Pica Pau Wooden Sunglasses - Tested

So the world is awash with sunglass brands. They each have their own niche and following. Buy these ones if you like to surf, these if you ski, these if you sail. What seems apparent after a bit of research is that they are (mostly) all made by the same company and in the same place.

“Not mine!” I hear you say. My brand is different, expensive, individual!

Well, let me enlighten you. That’s what they want you to think. A brand, a story, identifying with different trends and sports and creating an illusion that a particular make is for you. Everyone likes to be different and that’s no crime, but are they different? Sure, they all fit different faces. Fat faces, thin faces, bumpy faces, perfect faces and ugly faces. We all have a different face and there is a pair of sunglasses out there to make each of our ‘meaty eye holders’ (faces) look better.

At some point we also have to remember that the idea of shades is to protect our eyes from the sun. That, really is the functional value, the rest is just fashion.

The raw materials that go into making sunglasses (or at least the frames) are mostly and on the whole plastic. Which, in a world trying to turn an ‘eco-corner’ is not so cool. With this in mind, we took it upon ourselves at Surf Bunker to find you a more eco-conscious and affordable replacement. And we did.

Pica Pau sunglasses are made from wood. Ahem, actually they are ‘handmade’ from wood especially for you. I know, cool huh? We wrote about these guys using the space-aged material a couple of months ago, if you want to find out a bit of background, here is that article.

Always loving to take it to the next level here in the office, we decided to get our hands on a pair of Pica Pau wooden framed sunglasses and report back to you for touch, feel, looks and see if they are as good as the hype. You are welcome.

For this test session, we snagged a pair of "Nazca" model Pica Pau's, we fell in love with the multicoloured layers of wood and the mainly blue outer frames. Also, we were told these had a darker lens, a Cat 3 Polarized to be exact but more on that later. Now it's time to get down to business.

First Impressions out of the Packet

Okay, so you have ordered some reasonably priced shades that appear to be handmade and out of wood, supposed to look as good as Angelina Jolie's teeth and don't cost the earth. Let us just say that personally, I was expecting something to be amiss. The old saying that "you don't get something for nothing" has rung true more times than I can remember so bear in mind that I was almost searching for a fault with these right from the start.

As is the way in the office when a new test product comes in, there is a lot of clamour around the postman and everyone wants to have a look at our new test item. What can I say, we are all human and everyone loves getting stuff in the post. I was egged on immediately to de package the Pica Pau's, a semi-circle of my most trusted surrounding me. Were they all thinking, like me, that they would not live up to the hype?

The package was well and professionally wrapped and what popped out first already had me on the back foot. The semi-hard case was made out of cork on the outside, it looked very cool and is a nice touch as Pica Pau are a Portuguese company. The Portuguese, as I am sure you know, are the world's biggest cork exporters. The case is the sort of thing you want to show off and immediately grabs the eye.

Open the flip box and you get the usual soft drawstring case and a polishing cloth, the drawstring case has the Pica Pau logo on the outside. Open the drawstring and you get to see the glasses. First impressions are of beauty and lightness, I realised that the photos of these things do not do them justice.

How do they Feel?

Test time for these little puppies has been around 7-8 weeks and we (mainly me) in the office have been using them all the time, low light, sunlight, at the beach, in the wind and have come up with some interesting feedback for you.

The first thing to know is that these are very light, they certainly feel lighter than any other pair of 'surf brand' shades I have owned before. Interestingly though, not in a cheap way, they feel and look like they have been finished with absolute care and attention to detail. On my face I found that I almost forgot they were there. I have a somewhat fat face and a large proud face cushion (nose) and thanks to the twin swing hinges that flex both ways and the flexible wooden arms fitted my face like a glove.

So for comfort, they get a 10 out of 10, possibly the most comfortable shades I have ever worn. Big nose, fat face, no problem.

Do they Work?

Yes, they work. The lenses that are Catagory 3 and polarized make all the colours pop and add a kind of vivid clarity to details. In short, they make a not so nice day seem nicer. They have been dubbed in the office as 'Happy Shades'. So they work, no glare, comfortable and make your face look cooler.

Technically the lenses are made from a compound called Cellulose triacetate, I won't go into that but if you want to Google them and get geeky help yourself.

Any issues?

Wishing to be thorough and tick all the boxes, I have only one small complaint and that comes as a side effect of the shades being so light. If I was out in very windy conditions I found they would be more easily swept from the top of my head. Not a deal breaker but something I thought was worth mentioning. On the plus side, I have dropped them many times and the lenses appear still to be in excellent condition.

Price

This seemed to amaze a lot of people. The price of the Nazca shades from Pica Pau comes in at a cool 69 Euros and includes free worldwide shipping. If you don't like them, you can send them back and get a different set sent out to replace them (you pay postage). That's a pretty cool little extra and shows that the guys at Pica Pau are confident (and rightly so) that you will love their sunnies. Looking, feeling and using them, I would pay more, I would expect to pay more.

Conclusion

The Nazca by Pica Pau are well designed, feel different to anything else on the market and are well worth the money. They are handmade and all individual, they work and are not specifically a surf brand which in my opinion makes them even cooler. They are everyone, you don't have to ride waves to love these little beauties.

Pica Pau are about making exquisite looking shades that are a bit different, they are comfortable and hand-whittled out that space aged wood stuff. The honest vanity I must harbour and my own need to be different loves that they are not a surf brand. They attract questions where ever I go and everyone is always (as I was) surprised by the price. Meet up for a coffee with your mates, put them on the table and it's only a matter of time before someone asks you about them.

Bottom line is, they work, make your boat race (face) look better and don't cost the earth. If you are thinking about getting something a little different for the ensuing summer months, these would come with our seal of approval.

If the above is not incentive enough to do the right thing by your face, eyes and wallet the guys at Pica Pau have arranged a little surprise of offering Surf Bunker readers another 15% off the price of any model. Just add the code: SURFBUNKER15 when you hand over your dosh here.