The last sunglasses you’ll ever need

Given that rugged Metallica frontman James Hetfield is the spokesmodel, it’s no surprise that Sutro Vision sunglasses are meant to exude toughness. And tough they are: Hinge failure is usually what kills a pair of glasses, but the patented hinge used in Sutro eyewear is made from surgical-grade steel. On top of that, Sutro still uses durable scratch-resistant Italian glass for its non-prescription models, practically an anachronism in an age of polymers.

Following a 20-kilometre bicycle ride stuffed into a pocket along with keys, the Fisk model pictured here (US$295 from sutrovision.com) survived with no scratches whatsoever, in contrast to a competitor’s product with polymer lenses.

The Sutros laughed when sat on by a nearly 200-pound man on a hard surface, and endured being pulled quite hard by the arms. More rough play (a toss off the third storey, being run over by a bike) led to progressively more serious scratching, but only a firm, sharp twist finally cracked a lens.

Barring an encounter with a heavy metal hellbeast—or a determined child—these sunnies should see a lifetime of sunsets.