Year-Long Test: Flexible ‘3U’ Glasses From Trioo Eyewear

Can your frames bend like this? These ‘everyday’ glasses from Trioo Eyewear are made of a resin that held up to 12 months of abuse.

We covered Trioo Eyewear last year. The Shanghai brand with French roots sells a line of everyday optics as well as sunglasses.

For those 12 months since the initial post I have put the company’s 3U frames to a full test, biking, running, climbing, and wearing them pretty much 365 days a year.

I trade the clear RX glasses out for tinted shades during long days outdoors, but prefer the clear vision for biking around the city, training runs, and common active tasks.

Here’s the kicker: These glasses cost just $47. Prescription included, and the shipping is free.

Beyond the solid deal, the glasses look good and fit my face perfectly. They are super light weight (they weigh just 1 ounce, frames and lens together), and the flexible bows hug just enough to give security without noticeable pressure.

Flexible Frame

The frame material is a resin, called 3U, that Trioo cites as “ultra-strong, ultra-lightweight, and ultra-flexible.”

I’ve abused the frames, crashed bikes, worn them in stinging sleet on winter commutes, and generally just lived life with these glasses on.

They were solid until about a month ago. Walking past a coat hook in my basement, not thinking, I turned my head and the lens contacted the sharp metal of the hanger.

The glasses whipped off my face, protecting my eye, but a deep scratch was the result.

User error. I ordered a new pair the next day, the Fudan (charcoal color) arrived quickly from the Shanghai plant.

Check out Trioo Eyewear if you’re a glasses wearer tired of dropping hundreds of dollars on new lenses and frame. These are solid glasses that do double duty for everyday wear and light action outside.