Proof Eyewear Review

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About Proof Eyewear

Wood frame glasses are not a new concept in the eyewear market. You’ve probably noticed all types of people sporting the popular frames.

Whether it be Beyoncé in your favorite magazine or your best friend lounging by the pool, chances are you’ve seen the trend pop up somewhere, so today we’re going to review and discuss one of the top providers of the trendy eyewear: Proof.

A family-run business, Proof was founded back in 2010 by three brothers. Staying true to the typical start-up model, the concept for Proof was born out of a garage and by accident.

One of the brothers, Brooks, was working in his family’s sawmill, trying to create a ski pole out of bamboo.

He didn’t succeed with that project, but the failure got him thinking about other projects he could create out of wood, and thus, Proof Eyewear started to take shape.

Upon taking their product to the market, the brothers quickly discovered they had a product that consumers were interested in.

More than simple interest, though, Proof has even been featured on the popular TV program, Shark Tank, and had their website crash due to all the exposure from the show!

It’s fair to say that in its short life, Proof Eyewear has seen its share of success. The glasses are available on their online website or in retail stores all across the world, including the United States, Australia, Japan, Canada, and throughout Europe.

They also ship worldwide. But why has the brand been so successful?

Well, check out this video of Proof Eyewear and let’s discuss.

Do Good Program

One of Proof’s biggest points of difference comes from their Do Good Program. A portion of all Proof’s sales goes to giving back to different charities.

Some organizations that Proof has worked with are: the Nature Conservancy, Boarding for Breast Cancer, and HELP International. They also contributed funds to help build eye clinics in India.

To date, Proof has donated 12% of their profits to help give back. Proof considers themselves global citizens who are working hard to keep giving back to the world through their socially conscious business model.

Website and Brand

Not only is Proof’s website (iwantproof.com) beautifully designed and easy to navigate, but it has a wealth of information.

For example, if you click on a pair of glasses you’re interested in, you are brought to a new page where you can see an image of what the glasses look like on.

The image rotates so you can see the glasses from all angles.

Customers are also provided with a fit guide, lifestyle images, detailed features of the product, information about the Do Good program, and reviews about the product.

All of this information is shared on one page in an easy to read format that won’t overwhelm customers.

Proof also provides informative videos, showing how the glasses are made and their work with charitable organizations.

It’s refreshing to see the actual process of the glasses being produced. It shows the level of detail and attention that goes into each pair, which is something that customers should appreciate.

Their website highlights Proof Eyewear’s status as a transparent company that really cares about its customers and giving back.

When you’re on the website you get a real feeling for what the Proof Eyewear brand stands for and who is behind the brand.

They’re not just any company selling wood frames; they’re a socially conscious company selling high quality wood frames, which is something that a lot of customers are gravitating towards today.

Our Proof Eyewear Review

Ok, now, let’s take a look specifically at Proof’s product: their eyewear! We will break it down by lens quality, frame quality, style, customer service, and price.

Proof Eyewear Lens Quality 9/10

Lenses come in 8 different shades: grey, brown, dark grey, fade, gold, kush (green), fire (red) and purple (not all colors available for every style).

The majority of Proof’s lenses are polarized. A polarized lens is preferred because it reduces glare; has a protective coating to protect against UV rays and horizontal light reflected off water; and helps with color perception, contrast, visual accuracy, and depth perception.

But, even for the lenses that are not polarized, all Proof Eyewear lenses are CR-39 and treated with a UV protective coating, meaning no matter what, your eyes will always be protected with Proof lenses.

We found that customers agreed with this sentiment, trusting Proof lenses to keep their eyes protected.

Proof Eyewear Frame Quality 10/10

Proof Eyewear offers three different frame collections: wood, acetate, and aluminum. Since we’re reviewing wood frames, we’ll focus on the wood collection.

The wood collection frames are all created from certified sustainable forests within North America, while the skate collection frames are created from Canadian maple wood skateboards.

All of the woods used in the frames are a hard word to increase the strength of the frames.

Some of Proof’s models even float on water! This is a huge feature for anyone who has ever lost his or her glasses in a body of water.

Also, even if your specific model doesn’t float in water, all of Proof’s frames are coated with a protective gloss to prevent any warping or cracking from water exposure.

