| Quick Verdict: Honestly, the GUNNAR Overwatch Reaper glasses look really cool. But that’s where the compliments end, as they feel and look cheap, are uncomfortable on some heads, and feel uninspired compared to other collabs that GUNNAR has had in the past. |
| Brand: | GUNNAR |
| Product: | Overwatch Reaper |
| Review Score: | 6 |
| Cozy Score: | 3 |
| Pros: | Looks cool as heck, perfect look for Reaper fans, sleek style |
| Cons: | The arms of the glasses don’t go well on the shape of my head and can hurt your ears after a few minutes, the included items are boring and simple, feels like cheap plastic when compared to other GUNNAR frames at the same price range |
| Price: | $69 |
| Lens Options: | 65 Amber, 90 Sunglasses |
I’ve been a Blizzard fan for the majority of my life. Overwatch, while not my usual game genre to play, has such a great, colorful cast of iconic and recognizable characters that very few games have been able to mimic. Reaper, the dangerous member of Talon (and Blackwatch), is just such a cool character that it was only a matter of time before the inevitable GUNNAR Overwatch Reaper glasses were going to be a thing.
While the GUNNAR Overwatch Reaper glasses do offer a lens more designed for gaming indoors, the second I saw their announcement for CES 2025, I knew their sunglasses would be the better of the two to review for the Reaper frame.
What’s in the box?
As with any licensed glasses at this price range, GUNNAR included a microfiber travel pouch and microfiber cloth in the box. It isn’t just the generic, branded ones that you may see with non-licensed frames; the included pair has Reaper’s face and emblem (which is also his face) on each. Unfortunately, that’s all it is with this collab.
I have to admit that I’ve come to expect more from their licensed throw-ins, especially for Overwatch. So, even though it’s sleek and black, it feels bland and uninspired. But, this will be a pretty common theme for the product as a whole.
Tech in the Specs (or, Holding a Lens Up to These Glasses)
The GUNNAR Overwatch Reaper glasses, of course, have all of the technology that comes with GUNNAR glasses built right into the lenses. You’re going to look forward to anti-glare and anti-reflective coatings, as well as the smudge- and water-resistant coatings. Plus, you’re always going to get some level of blue light blocking, no matter which lens you choose.
The style I had GUNNAR send is the sunglasses, mostly because it makes the most sense to have Reaper’s glasses be as dark as possible. While I chose the Sun tint, they do come in the gamer-focused 65 Amber coating and prescription, which opens up more coating options.
Wearing the GUNNAR Overwatch Reaper glasses
All in all, if you’re familiar with GUNNAR, you know that they’re a lens company, not a frame company. And that’s never been more apparent than what you get out of the GUNNAR Overwatch Reaper glasses.
Right out of the gate, I’m going to tell you that I did not find these comfortable to wear at all. The arms on the frame are thick and stylized to wrap more, but they don’t sit on my ears well at all. The only redeeming factor for how they sit on my head is that they’re just tight enough that they hold onto my head without my ears.
Since they don’t have flexible hinges, they try to mold around your head like wrap-around sunglasses. But, because I have higher ears on the sides of my head, the glasses just don’t sit well at all and feel like they’re going to fall off at any time if they aren’t against my ears, even though I’m sure they won’t.
As I got the sunglasses version, I can only imagine how the 65 Amber lens would work. But, with the discomfort I had anytime I wore them, Overwatch 2 players and gamers may be more distracted by their glasses than putting their focus on the game itself.
In addition, the “precision-engineered polymer frame material” feels cheap. I have sturdier feeling sunglasses that I got from a table at a trade show for free. Every time I bend them slightly or put them on and off of my head, even though I’m sure that likely isn’t going to happen, I’m constantly expecting to break them in half.
The Reaper face logo on each temple is the same one you see on the included pouch and cloth. The only other indication that this is a collab is the written out Overwatch 2 logo on the inside of the arm, which is already fading from just a few days of use.
When you consider the technology in the lenses of the GUNNAR Overwatch Reaper glasses, it feels like someone put a Hemi engine into a Toyota Corolla. And that just isn’t designed to push the payload.
Final Verdict
The GUNNAR Overwatch Reaper glasses felt more like an obligation to a license than GUNNAR putting their best foot forward. If you’re a big fan of Overwatch or (especially) Reaper, you’re going to love them. However, there are so many dramatically better GUNNAR sunglasses that are similarly (or just slightly higher) priced.
If you’re looking to grab a pair of the GUNNAR Overwatch Reaper glasses, they come in both 65 Amberand Sunglasses for $69 each. But I recommend you check out some additional reviews I’ve done for both their licensed Overwatch frames, as well as my recent glowing review for the in-house GUNNAR Campbell.
[…] you want to check out my review of the GUNNAR Overwatch Reaper sunglasses, you can find it here. You can see a stark difference between how GUNNAR handles licensed glasses […]