Review: GUNNAR tokidoki Year of the Dragon glasses

If you’re familiar with GUNNAR gaming glasses, you likely know they offer a very high-quality product when they put their minds to it. So, when GUNNAR contacted me about their new tokidoki Year of the Dragon collaboration glasses, I jumped at the chance to try them.

I’ve been an avid wearer of GUNNAR gaming and computer glasses ever since I first came across the old $40 pair that they sold in Best Buy years ago. Needless to say, those glasses were rigid, cheaper feeling than the more expensive offerings, and were designed for the mass market. But, they were easily 100x better than any blue blockers you could pick up for $10 at Walgreens. I still recommend them to anyone looking for a gateway drug into gaming glasses to this day.

Honestly, tokidoki is such a cute brand that I’m glad they decided to collab with GUNNAR. I’ll get into the details below more, but it was just really nice to see the outing not only be well-made, but themed around the Year of the Dragon. I’m not one to focus on the Zodiac much, but in the Chinese Zodiac, I’m a Dragon myself (and so is my wife).

What’s in the box?

Right out of the box, you’re going to see more than just glasses here. Since this is an official tokidoki collaboration, they went all out. The creator of tokidoki, Simone Legno, was brought in to help with all aspects of the design process. He designed the frame, the case, the microfiber pouch, and the microfiber cleaning cloth (literally all of it). Speaking of the other items aside from the actual glasses, let’s talk about the rest first.

I’m going to get something out of the way as it’s the only blemish on this nearly-perfect review. I don’t like the case’s appearance. The case itself? I love the design, how it opens, the magnetic door, and even the cute tokidoki logo engraved into the bottom. It’s all quite functional.

However, the red faux “dragon” scales are a cute idea in theory but made me have flashbacks of my grandmother’s cigarette and glasses case from when I was little. It was a similar dyed shade of red and made of gator skin. I grew up in Florida, so it was real alligator skin. But, I have this negative nostalgic feeling of having to get it for her at 5 years old and coughing all the time due to the cigarette smoke that it wrought. 

The case also just reminds me of old people at a flea market, which is decidedly not a fashion statement I want to make if I’m wearing these awesome glasses a little more publicly than at my desk. As I said, it’s a shame because the actual shape and design of the case itself is amazing. I just need it in a different textile.

The carrying pouch and microfiber cloth, on the other hand, are an entirely different story. If you’re a fan of tokidoki, you’re going to see a good handful of characters from across their range of products on the pouch, such as SANDy and Cactus Dog, Donutella, and Strawberry Milk. The pouch itself is something that all of GUNNAR’s products come in, so having a cute or unique design instead of just a red GUNNAR logo is always a nice touch.

The microfiber cloth is a lot more unique. As it was designed by Mr. Legno, known for his heavy Japanese aesthetic in his work, the tokidoki art really shines here. In the center, as with a lot of tokidoki products, is a focus on a Japanese woman. She’s wearing samurai gear. While the Year of the Dragon this year is generally associated with the Chinese New Year, Japan also celebrates it. So, I assume that’s the look and feel that they’re going for.

Adorned around the woman are just so many different dragons in various styles. You can also find a tokidoki Mermicorno (half unicorn, half mermaid) up at the top as a dragon-esque look. This makes sense, as Japan sees the dragon associated with the year as a water dragon. The image is just neat all around.

Tech in the Specs (or, Holding a Lens Up to These Glasses)

You can’t talk about the tokidoki Year of the Dragon glasses without first talking about GUNNAR as a brand and what they bring to the table. I’ve owned my fair share of the less-expensive side of GUNNAR over the years and jumping up to the above-$100 range is on an entirely new level.

I’ll talk a lot more about the comfort of how it all fits and the design later. But, the handmade acetate and metal frame material makes this pair of glasses feel like I could do it no harm, even if I tried. For that reason, they remind me of the much older GUNNAR PPK line in how they’re designed.

They come in a couple of options for people’s needs, too. I’m a fan of going with GUNNAR’s 65 Amber lens option for maximum blue-blocker capabilities since I don’t need prescription glasses personally. But, you can also get them in the 35 Clear option for everyday use in the non-prescription option, which still offers some minimal blue-blocking but is more for fashion than function.

