How many pairs of sunglasses have you lost when SUPing, surfing or swimming? If you’re like me, you’ve probably lost at least handful over your lifetime. Now multiply that times 142 million people who participate in outdoor sports or activities. It’s a small miracle there aren’t dams solely comprised of all our fallen sunglasses. As outdoor lovers the last thing we want to do is pollute our playground. Zeal Optics seized the opportunity to fix this dilemma. Earlier this fall, the Boulder-based company unveiled their groundbreaking new Ace sunglass—the world’s first fully biodegradable sunglass.
The Overview
Ultra innovative, the Zeal Ace is composed of a plant-based lens, e-llume, which replaces the petroleum bonding agents that sunglasses have traditionally utilized. The lenses are paired with a cotton-based frame, the Z-Resin. The cotton is harvested across America and then shipped to Italy’s Mazzucchelli family, who has developed a legacy around crafting some of the world’s best bio-plastics, specifically, cellulose Acetate—a polymer of vegetal origin coming from cotton linters and wood pulp.
The Zeal Ace comes in Deep Purple and Copper lenses (pictured above), Crushed Coral and Dark Grey lenses, Bombay Brown and Copper lenses, Tuxedo and Dark Grey lenses and Black Gold and Dark Grey lenses.
The Test
The shining star of the Zeal Ace is undoubtedly the high-quality lenses. The copper lens (featured in the photo above) provides incredibly sharp visibility and enhanced clarity—read: the world literally looks better when you’re wearing these stylish sunglasses. While they appear to be lifestyle sunglasses, the Zeal Ace is clearly made for outdoor activities so the frames are durable, and scratch resistant, and the ear pieces fit snuggly, and comfortably, on your head. With a surplus of innovation and style behind these its hard to deny just how cool the Zeal Ace sunglasses are.
5 (out of 5)
Design: Well, you’ve read this review…the Zeal Ace’s have a lot of design cutting-edge considerations behind them. They also get points as an innovative product. +1
Style: Cool, hip and fashion-forward, you’ll easily forget exactly what the Ace’s are intended for (i.e. saving the planet first and turning heads second). +1
Durability: While time will only tell how durable these cotton-based frames are, so far they and the lenses are standing up to abrasions. +1
Performance: I’ve yet to find a sunglass who’s lens clarity I like more. It strikes this perfect balance between subduing bright light enough, while enhancing the view of the world around you. +1
Comfort: Despite having a boxy, larger frame shape, the Zeal Ace sunglasses fit snuggly on the head. There was no weird, uncomfortable pinching either. Hopefully this means you have less of a chance of loosing these chic frames next time you jump, or fall, into water. But at least if you do you don’t have to fret. +1
The ACE by ZEAL Optics – The World’s First Biodegradable Sunglass from ZEAL Optics on Vimeo.
Zeal Ace Features
» 100% Cotton Frame
» Biodegradable
» Italian Made
» Unisex
» Polarized
» e-llume Lens
» Digital Rx +3.00 TO -4.50