There had to be something special about Barner Brand blue light filtering glasses. I mean, their crowdfunding campaigns raised nearly a million dollars and to date they've sold over 15,000 glasses worldwide. I needed to see for myself. They had my attention and my only worry was that the expectation was now so high, Barner couldn't possibly meet it... right?
Thankfully, Barner exceeded my expectations. The hype was real.
For this review I had 4 different models, they are:
High Quality Materials
Barner has two different collections, Chroma and Mazzu, and each offers a different type of plastic and hinge design. Dalston and Le Maris, part of the Chroma collection , use a light-weight plastic which are covered with a soft rubber-like coating. This coating provides a matte finish and a silky touch.
The spring hinges opened and closed without any effort. This was especially useful for me because my head is just a bit wider than the Dalston frame. The spring hinges allowed the frames to fit without putting uncomfortable pressure on the side of my head.
The Williamsburg and Kreuzburg models, part of the Mazzu collection, are made out of a denser acetate than the Chroma collection. They are slightly heavier and they don't come with spring hinges but they feel much more like high end glasses.
The increased weight and lack of spring hinges leads to a more secure fit. Also, using acetate on the Mazzu collection means you have more than just solid colors to choose from. I personally tried the Williamsburg in color Blue Havana and the Kreuzburg is Crystal, but you can also choose colors like Light Havana, Havana and Black.
Lenses + Accessories
The frames blew me away, but Barner didn't stop there. The lenses were virtually colorless and the Anti-Reflective coating made looking through the glasses very pleasant. Cleanability is also an indicator of quality and it appears that Barner went for top tier coatings on their lenses.
The BPF is 40% between 430-450nm and 100% at 410nm. This is accomplished through a combination of in-lens blue light filtering and blue light reflecting (bouncing) on the AR coating.
Just in case you're wondering, yes, all the models, regardless of collection, use the same blue light filtering lenses.
It seems to me that Barner knew people would love their glasses. So much so that Barner also offers clip-on sunglasses for all their frames. The clip-on (Just $28 USD) is handcrafted and fits like a glove. They mount onto the frame with pre-adjusted "claws" so you're ready to go right out of the box.
Final Thoughts
Barner Brand blue light glasses are the complete package. I don't think I've ever seen a more versatile and complete set of options than what you can find with Barner glasses.
If I were to say Barner is missing something, it would come down to frame variety. I love their Chroma and Mazzu collection but they currently lack a metal frame option for people that need support on their bridge. Once they get that checked off the list, They will be a top recomendation for everyone.
Barner didn't let me, or their thousands of backers, down. From their frames to their lenses, Barner seems committed to providing the best blue light filtering glasses on the market.