When part of your daily accessories includes a pair of glasses, it’s important that the frames you choose fit your face and your style. More importantly, you want quality frames that are durable and dependable because most people who use glasses wear them all day long. Before you shop around for your next pair of glasses, you should know the benefits of wood sunglass frames over plastic frames.

Wood Sunglass Frames vs. Plastic Frames Get the Scoop  

The materials of your frames in your local dispensary today are probably more unique than ever before. Some are eco-conscious or luxurious, while others are unusual or ultra-high-tech. So what will you be choosing for your next pair? Some carbon fiber or titanium? How about a stainless steel pair or castor seed?

Here’s a quick rundown of some of the more unusual and exotic materials used in eyewear:

• Zyl (Plastic): Here is a human-made material that is widely used for eyeglass frames, Zyl is made from the cotton plant substance cellulose, plasticizers, and stabilizers. It’s either molded or cut into a block for the manufacturer to mount it.

• Nylon: Nylon is a form of cellulose acetate named cellulose acetate propionate and is often used for performance sunwear. 

The good, the bad, and the ugly: Nylon frames are comfortable, flexible, and lightweight. They are durable and can be easily changed into wraparound frames. Nylon-based frames can also be stiff and at times, very brittle. They are usually only available in bland colors. 

• Metal Alloys: Blended metal material is what makes up metal alloys, which are the most used frame material on the market. Ticral is a popularly used blend of copper, chrome, and titanium. Beta titanium is an alloy of titanium, chromium, nickel, cobalt, iron, and other metals.

• Gold: Shiny and dense, gold is one of the most malleable metals on the planet. Due to its high price, it’s used frugally when manufacturing eyeglass frames. It’s typical to see gold worked into the silhouettes on some of the upper-end eyewear collections, and in the more moderately-priced collections, it's used as plating or an accent. 

The good, the bad, and the ugly: Metals are often corroded over time and tend to be malleable yet durable. Ticral is more affordable than titanium but not more affordable than gold.

• Wood: As unique as the materials mentioned above are, more companies are looking to manufacture eco-friendlier frames such as an FSC-certified wood frame, castor seed-based injections, and bamboo. In fact, bamboo is the material of choice for both environmental and resource purposes. It's a durable material that produces top-quality frames for reasonable prices, and that comes from the fastest growing resources in the world. 

Photo: Atticus Polarized Sunglasses | Alani Natural Bamboo Sunglasses

Swell Vision joined the big push in the eco-friendly material because petroleum-derived plastic frames are just not great for the environment. So the new kids on the frames block have introduced “greener” frame materials and methods for production. 

Swell employs wood that is eco-certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and bamboo which is featured in most templates of our eyewear.

We have brought many styles into our collections that are crafted of highly renewable plant resource.