Shape memory glasses: should you invest?

Being able to sit on your glasses or crush them with a hammer makes it seem unreal. And yet, it has been around for over 30 years! Memory glasses have been on the market since the end of the 1980s, but few French people are equipped with them. So, would it be time to invest in this technology? We review its operation and its benefits, to help you decide.

Shape memory: how does it work?

Shape-memory glasses are made from a metal alloy. Mostly, titanium and nickel . Their particularity? They always return to their original form, even if they twist. And this concerns both the bridge and the branches.

This technology was first discovered in the 1960s by the US Navy, which used a metal alloy of this type for its thermal missile shields. It has been used in optics since the late 1980s, when Marchon eyewear purchased the patent for this material to create the Flexon eyewear . Since then, the brand is still selling this product.

Video demonstration on the Flexon Youtube channel:

What are the benefits of these glasses?

After Flexon , many eyewear manufacturers have sensed the vein and have in turn created their pair of shape-memory glasses. It must be said that this technology has many advantages. Already, it allows to create very strong frames . We can sit on them, crush them with a hammer, twist them in all directions, in short, the hazards of everyday life can not break or damage them. Another advantage: they are often much lighter than conventional metal glasses . In terms of design and style, the possibilities are very wide and there are hundreds of shapes and colors. Especially since they exist today also in solar version. It is therefore possible to adopt shape memory glasses while staying trendy !

Where to find them?

Apart from Marchon, there are other eyewear specialists in this technology. Some have adopted all titanium, others use metal alloys with acetate or nickel. These include Titanflex , a brand of Eschenbach Eyewear , which offers many modern and original designs. Some models even stick very closely to current trends: scales, gold, round shapes or butterflies …

There are also 100% French companies that have adopted shape memory. This is the case of Solveig Optics , for example. The company is located in the Vosges and offers flexible and lightweight glasses in titanium and acetate.

Other brands have also included flexible titanium models in their lineup, such as the pure player Polette and ConfortVisuel .

Shape-memory glasses can, however, put some users off, because their design, sometimes too classic. It's up to you now if you want to invest in this technology! 😉