Polarized Sun glasses

[BoxMN]

I got a pair of Maui Jims last spring - was a freebie from a bank deal (so not really free, hahahaha!). I can say this - I used to say all I needed was a pair of cheapies, and that's all I used for many years. But now I know exactly what this saying means....

"Luxury once tasted becomes a necessity."

I will ALWAYS be wearing good glasses from now on, even if I have to buy a new pair after they fall into the lake...

[DooWap]

I was always skeptical about purchasing expensive sunglasses too as I always lost mine. However, I bit the bullet about 4 years ago and purchased a pair of Oakley Half Jackets with the shallow water blue polarized lenses. And guess what, I haven't lost them yet. I just make it a point to ALWAYS put them back in my truck when I'm not wearing them and that's where they always are. Don't have to worry about them falling in the lake because they wrap around your head great. Also fit so well around the brow that it actually keeps the sweat from dripping in your eyes. As for sitting on them and breaking them, I've sat on these a couple times and they're designed so that the lenses and arms pop off if you sit on them. Then you just pop them back together and you're good to go.

[bASS_BLASTER]

I've own many oakleys in the past. One I left in a rental car, the other fell out as I reached for a fish near the stillwater bridge and one was destroyed by ex-girlfriend.

I own one pair of maui jim and I will say, they are extremely light and will not leave a dent on your nose like oakleys. Both are nice glasses but you can wear a maui all day and not feel a thing.

I've learned a lot so I buy straps for them now. Good Luck!

[Nate McVey]

Quote:

Oakley Half Jackets with the shallow water blue polarized lenses.

+1 for the Half Jackets.....The best part about these are the number of interchangable lenses.....I have 6 different lenses for lots of applications (hunting and fishing). The warranty is great (used it a couple times now) and there were no questions asked.

[LightningBG]

I use a $30 pair of polarized. I love them. I can wear them unlimited amount of time and never feel strained at all. I end up going through about 2-3 pairs a year because I loose them or drop them enough that they get scratched up. I dont think i could handle a $200+ pair.

And they work as perfect as any other glasses I've tried. Even when others can't, I can almost always see the golf balls that I hit in the water...

[bASS_BLASTER]

LightningBG brings up a real good point. Polarized is polarized. My brother has a $35 polarized shade from sporting good store and I have Maui Jim. They both eliminate glare and see the bottom of a shallow lake exactly the same. You are not missing out on anything if you have a pair $30 polarized glasses. Only thing is probably a decent warranty.

[Hookmaster]

The main differences with the quality sunglasses and the $30 dollar ones is the quality of the optics and how long they last if you don't sit on them, lose them, drop them in the water, etc. I used to get the cheap ones and they got so scratched up they would really fatique the eyes. I bought a pair of Ocean Waves and my wife bought a pair of Maui Jims when we went on a Mediterranean cruise in 2005. We still have them with no problems. I'll where them all day and absolutely no eye strain. Not to pick on LightningBG, but he pays on average $75/year on the $30 dollar glasses. Over 6 years, that's $450. We spent about $180 on each of ours. If you can take care of them it is definetly worth buying the quality sunglasses.

[hanson]

Polarized is polarized.

Funny reading this topic as you can divide the responses into 2 pretty distinguished groups, those who have paid alot of money for good polarized sunglasses and those who haven't.

Those who have paid the money for high quality glasses say they'll never go back to cheap glasses again.

Those who think high quality "expensive" glasses aren't worth it have never owned them. Hmmmm...

I've got Costa Del Mar Fathoms w/ 580 glass and I don't think I've ever owned a nicer pair of sunglasses. Since about 1991-92, which would have been my junior high school days, I've owned Oakley's... Razorblades, M-Frames, Straight Jackets... I've had multiple pairs of M-Frames over the years, without a doubt my favorite sunglasses for a long time.

I've only lost one pair of glasses and that was a couple years ago when I had them on my hat and took my hat off to scratch my head and ooops... there they go right into the Rainy River. I'd broken a number of pairs of M-Frames but Oakley had a heck of a return policy back then, not sure its the same anymore.

[thatoneguy]

A good synopsis of the basic science behind sunglasses:

http://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/everyday-innovations/sunglass1.htm

[croixeyes]

Ive owned Maui jims for the last 15 years.Ive had 3 pair and still have all three.The polycarb lens that I have I had to send in to fix cause the the nose bridge had cracked in half.It ran 60 bucks to get them fixed.They are spendy but I drive for a living and fish when im not working,IMO there worth every penny.I guess spending the xtra coin on these makes me more aware of where they are when there not on my eyes.Like others have said,go check out different brands,styles,colored lens and make your choice.Good luck..