The wood collection uses a spring hinge on the arms of the glasses. This allows for extra room to fit a variety of head sizes, thus making the glasses more durable. The majority of Proof Eyewear customers loved how lightweight the frames felt on their face and were impressed with the quality of their purchase; however, we did come across a couple customers who thought the frames felt flimsy or had issues with their frames breaking.

Like most things in life, we all have different standards when it comes to quality, and there definitely is evidence of some customers finding that their glasses might be below their standards; however, we found that the majority of customers were pleased with the quality of their frames and made repeat purchases.

We would suggest if you’re looking for the highest quality frames, this probably isn’t the brand for you, but if you’re looking for something above average then Proof Eyewear definitely delivers.

Proof Eyewear Customer Service 8.5/10

One of the staples of any business is its customer service, and Proof seems to have a relatively good handle on this. Though it would be nice if they would bring back the live chat function, which they used to have.

Currently, the best way to get in touch with customer service is via phone (208-629-8099) or email (customerservice@iwantproof.com).

We were happy to see that Proof Eyewear does have a fair return or exchange policy, providing 30 days for a full refund if you’re not satisfied with your purchase.

They even provide a year warranty if something goes wrong with your glasses during your first year of use.

And most notably, Proof really highlights its socially-conscious sustainable business model by offering a recycle program, meaning if you want to get rid of old frames or an old pair happens to break, Proof will offer 40% off a new frame. 

If your old pair is still usable, they will donate it to a person in need.

We really appreciate how Proof rewards customers with this program, while also giving back to the environment and to people in need.

We also took a look at what others were saying about Proof’s customer service, and found that most reviews are consistently positive. Like this one:

And this one:

However, we did come across some negative reviews. Like this one:

And therefore, we did have to give Proof a lower customer service rating. We found many more positive reviews than negative ones, though, which is why we still kept the rating relatively high.

Proof Eyewear Style 10/10

In terms of style, Proof is right on trend with their wood frames. They offer a variety of designs to meet the desires of people with different tastes.

There are both men and women’s sunglasses, and both men and women’s optical lenses. You can find different colors and shapes to suit different face shapes; with some pairs more modern, and others a little more classic.

Our review found them constantly adding new styles to their collection, even offering limited additions.

One of the most unique aspects of Proof’s design is the engraving that comes on the inside arm of each pair of glasses.

That kind of attention to detail is not found with your standard eyewear company. Some of these engraving include sayings like: “hold the vision, trust the process”, “stay curious”, “yesterday is history.”

There truly is something for everyone when browsing through Proof’s reviews selection! You’ll get no shortage of compliments if you’re wearing these babies, that’s for sure.

Proof Eyewear Cost – 9/10

And lastly, let’s discuss price. For their sunglasses, they range from approximately $55 to $180, with most styles hovering around the $100-120 range.

With the level of detail and unique nature of the wood frames, this is a fairly low price, or is at least comparable with other similar brands.

For example, with a comparable company like Woodzee, we found they have a similar price range for their wood frames, with most pairs in the $100-120 range as well.

However, with more established brands like Oakley or Ray Ban, you’ll be paying upwards of $300 for wood frames.

Thus, Proof wood frames are a much more affordable option. Bottom line, Proof eyewear isn’t your basic plastic eyewear that you pick up at the local mall, but they’re also not designer eyewear.

They definitely walk that line of an affordable, yet still quality product.

For the quality you’re getting with the small details like engraving and the sustainable material the frames are made from, we think Proof eyewear is definitely worth the price.

It is important to note if you are purchasing the optical frames, they come with clear lenses and you must pay for your prescription lenses from an eye care professional.

This obviously increases the price, but for the actual frame itself, our Proof Eyewear review found the frames as an affordable option.

Proof Review Final Thoughts

To wrap up this review, our overall opinion of Proof Eyewear is that they are a brand worth testing out if you’re interested in wood frames.

Like all companies, there is usually some initial risk when you try out a new product, but from our research of current Proof customers and our in-depth look, we believe Proof to be a reputable brand that provides a high quality, trendy product, at a reasonable cost.

And, most notably, not only are they providing a quality fashion item, but they’re also doing so while giving back to charities around the world, and that is definitely something to respect. We say, give them a try, and let the brand prove their worth.