Gunnar 6-Siege Ash Edition gaming glasses review

Not every gaming display has intuitive blue-light filters to shield your eyes from potentially harmful artificial light, so we’re busting out the Gunnar 6-Siege Ash Edition gaming glasses which are designed to reduce eye strain. I was excited to get these in the mail to test them out, but ultimately, I was left disappointed.

The Gunnar 6-Siege Ash Edition glasses offer a great pair of lenses and a cool variety of accessories that pay tribute to Ash’s character in Tom Clancy’s Rainbow 6 Siege. However, the glasses are uncomfortable due to their curved frame and awkward nose pads. Also, for a $99 product ($249 with prescription), you would expect more than a basic plastic frame with no temple tips.

If you’re looking to buy the Gunnar 6-Siege Ash Edition glasses as a collector’s item, go for it. Otherwise, avoid these glasses if you’re looking for something not only usable but also comfortable.

Gunnar 6-Siege Ash Edition price and configuration options

The Gunnar 6-Siege Ash Edition gaming glasses start at $99 and come with an Onyx frame and Amber BLPF 65-tinted lenses (the BLPF scale measures lens protection for the eye against artificial blue light -- the higher the better).

The set I have are prescription glasses, which start at $249 and come with the same Onyx frame and Amber tint. However, you can choose the tint at checkout. You get the choice between Clear BLPF 35, Amber BLPF 65, Amber Max BLPF 98, Clear-Transitions BLPF 35/90 and Amber-Transitions BLPF 65/90.

Gunnar 6-Siege Ash Edition design

If you’re a fan of Rainbow 6 Siege, you’ll likely appreciate the Gunnar 6-Siege Ash Edition’s overall design, but I don’t think it suits my face very well.

These glasses feature a semi-rimless frame, so a good chunk of the lenses are unobstructed by bezels. There is a small Gunnar logo in the top-left corner of the left lens, but it's not noticeable while wearing the glasses. Between the lens is a relatively thick nose bridge that sports two chunky tear-drop-shaped adjustable nose pads protruding from the base.

The temples awkwardly curve outward and inward, and feature black Gunnar logos on either side stamped on a glossy silver plate. Unfortunately, the entire frame is made of plastic so it feels cheap in my hands.

As far as the actual size goes, the lens width is 64 millimeters, the frame width is 134mm and the temple length is 126mm. It also weighs 45.4 grams. The set comes with a microfiber cleaning cloth, a microfiber pouch and a carrying case, all of which are themed around Ash from Rainbow 6 Siege.

Gunnar 6-Siege Ash Edition comfort

For a pair of glasses that costs $249 (with prescription) and is advertised for gamers, I expected something much more comfortable. The Gunnar 6-Siege Ash Edition is simply not comfortable to wear for long periods of time while gaming.

First of all, there are no temple tips: it’s just hard plastic sitting against your ear. Secondly, the temples curve outward and don’t provide enough room for tech like headsets to sit on your head. I got exhausted after thirty minutes wearing the Gunnar 6-Siege Ash Edition with a pair of headsets on due to the pressure it was putting on my skull.

Then there are the awkward nose pads, which feel like thick rubber pads sitting against my nose. It’s not uncomfortable, but it feels ever-present, unlike the typical silicone nose pads you’d find in most prescription glasses.

Gunnar 6-Siege Ash Edition lenses

While the Gunnar 6-Siege Ash Edition glasses aren't comfortable, the lenses themselves are well-built.

I am using the prescription version of the Amber BLPF 65 lenses, which are effectively the same as my glasses except with an amber tint. The tint isn't as obnoxiously strong as you might imagine. In fact, after wearing the lenses for a few minutes, everything will generally look normal. It's like turning on the "warm" setting on your TV.

I played a match of Call of Duty: Warzone, and I navigated through a dimly-lit building without issue. The lenses didn't drastically change any important colors or indicators. I didn't notice a difference in eyestrain while playing games, but it helped out more when I was staring at a vibrant white Google Docs.

Unfortunately, due to the wide bridge, you might notice a slight gap between the lenses while you’re wearing them. They are even more noticeable than regular glasses since the tint in the lenses are different from the real world.

Bottom line

I wanted to love the Gunnar 6-Siege Ash Edition gaming glasses, especially because I suffer from frequent eyestrain, but they are simply uncomfortable. Sure, the lenses are good, and it comes with a few neat Rainbow 6 Siege themed accessories, but that means nothing if I get a headache after 30 minutes of wearing these spectacles.

If you’re a hardcore collector and have the money, the $99 version might be worth it for you, but anyone looking for a comfortable pair of glasses won't be happy with the Gunnar 6-Siege Ash Edition.