Review: GUNNAR Arbor Collection glasses – Muir, Humboldt, and Groot

I’m going to be honest here: the GUNNAR Arbor Collection might be some of my favorite glasses to ever come out of GUNNAR’s offerings. Announced alongside the Clear Pro lens, which we’ll talk more about at length later, the Arbor in this case means they’re made of wood. To this, they put out three new frames that will blow you away: Muir, Humboldt, and the Guardians of the Galaxy Groot Edition.

While looking at and wearing these, I decided that it wouldn’t be worth doing three separate reviews for this collection. A lot of their attributes are ridiculously crossed over and it’d be a lot of writing the same exact thing three different ways. So, instead, consider this a mega review for all three frames, as well as the new Clear Pro lens.

So, without further adieu, you should make like a tree and stick around for this review.

What’s in the box?

All three frames in the GUNNAR Arbor Collection come with similar accessories. The Muir and Humboldt come with a pretty simple, dark grey microfiber pouch with the GUNNAR logo emblazoned on it, as well as a light grey microfiber cloth square.

All three pairs offer a magnetic, cardboard glasses case. They’re similar to the case that came with the Diablo IV, Sanctuary Edition that came out a while back, which I reviewed earlier this year, but it’s in brown to emulate the “wood” and “eco-friendly” appeal of the collection. The big difference is how they close, which fits the glasses in them easier by comparison.

Another thing that the cases do differently and that I like is that they’re soft inside with a not-quite velvet lining. As someone who can’t stand touching actual velvet, I was pleased that it was different.

On the other hand, the Guardians of the Galaxy Groot Edition glasses do at least keep up with some art on the pouch and microfiber cloth. You can find the Guardians logo on the pouch, with a stylized Groot artwork across both the front and back of the cloth. It’s nice, but I have no idea who drew it, sadly.

All in all, I wish they did something a little more with the accessories for such a monumental collection. After getting my hands on the Fallout Vault 33 and tokidoki Year of the Dragon pairs and seeing what kinds of cases they’re capable of at GUNNAR, cardboard feels like a cheap cop-out for such pricy glasses.

All in all, it may be cardboard, but it, luckily, feels a little more “quality” and not “moving box”. I just wish there was something more going on.

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

Let’s talk about each of these frames before anything else. Each one is classy and different from the other, even if it’s subtle. The starting lineup of options for the GUNNAR Arbor Collection is the ‘80s aviator-style Humboldt, the horn-rimmed Muir, and the slightly broader but also horn-rimmed Guardians of the Galaxy Groot Edition styles.

All three GUNNAR Arbor Collection styles have a ton of crossover, such as the fact that they’re made of both wood and carbon fiber for a very sturdy build. This also means they’re all incredibly light. 

The nose is nearly identical on all three of the GUNNAR Arbor Collection frames, being without nose guards. Each of them also has the word “GUNNAR” emblazoned on each of the temple arms. Lastly, each has wonderful flexible spring hinges, which I’ll talk more about when I get to the “wearing them” part of this review. 

The Humboldt will make you relive the ‘80s.

The Humboldt glasses may not be for everyone. But, I really like them. The style is very old school and looks like something that a nature-centric action hero in the 1980s would wear… or a more toned-down Tony Stark. 

You’ll find an extra line connecting the top of one eye to the other for a really retro look that you’re either going to adore or hate. Also, of the three, the Humboldt is definitely the heaviest. But, that’s okay because they’re still very light due to the materials used to build it. 

Color-wise, the “sustainably forested ebony wood” used for the GUNNAR Arbor Collection frames is exquisite and has layers of lighter-colored wood in between for a really nice visual effect if you’re looking at them at the right angle. Aside from the connecting line mentioned, the Humboldt is entirely in this style and they just visually look great.

Muir frames are simple, light, and easy to wear.

The Muir frames are crafted to be pretty standard horn-rimmed glasses. You’ll spot two little cosmetic dots on the “horns” to mimic the look. Visually, they look great and do the same layered visual effect using the same ebony wood as the Humboldt.

I’m unsure if this is on all pairs of Muir as wood is so random, but mine has a neat stripe of slightly lighter coloring horizontally across the entire pair that seems to naturally exist in that piece of wood. My Humboldt pair has a similar, but different, stripe as well. It gives them more volume and a little more style and flair. 

The temples of the glasses, unlike the Humboldt, eventually end with a more plastic arm. The website doesn’t clarify what the material is, but it’s not wood nor carbon fiber. 

However, the tips will absolutely keep fingerprints and oils from your hands until you clean them off. It’s not a deal breaker since they’re going to be behind your ears anyway. But, it’s an odd choice on such a clean-looking collection of frames.

The Guardians of the Galaxy Groot Edition will make you wish you had a raccoon on your shoulder when you wear them.

The Guardians of the Galaxy Groot Edition glasses are an odd-yet-welcome addition to the GUNNAR Arbor Collection. I didn’t expect to see a licensed Marvel property as part of a new, serious collection. But, here we are.

