It’s hard to imagine how a company could bring innovation to a product like sunglasses, yet Distil Union was able to deliver just that with its new MagLock Sunglasses. As the name suggests, these shades feature magnets in the temples for a useful clipping feature to prevent drops and loss. But more than just a cool new feature, I’ve found these sunglasses to be really comfortable and functional. Read on for all the details.
Distil Union is best known for its slick iPhone wallet cases and other similar accessories. The company’s mantra is “simplify, smile, repeat” and Distil Union has recently introduced its first wearable product, the MagLock Sunglasses.
I’ve been testing out them out for the last few weeks and have really been surprised and delighted.
Honestly, before giving them a go, I was thinking it sounded like a cool idea, but wondered how different they could be from any other pair of shades. But after using them regularly, it’d be a letdown to go back to other sunglasses.
Specs
- Hidden neodymium (rare earth) magnets for clipping to your shirt, bag strap, or to anything magnetic
- Comfortable soft touch, satin finish
- Flexible frame with shape memory
- Impact-resistant lenses with 100% UVA and UVB protection
- Lenses are scratch-resistant, anti-reflective, polarized
- Gray lens color for clarity
- Includes ‘origami’ hardcase and soft microfiber sleeve/cloth
Materials & Build
When I first took the MagLock Sunglasses out of the packaging (an origami, magnetic hardcase) I was surprised by how light they were. They tip the scales at under one ounce (23g). My immediate reaction was to wonder about the durability with such light shades, but I realized quickly that it was an intentional and smart move, more on that in a moment.
The lightness of these shades provides a really comfortable fit along with the satin finish. As for the other components, Distil Union has used stainless steel screws for where the temple meets the frame, the rare earth magnets are fully sealed in the temples, and the polarized lenses are FDA approved for 100% UV protection.
Distil Union notes that with magnets in the frames, these aren’t suitable for anyone with a pacemaker, ICD, or any other condition that might limit magnets from being near your head or body. However, they are fine for those with nickel allergies.
Distil Union offers two frame styles, Folly and Sullivan, and each of those in four different colors and also in non-mirrored and mirrored finishes. I tested out the Folly MagLock Sunglasses in Storm Gray with non-mirrored lenses.
These sunglasses come with a one-year warranty and a generous cool offer to replace lost or broken sunglasses for half price (even though both of those scenarios are much less likely than with other sunglasses).
In Use
I wear prescription eyeglasses when I’m not wearing contacts and I’m used to having heavier spectacles on my face. The first benefit I noticed with the 23g Folly sunglasses was how comfortable they were. Even after wearing them for over four hours for the first time I didn’t experience any discomfort at all.
Another benefit to how light these shades are is that they stay put on my face. With my prescription specs I’m used to some sliding around and regularly pushing them back up to the top of my nose. I haven’t had to do that once with the MagLocks.
I also haven’t used sunglasses with polarized lenses much before and really enjoyed the elimination of glare and overall clarity they provide. Particularly on snowy days this winter, the MagLock Folly shades have provided a much better experience than my prescription glasses that have transition lenses (change to shaded lenses).
As for the headline feature of these sunglasses, once you start using them you wonder why all spectacles don’t have this feature. The magnets work super well to clip to your shirt for safe keeping, but there’s also lots of other handy use cases.
One way I really liked to utilize the functionality is popping them on the fridge, which helps me remember them on the way out the door. Other useful options include clipping them to a light swtich or your backpack, purse, or other bag.
Conclusion
With brilliant functionality, a really comfortable fit, and colors and styles to fit most tastes, it’s easy to recommend Distil Union’s MagLock Sunglasses. Both Folly and Sullivan are priced at $80 for all variants.
Buy MagLock Sunglasses direct from Distil Union
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