GUNNAR Lime Paralex Gaming Eyewear Review

• Brand: GUNNAR
• Model: GUNNAR Lime Paralex
• Website: http://shop.gunnars.com/paralex/d/1040
• RRP: £79.99

Back in 2007 when Jennifer Michelsen and Joe Croft banded together to create a solution to CVS (Computer Vision Syndrome), which at the time was relatively unknown.  GUNNAR Optiks was the vision and oh boy did they make waves.  With top names such as 50 Cent, Carl Zeiss, Happy Madison productions and Monster on board with GUNNAR, they are well respected within the industry and their product range continues to grow.  With a range going from gaming all the way to prescription glasses, there is something to suit everybody’s needs. Coming in at around £79 when they get released in the UK, will that put people off?  I hope not!  People spend hundreds of pounds on products to protect their hands from carpal tunnel syndrome in the form of wrist wrests, ergonomic keyboards etc, why not on such a product to protect one of the most important and underrated organs in the body? The eyes! This model in particular features steel construction with no screws to lose and is from GUNNARs gaming range. Today in the spotlight is the GUNNAR Lime Paralex.

KEY FEATURES

• Adjustable silicone nose pads provide a customizable fit;

• Fastener free hinge design and high tensile steel construction create incredible durability;

• Gently curved temples provide necessary retention to keep eyewear in place;

• Ultra slim temples distribute headphone pressure to ensure headset compatiibility;

• Interchangeable sockets create endless design and customization options;

• One piece front construction eliminates all welds, screws and other potential points of failure;

• Flexible temples conform and ergonomically fit a wide range of head and face shapes

SPECIFICATIONS

weight: 20 grams (without packaging)

eye size: 54 mm

bridge width: 18 mm

temple length: 120 mm

lens height: 28 mm

Lightweight, packed with features and built from high tensile steel, lets take at how the Lime Paralex comes packaged.

On the front of the box, which is well presented in typical GUNNARs fashion, there is a clear viewing window so you can clearly see the colour and style of your chosen glasses.  The main colour of the box is black with red/white text with the GUNNAR moniker along the bottom.

Flip the box over and your greeted with a detailed explanation of the features, which I think is brilliant.  It’s always a plus when manufacturers explain their own terminology etc.  Again the main colour of the rear is black with red/white text.

Inside the box we have the Lime Paralex glasses themselves along with a white pouch to store them which also acts as a cleaning cloth.  I would recommend a GUNNARs glasses case as the white pouch won’t stop them from being damaged if dropped etc.  Along with the pouch and the glasses, is a warranty leaflet (GUNNAR RX) which provides all the information on returns etc.

Now lets take a closer look at the Lime Paralex themselves!

From a first look we can see the frame is made of high tensile steel which is very durable and is lime green.  The frame is a one piece construction meaning there are no screws or welds to come loose which increases the overall strength of the frame.

On the inside frame it states the model and the colour of the glasses.  As you can see there are no hinges or welds on the frame which gives added strength meaning they are more durable.  This is a great feature given that they are gaming glasses.they are gaming glasses.

The lenses themselves have GUNNARs I-AMP Technology which is the feature designed to reduce digital eye strain.  This gives the glasses the ability to combat the main causes of Computer Vision Syndrome.

As you can see the Lime Paralex are down to personal taste with the chosen colour etc, but now its time for me to put them through their paces. 

To test the GUNNAR Lime I spent quite a lot of time doing different tasks ranging from general browsing to extremely long gaming sessions to see what kind of an impact they would make on my eyes after some lengthy exposure to my monitor. Do they work? Well yes they do, and what a difference they make.  

For my first test I fired up World of Warcraft, signed up for my guilds Monday night raid which is just over 4 hours long.  Normally I would feel tired after all the boss killing/looting etc.  With the GUNNARs I genuinely could tell the difference instantly.  The main thing was the magnification the glasses provided, which stopped my eyes straining a little to make out certain words which appeared to be small on screen.  The other main difference was the noticeable lack of screen glare which is a big factor in the cause of CVS.

The next game I wanted to throw at my eyes was Call of Duty – Black Ops 2.  This is a very fast paced first person shooter, in my opinion a very good game to test them with as there is always something going on.  After a couple of hours of solid gaming just like with World of Warcraft, I could notice the difference between wearing them and not.  My eyes felt great, no redness or fatigue whatsoever. Next test I decided to send some emails, obviously the main emphasis here was the versatility of the Lime Paralex glasses.  With such a short test I will be honest, I didn’t notice the difference bar the reduction in screen glare.

The final test was writing out a word document, and what better way to do that than test them while writing up this review!  These might be designed primarily for gaming but they are really versatile in their usage.  My eyes still feel fresh, no dryness, no fatigue and my eyes remain bloodshot free. One thing I will mention is that if you plan on doing graphical design work, a set from the crystalline range would be better suited, as the lenses are slightly tinted and accurate colour reproduction could differ slightly.

So are GUNNAR masters of marketing hype? Or do their products actually have a place in the market?

Well personally they do work, I really do swear by them.  This is the 2^nd set I have tested and since receiving my first pair, I haven’t put them down since! With many different styles available there really is a colour and design for everybody which I feel is fantastic.  The other main plus point is the ability to get them through the use of prescriptions.  This means you can show the world outside your impecible sense of style.  Yes they really do look that good! They are comfortable to wear and after a couple of hours I could barely tell I was wearing any glasses.  One thing I will point out is that it took my eyes around 10 minutes to adjust while wearing them but this is to be expected.  

My personal experience of the Lime Paralex was a very pleasant one and I am not usually an easy person to please! To explain my personal experience while actually gaming, the difference with and without them on was pretty conclusive.  My eyes can be somewhat sensitive, especially with the games I play and with how long my  gaming sessions actually last.  After my 4 hour World of Warcraft session my eyes felt just as good as they did before I started.  My pupils weren’t bloodshot and remained moist and  they didn’t feel fatigued like they normally would.

From a performance aspect they have made a big difference to how I game, I see them as a very useful tool.  People spend hundreds of pounds on mechanical keyboards, gaming mice, expensive 5.1 headsets but would you spend £80-120 on gaming glasses?  My answer is yes, they had more of an impact on my gaming than anything else I have tested to date.  The fact I could continue to game without my eyes wandering, feeling tired or drying out meant that I could play for longer and keep the consistency going.  Currently these aren’t released in the UK yet but www.scan.co.uk and other retailers will get them in eventually.  They do have other GUNNAR glasses available for purchase so have a look for yourself, there could be a set that takes your fancy.

GUNNAR have not only done a fantastic job at designing and manufacturing something to combat CVS, but have made them comfortable, stylish, and elegant.  I am proud to say I own a pair of GUNNARs and feel they deserve the attention they receive.  Great work GUNNAR!