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Gunnar's Black Panther shades are glasses fit for royalty

Since Gunnar has teamed up with Marvel there's been a slew of glasses that have come out themed after various Marvel characters, but while they've been making glasses based off regular joes, tech bros, and magic heroes, we haven't had anything for the truly royal. Enter...Black Panther.

By Eric Halliday

Gunnar ENIGMA, BLACK PANTHER EDITION. Courtesy Gunnar Optiks.
Gunnar ENIGMA, BLACK PANTHER EDITION. Courtesy Gunnar Optiks. /
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A ways back I had the pleasure of running into the fine folks at Gunnar at probably the best time in my life to do so. I had FINALLY upgraded my television to an LED and my eyes were feeling it. I was loving the picture but absolutely hating how my eyes were feeling like they were lifting weights.

Suddenly, without warning, Gunnar appeared like some bizarre fairy godmother and was like, "You wanna try our Spider-Man shades?" After I was done finding out how they got in my home, I decided to try them on and, as you might have read, I loved them. They helped a ton.

The only problem was that, as a 43-year-old man, pulling off the bright bold red of a man of spiders can be a little tricky. I needed something muted. Then I had the chance to try the Black Panthers.

Enigma, Black Panther Edition

Enigmas are one of the thicker frames that Gunnar offers. They're designed for people who want wide frames and because of the wider, thicker frames, they're going to be pretty visible on your face.

Luckily, the Black Panther Edition is perfect for this. With the black front and dark purple sides you're not a day-glo beacon. The insides of the frame are filled with cool nods to the Black Panther universe though. With Wakanda Forever written on one side and "I Choose Loyalty" on the other. It's enough to remind you of who you're wearing without making it look like you're wearing a novelty t-shirt on your face. I appreciated that.

I will say though, the one thing with the Enigmas is that they're definitely heavier. If you're not used to wearing glasses, like me, you'll feel it after about an hour or so.

If you're in the mood to support Wakanda AND your eyes, you can snag the Enigmas here for $79.99. Prescription lenses are available as well for a bit more.

Mateo, Black Panther Vibranium Edition

Oh these are pretty. Simple, elegant, and just stunning.

The Black Panther collection going two for two with the black front and purple sides but if it ain't broke, you know? The different between the Mateos and the Enigmas, is that while the Enigmas are thick bois, the Mateos are super thin. With their light weight, titanium frames these things weight about as much on your nose as a band-aid.

My only complaint with these is that they're little. In fairness, I have a head like a zeppelin so I blame my genetics over Gunnar, but many of the Gunnar frames fit fairly comfy on my head wear as these ones had arms so short that the ends of them sat on top of my ears making the glasses tip downward. Also, the spring hinges make the glasses kind of clamp to your head which, some people like and some people, like me, feel like they're being hit by a tiny face hugger.

If you're looking for some Black Panther themed shades that'll give you more T'chala for your dolla (I'm so sorry) you can pick these up for $129.99 over here. You can also have the lenses swapped out with prescription lenses for a fee as well.

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