Hi, my name’s Andrew, and these are the Shwood Kinsrow, award-winning casual sunglasses with premium walnut frames, handcrafted in Portland, USA.

Features

Back in college I bought a pair of Ray-Ban Wayfarer’s, which, yea, were pretty solid for casual use, but it was around that time when EVERYONE was starting to wear Ray-Ban’s, so I ended up selling them.

Brands

Except, no matter how many brands I shopped through, from Oakley to Warby Parker to Goodr, nothing really stood out, because they all used the same shapes, the same materials, the same aesthetics…

…and after a while I just stopped looking and spent the next ten years buying one cheap pair of gas station sunglasses after another.

Shwood

However, this year I stumbled on a Portland-based brand called Shwood, and literally stopped dead in my tracks when I saw the Kinsrow to ask for a pair to test, because with the dark mysterious wood and industrial metal design…

They’re basically what Morpheus would wear if he retired from hacking into The Matrix and started a minimalist YouTube channel about barefoot shoes.

Construction

For starters the Kinsrow have a set of medium wide distressed North American walnut frames layered with aluminum for durability, as well as a curved brow bar, inspired by the Golden Gate Bridge, and premium, super sharp CR-39 lenses with optional polarization.

Around back you’ve got two built-in nosepieces to prevent slipping and pinching, plus mini frame bolts, flexible temples, and matching tortoise shell pads for extra security.

Accessories

For storage the Kinsrow come in a rugged chipboard hard case, which includes a microfibre cloth for cleaning the lenses.

Testing

Given the $250 price tag, my main worry with the Shwood Kinsrow was that they’d accidentally fly off my face, but, I swear to god, even violently shaking my head around and staring straight down, I could not get them to budge an inch.

Casual

So I started taking them out on casual walks, and with the dark rounded frames it instantly felt like I was looking out at the world through a pair of vintage 1960’s televisions, except with space age level clarity.

Hanging out in my van jotting down notes I could still see well enough without taking my sunglasses off, and driving to a local trail the CR-39 polarized lenses kept my eyes feeling fresh, even bombarded with harsh midday sunlight.

One day I went to a local theme park with my dad, and it was kind of hilarious, because there was a guy in the car ahead of me on this old rickety rollercoaster who kept anxiously grabbing is Ray-Ban’s at every turn, while I was just chilling with my Kinsrow’s, like…

Left, right, fast, slow, upside down…no big deal!

Hiking/Trail Running

Also, while the Shwood markets the Kinsrow as lifestyle sunglasses, I actually found them to be excellent for hiking, because the nosepieces and temples had a semi matte texture that hung onto my face perfectly, so that I wasn’t constantly having to push the frames back up.

Impressively, they also worked for trail running, and despite tripping on roots, scrambling down hills, and vaulting over fallen trees, I never once had them fall off, or even slip, although you could use a glasses strap if you wanted to be extra careful.

Conclusion

Overall, the Shwood Kinsrow are an “end game” type of product, and with the unique, handcrafted materials, solid construction, and Red Dot award winning design I can’t see myself ever buying another pair of casual sunglasses for the rest of my life.

Pros/Cons

Because the semi curved walnut frames compliment both round and square face shapes, the CR-39 lenses are extremely sharp with excellent polarization for sun protection, and the industrial metal reinforcement makes the Kinsrow rugged enough for some outdoor adventures.

However, the medium size does provide somewhat less coverage than larger frames, the fixed nosepieces might be too wide for anyone with a more narrow nose bridge, and at $250 it’s a good idea to have a backup pair of sunglasses for extreme sports or swimming.

Alternatives

Frankly, in ten years, I’ve never come across anything comparable to the Kinsrow, but a good compliment would be the more affordable Shwood CAMP Topo, which comes with a glasses strap and plant-based bioplastic frames that are more suitable for hardcore adventures, while still having some wood accents for style.

Resources

Finally, if you’d like to support the channel, you can shop with the referral links below, or subscribe for more reviews and stories, as I build out my Ford Transit, Morpheus, for van life…

…and if you have a question about the Shwood Kinsrow, or about minimalist apparel in general, let me know in the comments.

Thanks for reading. Catch ya next time. Peace!