Design

Ray-Ban Aviator Flash Lenses — Gold, Green Flash by Adrian Galli

The problem is… I only have sunglasses I love so these too are a favorite pair. The green lenses remind me of the Emerald Coast, white sand beaches, and a cool breeze off the Gulf of Mexico while the hot sun beaming down on a summer day in July. Greens and Blues tend to be my favorite colors as is. I’ve actually had these for years and they are so cool.

I had never spent nearly $200 on a pair of sunglasses before but I had to have them and my favorite pair of Fossil sunglasses had gotten both scratched and the nose piece had fallen off never to be found. Time to upgrade.

The clerk at the Sunglass Hut was insistent. “You’ll take good care of these. You’ll have them forever because you invested extra money in them.” And he was right. Not only were they more expensive than their Fossil counterparts, they were better made. Glass lenses, more durable frames, a better warranty, and infinitely cooler. So I handed over my Amex and said, “let’s do it.”

Well, that ended well. Now I only spend a bunch of money on sunglasses. It’s a trap! But a good one. My motto is to spend good money on good things because they will likely last longer and, generally, are better. As a favorite TV judge always says, “lo barato sale caro.” The cheap comes out expensive.

My Fossil sunglasses did look cool but they were plastic lenses and cheaper frames. Not knocking them either. Until these Ray-Ban Aviator sunglasses came along, they were my favorite pair. To be clear, if you’re looking to NOT spend a couple hundred dollars on sunglasses, I’d whole heartedly recommend Fossil.

But here I am with my Green Flash lenses and no regrets about spending the money.

The lenses are not only cool AF, they reproduce color well and have limited flare/glare in direct sunlight. Light weight, no pinching of the nose or squeezing at the temples, and easy to keep clean. They look good, feel good, and work well. Aces.

At $178, it is a bunch to spend but as the Sunglass Hut clerk said to me, I think once you have a pair like this (or more expensive), you’ll find you’ll take great care of them. These are now four years old and look as good as the day I bought them. Durability is key for something that is in you bag, in a pocket, cold weather, warm weather, sand, wind, water, etc. They’ve held up superbly.

Ray-Ban Aviator Flash Lenses comes a eleven colors so if the green isn’t for you, check out the Yellow Flash, another fave, red, blue, lilac, mirror (these are on my acquisition list too), and more.

Price: $178

Light My Fire — Spork Classic by Adrian Galli

Never would I have expected to, one, write a review about a spork, nor, two, expect a spork to win design awards. But years ago this did in fact all happen.

Sweden is known for many things including their culture of design. One Swedish designer, Joachim Nordwall, designed a fork-spoon-knife combination both excellent is design and excellent in function. On one end, a spoon, and the other end, a fork-knife combination. Simple yet effective.

Coming in a variety of colors, one can pick the spork that fits their personality best—I own several of this fantastic utensil. I keep one in pretty much every bag or backpack I use frequently. I do my best to not waste plastic utensils, straws, bag, lids, etc. when eating out so carrying one of these is not only a tribute to a favorite design but also helps save some trash from going into the environments.

One might find it a little silly that this utensil has reached a level whereby it gets entire articles written about it but sometimes it is the little things in life that are fun.

The first time someone sees one of these sporks they tend to either chuckle or be rather curious—or chuckle to cover their curiosity. But once they see it close up, everyone loves it.

It makes a fun little gift for friends and family. I gave one to a longtime friend and colleague after receiving some ribbing for using mine during a lunch break at work. She now uses hers probably more than I use mine. But that is also what is kind of fun and exciting about the Light My Fire Spork Original. It somehow has the ability through its simplicity and design to inspire people to use it.

I definitely vote it a recommended item for your everyday carry list (EDC) but don’t be fooled by the knock-off versions. The real deal if made exclusively by Light My Fire of Sweden.

BPA free, dishwasher safe, extremely durable, lightweight (9g), safe for non stick cookware, heat-resistant.

Price: $3

Ray-Ban Aviator Flash Lenses — Gold, Yellow Flash by Adrian Galli

Perhaps one of my favorite pairs I've ever owned, the Yellow Flash lenses of these Ray-Ban Aviator sunglasses feel like something from a Japanese anime, sci-fi flick—or maybe a golden version of the T-1000 (say... that's a nice bike.) These were my sunglasses of choice for the fall and winter. They are super slick and definitely catch people's attention.

I may not wear them much during the summer—I find that the yellow just felt like a good fall/winter styling. Further, the yellow lenses do change color significantly—colors are very warm. I might even call it a feature. The warmer color in the winter, when I wore these the most, was nice. Same token, during the spring and summer, these lenses render greens really nicely. Maybe I’ll wear them year round!

It is simply worth noting these lenses do not reproduce color as accurately as other Flash Lenses. My Gold, Green Flash pair are fairly neutral in color reproduction. In the non-Flash Lenses Aviator category, like @Collection Gold, Grey/Blue have great color reproduction too. (At this rate, I'll have the whole series. #addiction)

Contrast is good and flare/glare is will controlled in direct sunlight. 

A big plus, however, of those three Ray-Ban Aviator sunglasses mentioned, the Yellow Flash pair we the only ones that work with Face ID on iPhone X.

Having had them for a while, I can safely say they are awesome and you should pick up a pair. At $178, it is not a low cost accessory, but cool is cool is cool.

Price: $178

Pro Tip:

If you have an American Express card, check out the offers in their app on online. I got $30 this Ray-Ban purchase—second time it has popped up for my card. Definitely take advantage of that little perk.

*Works with Face ID on iPhone X.