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Proof Wood sunglasses pretty dope Anybody else have 'em?

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elguapo
Posts: 149 - Karma: 90
So I saw a post about these guys a while back and thought they were cool but didn't do much about it.
Now i went back and found the website. www.iwantproof.com and they've got some dope stuff.
Made all from wood cool designs. cool story.

Finally pulled the trigger on these.


After I did some more digging found their youtube page and they sponsor some dope riders like Brady Perron. Have some friends that know him and he's sponsored by Armada and rides with Tanner Hall. Kind dope to see a new sunglass company supporting skiing. Seems like all the new companies that come out are all about snowboarding.

here's the video of Brady


Anyone else got a pair of these. Pretty stoked on getting 'em.
Trading in my frogskins for a pair of these so let me know if anybody wants some red frogskins in pretty good shape.



Feb 20 2012 11:49PM
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canterbury
Posts: 2382 - Karma: 55
i've got a pair of proof buds, they're pretty sweet
Feb 21 2012 12:11AM
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elguapo
Posts: 149 - Karma: 90
i almost bought the buds. I have a friend that got a pair and he's always getting people stopping him when he wears 'em.
Feb 21 2012 1:03AM
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Randy_Quench
Posts: 5447 - Karma: 4,343
they have a unique idea but they are DICKS. their customer service is a joke and to be quite honest their glasses are junk and not worth half what you paid for them. My friends broke and he babied the shit out of them, proof took months to respond to his emails and then after he shipped them in for repair/replacement he never got another pair/his fixed ones back.

and ive heard similar stories on NS..
Feb 21 2012 11:08AM
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hokkanee
Posts: 1800 - Karma: 435
I've had a completely different experience with them. I sat on a pair of mine which snapped part of the frame. I sent them an email and they let me get a new pair for $40, which is cool because it was clearly my fault when I broke them. They responded really quickly and professionally. OP don't hesitate to buy from them!
Feb 21 2012 12:17PM
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Panchuk
Posts: 1610 - Karma: 355
Ye, they hustled you another pair for $40 and still made money. The profit margins for them must be laughable.
Feb 21 2012 12:31PM
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elguapo
Posts: 149 - Karma: 90
thanks. i've heard good things about their customer service. seems like a dope home grown company.

good feedback.
Feb 21 2012 3:05PM
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hokkanee
Posts: 1800 - Karma: 435
Hustled me? I clearly broke them on my own. I wouldn't expect them to do jack shit for me but they gave me a discounted pair. People have unrealisticly high expectations for customer service these days
Feb 21 2012 3:21PM
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DW.
Posts: 2683 - Karma: 74
Really digging the Bird's, thanks for reminding me. I kinda forgot about proof, and I am in dire need of snow new glasses after breaking my flat tops.
Feb 21 2012 3:25PM
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elguapo
Posts: 149 - Karma: 90
Hand crafted wood frames or plastic injected frames (like the ones oakley, smith, von zipper, etc use) which do you think are cheaper to make? Who's hustling who?

when you can buy a pair of knocakrounds for $15 bucks and they are making money it makes you wonder how much money the big boys are making "hustling" 99% of the people on this forum.

already bought 'em so keep ya posted. All the reviews I've read have been pretty good.

I just want something different from what everyone else has.
Feb 21 2012 3:48PM
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ShredAZ
Posts: 1054 - Karma: 641
OG of wooden sunglasses: http://shwoodshop.com/collections/canby-east-indian-rosewood
Feb 21 2012 6:15PM
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ShredAZ
Posts: 1054 - Karma: 641
http://shwoodshop.com/collections/all
Their entire collection.
Feb 21 2012 6:16PM
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elguapo
Posts: 149 - Karma: 90
I found them as well. I called a couple shops that carry them and they say they break way easy. I went on their fb page and there were 2-3 post of people talking about broken shades so I opted for Proofs plus I like Proofs styles better.

but good catch, there's like 2-3 wood sunglass brands out there now.
Feb 21 2012 6:57PM
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.nasty
Posts: 10581 - Karma: 11,147
shwood are low-grade pieces of shit.

I don't just say that because I own proofs, but have personally compared the quality and shwood was laughable at best. proof also has an amazing warranty, I stepped on mine and broke the frame and they replaced it free of charge and in less than a week.
Feb 21 2012 8:31PM
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elguapo
Posts: 149 - Karma: 90
just got my proofs.
Over the weekend I went and checked out the local shwood dealer and having handled both Win goes to Proof. Proof is a solid piece of wood. Shwood is glued together. Not as good for the environment and the just feel badly made in my opinion. They also don't fit as well.

Proof is the way to go if you're looking for some wood or bamboo shades.
Feb 23 2012 12:17PM
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elguapo
Posts: 149 - Karma: 90
Quick update for anyone that cares.

