We must tell you something about titanium, a word that traces its origins in Greek mythology. Titanium is an element of everyday life thanks to its easy availability. But what exactly is titanium? It’s a very resistant metal, metallic color, and for what matters to us, very light and resistant to corrosion, something fundamental in the sunglasses market.
The titanium production and processing in the eyewear field count many steps, each of which is an added value that delivers a very-high quality product.
What are the main characteristics of titanium?
Titanium is not just corrosive-resistant, but it can also tolerate high temperatures. Once titanium is tempered, it’s even more resistant to the standard metal. It allows the titanium sunglasses to be easily maintained and to be a safe item. Titanium does not provoke any allergy.
Titanium’s versatility is also evident, considering the coloring. Its base, indeed, thanks to different techniques, can be easily painted in gold, silver, black, and other colors, delivering a metallic effect, both shiny and matt.
Titanium is very flexible. For that reason, Kopajos employs titanium in many of its collections. Combining a spring hinge with titanium enabled us to deliver shapes that fit different head shapes best. Sunglasses stretch on the temples at the right point and lean comfortably on the nose.
Moreover, in addition to owning sunglasses that will not quickly deteriorate, their comfort will surprise you: you can wear such frames for hours without discomfort. The lightness of titanium frames is something we will never stop emphasizing!
It’s important to underline that titanium sunglasses, by accident or if misused, can also break. Any stress that exceeds its tolerable point can result in irreparable damage. Given the initial cost, these events can be very unpleasant for consumers. Fortunately, however, many deformities can be easily corrected, thus offering new life to sunglasses.
Thanks to titanium, we have been able to make frames that, if made with metal, would have been heavy. For example, our Bambi sunglasses have no rim-eye but are held together by titanium temples and bridge. Their large size might otherwise have been problematic. With titanium, we could also give sunglasses like the Harry Gupta a very thin frame.
Titanium and beta-titanium, what’s the difference?
Many of you have also asked us to explain the difference between titanium and beta-titanium. The latter is a material we used in our latest collection.
Simply put, titanium can be supplemented with a beta alloy, making the material even more flexible and lighter. In addition, the combination of vanadium and chromium makes betatitanium more resistant to corrosion, even in contact with salt water, the first enemy of sunglasses, and more acidic agents.
An informed choice also goes through a comparison of frames. That’s why we offer below a comparison of some titanium sunglasses from our collection and those made by other brands.
Haffmans & Neumeister and Kopajos
Haffmans & Neumeister is a German brand that manufactures its glasses in Germany. The primary material of its products is titanium, with the addition of acetate elements. We were impressed by Bradford, a small aviator very similar to our Mr. Ling.
In case you are looking for a frame with personality, we suggest you opt for Kopajos sunglasses because, on a liking for lightness, Haffmans Neumeister’s Bradfords need more details, and silicone nose pads look poor.
Compare Mr. Ling www.kopajos.com/product/mr-ling and Bradford https://haffmansneumeister.com/products/ultralight-bradford at their respective links.
Lindberg and Kopajos
Lindberg has made the lightness of their sunglasses, as have we at Kopajos, an obsession. Their capacity for innovation has led them to create unique eyewear hinges, the hallmark of this Danish brand. The various collections are indicated precisely by this detail, all recalling the keyword “titanium.”
We recommend you visit their website, https://lindberg.com/en, and find out where your nearest store sells its eyewear, which cannot be purchased on their site.
Barton Perreira and Kopajos
Barton Perreira is very well known in the United States, where we at Kopajos began expanding just this year. His collections are mainly made of acetate, but the titanium glasses they have made have a classic taste, adhering to the mainstream preferences of the American market.
Barton Perreira’s Chevaliers can be compared with Kopajos’ Tamburino. These are two aviators rich in detail. Barton Perreira’s Chevaliers have a well-defined and well-detailed bridge, but Kopajos’ Tamburino are not far behind: the dual frame makes them unique. When comparing lenses, choose the Chevaliers if you want large lenses, as they reach 62mm. For a medium caliber, Tamburino is perfect at 55mm.
More information here: www.kopajos.com/product/tamburino and here: https://bartonperreira.com/products/chevalier
Masunaga and Kopajos
Masunaga shares a record with Kopajos of being one of their country’s oldest sunglasses brands. Masunaga uses titanium mainly for the hinges to maximize the elasticity of a part that is always critical in eyewear because of its delicacy.
Swing SG by Masunaga and Adam by Kopajos look like twin glasses. A wayfarer’s classic style is a constant in any sunglasses brand. Swing SG by Masunaga and Adam by Kopajos have a slim rim-eye, with an equally narrow front and elastic temples that enhance the wearability of the frame. The most striking detail is Kopajos’ two-tone frames.
You can compare Swing SG and Adam at these links: https://www.masunaga1905.com/en/product/3711?id=3711 and www.kopajos.com/product/adam.
Mykita and Kopajos
We end with Mykita, another German brand that made exclusively titanium sunglasses before recently opening up to acetate frames. Today, the company has stores on every continent and covers many more cities through selected retailers; this makes us realize that Berlin was just the launching pad for something much bigger.
Mykita’s Kasimir model https://mykita.com/en/sunglasses/lite-sun/kasimir/kasimir-black-raw-brown-solid-10016845 can be compared with Kopajos’ Irma Bunt model, www.kopajos.com/product/irma-bunt. The rounded shape of both is the main element of similarity: the Kasimir’s temples have acetate inserts and arrive at the front with a very eye-catching open hinge, while the Irma Brunt’s are entirely made of titanium.
