Product Review: Lani Shades

If I am being entirely truthful I will tell you that I don’t wear sunglasses. My prescription glasses transition to sunglasses when I go outside and I am just lazy enough to believe that is all I need. Well, that may have changed.

I put on my contact lenses and decided I would take the Lani Shades,  Lani Ohe Aina Black, for a whirl.  First, these sunglasses feel like they are way too dark. In fact, I initially didn’t think I could wear them because they felt too dark. However, once I was on the water and the sun was bouncing off the deck and off the ocean I realized why these shades make for a great sailing accessory.

What I like about the Lani Shades  Lani Ohe Aina Black Sunglasses.

They really protect your eyes against the bright sunshine that is typical on a sailboat. I could still read a book while wearing the sunglasses but I could not see the screen on my phone. In fairness, whenever I am sailing my phone screen appears too dim to allow me to read anything.

The glasses float on my nose. What I mean by that is that their lightweight Bamboo construction gives them a feathery feel on my face. The top of the sunglasses keeps sunlight from entering through the top of the glasses. If there is one thing that seems to bother me is when you wear sunglasses and sunlight still makes its way directly over the top.  Is it my oddly shaped head? Whatever it is Lani Shades seem to fit my face correctly.

They cost about half what most any sunglasses that I have purchased in the last few years. At $79 they are inexpensive and ASA members get another 20% off the price.

They are made of wood. Not much explanation needed there but I like a product that is socially conscious and the environment has to be on our minds as sailors.  Lani Shades are rooted in environmental awareness. 

The Features You Should Know About Lani Shades

• Lani Shades have the highest quality UV400 polarized scratch-resistant lenses available.  The lenses are made Tri-acetate Cellulose which is basically an organic compound.
• Lani Shades float. The glasses are made of wood and while you may not drop the sails to go back for them if you lose them overboard you can rest easy knowing that these glasses are biodegradable so they won’t add even more plastic to the world ocean.
• Lani Shades prides itself in making eco-friendly sunglasses that look good and are affordable.

Lani Shades was derived from sailing instructors’ need for quality sunglasses that could hold up to the Hawaiian sunshine. The crew at Sail Hawaii were on the search for the perfect sunglasses for sailing in Hawaii and the crew of Sail Hawaii’s ASA sailing school tried many other brands but weren’t happy with what was on the market so they started their own brand.

ASA Members receive 20% off Lani Shades in the ASA Members Portal.

The Model, Lani Ohe Aina Black. The name Lani means sky or heaven and ohe means bamboo so the Lani Ohe collection is our bamboo collection. The special Lani Kai collection is made of skateboard wood and Lani Nui is made of kino wood, but the bamboo Lani Ohe’s are the core/ main collection.   $79 each regularly (but ASA members get a 20% discount).

The Lani Ohe Aina’s (blue and black) are named Aina which is a special Hawaiian word for our beloved land i.e. Kama’aina = people of the (Hawaiian) land and they feature all bamboo frames with dyed black or blue bamboo fronts, as opposed to some other brands of this style that have plastic fronts, these are all bamboo. 

Lani Shades wood frames all float and the Lani Ohe bamboo collection floats the best as bamboo is a lightweight but strong material, and they float well despite the high-quality stainless steel spring hinges weighing them down a bit. The stainless steel spring hinges are corrosion resistant and apply just enough pressure to keep your sunglasses on without causing any discomfort.

All Lani Shades feature the highest quality UV400 Polarized scratch resistant TAC lenses. TAC is Tri-acetate Cellulose, which is an advanced multi-layered method of making optical lenses using an organic compound the same as used for making photographic film and electronic screens. The lenses are quite advanced, the TAC film is made in the best factory in Germany, the polarized film layer is made in the best factory in Japan and it’s assembled together with UVA and UVB 400 blocking film layers and scratch-resistant coatings in the most advanced factory in China. 

All Lani Shades come in a sturdy bamboo tube, carry pouch and cleaning cloth. For each one that we sell we also donate to OneTreePlanted.org so each sale plants one tree. Lani Shades is almost to 1000 plants donated. 

ASA Members receive 20% off Lani Shades in the ASA Members Portal.