While the 65 Amber is likely a little more yellow-tinted than the average person wants on the go, you can get both options (and more) in a prescription option, which raises the price from $115 to $265. If you’re looking to do transition lenses (and why wouldn’t you want those?), you’re dropping $365.

Since I have 20/20 vision (sorry, nerds), I don’t personally have a lot of knowledge on the prices of glasses outside of my wife’s taken-off-the-wall frames from the optometrist. But, I do know that high-quality and designer wearables can be often pretty pricy. So, I’ll let you work out if it’s worth it for yourself.

If you’re worried about hurting the glasses, GUNNAR does have you covered. Their G-Shield lens coating means they’re resistant to scratches, fingerprints, and water. They’re also anti-reflective and reduce glare. I tested them out and can, in fact, assure you that they are all of those things.

The one note that I want to touch on is that the thin metal frame around the lens can occasionally still pick up a little glare at the right angle, even though the lens itself does not. So, keep that in mind when considering this frame.

Wearing the GUNNAR tokidoki Year of the Dragon glasses

Looking at the glasses in terms of design, the intention was to make you feel like a dragon while wearing them. You can immediately see it in the shape of the lenses for these frames, with a more cat-eye look, golden rim, and furrowed, black browline, right away. 

The temples of the glasses have a reddish, almost koi fish-like quality to the coloring. If you’re familiar with Japanese and Asian culture, you may know of the story of Longmen, the story of a carp (of which a koi is part of the species) who transforms into a dragon by leaping over a waterfall. If you’re familiar with Pokémon, it’s the same reason why Magikarp turns into a Gyarados. I don’t know if a koi fish was the artist’s original intention, but I choose to believe it may have been an inspiration.

I wore the GUNNAR tokidoki Year of the Dragon glasses for the entire day, only taking them off for non-screen activities (yes, some of those do still exist). While wearing them, I took into account how they fit on my face, how easy it was to forget they were even on my head, and what it felt like as a non-glasses-wearing person.

Since I use my GUNNAR glasses for actual computer work and gaming, I put them to the test. As always, the 65 Amber was the best way to go and I’m glad that I got that version because they got some heavy screen use today. 

Comfort-wise, it was like a dream. At several points during the day, I forgot I even had them on. I’m typing this article up while still wearing them because I forgot to take them off.

The contact points to my head were certainly minimal and, trust me, I have a big head. After wearing my old, rigid, hefty GUNNAR Enigma glasses for the past several years, these felt like I had nothing on my head at all. 

The metal frame is minimal and does its best to stay out of the way. While the rim around the lenses offers a golden tinge, the rest is from their “onyx” color scheme, which I liken to gunmetal black.

One thing that I like about GUNNAR’s metal frames is how you don’t feel like you’re going to break them, no matter what you do. If you have a metal frame, the hinges generally let you pull outwards some with no problem. 

The old PPK line would let you nearly bend the entire pair of glasses into a straight line. The tokidoki Year of the Dragon pair doesn’t give quite that much freedom, but they don’t feel flimsy at all, even though they’re slim. And, additionally, they bend back enough that they can account for whatever shape head you have.

Final Verdict

I’m not going to lie. I went into this specific review not expecting to like them. The style is determinately feminine. I’m used to more masculine styles and frames from GUNNAR’s line of glasses. But, wearing them, they’re easily my favorite for everyday work and play. 

Sure, they aren’t perfect. The bundled case, although high quality and in a great functional design, just left me wanting something a little more modern feeling. As mentioned, while the lenses don’t reflect, the golden trim around them sometimes might, when at just the right angle in the light.

However, none of that matters when it comes to style and fashion; they look good. Like, I found myself taking selfies while wearing these. They’re hot and make you feel hot when you wear them, no matter if you’re a man, woman, or anyone else. If you’re looking for a solid style to make you stand out, the GUNNAR tokidoki Year of the Dragon gaming and computer glasses are a must-get this season.

If you’re looking for GUNNAR glasses in general, you can check out their store on Amazon. If you buy anything from this link, Comfy Cozy Gaming may get a small percentage.