglass and it is great at not giving me a headache and fitting nicely in my fanny pack while I’m hiking and not wearing them. If you are doing an activity where you plan to put your glasses on and keep them on the whole time and/or have your hands free (ie trail running) they’re great. However, I never considered how annoying it is to need two hands to take your sunglasses on and off.”
Overall Impression
For folks who spend long periods outside without taking their sunglasses off, if you’re looking for premium-priced sunglasses, you should consider the Ombraz Leggero ($160).
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