Topic: What Sunglasses Do You Have? (Read 11210 times)

surfnscenic · « **on:** April 16, 2013 »

I need new sunglasses and am wondering what is the choice of NI Wilders.

I want them mainly for driving but also for casual wear and when in the hills. Hope I'm not asking too much from one pair? $:-\$

For your thoughts and recommendations as to source.

Thank you.

Glenn B · « **Reply #1 on:** April 16, 2013 »

I will be listining in on this as I'm in the market for a new pair myself as my old pair turned into a pair of Jack Duckworth's at the easter camp.

Ed · « **Reply #2 on:** April 16, 2013 »

I have a pair of "farmani" I picked up on a beach in Barcelona
And my cycling glasses - that's about it!

Kayakgirl · « **Reply #3 on:** April 16, 2013 »

You can buy sporty ones nice and cheap in TK Max.. I bought a pair of Fila ones for £8, I also own a pair of bloc winter sunglasses, got them cheap in Cotswolds for when I was skiing, they are great but you can't drive with them on.

FlapJack · « **Reply #4 on:** April 16, 2013 »

I bought the cheapest pair i could find at boots

whoRya · « **Reply #5 on:** April 16, 2013 »

A pair of the Tenerife Looky-Looky man's finest.

Kayakgirl · « **Reply #6 on:** April 16, 2013 »

Flip I'm sure they weren't cheap in boots!

twentyclicks · « **Reply #7 on:** April 16, 2013 »

Had a pair of Julbo before - were nice fit and good polarisation, but I scratched them up.

Replaced with a pair of Bloc that have a brown Cat3 lens. These are probably my best sunnies. Superb contrast and detail. I find i can wear them even when it is quite dark. Great for driving. A brown tint is really hard to beat for an all-rounder.

Bought some cheap Cat4 (not for driving) glasses in Chamonix for the glacier, but it's just a grey filter. Bit flat, nothing special.

Recently got some Rohan sunnies in their sale for £32. Very flexy plastic frame, high quality optics, quite nice polarising tint... although I get a strange rainbow effect on some reflecting surfaces which is slightly off-putting on the bike (surface glare). Otherwise they seem pretty high-spec and designed to be impact resistant.

Got some cheap Polaris multi-lens glasses for the bike. They are frame-less and the lenses have top vent to help stop steaming. The clear is handy for night or bad weather, the dark tint is good for sunny days, and the orange tint is epic for dull or rainy days as everything seems lovely. They work well in that regard, but the optics of the lenses are not even. There is noticeably distortion as you look down the lens (or look forwards and move them up and down) which i think gives a disconcerting feeling when trail running or mountain biking as you need to judge very accurately what is close to you. Shame, as these are the two activities that I planned to use them for.

-----------------------
We sell Oakleys in work, and I'd definitely love a pair but it would take some saving! We had the rep in and he showed us all about their optical precision, how much the frames can bend, and the eye protection they provide (can probably see the videos on their website). I held a lens that had been shot with a shotgun... it was scrap, but nothing got through. Seems you do get what you pay for.

Any polycarbonate lens will give full UV protection, even a clear lens or your £8 pair in a chemist (but these will be more likely to have distortions and shatter on impact from the cheap materials or processes). RayBan and Maui Jim also still use a lot of glass lenses, which give great clarity, but again are not good where impact or debris might be an issue.
I think it's hard to ignore the value v performance of Bloc or Julbo for activities. There's obviously others out there, but I don't know anything about them. Well, our Uvex SGL 203 seem to fit a lot of people who have trouble getting a good close-fitting sunglass!

spynappels · « **Reply #8 on:** April 16, 2013 »

I had a great pair of Bolle Marine wraparounds made up to my prescription (my sister is an optician) but they were nicked on a train.

Would definitely get another pair though, just need to save up :-(

LandyLiam · « **Reply #9 on:** April 16, 2013 »

Wow Craig, I never really thought about sunglasses to that level, best ones I ever had we're a fiver from the scout shop, they might not have had all the stuff you mentioned, but they sat well on my head and didn't fall off when I used them for skiing

so for me comfort is most important.

piczo · « **Reply #10 on:** April 16, 2013 »

Bought a pair of bolle's about ten years ago still have them bought of a site from the states really good quality ..

GMB · « **Reply #11 on:** April 17, 2013 »

Oakley Radars at the minute. I would go as far as saying there isn't a better pair of shades out there.

RedLeader · « **Reply #12 on:** April 17, 2013 »

I have a pair of Oakleys at the moment that were a gift, I'd never pay that sort of money for sunglasses, it's not worth it unless you like to impress.

This is worth a read:
http://cheapiosity.blogspot.co.uk/2010/08/truth-about-sunglasses.html

FlapJack · « **Reply #13 on:** April 17, 2013 »

Quote from: Kayakgirl on April 16, 2013

Flip I'm sure they weren't cheap in boots!

I don't think they where any more than a fiver, I couldn't buy a pair of oakley's, sunglasses are always the first thing to break. Some 'sitting on them incident' or something like that.

twentyclicks · « **Reply #14 on:** April 17, 2013 »

Quote from: RedLeader on April 17, 2013

I have a pair of Oakleys at the moment that were a gift, I'd never pay that sort of money for sunglasses, it's not worth it unless you like to impress.

This is worth a read:
http://cheapiosity.blogspot.co.uk/2010/08/truth-about-sunglasses.html

I'd say with those fashion label names, brand is the main difference in the price as they just outsource production to add product range to their collections. Just because that company now own Oakley or Rayban though, doesn't mean they're putting 'different stickers' on those products. Those companies are probably bought over and benefit from bulk raw materials and distribution channels that Luxottica can offer, but continue design and production as they always have. Certainly if you just want to cut UV and light level, any cheap pair will do, but in many applications optical factors and physical protection are important, not to mention fit and style.
A £5 watch will tell the time accurately just like a £200+ watch, but is it waterproof, shockproof, backlit, tells the tides, stylish... I think it's false modesty to consider sunglasses any different than our other purchases... many will buy something needlessly expensive for their needs (lying on a beach), or for perceived value (fashion, Prada etc), but there are actual values to be had when needed (eg. Oakley). Now whether the market forces on production/research costs associated with these gains actually require such a premium for the company to survive and profit, would take some research. The quantity of the premium may be questioned but the fact there is a premium can't in these cases.

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Author Topic: What Sunglasses Do You Have? (Read 11210 times)

surfnscenic

What Sunglasses Do You Have?

Glenn B

What Sunglasses Do You Have?

Ed

Re: What Sunglasses Do You Have?

Kayakgirl

What Sunglasses Do You Have?

FlapJack

Re: What Sunglasses Do You Have?

whoRya

Re: What Sunglasses Do You Have?

Kayakgirl

What Sunglasses Do You Have?

twentyclicks

Re: What Sunglasses Do You Have?

spynappels

Re: What Sunglasses Do You Have?

LandyLiam

Re: What Sunglasses Do You Have?

piczo

Re: What Sunglasses Do You Have?

GMB

Re: What Sunglasses Do You Have?

RedLeader

Re: What Sunglasses Do You Have?

FlapJack

Re: What Sunglasses Do You Have?

twentyclicks

Re: What Sunglasses Do You Have?

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