The problem with counterfeit sunglasses is not that the logo is slightly wrong. It is that the lens usually does nothing.
And a dark lens with no UV filter is genuinely worse than wearing nothing at all. In bright light your pupil contracts to protect itself. Put a dark lens in front of it and the pupil opens back up — but the ultraviolet is still coming through. You have removed the body's own defence and replaced it with tinted plastic.
That is the real risk, and it is invisible. Here is what to check.
1. The UV claim has to be specific
Look for UV400, or "100% UVA/UVB protection". Those are specific, testable claims.
Vague wording is the warning sign: "UV protection", "sun protection", "blocks harmful rays" with no rating. Genuine manufacturers state the number because they can.
Darkness is not protection. A very light lens can block 100% of UV and a jet-black one can block none. There is no way to judge it by eye — which is exactly why counterfeits get away with it.
2. Price that does not add up
A UV400 filter costs real money to produce. If a pair is priced far below anything comparable, the lens is usually where the saving came from.
This cuts both ways — expensive does not guarantee genuine protection either. But implausibly cheap is a reliable signal.
3. Physical tells
Counterfeits give themselves away in the finishing, because that is the expensive part to replicate:
- Hinges — should move smoothly and hold position. Loose, gritty or stiff hinges are a bad sign.
- Weight and balance — a genuine acetate frame has a certain density. Very light, hollow-feeling plastic is a tell.
- Lens edges — should be cleanly finished and seated evenly. Rough edges or gaps mean rushed assembly.
- Printing — logos and markings should be crisp. Blurred edges, uneven spacing or misaligned text are common on fakes.
- The three numbers inside the arm — lens width, bridge width, arm length. Genuine frames almost always carry them. Many counterfeits skip it entirely.
4. A rough optical check
Hold the sunglasses at arm's length and look through one lens at a straight line — a door frame, a tiled edge. Move the glasses slowly across the line.
The line should stay straight. If it bends, ripples or wobbles, the lens has distortion, which points to poor manufacturing and usually poor filtering too.
For polarized lenses there is a second check: look at an LCD screen through one lens and rotate the glasses 90 degrees. A genuine polarized lens will darken dramatically at one angle. If nothing changes, it is not polarized regardless of what the label says.
5. Where you bought it
The single most reliable protection is buying from the brand directly or from a seller the brand recognises. Marketplace listings with no named seller, stock photography and no returns policy are where most counterfeits circulate.
Where GRIPZ stands
Every GRIPZ frame is polarized and rated UV400 — the whole catalogue, not selected models. That is stated on every product page, and it is the number worth checking on any pair you consider, from anyone.
Frames are sold directly through this store, come with a case and cleaning cloth, and carry a 14-day return window on unworn frames.
If you want the detail on what polarization and UV400 actually do, the lens guide covers it. To browse: the full range.