love ran bans
or bolles but yes they are awfully expensive and the first to scratch - i tried cheap glasses but they distort and make me feel woozy (i use the cloth straps so I have never lost a pair yet).
I have a variety of glasses in my car for different lighting situations as i am sensitive to light outside. My favourites are my husbands glasses! He doesn’t agree and threatens me to return them to him ha ha Always a struggle but i always seem to win out!
Sunglasses…
– Last Updated: Oct-04-08 10:01 AM EST –
I am of the opinion that if you shop around, you can easily find comfortable, 100 %UV protection sunglasses for under 25 bucks.
Ray Bans, Oakley, Smith; all cool, overpriced, and expensive to replace when lost, scratched, or broken.
I figure at minimum 50% of their cost is for the name.
My favorite sunglasses are some decent ones that I've found on river bottoms; have a pair of them in my truck right now.
Wear what ya wanna wear......
BOB
After loosing a couple pairs of …
… Serengeti sunglasses over the years , I have for the past two years been getting my sunglasses from the “flea market” …
I always liked the aviator style best , but I tried the type that wrap around the sides , they really do a good job of keeping the sun light from getting in through the sides !! … don’t like the way they look as much but i think they are a better all around design for blocking sun light …
Actually i am amazed at this particular flea market dealer’s sunglasses !! They are crystal clear , and very comfortable , has a UV sticker (for what that’s worth ??) and cost $15. but if I buy 2 pair at a time she let’s me get both for $20. .
I loose these also or give them away …
http://www.serengeti-eyewear.com/index.en.cfm
destiny
Always used cheap polarized sunglasses. Had a gift certificate to a local sporting goods store that I sat on for 4 years. Figured I would finally cash that certificate in and buy an expensive pair of $29 glasses the day before I drove to Maine for the Kenduskeag canoe race.
So after waiting 4 years to cash that certificate in I had the glasses for 2 days before the river gods claimed them. Back to cheap glasses.
senior glasses
I need to find those dorky ones that people use after cataract surgery - large wrap arounds - probably not too expensive either !! my kids would refuse to go near me though - maybe husband too !! ha
Birth control . . .
. . . glasses!
Price makes a difference in
optics and fit. If you had Ray Bans, see if you can find Clouds anywhere. Fit great and cost a bit less. I have Nike wraparounds that I got on sale for 80 bucks. Key to good glasses is getting a good case. Sun Dog makes nice cases with flex strap for visor attachment.
Don’t waste money…
…on expensive glasses for paddling. The difference between well-made, low-end optics and $150+ designer stuff is primarily in the label and the marketing. Besides, when they’re covered with sweat, salt and water spots, minor quality differences in the lenses don’t matter. I trashed one or two pairs of relatively expensive glasses while kayaking before I realized this.
Now, I buy most of my sports-related glasses from SafetyglassesUSA.com. Don’t let the name put you off, they have 100s of styles of glasses with many costing less than $10. I use them for cycling and paddling and I don’t worry about what happens to them. If they get lost or scratched, it’s no big deal. I haven’t had any problems with optical clarity or distortion, even with glasses that cost under 5 bucks.
For driving and off-water use, I wear glasses that were in the $30-$50 range, which provide all the performance of the “chi-chi” brands without their hideously high prices. You can often find these on sale at Sierra Trading Post or Campmor.
Buying quality optics matters when it comes to things like cameras and monoculars/binoculars which have complex lens systems that really benefit from better engineering, construction and coatings. For sunglasses, it really doesn’t matter once you get to the level of good functionality, which happens at a very low price point.
FWIW, I feel the same way about watches. The best one I’ve found for paddling is a $15 Casio pocket watch thats been hanging in a PFD pocket for at least 5 years. I haven’t even needed to change the battery!
just1more
I have several pairs of those “Dorky Catarack Glasses” I get them when I have my eyes checked. I use them for sailing and paddling. Everyone now expects to see me in them and have stopped giving me a hard time about them. A friend who races on another boat broke her sunglasses and gave her a pair. She is now a convert. We look like the “dork” family but they work great and are free.
