Gunnar alternatives compared: cheaper picks that hold up

Why do people look for Gunnar alternatives?

Mostly price. Gunnar helped popularise dedicated gaming glasses and has built a strong brand around them, and branded gaming eyewear generally costs noticeably more than a standard blue light frame. Check current prices, as they change with ranges and sales.

Plenty of shoppers also want more choice of shape. Dedicated gaming brands tend to focus on a particular look. If you want a frame that also looks at home in an office or on a night out, a broader blue light range may suit you better.

None of this is a knock on the brand. It is simply worth knowing what you are paying for before you decide. This guide sets out where the money goes, where cheaper frames keep up, and how to pick a pair that suits your face, your headset and your budget without relying on anyone's marketing.

What are you paying for with a premium gaming brand?

Brand name, design work and frame finish. Established gaming eyewear brands have spent years designing frames around headsets and desks, and that shows in the details.

Some of that has real value to some buyers. Some of it, like a collaboration logo, is purely about taste. Decide which of those details you would actually notice day to day.

• Frame design aimed specifically at headset use
• Signature lens tints with a recognisable look
• Brand recognition from gaming sponsorships
• Retail packaging and accessories
• Collaborations and limited editions

Where do cheaper blue light glasses match them?

On the lens basics. Blue light filtering and anti-glare coatings are well-established technologies, and a well-made budget lens does the same broad job as an expensive one: filter blue light from screens and cut glare.

Be sceptical of big claims on either side. No lens, at any price, improves reaction times or aim. If a brand leans heavily on performance language, that tells you about its marketing, not its lenses.

Broader ranges also tend to win on variety. Our gaming range sits alongside dozens of other shapes, from browlines to rounds, and all of them carry lenses that filter blue light from screens and cut glare.

Where does spending more still make sense?

Build consistency and durability, if you are hard on your kit. Hinges are usually the first thing to go on any frame, and pricier frames can be more robust there.

Be honest about how you use your glasses, though. A pair that lives next to your keyboard and goes on for a few evenings a week is not under much stress. A pair that gets thrown in a bag daily, sat on and dropped is a different story, and a sturdier frame or a hard case earns its keep.

Look for spring hinges and a case in the box, whatever you spend. The Amber Lens Gaming Glasses have sturdy spring hinges and come with a zip hard case and cleaning cloths.

The main types of alternative compared

Alternatives broadly fall into three groups. Each can be a sensible choice depending on your budget and how much you want to try before you buy.

Whichever route you take, compare on fit and returns rather than lens marketing. A frame that fits your face and your headset is worth more than any spec sheet.

• Specialist blue light ranges: everyday prices and a wide choice of shapes; build varies by brand, so check hinges and the returns window
• High street non-prescription frames: you can try them on in a shop and get help with fit; prices and gaming-friendly shapes vary
• Marketplace generics: often the lowest price; quality and coating details vary widely and returns can be fiddly

Our picks if you want the gaming look for less

If amber lenses are what drew you to the category, these cover that look at an everyday price. Check each product page for current prices.

For frames sorted by type of player, read our best gaming glasses guide, and for the desk side of things see console vs PC gamers.

• Amber Lens Gaming Glasses: smoke-grey square, amber lenses, textured arms for headset use
• Sunset Lens: glossy black wayfarer with a full orange lens
• Red Lens: the deepest tint in our range, in a clear round frame
• Midnight Square: clear lenses if you want colour accuracy for competitive play

What should you check on any pair, whatever the price?

The same handful of details separates a pair you wear every night from one that ends up in a drawer, whether it costs £10 or several times that.

Read product pages carefully and look at the photos from the side as well as the front. If a detail such as the hinge type, the case or the coating is not mentioned, assume it is not included until you know otherwise.

Remember that fit is personal. A frame that suits a friend or a favourite streamer perfectly may not suit your face or your headset, so take recommendations as a starting point rather than a verdict.

• Arms: slim and flat for headset use
• Hinges: spring hinges cope better with daily on and off
• Coating: an anti-glare coating on the lenses
• Width: compare with a pair you already find comfortable
• Case: a hard case if the glasses will travel
• Returns: a free returns window in case the fit is wrong

How do you choose without regretting it?

Set a budget, then choose on fit. If a cheaper frame suits your face and headset better than a pricier one, it is the better buy for you, whatever the spec sheet says.

Use returns policies to your advantage. With our Home Try-On you can test up to four frames for seven days, free, and every order has a 30-day money-back guarantee with free returns. Delivery is free on UK orders over £20. The UK gamer's guide to gaming glasses has more on what to look for.

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