BON CHARGE Magnum vs. TrueDark
The numbers.
WELLNESS
Marketed as a general wellness device. Not FDA cleared, approved, or evaluated for any medical claim.
- Price
- $130–$360
- Founded
- 2017
- HQ
- Australia
WELLNESS
Marketed as a general wellness device. Not FDA cleared, approved, or evaluated for any medical claim.
- Price
- $120–$380
- Founded
- 2016
- HQ
- Kent, Washington, USA
Which route is yours?
Choose BON CHARGE Magnum if you prioritise the trade-offs in column A — see the bench above and the long-form below.
Choose TrueDark if column B's trade-offs fit your stack better.
Side-by-side, in detail.
The Matchup
The two most “biohacker” brands in the category, both built around aggressive evening/night light blocking. BON CHARGE (formerly BLUblox, Australia, 2017) keeps it simple: the Magnum frame in two versions — a clear daytime “computer” lens and a deep amber/red nighttime lens — with a strong prescription range. TrueDark (Kent, WA, ~2016; associated with Dave Asprey) sells a three-stage protocol — Daylights (day), Sunsets (evening), Twilights (night) — and pitches a broader target: blue plus green and violet light, not blue alone. The decision is really philosophy: a clean two-version pair, or a staged system with more lenses and broader spectrum claims.
The evidence caveat applies equally to both, and matters more here because both lean hard on sleep/circadian marketing: a 2023 Cochrane review found blue-light lenses unlikely to help daytime eye strain, and the clinical sleep evidence for evening amber/red lenses is limited. Crucially, TrueDark’s “proof” (EEG demonstrations, a user survey) is not peer-reviewed — we report its blocking percentages as brand claims, not validated facts, and the same skepticism applies to BON CHARGE’s sleep framing.
Head-to-Head Comparison
| Feature | BON CHARGE Magnum | TrueDark |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2017, Australia (formerly BLUblox) | ~2016, USA (Dave Asprey) |
| System | One frame, two versions (day clear / night amber-red) | Three stages (Daylights / Sunsets / Twilights) |
| Spectrum targeted | Blue + green (400-550 nm, night lens) | Blue + green + violet (brand claim) |
| Night lens claim | Blocks blue + green 400-550 nm | ~99% blue/green/violet + UVA/UVB (Twilights) |
| Evening (mid) tier | No distinct evening tier | Sunsets — ~99% blue / ~93% green |
| Prescription | Yes (up to ~$360) | No strong Rx line; fitover instead |
| Premium frame | Metal frame | Twilights Elite — aircraft-grade aluminum |
| Entry price | ~$130 (non-Rx) | ~$120 (Daylights) |
| Top price | ~$360 (Rx daytime) | ~$380 (premium Daylights) |
| Regulatory | Eyewear; “FDA/TGA registered” (not cleared) | Eyewear (not a medical device) |
Where BON CHARGE Magnum Wins
- Prescription support. Full Rx up to ~$360 on the same frame. TrueDark leans on fitover (wear-over-glasses) rather than a strong prescription line — BON CHARGE is the better pick if you need vision correction built in.
- Simplicity. Two clearly-defined versions (clear day / amber-red night) is easier to reason about and cheaper to complete than buying into a three-lens system.
- Brand heritage. As the former BLUblox, it has a long track record in biohacking eyewear and a broad accessory ecosystem.
Where TrueDark Wins
- A true three-stage progression. A distinct Sunsets evening tier sits between day and deep-night, mapping to a gradual wind-down better than a binary day/night split.
- Broader spectrum target. TrueDark explicitly targets green and violet light in addition to blue (its Sunsets/Twilights lenses claim high green-light blocking) — relevant because green light also affects melatonin, and most competitors focus on blue alone.
- Premium frame option. The Twilights Elite uses an aircraft-grade aluminum frame — a build-quality step up if that matters to you.
- Ecosystem fit. If you’re already in the Dave Asprey / biohacking-protocol world, the three-stage system is designed to slot into that routine.
The Decision
- Choose BON CHARGE Magnum if you want prescription night lenses, prefer a simple two-version setup, or want the lower total cost of not buying a full staged system.
- Choose TrueDark if you want a distinct evening tier, value the broader blue+green+violet targeting, or want the premium Elite frame — and you don’t need a prescription.
The Honest Middle Case
For most buyers the night lens is the only piece worth owning in either brand, and both deliver a serious amber/red night lens. If you just want one good pre-bed pair and might need a prescription, BON CHARGE is the simpler, Rx-friendly answer. If you genuinely use an evening and a deep-night tier and want the broader green/violet coverage, TrueDark’s staged system is the more complete (and more expensive) buy. Either way, treat the daytime lenses and the “EEG-proven sleep” language as marketing, not evidence.
We’ll update this comparison after measuring each lens’s transmission across blue, green and violet bands.
Related Reading
- BON CHARGE Magnum Review — full deep-dive
- TrueDark Review — full deep-dive
- BON CHARGE vs Swanwick — night-lens systems compared
- Felix Gray vs GUNNAR — the daytime computer-glasses comparison
- Blue Light Glasses Hub — evidence-first category overview
Changelog
- 2026-06-16: Initial comparison published. Not yet tested; led with the Cochrane/AAO evidence and reported brand blocking figures (including TrueDark’s non-peer-reviewed claims) as claims.