www.kaenon.com
The problem with the binary fashion versus function is that, in order to satisfy one side of the equation, sacrifices must be made on the other. Not so with Burny sunglasses from Kaenon, a company founded by two elite-level sailing brothers in Southern California a decade ago. The Burny provides maximum performance with real style. The frame shape is evocative of a über-popular sunglass model from the mid-1950s, but Kaenon has matched the retro look with good functional design and cutting-edge technology. The Burny improves on a classic profile by molding the super lightweight, flexible, and heat-resistant TR-90 frame to more closely follow the contours of the human face to eliminate light leak over the brow and around the sides. Peripheral vision is not compromised. The effect is like, well, not wearing glasses at all. With lenses measuring 42mm by 62mm set in a large frame (135mm arm length, 141mm frame width) the Burnys provide maximum coverage, even for this reviewer, who literally has a big head. And the lenses! The Burny, like all of Kaenon’s glasses, features impact-resistant, ultra-lightweight, and durable SR-91 polarized lenses. Incorporating Glare 86 polarized film, the lenses reduce glare and offer unparalleled clarity, a claim reinforced by unsurpassed clarity scores awarded by an independent laboratory. Available in a range of tints, I found the G12 lens, the darkest grey tint (filtering all but 12% of visible light) to be perfect in bright conditions in a variety of scenarios—sailing, driving, playing tennis, hiking, and lounging by the pool.

Just as Murphy’s Law dictates that toast lands buttered-side down, so too will sunglasses inevitably fall, lens-down, especially on rocky terrain or concrete. Amazingly, given the number of trials I have (accidentally) conducted over the past 18 months, I have managed only to inflict a single tiny scratch on one of the lenses. It is an injury I don’t have to live with forever, happily, as the super friendly and helpful folks at Kaenon will set up a lens replacement (for a reasonable fee). In an era of multinational conglomerates that churn out hundreds of indistinguishable and mediocre products under a plethora of brand names, it’s a real pleasure to encounter an independent, family-run company dedicated to innovation, integrity, quality, and aesthetics. Sunglasses, in truth, function not only to keep the sun out of our eyes. They also operate as a statement about who we think we are and what we think we stand for. For this large-headed reviewer, the Burnys are a statement—about fashion and function—I’m very comfortable wearing on my face.
-Adam Greenhalgh