Similarly to the Muir, the Groot Edition frames rock a horn-rimmed style. While the Groot pair doesn’t have the two dots on each horn, it does offer a couple of major differences. 

Sitting next to each other, I realized that the Groot lenses were a lot bigger than the Muir, being closer in size to the larger Humboldt lenses. Additionally, the Groot pair, similar to other licensed options, has a little nod to the character himself with the Guardians badge right out of Marvel Comics on the end of one of the arms.

Also, being made of wood gave GUNNAR a reason to add them to the Arbor Collection. But, the wood isn’t the same ebony as the others. It’s still sustainably harvested, but this pair is made from a walnut tree instead.

While the other pairs offer the Clear Pro lens option, the Groot Edition is the only frame from the GUNNAR Arbor Collection that doesn’t come in the new lenses. You can only find them in the yellow-tinted Amber (like the pair I received for review), sunglasses, and the older Clear lens unless you go with the prescription offerings. This isn’t immediately obvious because they were originally marketed alongside the other frames that do have Clear Pro.

The Clear Pro lens is the newest GUNNAR option

So, that’s a good segue to talk about the new masterclass lenses designed by GUNNAR: the Clear Pro. 

Let me preface by saying that I don’t wear prescription glasses. But, I do sit at a desk all day long for work, writing, and videos… and I play a lot of video games. I often worry about blue light, considering I have nine screens on my desk alone. So, blue light-blocking glasses are a must-have at nearly all times for me.

As an old fan of GUNNAR, the Amber lenses have been a staple of my collection, with only a few differing lenses along the way. If you’re buying cheaply at, let’s say, Best Buy, you’re probably getting their most basic pairs of glasses that come with Amber lenses. 

They’re great for keeping your eyes from drying out and helping with blue light, but that damned yellow-tinting shades everything like you’re in a Tarantino film. What if you could get some blue light protection but get a true-to-color lens?

Introduced with the GUNNAR Arbor Collection, the Clear Pro lens gives a little blue light-blocking option and all of the same resistance coatings as other lenses. But, it’s clear. Super clear.

I tried it out, both inside and outside, and saw zero difference with them, on or off, in terms of hue, saturation, and clarity. So, why wear them at all?

Being so clear, they help with the same problems as the other GUNNAR lenses do, such as helping to keep your eyes from drying out and keeping you from straining your eyes at a screen. While it’s not going to do much if you look directly at the sun, they also offer anti-reflective coatings, too.

They’re designed to be at a desk all day long and are especially perfect for graphic designers, video producers, and all-around content creators. The GUNNAR Arbor Collection, namely the Humboldt and Muir, are the first two frame options for the Clear Pro.

They’re really nice, by the way, for anyone wanting to wear them while they stream.

Wearing the GUNNAR Arbor Collection glasses

Honestly, all three frames from the GUNNAR Arbor Collection are very lightweight and, somehow, don’t feel like you could break them easily. I’ve been wearing all three pairs across the past week and can say they’re very comfortable and I often forgot I was wearing anything on my face at all.

While some GUNNAR glasses are actually heavy, such as the Fallout Vault 33 and Diablo IV, Sanctuary Edition glasses, the GUNNAR Arbor Collection is closer to the tokidoki Year of the Dragon in terms of weight and wearability. 

If you want to read more about the tokidoki Year of the Dragon pair, as a comparison, I wrote a review earlier this year here on Comfy Cozy Gaming. 

Speaking of the tokidoki pair, I’m incredibly happy to see all three of these come with the flexible spring hinges that I love. Let me be the first to admit that I have a big head and rigid hinges sometimes feel a little too constricting. The Arbor Collection, on the other hand, allows you to adjust the grip to your head shape and size for a perfect fit no matter who you are.

As mentioned earlier, each pair has their own traits and focus. The Humboldt and Groot Edition frames have more vision coverage with bigger lenses but are a little bit heavier. Whereas, the Muir, being the lightest and having the Clear Pro lens option, might be the winner for all-around comfort, versatility, and style.

Final Verdict

I’m absolutely floored by how good the GUNNAR Arbor Collection turned out to be. While the Muir is the Clear (Pro) winner between the three, all of them are absolutely amazing. 

I can’t wait to see what frame styles they plan to put out in the future that include the Clear Pro lenses. But, it’s obvious that they’re going for both style and substance with whatever they make here.

Aside from some minor unrooting on GUNNAR’s part, this entire collection has grown to tower over prior frames and lenses. The Arbor Collection is their new evergreen product line that is sure to branch off an entirely new line in the future.

You can find the Muir and Humboldt glasses on GUNNAR’s website and Amazon for $119.00. The Guardians of the Galaxy Groot Edition glasses are only $10 more at $129.00. (Disclaimer: Buying from our affiliate links may support us.)

While not wearable like the Arbor Collection glasses, the recently announced CRKD NEO S controllers are also incredibly stylish. You should check them out.