Talk to me about sunglasses

[ambuletz]

Heading on holiday soon and I feel like getting myself a pair of wayferers however I do not feel like spending the £100+ on a pair as I am always clumsy and it would inevitably get sat on. I do however want to buy a pair made from acetate as they feel so much better then the cheap plastic sub £20 pairs you get everywhere. Can anyone suggest something in between? ideally £20-50. I would prefer somewhere you can try them on too, instead of ordering it online.
Looking to get a pair in black or tortoise shell.

[defblade]

Might be worth waiting until you're away, depending on destination.

I got a nice pair of Maui Jim's in Tenerife a few years back - about the same price as internet in the UK (just a tiny bit cheaper), but with the plus of a shop full of glasses to try on.

[Troubleatmill]

Quality is remembered when price is long forgotten.


If you invest in a quality pair - you will endeavour to take care of it.

[ecsrobin]

Troubleatmill said:

Quality is remembered when price is long forgotten.


If you invest in a quality pair - you will endeavour to take care of it.

Very true. You only get one set of eyes.

[JackP1]

Go for a quality pair

Lived forever on stty £3 pairs from shops and since having a genuine pair of ray bans i'll never wear a cheap pair again!

[Justayellowbadge]

Rodenstock Wimbledon collection Wayfarers.

£20 down from £100 at Sports Direct.

I have a slightly different design I bought at full price from the shop at the All England, they are excellent quality.

Twenty notes is a steal.

http://www.sportsdirect.com/wimbledon-r9942c-sun-g...

[aka_kerrly]

When it comes to glasses try and get polarized lenses.

[ecsrobin]

Justayellowbadge said:

Rodenstock Wimbledon collection Wayfarers.

£20 down from £100 at Sports Direct.

I have a slightly different design I bought at full price from the shop at the All England, they are excellent quality.

Twenty notes is a steal.

http://www.sportsdirect.com/wimbledon-r9942c-sun-g...

I doubt they were ever £100 as its sports direct.

[Sump]

ecsrobin said:

Justayellowbadge said:

Rodenstock Wimbledon collection Wayfarers.

£20 down from £100 at Sports Direct.

I have a slightly different design I bought at full price from the shop at the All England, they are excellent quality.

Twenty notes is a steal.

http://www.sportsdirect.com/wimbledon-r9942c-sun-g...

I doubt they were ever £100 as its sports direct.

They're marketed at idiots TBF.

[-crookedtail-]

I'm not sure where you are in London but when I was at Wembley for the NFL games I checked out the Oakley outlet. They had some glasses in there discounted for around 30 quid, not sure whether they would be any good or not but might be worth a try - They'd probably be better than the others you pick up for 20ish.

[Peanut Gallery]

ecsrobin said:

Troubleatmill said:

Quality is remembered when price is long forgotten.


If you invest in a quality pair - you will endeavour to take care of it.

Very true. You only get one set of eyes.

What they say - Buy a proper pair, they really are worth it. My Maui Jims are used lots in winter driving into the sun, they really help with the glare. They are prescription and by far the most relaxing pair of glasses I own. 4 years and still going strong.

[Alapeno]

A lot of people (mostly those that haven't had a decent pair I think) consider RayBan, Oakley etc to be overpriced and offer nothing over your normal cheapo pair. Believe me though, the difference is massive. I bought a £100+ pair of Ray Bans 3 years ago and they're still as good as new and wouldn't be without them. Even the standard lenses are far superior to everyday cheap ones, so much so, I'll slip them on just for driving when it's not sunny as the glare reduction is huge. Might not be a massive selling point but they're the only pair I've had that don't slip down my nose and I can't even tell I'm wearing them most of the time.


As said above, you'll take care of a decent pair and find yourself looking after them that little bit more so needn't worry about breaking them.

[Johnspex]

ONLY buy a pair with a CE mark. All decent ones have it. If you buy from a respectable outlet, John Lewis, Boots any high street optician, Sunglass hut and so on they will be ok. What you need is a full UV filter and decent ones will have that. there are millions of dodgy copies out there.
Secondary is the quality of the frame and style. get one that gives a large area of cover. Rayban Aviators sell by the thousand for a reason, they're the best in my opinion. Rayban G15 is a great all round tint suitable for pretty much any normal wear unless you live in the desert or up a mountain.
Glass lenses scratch less easily but of course weigh more. If you want Polarized they will be plastic. Get a deep tint as the lighter ones are just for posing and won't reduce glare. This has nothing to do with UV reduction but obviously stop you screwing your eyes up in the bright light and causing headaches through doing that.

Remember the ONLY way to clean them is with running water to rinse sand and dust off. A good pair will last you a lifetime if properly cared for.
On your face or in the case! Don't put them in a pocket uncovered. Don't leave them lying around, a decent pair will get nicked.

[jshell]

I've always been an Oakley fan, but saw a pair of black carbon Ray-ban aviators last year and wife reckoned they looked good so I bought them. They look pretty good but the lenses mean I will always go back to Oakley in future. The Ray-bans are just not as good IMHO.

[dojo]

Rayban's aren't what they were. The newer ones don't have anything like the same the quality control, I've had the lens drop out of the frame a number of times on my aviators

[Johnspex]

I don't sell Raybans because they are a shop-lifter magnet. If it wasn't for that, I would.

[devnull]

Another w=vote for wayfarers. Classic Styling, work well. I've had my current pair about 7 years and in that time i've sat on them, tossed them about in the car, and even closed a connect on them. They still work and function great.

[ascayman]

Sungod.

[Benni]

Randolph Engineering, US contractor for several organisations.

Classic design, no fashion stuff, but seem to be great Quality.

[Johnspex]

Benni said:

Randolph Engineering, US contractor for several organisations.

Classic design, no fashion stuff, but seem to be great Quality.

Randolph are believed to be the original official suppliers to the various US air forces. I always thought it was Rayban but I think now that may be incorrect. Great lenses, along the lines of Rayban G15 and anatomical sides which "fit" everyone. A bit harder to find than Rayban I would imagine.