When you’re choosing a pair of glasses, most people focus on the front of the frame. The shape, the colour, how it suits your face.
But there’s another detail that plays a huge role in how your glasses actually feel day to day.
The temples.
On full-rim acetate frames (like ours) you’ll typically find one of two styles. A curved temple that hooks behind your ear, or a straight temple that runs along the side of your head.
They might look like a small difference, but they work in completely different ways when it comes to fit, comfort, and how securely your glasses stay in place.
Let’s break it down.
Drop-end temples
Drop-end temples are the most traditional and widely used temple design. You’ll recognise them by the curved tip at the end, which bends down at roughly a 45-degree angle. That’s why they’re often called “hockey-end” temples.
This curved section is designed to hook gently behind your ears, helping to keep the frame securely in position.
How drop-end temples work
The key to a drop-end temple is that hook. Instead of relying on pressure at the sides of your head, the temple wraps behind your ear and stops the frame from sliding forward. It’s a simple, proven design that’s been used in eyewear for decades.
For most people, it’s the most familiar and forgiving fit.
Adjustability and fit
One of the biggest advantages of drop-end temples is how adjustable they are.
The curvature at the end can be increased or decreased depending on how tightly you want the frame to hold your face. If your glasses feel loose, the curve can be tightened. If they feel too snug, it can be relaxed.
You can also change where that curve begins.
For example, if you need a little more length, the bend point can be pushed further towards the end of the temple. This effectively increases the usable length and helps the temples tuck behind your ears instead of resting on top of them.
Our standard temple length is 145mm, but with this kind of adjustment, you can fine-tune the fit far beyond that fixed number.
Construction and durability
Inside each acetate temple, there’s a metal wire core running through the centre.
This core gives the temple its strength and allows it to be adjusted without losing its shape. It also helps those adjustments hold over time, rather than springing back after a few wears.
Pros and cons of drop-end temples
Pros
- Traditional, familiar aesthetic
- Very secure fit thanks to the ear hook
- Highly adjustable curvature
- Effective length can be altered by shifting the bend point
Cons
- Less “spacious” feel around the sides of the head
- More contact behind the ears, which some people notice
Paddle temples
Paddle temples take a completely different approach.
Instead of a curved end, paddle temples are completely straight from the hinge all the way to the tip. There’s no drop/curvature behind the ear which means they don’t anchor themselves the same way as drop-end temples.
Instead, they rely on a gentle inward pressure against the sides of your head to stay in place. This is why they're sometimes called 'skull temples' or less commonly 'blade temples.'
How paddle temples work
With paddle temples, the grip comes from the sides rather than the ears.
They sit flat along your head and apply a subtle amount of pressure to keep the frame stable. When fitted well, they can feel clean and balanced, without anything hooking behind your ears.
Adjustability and fit
True paddle temples are completely straight, but we add a very subtle drop to ours.
This creates something of a hybrid between a classic paddle and a drop-end, giving you a bit more security without losing that clean, straight aesthetic.
That slight curvature can still be adjusted, increased or reduced, depending on how you want the frame to sit.
Construction and durability
Just like drop-end temples, paddle temples also feature a wire core running through the acetate. This allows for careful adjustments and helps maintain the structure of the temple over time.
Pros and cons of paddle temples
Pros
- Clean, modern “architect” look
- Less contact behind the ears
- Subtle curvature can still be adjusted
Cons
- Generally less secure than drop-end temples
- Require a more precise fit to feel right
- Rely on inward pressure, which can feel tighter at the sides
Which style of temple is best for me?
It really comes down to how you want your glasses to feel on your face.
If you’re after something dependable and easy to wear every day, drop-end temples are usually the safer choice. They’re more forgiving, easier to adjust, and tend to stay put with very little effort.
They’re especially useful if you’ve had issues with glasses slipping down your nose in the past.
Paddle temples, on the other hand, are a bit more particular.
When they’re fitted properly, they can feel incredibly clean and balanced, with nothing sitting behind your ears. But they do need to be dialled-in more carefully, as they rely on that subtle side pressure to stay secure.
They’re slightly harder to get right, but when they are, they look and feel great.
Why do my glasses feel tight at the sides of my head?
This is often due to too much inward pressure from the temples which can be caused by one of three things;
Temple wrap where there's too much inward curvature causing the temples to press against the sides of your head. This is adjusted by straightening the wrap curvature (not the drop curvature).
Let-back angle where the temples don't open wide-enough to make room for your head. This is adjusted by permanently widening the angle between the temples and frame front.
Frame width where the total width of the frame front is too narrow for you head. This is resolved by choosing a frame with a wider total width and resultant head aperture.
Do you offer different temple lengths?
Here at Banton, we make one standard temple length of 145mm.
Rather than offering multiple sizes, we rely on careful adjustment to fine-tune the fit.
By shifting the bend point on drop-end temples, or adjusting the pressure and subtle curvature on paddle temples, we can create either a closer or longer fit depending on what you need.
In most cases, this gives you more flexibility than simply switching between fixed sizes.
Can you swap temple styles between frames?
No, temples are not interchangeable between frames as they are essentially custom fitted and tuned to its corresponding frame front. This is part of the handmaking process involving cutting precise angles for a proper union between each temple and the frame front.
Because of that, a paddle temple from one frame won’t align properly with a different frame front, and the same goes for drop-end temples.
Are paddle temples less comfortable than drop-end temples?
Not necessarily. When fitted properly, they can feel very balanced and unobtrusive. They just require a more precise adjustment to avoid too much pressure at the sides of your head.
Do paddle temples fall off more easily?
They can if they’re not adjusted correctly, as they rely on grip at the sides rather than a hook behind the ears. It's about getting the right balance between 'gripping' and 'squeezing.'
Furthermore, having the right bridge fit is another crucial aspect of well-fitting glasses. For more information about our nose bridge sizing system click here.
Hopefully you found this article helpful. Please check out our other eyecare blogs. Thanks for stopping by.