Almost two decades ago I met a man who we affectionately nicknamed "Pumpkin head". Why? Because he had a big head. Admittedly, he stood six feet four inches tall and weighed 300 pounds, but even for his large stature, he has a big head. One day he asked me if I was aware of any sunglasses manufacturers who catered to those folks in the world with larger than average heads. I had to say, "No." At that point in time I did not. Today I can offer him an option: sunglasses from Fatheadz.
Now, back in the 1950s it wasn't uncommon to know people who went by their nicknames. Nicknames like "Mutt", "Muscles", "Jughead" (remember the comic strip character?), "Bucket head", "Zip", etc. were simply what people went by. I had never met anyone nicknamed, nor heard of anyone nicknamed, "Fat head"; at least not in any complimentary way. "Pumpkin head" is the closest I've gotten in my three decades of uniformed service. While Pumpkinhead has always found sunglasses to wear, they've always squeezed his head at the temples and above his cheeks. Standard size sunglasses simply haven't fit him.
Fatheadz Eyewear makes sunglasses specifically for people with those larger than average heads. Their sunglasses are available with polarized lenses, impact resistant lenses, in metal frames, and in plastic frames with three different frame width sizes: wide, wider and widest. You can even get prescription eyewear from Fatheadz.
Some folks might wonder where the idea of "Fatheadz" came from. Quite literally it came from the founder's need for sunglasses to fit his "plump noggin'" (as he puts it). Rico Elmore, founder and CEO of Fatheadz, was on a trip to Las Vegas and couldn't find any sunglasses to fit his head. When he returned home he designed an appropriately sized pair and founded Fatheadz. He was his own first customer. That was in 2004 and the company is now going strong with credits for being the official sunglasses of the United States Auto Club, the Hooters Pro Cup Series, the CRA Super Series and more. Recently the mega-chain, Wal-Mart, has started carrying the brand line.
Now, you all know me: I don't write up anything about anything unless I get to test a pair. Fatheadz sent me a pair of their sunglasses to test out and I found myself at an immediate disadvantage: my head wasn't big enough to fit them comfortably. Thankfully I have more than a few friends in law enforcement who are bigger than normal sized people. One of them kindly accepted my gift of the Fatheadz sunglasses and agreed, in turn, to give me feedback on fit, function and comfort.
The feedback was 100% positive. Given his larger-than-normal-sized "plump noggin'", he reported that the Fatheadz were more comfortable than "normal" sized sunglasses and that they provided good coverage to his eyes. They were light and didn't easily fall off when he was running (he regularly wears them jogging) and haven't come off yet when he's out on his boat. As he's a fairly critical kind of person, I felt comfortable in reporting on his assessment.
Pricing on Fatheadz is not high. You can get a pair for as low as $34.99. For those folks who have larger-than-average-sized heads, I can only imagine that it's a fair price to pay for the comfort of not having your sunglasses constantly squeezing your head.
Remember as we enter the summer season, that your eyes need protection too. As you work the streets, remember that your eyes need time to adjust from outside to inside so that you don't put yourself at a disadvantage in low light situations. As always, BE SAFE!
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About The Author:
Lt. Frank Borelli (ret) is the Editor In Chief for Officer.com, and has over 28 years of military and civilian law enforcement experience. An instructor since 1989 and having delivered training around the country, he stays active in police work, training, and writing. Frank has had four non-fiction and two fiction books published along with two research papers of specific interest to the law enforcement and/or military communities. All can be found / purchased on his Author Page on Amazon.com linked above. If you have any comments or questions, you can contact him via email to [email protected].
