question for sunglass afficianados

[79mongoose]

Im not cheap, but im having a hard time spending 100.00 plus dollars on plastic sunglass'. Ive seen 30.00 sunglasses that block 99 percent of uva and uvb. So its really hard to see the difference in quality for me. Now ive had real cheap sunglasses before and they gave me a headach and made me feel kinda sea sick..does anyone know what thats all about? Im a high end sunglass newbie, so maybe someone can shead some light on the subject.

 

[PWork]

The headaches and sickness are from distortion. Higher quality shades should not cause any of this. My personal favorites are the Gargoyles Classics.

Paul

 

[vetkaw63]

Maui Jim!!!!!!
Mike Morris

 

[OwcA]

Try Oakley or Randolph Engineering

 

[mycroftt]

Go to the local eyeglasses emporium - yes, the store that sells glasses to people who "need glasses" - and ask them to sell you a pair of optically neutral sunglasses. You will pick out your frames and lenses and they will be fitted to you. They will be completely distortion free and will last practically forever. Don't waste your money on cheap sunglasses off the rack.

 

[hamachikama]

Try Arnette sunglasses as well, good prices, and readily available at your local mall. These are sub $100 glasses, but they also have quite a few models over $100, Check out Black Fly's as well nice sunglasses too, both do very well at filtering UV rays, and have pretty decent lenses free of distortion, but like the man said, check em out first to see what you like.

 

[Sid Post]

Im not cheap, but im having a hard time spending 100.00 plus dollars on plastic sunglass'. .

You get what you pay for. Buy quality once, buy crap over and over and over.....

Ive seen 30.00 sunglasses that block 99 percent of uva and uvb. So its really hard to see the difference in quality for me.

Even the $2 version will block UVA and UVB if you look for that kind of protection. However, do those $30 models feel comfortable when you wear them? Do they keep debris out of your eyes when you wear them? Do they scratch easily? How long do they last?

I typically get about 8 years out of my glasses wearing them essentially 24x7. Will yours take that much usage before they fail?

Now ive had real cheap sunglasses before and they gave me a headach and made me feel kinda sea sick..does anyone know what thats all about?

Distortion you may not even notice. Then their is the light transmission issue. Do they block UVA and UVB uniformly across the surface of the lense? They may look cool but, they may in fact damage your eyes since they cause your pupils to dialate and don't block UVA and UVB properly, actually allowing more UVA and UVB into the eye itself.

Im a high end sunglass newbie, so maybe someone can shead some light on the subject.

High end I've never thought of it like that.

I am probably a little bit of an extremist on this issue because I literally am not blind today because of good quality glasses. I took a bolt welded onto a piece of square tubing right into my right eye (my good one). It buried the lense, which did not crack or shatter, into my eye socket. Of course at that point I was severly dazed and peeled the mangled eye glass frames off my head and pryed the lense out. That whole thing was a strange experience because I was so dazed it didn't really hurt for at least an hour. Anyway....I feel passionately about eye glass safety.

Most people get suckered into slick advertising campaigns when they buy sun glasses. Am I hip, cool, etc. is all that seems to dominate in the marketplace.

Why are buying sun glasses? Is it the cool factor factor? Are you trying to be trendy, as many people do? Do you want something that keeps airborn particulate matter off the eyeball? Is glare or harsh sun a problem where you live? Do you value the safety from physical impacts (skeet shooting, work environment, etc.)? Then there is the overall comfort and durability issue?

If you frequently loose or damage glasses, then a "good" pair may not be a good investment. Like myself, if you get a good 8 to 10 years average from eye glasses, frames, lenses, then it is in fact cheaper to wear better sun glasses.

I love my Titanium frames. The eye glass shop adjusts them to fit my head and I literally cannot bend them out of shape. Sit on them, sleep in them, rip them off your head by one ear piece ... whatever, they don't loose their shape.

I also like the changable light lenses. Very dark outside, soft tint inside under harsh flourescent lights, all without any action on my part.

Headaches? Never
Glare burns? Never
Squinting? Never
etc.

You get what you pay for assuming you go to a reputable eye glass shop.

 

[TedV]

Maui Jim! - Never thought I would spend $250 on sunglasses, but have never regretted it. I'm carrying the Ka'anapli now for 4 years almost every day in the car.

Ted

 

[Hotrod]

Sid:

Are your sunglasses an eyeglass frame? I havent seen any truly adjustable sunglasses except when they are custom made.

I've been thinking about picking up a "nice" pair of sunglasses, mainly because I forgot whether or not my cheap pair protects against the UV's! Probably a wise move for me to just chuck them and upgrade...

Do any companies offer a lifetime warranty on the frames? I may just have to stop by a optomotrist and see how bad they want to make me a pair

 

[Sid Post]

Sid:

Are your sunglasses an eyeglass frame? I havent seen any truly adjustable sunglasses except when they are custom made.

I've been thinking about picking up a "nice" pair of sunglasses, mainly because I forgot whether or not my cheap pair protects against the UV's! Probably a wise move for me to just chuck them and upgrade...

Do any companies offer a lifetime warranty on the frames? I may just have to stop by a optometrist and see how bad they want to make me a pair

A quick reply as I catch my breath from planting stuff in the yard (hard packed clay ).

Anyway, I have two pairs which were made to my specifications at a family owned optometry shop.

For the office and light duty lunch time outings I use a pair of Titanium Marchon frames with Auto Grey lenses that are 2mm thick with the polarized glare coating. I specified heat treatment hardening (as opposed to chemical hardening) so that I would retain a small amount of Grey tint under office fluorescent lights.

For outside use (gun range, factory floor, wood working in my garage, etc.) I have a set of Wolverine Titanium frames. As it turns out, these frames are OSHA rated safety frames. Can't really tell it though as they look fine with a good suit and tie. These lense are heat hardened auto browns that are 3mm thick (at their thinnest) with the anti-glare coating. Turns out, when I got these from the shop, the had engraved a little "S" in each lense that you can barely see. Turns out, that was a mark signifying full compliance with OSHA safety glasses requirements.

These lense are quit a bit heavier then the plastic equivalents but, I prefer the durability of glass to dust abrasion. With high quality frames, the weight doesn't bother me at all. With inferior frames, there is no way I could take this much weight on my nose and ears.

Were they expensive? Well yes and no. I used my Healthcare account at work to get them paid for in a tax advantaged state which cut my out of pocket expense. Then there is the estimate lifespan. A similar Marchon pair lasted a little over 8 years and bit the dust when I was hit with a breaker bar (steel pipe essentially) and broken the screw thread that kept the glass lense in the frames. Not bad for single dedicated pair of office glasses that were used in the field 50% of the time. I figure the amortized cost of my glasses is less then $30 a year.

If you go to a optometry shop for glasses, expect to pay ~$150-180 for Marchon Titanium frames (very good frames and a good value). Non-prescription lenses will run ~$60-80 for glass with auto tints ~+$20 and the anti-glare coating ~$10. Plastic lenses run in the same general price ranges. These prices are my experience and probably will vary depending on where you go. It does pay to shop around though, some shops will charge a yuppy premium for non-prescription sunglasses where others will give you a cut rate price since they are cheaper to make. YMMV

Now, back to the shovel and breaker bar and the hard packed clay.....

 

[Hotrod]

Thanks for the assistance!

I had not thought about color change safety glasses/sunglasses!

Now theres an idea... Wonder if I could pick up some side shields! Definetly right up my alley... I hate getting rust flakes in my eyes.

I feel for anybody that gets hit with a breaker bar. Theres a thread in practical tactical about least expected weaponry... I think a 1/2 drive breakerbar would take the cake.