A couple months ago I was asked to demo a pair of Shwood sunglasses. For those paying attention, a couple months ago our glorious Pacific Northwest was cast into the throes of winter, including a wicked ice storm and some sub-freezing temps. The sun was mostly vacant, which is to say it was cast away by those bullies known as clouds, who pour rain down on our heads and laugh.
The thought of pimping a pair of shades was strange, and to be honest I laid them on my dresser and occasionally gaped at them, hoping they had the magic within them to return the sun sooner than expected. A trip to Central Oregon gave me an excuse to bring them along, in hopes our warm ball of goodness would make an appearance. As fate would have it, the latter half of day two found me out and about with a chance to expose this Canby ACTV pair of specs. I was intrigued.
Before I go too far, let me paint a picture for you. I’m from the Swatch watch and Oakley Frogskins era. In my time here thus far, I have only rocked nice sunglasses once because I believe in the adage that PNW people buy a pair and then lose them between rare showings of blue sky. Over the years this has served well enough but it is also fair that you don’t know what you’re missing until you’ve tried it. And I like that adage too. We can talk about food later.
Back to the Shwoods. Upon my face they felt not a lot different than my usual $25 quickies, but it was what my eyes experienced that was worth an ahem. For those that have worn nice glasses and therefore looked through higher end lenses, this is where the rubber meets the road. The rest of these shades are certainly cool, and I will get to that, but the lenses are the standout, make no mistake.
Shwood talks a lot about their craftsmanship and manufacturing process on their “about” page, and clearly they mean it. The Canby ACTV pair I tested in Matte Brindle is all about quality of material throughout, from the real wood inlays on the arms, to the integrated rubberized nose pads, to the polarized lenses. The weight is unreal, as they seem to float on your head, all while staying firmly in place. And did I mention they are made right here in Oregon?!
Beyond the Canby style there are other very cool options available, all worth a look. And frankly, the only thing cooler than looking at these shades is looking through them.
Check them out on Insta or Facebook for more information. Head over to their site to see all their colors and styles. The Canby ACTV pair in Matte Brindle retails for $149 and is well worth the price.
