Note: this item was provided for review.
For those not aware, most of the major sunglasses brands are owned by two companies. Recently (in the last 5-10 years) there’s been more and more brands popping up which are smaller, independent companies — these brands typically make really exceptional products. Shinzo Tamura is one such brand, based out of Osaka in Japan. They sent over their Namba Slate Sunglasses for me to review.
I wasn’t sure what to expect with these. But what I got is easily the best pair of sunglasses I own, and have ever owned. From the optics, the materials, and the comfort — all outstanding.
Materials
I’ll break this up to the frames, and the lenses. Let’s talk frames first, on the Namba model these are a ‘flexible nylon’ which is very light weighing 20g with the lenses. They are fully made in Japan, have a hinge-to-hinge width of 136mm, and a temple length of 145mm.
I’ve found the nylon to be very smooth. The silicone grippers at the nose bridge, and end of the arms to be very nicely placed. The frames are impressively flexible, and because of that they fit very comfortably with low pressure.
The lenses though, that’s where I these sunglasses really pull away from the pack. Shinzo Tamura uses TALEX lenses. Here’s what they say:
Polarized lenses are built with a filter that blocks horizontal light so you don’t see the harsh reflections of your environment like on snow or water. TALEX uses a proprietary filter made from iodine compounds that blocks out more harmful and intrusive light than traditional polarized lenses. They are the highest-performing polarized lenses on earth.
TALEX owns quite a few patents on lens technology, so it seems to check out. But one thing Shinzo Tamura does better than almost every sunglasses brand is to explain what you might want each lends for. They have a full lens guide here, and the Slate lenses note this:
A natural gray lens that precisely balances the three primary colors, delivering true-to-life vision with no distortion. Designed for all-around performance, it excels in strong-light conditions, ensuring clarity and comfort in bright environments.
They further note these details (copied from the guide):
- Visible light transmittance (VLT): 12%
- Best for: everyday, driving, golf
- Light intensity: strong
12% VLT is right around where I like to wear my sunglasses, but I can say that these do a better job blocking light, and reducing glare — thus increasing clarity, than all of my other sunglasses do.
All of this is then backed up by a manufacturing defect warranty for materials and workmanship for 5 years.
Top notch.
Wearing & Style
The short of this is that these are excellent all around.
But, let’s hit on more aspects, and let’s start with style. Here’s what Shinzo Tamura says about the style of the Namba:
Designed as a homage to the classic Wellington style of the 50s. Forever made famous by the look of many Australian and Californian sunshades in the 80s and 00s, this Shinzo Tamura frame feels truly timeless.
These certainly do feel mid-century in soul, but modern enough. They are slightly smaller than most sunglasses I would buy in width, but they work well and I have no issues with the sizing of them. I would describe the style of these as classic without being generic in anyway. They work well from casual, to tossing them on with a suit. You could pull these from something James Bond might wear at a beach, to something a musician would wear on backstage in the 1950s.
While the style is spot on, these only get better when you wear them. The highlights:
- Exceptional optics, which are vastly better than anything I own. No other brand I own — even glass lenses for military fighter pilot sunglasses — come remotely close to the clarity and light performance of these.
- Lightweight: these are lightweight, but not featherweight. They are light enough that they will not bother most people, but those looking for the lightest out there will not find them here.
- All-day comfortable: coupling the lightweight with the flexible frame, nets a very well balanced pair of sunglasses. You can wear these all day without pressure points building up, and with no discomfort.
- Stays put: I’ve worn these rucking, for bike rides, walks, and long drives — they stay where you want and need them to be without the need for adjustment.
- Very nice case and presentation: I don’t normally note these things, but the packaging and presentation was fantastic with these. Almost like you were opening a luxury watch. The hard sided zip case is very nice, and while bulkier than a soft case, it’s really nice to have.
- Fingerprint resistance is really good on these. Whatever coating these use, they don’t build up fingerprints or dust easily — and on top of that they wipe clean quickly with a dry lens cloth.
I keep these by my front door and grab them when I leave the house. Of the few times I forgot to grab them, and wore other sunglasses, I was genuinely bummed out. I almost turned back home twice to get these instead of wearing my ’normal’ sunglasses.
There’s a wide range of styles, but the Namba is my favorite. The only wish I have for these is that they would offer a slightly wider frame, something closer to 145mm wide would be ideal. Until then, I’ll happily be wearing these.
Overall
These are not only the best sunglasses I own for wearing comfort, and optical clarity, but they are by far my favorite sunglasses and it’s not even a close race. That they both look fantastic and perform this well is something rare.
Excellent sunglasses, great brand, and I want more.
Highest recommendation on these.