Fallout Vault 33 Glasses Review: Vault Boy Approved

The Fallout Vault 33 glasses may boast a premium price tag that will scare some Wastelanders away, but for those with enough bottle caps for the retro-futuristic gaming and computer glasses from Gunnar this is a pretty easy recommendation, with only a couple of exceptions to consider. The new glasses were officially released earlier this month alongside the new Amazon Prime TV show, and much like the show, the glasses are proving quite popular, as evident by how quickly they began to sellout. Thankfully, a restock is planned to happen within a month or two, so any Fallout fans who missed out on the first wave will get a second bite at the radroach. 

About the Glasses:

• Cost: $99.99
• Style: Retro-futuristic with square frames, complete with flexible spring hinges. 
• Material: Stainless Steel and Nylon 
• Technology: Gunnar patented lens technology, complete with anti-reflective and smudge-resistance. Blocks harmful blue light and 100% UV. 
• Specifications: Lens Width: 57 mm | Nose: 15 mm | Frame Width: 133 mm | Temple: 140 mm | Weight: 20 grams
• Comes With: Collectors Case, Collectors Microfiber Pouch, Collectors Microfiber Cleaning Cloth, and a 12-month warranty. 

Our Thoughts:

First of all, if you don't own gaming or computer glasses, you should. They are not a gimmick. Reducing blue light has actual health benefits. For one, it is going to alleviate eye strain. Two, it will in turn prevent eye pain. And three it will also help reduce the number and severity of headaches related to screen usage. You may even notice yourself sleeping better. They are a life-changer for anyone who works on a computer or plays a ton of games. To this end, you can find cheap blue-light-blocking glasses on Amazon, and they do a decent job, but just like with anything else, you get what you pay for. Gunnar glasses are expensive, but they are one of the top dogs in this space for a reason. 

The Fallout Vault 33 glasses are no exception. They are not cheap, but the premium features and craftsmanship shows when you look at them and use them. If you like the retro-futuristic look, you are going to like the way they look. How they look in fancy product shots is how they look in real life. Better yet, they look like Fallout glasses. And unlike most video game merchandise, the branding is very subtle rather than gaudy. This is noticeable not just with the glasses, but the packaging and accessories as well. The case, in particular, looks great on a side table or shelf with its ambiguous "Vault-Tec 33 Industries" branding rather than the Fallout branding. 

The commitment to the style does get in the way of functionality at times though. The frames are not just heavy, as you can gauge by the pictures and materials, but they are thick. As a result, when looking out the corner of my eyes, the side of the frames interrupted my vision a little to much to the point it could be a little disorienting. When looking at your computer screen or gaming, this is not a problem, but when life interrupts either of these things, as it often does, it can be a problem, albeit a small one. 

The other potential negative worth noting is the metal arms. While the metal arms are sturdier and feel premium compared to the many ultra-cheap, light plastic glasses that dominate the market -- the same type of glasses that quickly break -- they are metal. If you don't like how metal arms feel, these aren't going to be a breakthrough product for you. Further, in our experience, the break-in period with metal arms is substantially longer than lighter plastics so keep that in mind, especially if you suffer from issues with pressure behind your ears. 

The Fallout Vault 33 glasses started to sell out the moment they became available for good reason. The aesthetics capture the style of the Fallout universe perfectly while not falling into the usual pitfalls of video game merchandise. Even in the post-apocalypse, looking good is as important as mitigating radiation levels, and the Fallout Vault 33 glasses look great. Gunnar also has a reputation for creating glasses with quality builds, made from quality materials, complete with technology your eyes will thank you for. This reputation is upheld with the Fallout Vault 33 glasses. That said, at times the aesthetics and build of the glasses do have a couple downsides that detract from the everyday use of the glasses. Thankfully, these drawbacks are minimal compared to the pros of the product. 

A sample of the Fallout Vault 33 glasses was provided for the purpose of this review. More specifically, this review reflects our time with the Clear Lens versions of the glasses. We did not have access to the Amber Lens or Sun Lens glasses, both of which block out 65% and 90% of blue light, respectively, compared to the 35% of the Clear Lens.