Just got my Proofs and they are awesome.
I bought the Ontario in Ebony with fire mirrored lenses.

They look sick.

They come in a solid wooden box with proof's logo on the top and a dope looking woodgrain microfiber bag.

they are super solid. made from hardwood. The lenses look dope and are polycarbonate.
The Ontario looks like a mix between a frogskin and a ray ban wayfarer.

I wore them out over the weekend and got stopped 2-3 times people asked "where can i get some"? "Are those made of wood"? "What brad is that"?

I've never gotten stopped when i was wearing my smiths or frogskins. To be honest never been stopped on the street and asked where I got something I was wearing.

I talked to the guys that started the company. A bunch of brothers out of Idaho. They started in their garage and have been blowing up. Been to a ton of shows and have like 40-50 stores now worldwide.
The dudes were way cool. Even invited me up to Idaho to come ride with them sometime. They said to check out Brundage, Tamarack or Bogus (local hills, any Idaho guys up there can you verify which hill is the most legit, i might have to go for a road trip)

Anyways, only had these a couple of days and Love 'em. They are completely ridiculous and love the feel of them. Super light and look dope.
They are my go to shades now.

All post a picture when I get a chance to show ya some of the features.

But worth checking out.
Feb 23 2012 12:25PM
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DW.
Posts: 2683 - Karma: 74
How do they fit in comparison to your frogskins? Im debating copping some, but ive got a pretty big head so not too many glasses fit b/c the arms are too short
Feb 23 2012 4:05PM
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elguapo
Posts: 149 - Karma: 90
I think the fit great.

I've got a big head too, and they are so light you don't feel they're even on your face.
My frogskins i'd start feeling the pressure on my temples and ears after a while.
I got ebony, but supposedly bamboo is even lighter and feels good.

I'll try to find a picture for you to check out if i get some time.

here's a video i found too of them taking about the brand how it got started and all that.
They even mention bamboo ski poles.







these videos have people talking about how they feel/fit

Here' a video that has Brady Perron who rides for Armada. I think the next pair i get will be the ones he has here. I've seen this guy up at the hill a couple of times and he's legit last time i saw him he was with Tanner Hall.

Feb 23 2012 5:45PM
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DW.
Posts: 2683 - Karma: 74
holy nice guy, thanks a lot. k plus. The main thing I'm worried about now is the arm length, the overall size looks awesome!
Feb 23 2012 6:07PM
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Dustin.
Posts: 13839 - Karma: 7,704
Okay, these are cool but you guys have no clue what you are talking about when it comes to wood work.

First of all, he's right about the profit margin. Those glasses likely cost $3-5 each to make, including electricity. They probably don't take much time either because I absolutely guarantee they have all their jigs and machinery set up to pump out a pair in 20 minutes.

And as far as quality? I'm terrified to buy a pair no matter how sweet they look because I know I'll break them. A small piece of hardwood will split, snap, twist, whatever depending on that pieces grain. Easily. People use glue to gross grain patterns because wood pieces from one solid piece are extremely fragile when you make them so small.

Finally, it's wood. Ebony? Rosewood? These are tropical trees from African and South America and such. The whole "sustainability" piece of this project is stupid. They are simply saying that for every tree they chop down they plant another, but that's not how they portray it. I wish they just made these awesome looking glasses without trying to bullshit the customer into thinking they aren't buying a piece of a chopped down tree from the Amazon with plastic lenses.



That being said, I'm still tempted to buy some. They look amazing and as a woodworker I really admire what they've done. I just don't know if I can convince myself to put out the cash for them when I know they will probably be broken at some point.
Feb 23 2012 7:57PM
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elguapo
Posts: 149 - Karma: 90
I hear what you're saying.
But disagree with your profit margin comment and the time it takes them to be made. Plastic snap together frames from Oakleys, smiths, von zippers, ashburrys of the world maybe 15-50 mins a pair and the pull those things out of plastic injection machines.

to prep the wood, To cut these out, sand them, drill 'em, set the hinges, laser engrave them, cut the lenses, pop the lenses in, 20 mins. doubtful. Even if you are mass producing 'em.

My guess is closer to an hour a pair, plus each is unique and original no 2 pairs are alike.

As far as the sustainability, I'm not sure. Bamboo is super sustainable, the others I don't know. Wood in general is sustainable because it is renewable. So if it is regenerated or replanted its sustainable.

Durability, not sure, but they feel super solid, and i've broken plenty pairs of metal and plastic glasses so that goes with the territory I guess. but they feel super solid and well bit. More worried about a beaver attack than them breaking.

