Polarised and polarising: the Ombraz Viale sport a quality lens, a comfortable fit but the armless design won’t be for everyone

Polarised and polarising. There’s just something about taking the arms off of sunglasses — you’ll either love them or hate them. Ombraz, a brand dedicated to armless eyewear, challenges you to rethink just how much you really need those temple pieces. (Spoiler alert: you don’t.)

According to the company’s website, this armless design has an origin story set during a camel safari in India, where a set of broken sidearms was salvaged with a simple piece of twine to surprising success. And thus, Ombraz was born.

Construction

Practical and sturdy, Ombraz has stayed true to its founding “design” principles, though I imagine the modern models are a bit more stylish than the original prototype. Nowadays, each pair gives you Zeiss glass optics encased in a TR-90 plastic frame, dangling on an adjustable marine-grade nylon cord.

Ombraz sunglasses come in a number of models — six as of this writing. And the customisations, namely frame colour, lens colour, and width, are the same across each model, with the largest difference being the frame style itself. The Viale, reviewed here, is notable for its pronounced side shields that may help reduce peripheral glare and provide slightly better protection against wind and dust than other models. They are also one of the smallest frame styles. While this might be a draw for people with smaller face shapes, ultimately, any frame size can fit any face size since there are no arms to contend with, and the sunglass fit is completely adjustable using the nylon cord. Your selection of style and size really just comes down to aesthetic preference.

Ombraz believes in its product's quality and components enough to offer a lifetime warranty on its sunglasses. Cords, adjustment systems and frames are all backed under that warranty, though scratched lenses are not.

Specs

• Lens Material: Polarised Zeiss with 100% UVA/UVB Protection
• Lens Color: Grey, Brown, Yellow, and RX
• Frame Material: TR-90 plastic
• Frame Colors: Tortoise, Charcoal, Dusk (Brown)
• Attachment Style: Armless; 100% Recycled Nylon Cord
• Sizes: Regular (51.3-mm lens width, 47.9-mm lens height, 23.2-mm bridge width, 136.0-mm total frame width) and Narrow (48.9-mm lens width, 45.6-mm lens height, 22.8-mm bridge width, 130.2-mm total frame width).
• Optional Add-ons: Side Shields, Nose Pad Risers, Floatie
• Price: $160 / £144.99

The feel

Now, let’s get to it: the lack of arms. When I first heard of Ombraz, I was curious but disbelieving that sunglasses without such quintessential components as arms would really be much more than a gimmick.

Historically, I’ve not been one to love sunglasses. They’ve always been an obligatory piece of gear, providing the obvious protection from sun, dust, bugs and the elements. But with every pair, there’s always a rub: the frames are too wide or sometimes too narrow, the sidearms give me headaches after a few hours, the bridge slips off my nose, and on and on. Inevitably, the sunglasses end up hanging off my jersey or stuck in the vents of my helmet. From here, they're likely to fall to the ground and scratch or fall off my person entirely to be lost forever (RIP Oakley Sutros, I miss you loads). This means that I usually stick to buying $25 sunnies that are fine and cheap enough to break, scratch or lose all over again.

Enter Ombraz. Sidearms, begone! Poof, a nylon cord! It’s the solution I didn’t even realise I was looking for.

It turns out, they really work. When I first put them on, I was pleasantly surprised by how comfortably and securely they sat on my face without having to cinch down the signature nylon cord very tightly at all.

For the lenses, Ombraz relies on Zeiss, a brand camera geeks might recognise as the maker of high-end lenses, and the quality is tangible. I barely notice the lenses are there.

The nylon cord is easily adjusted with a simple sliding mechanism that stays in place quite soundly. I don't think they look odd at all. In fact, Ombraz has done a good job in opting for pretty classic, timeless designs in its frame styles. If anything, many have complimented me on the glasses before even realising there was a cord instead of arms.

An added feature of the corded design is that the sunglasses lay flat while packed, and you no longer have to worry about damaging or breaking sidearms since they don’t exist. Instead of a bulky protective case, Ombraz glasses come with a minimalist neoprene sleeve and a niftily attached microfiber towel. I have thrown them haphazardly into my bag (when not dangling from my neck) and have even accidentally sat on them a time or two, and they have yet to break or scratch. Ombraz advertises the frame plastic as being “indestructible”, and while I haven’t tried to run them over with my bike (yet), they have certainly held up to daily wear and my not-so-careful handling.

I have truly loved these as a piece of crossover gear, using them for running, biking, kayaking and casual wear. As a cyclist, though, one of the drawbacks is that they are difficult to adjust or put on one-handed, and they are not removable mid-ride without first taking your helmet off since the cord sits under the helmet straps. While this was my one gripe, other users have noted being annoyed by the cord working awkwardly with certain hairstyles, the frames slipping down their nose while sweaty and the fact that the cord holds on to moisture where arms wouldn't. Notably, there seem to be just as many users who happily laud their surprise at not having these problems at all.

Value and Conclusion

The biggest drawback of these sunglasses is the price point. A pair of Ombraz Viales will run you about $160, which is about five times the price of a pair of Tifosi Swanks. But in our selection of top cycling glasses, the Ombraz come in mid-range and far from the most expensive option.

As someone who recently spent a small fortune on eye surgery and, therefore, would like to protect and enjoy my new 20/20 vision, I do think a high-quality pair of sunglasses is a worthy investment. I’m also someone who tends toward gear minimalism and would rather have one item than two. Thus, the crossover aspect and being able to use these sunglasses in many scenarios, active or casual, is one of the biggest reasons I’d recommend giving Ombraz a try. Plus, the whole armless thing is pretty cool.