Expensive Sunglasses

[tallyhorob]

$250+ here for maui jims. Only pair of glasses I have kept for more then a month. I would go without more times then not when I was using cheap sun glasses. Now that I have a good pair I fine myself reaching for them on my head even when I'm in the house and the sun's bright in the windows lol. I have really noticed the differance. And on the plus side whenever I screw tehm up I send them back to Maui Jims and pay for new lens, like $90, and I get a brand new pair of glasses.

[sobraon]

Until recently I hadn't worn expensive sunglasses.
Because we are now underway and headed off shore we will have to suspend our private health insurance
I was convinced by a friend that we should use the insurance whilst we still had it. It turned out that they did cover sun protection so through a friend in the optical business I was able to get a pair of Nautica Titanium Navigators.
I probably would never have purchased them myself as they were almost half the cost of a new outboard for the dingy, however, now that I have them I can see (pun intended) what I have been missing.
Not only have they been indispensable anchoring on the reef, they are also extremely light and durable and I m no longer conscious of wearing them.
Hopefully we may even be able to claim them on boat insurance if I do lose them overboard.
If you are paying the insurance your mad if you don't use it.

Fair Winds

Garry
Spirit of Sobraon
Spirit of Sobraon Home Page: Sobraon's Travel...

[MTrejchel]

I have a pair of oakley's. I've worn them to Iraq twice. They lasted through the desert and bouncing around on my flak jacket. I've got a second pair of oakley's that I broke the frame on. I've sent them back to Oakley the last time I broke them and they come back with new frames for cheap. I know cheaper sunglasses block UV as much but I like the comfort and the way things stay clear. Just my two cents.

[sailorboy1]

Hey - who changed the title of my thread here? There wasn't anything wrong with way I did it. Moderators don't = editors these does it?

[Tellie]

Originally Posted by MTrejchel

I have a pair of oakley's. I've worn them to Iraq twice. They lasted through the desert and bouncing around on my flak jacket. I've got a second pair of oakley's that I broke the frame on. I've sent them back to Oakley the last time I broke them and they come back with new frames for cheap. I know cheaper sunglasses block UV as much but I like the comfort and the way things stay clear. Just my two cents.

Thank you for your service.

[zeehag]

i love dollar stores--99cent stores and the like--can get very very good stuff for no money...talk about cheap sailors..LOL...i win!!!

[Philsboat]

I have a 10 yr. old pair of Serengetis that I wouldn't be without.Very restful on the eyes.

Phil

[dcstrng]

Originally Posted by Don Lucas

Got a who is buying $200 sunglasses? What do they do...

Not I… I buy the polarized wrap-around safety glasses, usually from neighborhood True-Value or other hardware stores… downside is they don’t seem as scratch resistant as a few of the pricier ones, but you can buy a whole fistful for $25-$30, and they make great riding glasses as well (assuming one doesn’t actually have to have the Harley emblem…). Little trick I learned from the executive security folks serving in various sand-boxes around the globe…

[Bill Lee]

A few years ago, I bought a pair of Maui Jim sunglasses (about $400.00). I went waterskiing WITH those glasses on. Of course I wiped out, busted a rib AND lost my sunglasses. I was more upset about my stupidity at buying a $400+ pair of sunglasses AND losing them than my rib. Since I have strong prescription eyewear anyways, I now buy a bunch of the polarized, fully protected UV sunglasses that fit over my glasses. Do they look as good? Not even close! Do I get upset when they get lost (and that doesn't happen because I won't waterski anymore ) - nope. They work great. and I now have a pair everywhere. I find the lenses pop out when dropped but otherwise they're fine.
Cheers,
Bill

[Opie91]

Cheap sun glasses were the norm for me until I tried a pair of Maui Jim's. I have has 3 or 4 pair over the last 10 years and they are all great. The polarization is way better than the cheap glasses. My eyes just feel relaxed in the sun with them on.

We all have spent way too much money for something on our boat we really did not need and did not give it a second thought. Why not spend a little more money (OK like 10x more) on your eyes?

Cheap good Maui Jim's start at $150.

[anotherT34C]

Can somebody please explain the physical difference between an expensive polarizer and a non-expensive polarizer? I know (physically) what a polarizer is and does, I just don't understand the difference between a $300 one and a $30 one. What exactly justifies the order of magnitude in price difference?

If it's style, taste and comfort, then ok, I sort of understand that. I'm more interested in if there is a physical difference in how they polarize that justifies (some) of the expense.

[Efraim]

This thread reminds me of talking to audiophile types who swear up and down that the $500 they just spent on a 6 foot length of cable to power their amp is worth every penny. It's hard to argue with a guy who just spent that type of money on 6 feet of copper wire.

[sailorboy1]

I wondered this when I posted the thread. In the end I would think anyone who has a pair of $200+ (even $100+) sunglasses is going to have a justification story for them. After all the only other answer would be that they are...............!

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by anotherT34C

I'm more interested in if there is a physical difference in how they polarize that justifies (some) of the expense.

You will look into photographic forums for that. Basically, the polarising element can be applied as a film on top or between the glass or plastic layers and its quality can be measured i.a. by how much it polarises vs. how much it obstructs/distorts the light.

A quality polarised lens will not only employ better (often more expensive) polarisation elements but also the lens itself will be of higher optical quality - less distortion and less light blocking, hence the final product WILL be more expensive than low quality polarised lens.

My way to pick up a quality lens is to vie thru it at many angles to see how much distortion remains. A picture viewed via two polarised elements should be - guess what - black (no light passes by).

You stand better chances of buying quality glasses from an established brand than from a no-name stand. But looking for price one is better off with technical suppliers - making quality glass for technical workers.

b.

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by Don Lucas

What do they do that the other polarized/UVA/UVB/comfortable "cheap" ones do?

I think you might find they all come out of the same factory. Well, at least out of the same town in China: Xiamen

The whole city must be one big sunglasses shop.