Anyway I feel like I'm pushing these things too much, I don't get into products very often and these things are killer I don't usually write reviews on stuff even. Super clean. well executed. After watching all the videos, I just fell in love with the story, brand and what they are doing. Feel they are legit and are actually doing something as a brand instead of talking garbage or being a soulless big conglomerate owned by some other company not even in the industry.

Bottom line just go get a pair and you'll be writing your own thread on 'em.
Feb 24 2012 12:18AM
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Dustin.
Posts: 13839 - Karma: 7,704
For sure man. When it comes down to it, sometimes you just fucking like a company regardless of the drawbacks. I can buy a blue tall hat anywhere for a few dollars, but you better believe I'm going to wait for MattyB to ship me an EC Headwear one for the price of the hat plus shipping. That will always be worth it to me.
Feb 24 2012 9:07PM
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elguapo
Posts: 149 - Karma: 90
Click for larger image

Click for larger image

here are my Proofs as promised.

ebony frames fire mirrored lenses

spring hinges all wood and laser engraved.


Feb 29 2012 2:37AM
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Dr.Gnar
Posts: 896 - Karma: 197
All cool shades are made of plastic, probably made in China, and charging us $150 is sin, they're making SO much money!!! HUGE profit margins!
Feb 29 2012 1:50PM
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elguapo
Posts: 149 - Karma: 90
agreed. plastic is bad for the environment too. all oil based.
think i may be wood from here out unless someone can convince me different with something original in the sunglass game.

Proof Wood sunglasses are my shades of choice this summer.


Feb 29 2012 11:37PM
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Blake.P
Posts: 9894 - Karma: 3,585
My ray bans were made in Italy...
Feb 29 2012 11:56PM
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Parks.
Posts: 5612 - Karma: 1,093
Those look pretty sick
Mar 1 2012 12:34AM
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elguapo
Posts: 149 - Karma: 90
I'm actually looking at getting another pair. think the Bogus model is kinda crazy dope. Got stopped yesterday by this woodworker guy on the street he was freaking out about them.

I guess he works with the founders and said they were super cool cats.

The guy has been making Proof's wood display cases for them for the last year or so and he said that the business helped him pay his bills and kept him out of foreclosure. So he's a fan obviously. haha. He had a pair of custom Proofs that the guys made for him. They were dope, laser engraved nails on the side earpieces with his name.

He said that he keeps seeing more and more people wearing them. He's the first guy i've met with Proofs.
He said the guys that started it are brothers and are big into skiing and the outdoors. I guess they sponsor some events around the country, especially ski movie premiers and rail jams. I'm going to hit up the company and see if they can sponsor some events next year or even some skate events this summer.


Mar 1 2012 4:40PM
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NicP
Posts: 20 - Karma: 12

http://www.capitaleyewear.com/

Capital is a dope brand with awsome costumer service. Just bought a pair and I love them. Definately recommend these handmade wood sunglasses to everyone.

Mar 1 2012 7:25PM
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meatbootzz
Posts: 4 - Karma: 11
I'm sure the guys at proof are cool dudes but their glasses are made in China.
Mar 10 2012 7:59PM
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meatbootzz
Posts: 4 - Karma: 11
I'm sure the guys at proof are cool dudes but their glasses are made in China.
Mar 10 2012 7:59PM
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meatbootzz
Posts: 4 - Karma: 11
Here's a link to where you can buy their frames directly from the factory
Mar 10 2012 8:02PM
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meatbootzz
Posts: 4 - Karma: 11
Here's a link to where you can buy their frames directly from the factory http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/481134146/wood_sunglasses.html They are also made from zebrawood which comes from the rainforest--last time I checked cutting down the rainforest wasn't too sick.
Mar 10 2012 8:03PM
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Casey
Posts: 7829 - Karma: 24,049
I wish some stores around carried them I wouldn't buy a pair of sunglasses without seeing how they fit my face. Too bad cuz these look pretty cool.
Mar 10 2012 9:23PM
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elguapo
Posts: 149 - Karma: 90
SNOOP DOGG ROCKIN' A PAIR OF PROOF WOOD SHADES.

THIS JUST POPPED UP ON THE PROOF FB PAGE. SNOOP LOOKS PRETTY GOOD IN A PAIR OF Proofs. I know he'd been wearing some knockarounds in the past. But we all know Snoop is very herbal so the wooden sunglass from Proof seem to fit.


these dudes are killing it.

still the dopest shades out.


Mar 14 2012 10:06PM
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japanada
Posts: 13784 - Karma: 1,957
I dont want to believe you, but some of those styles look exactly like the proofs...
Mar 14 2012 10:25PM
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~~~~~~~~
Posts: 2345 - Karma: 2,104
Is this the same wooden sunglasses company that started with like a kickstarter type deal not too long ago? If so stoked to see them blowing up.
Mar 14 2012 10:28PM
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elguapo
Posts: 149 - Karma: 90
that's crazy. China bites everything from everyone. Once bought a pair of jordans that were "authentic fakes" from china and they sucked. Kinda killed it for me. Guess you get what you pay for.

