Sunglasses

[chuck270]

I would look past Ray Ban they are not near the quality that they once were.  I wore Ray Ban for over 30 years and the last couple of pair were flat out garbage not worth $16.00 much less the $ 160.00 I paid for them.  Maui Jim and Oakley are both very good.  My most recent pair has been REVO and I am very pleased.

Anything with good scratch resistant lenses that block all of the UV rays should be good and it doesn't have to be a name brand.  You only have two eyes so do what you must to protect them.

[baker5150]

My company pays for 100% of our safety equipment, including safety glasses.  So we all wear the 3M safety/sunglasses.  We order the from Uline, but you can pick them up at Lowes for around $25 bucks.  They are comfortable and polarized.  I used to buy high end but I couldn't wear thema t work they just got beat to hell. 

[RB]

It's not that I cannot see them it just distorts to view a little and makes a "fuzzy" view. It may just be my eyes, or the construction of the glasses just kind of a nuisance when looking at these types of items. 

It's not your eyes, light waves align in both vertical and horizontal patterns. When you have a body of water or flat reflective surface, the horizontal light waves compound each other which causes intense glare.
Polarized coatings block the horizontal light waves. LCD screens use horizontal waves as well. So your polarized glasses will block some of the horizontal light waves. If they do no do this, your polarized coating is weak or worn off. Though some people with eye issues this can be amplified to excessive, polarized glasses would not be in your benefit. A mirror coating on an Amber or Blue lens (mirror coating darken the lens so a lighter color that filters light works well) might work better for you.
Good polarized glasses use injection molding and the polarizing layer is in between the Glass or NXP Polyurethane. These two are substantially clearer (and expensive) and the polarizing layer can't be wiped off or scratched.
Cheaper inexpensive glasses use a bending polycarbonate or acrylic, and the polarizing layer is on the outside where it can and will fade or be wiped off if not careful.
These make inexpensive safety glasses as well, but scratch easily.

Be careful which ones you choose from the $50 - $200 range.
$50 - $70 for a polycarbonate or acrylic set of glasses is a good price mark. Anything more, you are only paying for the name for the same $50 - $70 glasses.
Oakley was notorious for this. Their quality has increased substantially in the last 10 years.

Ahhh I see .......


But seriously thanks for the definition 

[Alchase]

I am really hard on my glasses. I broke my Maui Jim's twice (same pair both times, I have three pairs) and they are titanium!
I sent them in and they repaired the frames for free and even put new lenses in for no charge.

[quadrafire]

I have worn oakley, and native non prescription and really liked them especially the native. But my old eyes are prescription full time now so I broke down and got prescription sunglasses too. This time around I got WileyX they come with a foam insert for biking. Could be used for motor or pedal power. I ride a bicycle quite a bit and it really helps keep the wind/dust/bugs out of the eyes. BUT if you aren't moving and working hard they will fog over pretty quick with the insert in place.
This is my first run at prescription sunglasses. Wish I had the $$$ to afford a few different ones as I would like 2-3 styles to choose from depending on what I am doing. With prescription if you get all the add on features, polarized (gotta have that), scratch resistant (gotta have that) etc. it gets expensive really fast.

[high country]

In 2001 I bought a set of guides choice (originally action optics, now smith) I broke the frame around 2005 and they replaced it. I broke them again this year and smith sent me a new pair. Why would a guy keep a single par of glasses for 15 years? It's not because I'm cheap, it's because they are amazing .look at smiths photochromic copper lens. It will amplify greens and changes to conditions. Wear this from dark to dark and see stuff that isn't visible to anyone else. Yes they are $200, but worth every penny.

[Old Man Yager]

I buy a new pair of Oakleys about every 3-4 years. I don't get the high end glasses, I'll usually drop around 100 bucks on a pair. I then baby them to make sure they last. I've had polarized 1 time, still have them, but I scratched the hell out ou the lenses wearing them to cut wood. FFrames are still good, I just need to buy new lenses. I don't mind paying a little more for quality, and then make them last as long as I can.

[Old Man Yager]

Funny story about my son.... He wanted a pair of Oakleys, so we said only if YOU pay for them, cause he is hard on his stuff. So we find a pair on Craigslist, used, and he buys them for 50$ from a soldier on Ft. Lewis. He had them about 2 days, and we were fishing on the Puyallup. He had them on his hat cause we wre in the shade, and after a few minutes he says @#!^&* I dropped my glasses in the river. I was like, sure glad I didn't pay for them!! He has a strap now on his WalMart shades so he won't lose them this year.

[turkeyfeather]

Thanks everyone for all the advice. I had bought another $25 dollar pair of polarized Mountain shades last week. And a week later the lenses already felt like they were getting loose in the frames.    Took them back to Cabela's today and had decided that it was time to suck it up and pay the price for good ones. My wife suggested I check out the Bargain Cave first. It never occurred to me that there may be shades in there. But there in the display case was a set of WileyX Gravity and set of Smith's. Tried them both on and really liked the fit and feel of the Wiley's the best. $140 glasses that were on clearance for $80 plus an additional 15% off and I had a $10 off coupon. Ended up being $58.     

[wildmanoutdoors]

Im a sucker for costa 580 glass lenses.

[GrainfedMuley]

I have been wearing Oakleys since the early 80's with the set called "Factory Pilots". I have had many pair since then and will not wear anything but Oakley. Beside they sponsor NASCAR, The US Olympic track team, Us cycling team and a ton of other sponsorships.

[Fl0und3rz]

In 2001 I bought a set of guides choice (originally action optics, now smith) I broke the frame around 2005 and they replaced it. I broke them again this year and smith sent me a new pair. Why would a guy keep a single par of glasses for 15 years? It's not because I'm cheap, it's because they are amazing .look at smiths photochromic copper lens. It will amplify greens and changes to conditions. Wear this from dark to dark and see stuff that isn't visible to anyone else. Yes they are $200, but worth every penny.

Second on the Smiths.  I have had two pairs of Smith Whisper Interlocks with the interchangeable lenses since about 2008.  One, I got on warranty when the frame snapped on a prior discontinued model due to impact in the cold of NE WA winter.   The other I purchased for the drive home, before the warranty replacement. 

I also agree that the photochromic copper lenses or similar are awesome.  I can wear them dawn to dusk, and even though they came with a set of clear and grey lenses, I mostly wear the copper.  No need to take them off. You can even still get replacement lenses for $20, even though the frames are no longer in production.  They've been dropped, thrown, hit with rocks and sand, sat on, munched, reefed, and they only have some small scratching on the lenses.  Even (to my surprise) the clear lenses provide 100% UV protection and are polarized.  No regrets.  Your eyes are worth it.

The closest current model appears to be the Smith Pivlock Overdrive.

http://www.rei.com/product/871019/smith-pivlock-overdrive-interchangeable-sunglasses-mens

OP, congrats on a good deal.

[turkeyfeather]

Well this thread has cost me money. My wife liked the clarity of my new higher end sunglasses that she decided she wanted a nice pair. She got herself a set of Smith's today.

[high country]

In 10 years of daily use I had no real scratches on my Smith's. Glass is the answer.

[RB]

In 10 years of daily use I had no real scratches on my Smith's. Glass is the answer.