[fivebucks]

I must take pretty good care of my cheap glasses. I have a pair in my boat just for fishing. They are in a hard case. I paid $20-25 for them 5 years ago and still no scratches. I guess in the last 10 years I've spent well less than $75 on glasses. Knock on wood. I know I'll be jinxed if I ever buy "good" pair as I'm sure they will fall in the lake or get sat on in the first week.

[Northlander]

My problem is I have to have a perscription put in my sunglasses. That gets spendy by the time you put polarization, and scratch resistance on the lenses. I used to think that was all a scam to get more $ from ya but I didnt get scratch resistance on my last pair and they scratched a week into them and they are driving me nuts. Now Im paying for new lenses.

[Stringerless!]

Northlander. Go to Zenni optical.com You won't belive the prices for prescription glasses!!

[dobiel]

Maui Jims all the way!

[Matt C]

Love my Oaklys.

I have cheapies as well as Oaks, and the 10 dollar glasses just collect dust.

Think of it this way.... Your going on a long road trip, would you rather take a Yugo or the Cadillac?

[DTro]

If you do a little research you can find some good mid range shades that are built the same as "name brand" without paying for the name.

The 2 pair of Maui Jims ($200-$300) I had I basically got for free with money from my HSA account. In terms of clarity and lense quality, I didn't see or notice any difference from another $25 pair I had.

Because it really didn't cost me anything (use it or lose it money), I think I was able to have an unbiased opinion and didn't have to try and justify my purchase. I really liked how lightweight they were and the titanium frames, but the polycarbonate lens scratched just like the cheap pair, and like I said the latest pair I got is sitting at the bottom of the MN river.

If you are going to spend a ton of dough on a good pair I would at least go with real glass and not poly. While heavier, they won't scratch, are superior for optics, and believe it or not, will protect your eyes better from flying objects or direct impact.

[walleye365]

iv always just bought the cheap sunglass, but broke down and bought a pair of wiley x p-17s and they are unbelievable i got the emerald/green pol. lense its truely a diferant world from cheap to high end glass. glad i bought them and they come with nice case and to differant straps cleaning cloth.

[Northlander]

Northlander. Go to Zenni optical.com You won't belive the prices for prescription glasses!!

Thanks man I will check it out.

[ole matty]

" One I left in a rental car, the other fell out as I reached for a fish near the stillwater bridge and one was destroyed by ex-girlfriend "

Was that before or after you guys broke up????? :)

[Hookmaster]

Two more things about my Ocean Waves. I went with glass and not polycarbonate. Maybe that's why they are holding up so well. I lost them in North Dakota duck hunting mid-day a few years ago when they fell off my hat when I was using the binoculars and then went to jump some ducks. On my return trip 2 weeks later, I looked again and found them.

[JohnMickish]

Northlander, I don't know what your budget is but both Oakley and Costa Del Mar do prescription glasses. You do have to order them from an optical shop that is also a dealer. Easy to find on each companys HSOforum. I've got two pair of Rx Oakleys, which my health insureance paid for one and half of the other. I also have some regular Rx sunglasses for work (saftey glasses) and they don't compare in any way other than being glasses.

It's pretty easy get good glasses in a prescription now days.

[SkunkedAgain]

IMO it's just like music and DVDs. Some people can tell the differences between a regular stereo and high end while others can't. Some just don't care about the difference even if they can tell. Of course, the difference here is that we're talking about something (your eyes) that can affect your health.

When I was younger I bought several pairs of high end sunglasses. Granted those weren't polarized, but they were still top notch. There are differences when you wear the top quality glasses but it's up to you to decide how important it is to you. I don't lose sunglasses anymore, but choose to just get a $30 pair of polarized glasses when needed (not very often). I feel better about losing a pair and the gains between the $30 and $200 pair is not that important to me. As a side note, I have terrific vision so the glasses don't make much of a difference to me...and I still have better than 20-10 after all these years.

[SkunkedAgain]

As a side note about HSAs and flexible spending accounts, some will not let you use them on sunglasses unless you need a prescription. When our health plan was changing and we needed to use up the money in our flexible account, they wouldn't allow a sunglass purchase because I didn't need prescription glasses. I haven't checked yet with my current HSA but it's worth checking to make sure that you're okay to do so before making a mistake.

[DTro]

Thanks for clarifying that about the HSA or I guess FSA in my case. I just asked my eye doctor and they said they would code it correctly for me to work (a win/win I guess).

I think that is the exception though and not the norm and I don't plan on doing it again as I later found out that maybe it wasn't supposed to be covered.

[tonkapat]

Maui Jim polarized plus 2 glass lenses are great. The brightest grey lense that I have seen. The costa 580 glass lenses are great also. Some really good lenses for lowlight conditions especially. Imo polycarb lenses are 2nd rate, if you want good sunglasses get some with glass lenses. My eyes are worth a lot to me and a couple hundred on a good set of glasses is just cheap insurance.