Depends on what accurate vision is worth
Cheap sunglasses are probably fine for paddling. But I can tell you, definitively, that there most certainly is a difference between low-mid-high range sunglasses. There are very, very few manufacturers that make a TRUE optically correct sunglass for around a hundred bucks or so, street price. This is a fact vetted by intensive T&E by various entities in combat shooting programs, in extremis CQB through long range tactical.
Of course, you’re talking about another level of importance in vision there. But don’t fool yourself into thinking your $10 sunglasses that ‘just work’ for paddling are just as good as true quality optics.
Personally, I have been hooked on quality optics of all kinds for a long time. My eyes are sensitive, I notice the difference. From my point of view, optics of any kind shouldn’t be an afterthought if you care about what you are doing. But different folks, different strokes.
Bnystrom up there is correct to the extent that certainly there is a great degree of “designer markup” in certain sunglasses. And the price doesn’t necessarily dictate the quality. In the end, however, you’re not going to get high end performance on the cheap. You might get low-end performance for high-end prices, however, so watch out!
I have Sea-Specs for use on the water.
They do a fine job and never fog. I was asking primarily about driving glasses.
On a positive note,I think, my Ray-Bans came back from their repair place with a note saying they don’t have that frame any more,sorry.So, I got out the Raka epoxy and glued them. Super Glue didn’t work;maybe the epoxy will.
Did you find the ones I lost a couple
weeks ago on Big Bureau Creek? They were $5.00, but the fit my head and face. Very few glasses meet my fit and coverage requirements.
HUGE difference…
I use $5 sunglasses from WalMart. I have to take a few from the package to verify they are optically correct at center of field of view. I buy the best $5 glasses I find. Fully UV protected. I can drop pair after pair overboard and never wince. Leave them at the camp site? Never wince. Sit on them? Not a problem.
I loose WAY too many sunglasses to ever consider paying more than $14 for a pair. Especially for outdoor uses. Save the style for your photo shoot.
H2Optix
I’ve been using H2Optix sunglasses for about 10 years now. I don’t think you can get better sunglasses no matter how much you pay. I’ve compared them to Ray-Ban, Oakley, Costa Del Mar, Revo, etc. The only ones that came somewhat close (but not as good) to my H2Optix in glare reduction and eye relaxation were Costa Del Mar.
Recently, my wife bought some inexpensive, polarized, Foster Grants at the grocery store and I found them to be surprisingly good. Again, not as good as my H2Optix, but pretty close.
Pedro Almeida
LL Bean
According to my opthamologist, LL Bean sunglasses are among the best. My husband had lasix done and can wear cheapo glasses while paddling and swears by the ones off the rack at Mr. Bean’s store. It’s especially nice when you live within driving distance of a LL Bean outlet and can get them even more cheaply.
I have to wear prescription bifocals while paddling, or I can’t read a chart or see any thing in the distance. I use RecSpecs ($$$, although, luckily, my prescription isn’t too complex)as they’re already on an elastic strap and the size of the lens fittings cover my eye sockets. I need this type of coverage as I’m already developing macular degeneration and the more bright light I keep out of my eyes the better.
Given how many pairs of sunglasses I’ve sacrificed to the ocean/river gods, I’d give my eyeteeth (no pun intended) to be able to wear something expendable.
Be careful with H2Optics…
…as on some styles the lenses have a tendency to pop out. I’ve had this happen on two different styles.
Which models?
Which models have lost lenses? I’m about to buy a pair.
Thanks,
Tec
Bolle snakes
I’ve had really good luck with Bolle Anacondas. They are wrap around frames with soft rubber pads at the nose and temples that really hold the glasses on to my face. I’ve fallen in the water while wearing them many times, and they haven’t come loose once. They are available with polarized lenses that do a good job cutting glare on the water. You can find them in the $50.00 range if you look around. Just be sure that the temple to temple distance is correct for your head.
It’s hard to say…
…whether a particular model will have the problem or not without testing it, since sunglass models change frequently. I would suggest flexing the frame and pushing on the lenses to see if they pop out easily before buying them. I would do this with every brand and model that I intended to use on the water. I’ve had similar problems with Serengeti glasses, too.
FWIW, I have two H2Optics models currently that both exhibit the problem; one is called the “Captiva”, but I have no idea what the other one is.