Mar 14 2012 10:30PM
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elguapo
Posts: 149 - Karma: 90
yeah its the same company. since then there's been another company that did wood sunglasses too like right after them, which seems pretty lame to do the same concept on the same platform.

I actually originally saw them on kickstarter a few months ago but didn't pull the trigger since they were so new and i'd heard bad reviews on other wood sunglass companies like shwood.
Cool to see a company go from kickstarter to Snoop.

There needs to be more dudes on newschoolers coming up with core ski brands and use kickstarter to launch. i bet people would go crazy if the stuff was cool enough. Everyone wants what's new. This summer maybe i'll have to work on some ideas and see if I can get them launched. stuff like this is super cool to me.


Mar 14 2012 10:38PM
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james6345789
Posts: 4763 - Karma: 467
look sick but they're expensive...
Mar 14 2012 11:23PM
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elguapo
Posts: 149 - Karma: 90
Troll!!!!!!!!

why do you only have 4 posts and all our on this thread.
don't post if you just hopped on to hate, what a loser that you'd take the time to sign up and join a community that you're not even a part of. Probably some jerk from Shwood or another sunglass company hatiing on a company coming up.

Go troll some other forum that's more your speed like h8tr.com
such garbage.
Mar 15 2012 12:02AM
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spencerwcp
Posts: 1 - Karma: 9
The reason I think shwood is cool is they make them in the states. It is impressive, even if they suck. I don't like proof though, because they make them in china but they try and act like they are made in the US. I am fine with them making them in china, but gosh don't like. I like this little brand too called Hatchet Eyewear, I bought a pair over proof and shwood just because they cost too much for the polarized upgrade. I didn't worry about that with hatchet because they all come stock with polarized lenses. Ehhhny ways thats my two bits

Feb 25 2013 11:35PM
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Lord.Quasimoto
Posts: 958 - Karma: 33
they were on sharks tank, the guy who started it was crying about how much he loves the company. they got a decent offer and turned it down. tons of hype around the brand. if they weren't so expensive id rock some.
Feb 26 2013 1:06PM
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Shifties4Dayz
Posts: 1657 - Karma: 553
my burberrys were made in italy too. now thats pimpin
Feb 26 2013 1:55PM
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bulljuice
Posts: 2 - Karma: 12
how do the ppl that have proofs still feel about them? im thinking about getting some but i want to hear what others think first
Mar 11 2013 11:19PM
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bulljuice
Posts: 2 - Karma: 12
do you guys that have proofs still like them? im thinking about getting some
Mar 11 2013 11:20PM
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james6345789
Posts: 4763 - Karma: 467
Wow, this was like exactly a year ago.
Mar 11 2013 11:28PM
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Dirty.Harry.
Posts: 1779 - Karma: 351
I couldn't find on the Proof site where the glasses are made...so I'm assuming that they are indeed made in China? That's kind of a bummer.
Mar 12 2013 12:19AM
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RudyGarmisch
Posts: 25443 - Karma: 13,844
Mine broke, bad hinges. That's the last pair of expensive sunglasses I'll buy, I had to baby those things and I much prefer just being able to purchase another pair for cheap, aka plastic sunglasses. If wood frames are your thing and shwoods are too much, it's the next best option.
Mar 12 2013 2:40AM
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Rosbif
Posts: 2543 - Karma: 930
Look sick, but I snapped mine :(
Mar 12 2013 4:41AM
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Ehh...
Posts: 1897 - Karma: 1,423
I'm from Idaho I've seen this product and know the company pretty well due to the fact of wear I live and what I sell for my job.

That being said I love the way they look but they break pretty easy and they are pretty damn expensive. I know they are wood and they are the shit but even still I don't want to pay for something sweet looking if it breaks.

Oh and for that guy who said he was taking a road trip to Idaho

Bogus = Family resort (boring lots of groomers and really shitty snow just due to the alititude) but very close to boise and has a small park to ride

Tamerack = Pow on Thursday's due to them only being open thursday through Sunday. Lifts are minimual due to the fact that the resort went bankrupt and now is run by locals


Brundage = overall best skiing. Good pow, good groomers. Park is definitely lacking. But you can go down to McCall and ski a little t bar lift resort called Little Ski Hill for like 10 bucks and they have a decent little jump line and some rails.


Idaho is decent to try. Definitely not any Utah but it was home for me for 13 years.
Mar 12 2013 11:34AM
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