Tech Review: Gunnar Emissary Onyx

Published September 13, 2016

Fortunately a lot has been done in the pursuit of higher visual fidelity with a focus on lessening eye strain and fatigue. Since the introduction of LCD monitors higher refresh rates, better Grey-to-Grey times and using backlights have aided in accomplishing this, but one culprit remains: Short wave, high-energy blue light.

Not much can be done with monitors to avoid this as it stands, bar reducing the amount of Blue HEV Light emitted from them, which would vastly alter the visuals in colour and clarity giving a lower quality experience over all. Apps like F.lux can do this, but are limited to windows desktops mostly. This does not help when spending time in front of a console and TV set or on mobile phones and tablets.

What can be done to assist in protecting your eyes from these harsh wavelengths no matter the media platform you choose to use is a pair of glasses effectively designed to do just that.

Gunnar, a company who excels at making non-prescription and prescription gaming glasses seem to do this well. So well in fact that they’re the only brand recommended by opticians. I’ve been sceptical of these glasses since I first heard of them and have never given them much thought beyond the assumption that they’re gimmicky.

Now thanks to the guys over at Apex Interactive I’ve been in the possession of a pair of Gunnars for 3 weeks now, specifically a pair of Gunnar Emissary Onyx’s. Apex Interactive is a formidable distributer of interactive entertainment products in Southern Africa and with their help I’ve been pleasantly surprised by these glasses.

The Product:

So as mentioned, the specific pair I got was the Emissary Onyx, where Onyx describes the colour of the frame and Emissary the model and form factor.

The Look & Feel:

What is immediately apparent is the remarkable build quality. Hand crafted Aluminium/Magnesium alloys are used to create an individual front piece which is impressively lightweight. The angular, square lenses are very fashionable but leave spaces for unfiltered light to seep in by cheek bones and the corners of your eyes, especially noticeable in well-lit rooms or daylight. The balanced spring hinges are a great precautionary feature that makes the pair feel robust, but versatile.

What’s most impressive are the lenses, Gunnar use Zeiss lenses, which as anyone who is even remotely interested in photography will quickly tell you, are of the highest quality visual optics available. Concentrating primarily on eradicating harsh high-energy blue light beams with a warm, amber filter Gunnars don’t make it any easier to spot your enemies in your games, but rather makes marathon computer sessions more bearable and more importantly less taxing on your eyes. Along with that, they reduce screen glare with a special anti-reflective coating on the lenses making it easier for your eyes to focus on changes on the screen.

The Experience:

I made full use of these glasses and integrated them into my everyday tasks involving any and all forms of artificial light I so freely expose myself to.

Having not worn glasses before in my life, it was at first an odd, if alien experience for me to wear anything on my face for long periods of time. I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly I would forget that I was wearing them though and how quickly I would realise that I did not have them on.

There was some optical correction to my pair even though they weren’t prescription, this caused the most discomfort initially as my eyes fought to see through a tinted, yet transparent surface they were still well aware of, but once adapted it was smooth sailing. The warm tint in no way improved the clarity or crispness of on screen imagery but did have a positive effect on the dryness of my eyes. When I would remove them to stare at the screen quickly in silly comparison, my eyes would be jolted with an uncomfortable sensation and then quickly adapt to the blue light again. This at first kept me sceptical, but even if this was just down to adjustment, the lack of fatigued eyes and frontal headaches were a welcome improvement.

Using them at work proved less beneficial than my marathon gaming session, mostly due to tea and call breaks which often had me remove them. I made an active effort to keep them on while using my smart phone and even though I can’t prove a massive difference in such test environments, I still find myself wanting to wear them rather than not.

Conclusion:

My initial scepticism stood strong for all of about 2 hours until I started falling in favour of the Gunnars. There’s too much tech in the lenses, their design and the pure comfort of wearing them (even with a headset on) to have any single element take the praise.

Since wearing Gunnars my strained, bloodshot eyes are a thing of the past and constantly having to rub the inner-corners of my eyes as well. I personally don’t prefer the Emissary style but with the vast selection of frame designs and lenses available I don’t believe it will take much effort to find a pair I prefer.

In closing, I would highly advise that you consult your optician when getting your next pair of glasses. For as mentioned, Gunnar do have prescription lenses and your medical aid can certainly assist in covering the cost upon ordering. It’s an obvious improvement on the hampering of damage caused by prolonged exposure to HEV light, not much in improving your gaming skills, but in essence keeping a moist, healthy eye on the game is much better than the alternative we’re used to.

Face windows, or eyes as the natural world would like us to refer to them, are the very vessels of the sense we rely on most when working with technology these days, and that is the sense of sight. Prolonged exposure to screens, monitors and TV’s comes with all but unfamiliar symptoms we’ve all experienced at least once. Dry, itchy eyes and fatigue often accompanied by a headache are clear signs thereof and are never pleasant. Fortunately a lot has been done in the pursuit of higher visual fidelity with a focus on lessening eye strain and fatigue. Since the introduction of LCD monitors higher refresh rates, better Grey-to-Grey times and using backlights have aided in accomplishing this, but one culprit remains: Short wave, high-energy blue light. Not much can be done with monitors to avoid this as it stands, bar reducing the amount of Blue HEV Light emitted from them, which would vastly alter the visuals in colour and clarity giving a lower quality experience over all. Apps like F.lux can do this, but are limited to windows desktops mostly. This does not help when spending time in front of a console and TV set or on mobile phones and tablets. What can be done to assist in protecting your eyes from these harsh wavelengths no matter the media platform you choose to use is a pair of glasses effectively designed to do just that. Gunnar, a company who excels at making non-prescription and prescription gaming glasses seem to do this well. So well in fact that they’re the only brand recommended by opticians. I’ve been sceptical of these glasses since I first heard of them and have never given them much thought beyond the assumption that they’re gimmicky. Now thanks to the guys over at Apex Interactive I’ve been in the possession of a pair of Gunnars for 3 weeks now, specifically a pair of Gunnar Emissary Onyx’s. Apex Interactive is a formidable distributer of interactive entertainment products in Southern Africa and with their help I’ve been pleasantly surprised by these glasses. The Product: So as mentioned, the specific pair I got was the Emissary Onyx, where Onyx describes the colour of the frame and Emissary the model and form factor. The Look & Feel: What is immediately apparent is the remarkable build quality. Hand crafted Aluminium/Magnesium alloys are used to create an individual front piece which is impressively lightweight. The angular, square lenses are very fashionable but leave spaces for unfiltered light to seep in by cheek bones and the corners of your eyes, especially noticeable in well-lit rooms or daylight. The balanced spring hinges are a great precautionary feature that makes the pair feel robust, but versatile. What’s most impressive are the lenses, Gunnar use Zeiss lenses, which as anyone who is even remotely interested in photography will quickly tell you, are of the highest quality visual optics available. Concentrating primarily on eradicating harsh high-energy blue light beams with a warm, amber filter Gunnars don’t make…

Tech Review: Gunnar Emissary Onyx

2016-09-13

Stunt

Truly spectacular!

Total - 10

100 10

Being sceptical of Gunnars is easy, as easy as seeing how well they improve your visual health when in use. Haven't worn them for a day and I'm already missing them.

User Rating: Be the first one !

The following two tabs change content below. - Bio

Latest Posts

Stunt

Gaming Editor / Tech Author at Geek Node

Some say that he sees the world at 144 frames per second and his thumbs are actual analog sticks. All we know is he's called Stunt.