Sunglasses

[hellosailor]

Thanks for the reveiw, Roy. I've also been tempted by that company, but their rather limited range of frame sizes ensured I couldn't get a good fit from them, so I didn't bother.

[speedoo]

I've had good luck with prescription sunglasses at Costco. Service is first rate, and they occasionally offer coupon discount specials. But I know very little about their current sunglasses offerings in prescriptions.

[Pblais]

I need a prescription if about a minus 7. It's means I can see something as close as one foot but after that it gets hard. I went with a prescription pair of Ray Bans the first time I got good sunglasses. A slight wrap around with larger lenses works great on the water. You want light blockage and field of view more than anything.

You pay a lot of money for frames. Good eye glass frames for prescription start at about $200 so expensive non prescription sun glasses are all about style. The quality of the lenses can be had had with polarized lenses. Coating can add extra benefits as well with UV and anti glare being worth the money.

I've worn glasses for almost 50 years and weight is the key. High index lenses and titanium frames matter after you lug them around all your life. Weight on the bridge of your nose is where it's at. A clear case of less is more.

[sarafina]

Originally Posted by onremlop

While attempting to keep a boat from bumping into mine, I ended up taking a swim with my expensive sunglasses. They now sleep with the fishes and now am resorting to endless cheap and scratched sunglasses.

Can I just say
"peeper keeper"?

I live with mine on a string because I would loose them instantly otherwise.

[Cheechako]

You just have to have Polarized on the water....

[Roy M]

LATEST UPDATE ON 39 DOLLAR GLASSES: I received, after several weeks, the sunglasses I had returned to this company for correction of an error in tint color of the lenses. They returned the same glasses, saying this was normal for polarized glasses. In the meantime I went to Lenscrafters and had the same prescription made in one hour, at precisely what I had asked for, and for less money.

The second pair of glasses which I had purchased and returned for having an incorrect prescription (confirmed by two opticians) still has not arrived. I spoke with 39dollarglasses.com this morning. They are telling me that I must be, in effect, delusional. At any rate, while using the same prescription as the requested pair, but prepared also by Lenscrafters, I have requested a return mailing label and refund of my entire order. I will advise the forum on the result of this effort. The Better Business Bureau suggests this approach in dealing with customer complaints. I hope it works.

[todm]

Roy,
Sorry to hear about your problems with 39dollarglasses. I guess I was just lucky with my order. I need to get in the habit of checking companies with the BBB.

[osirissail]

Polycarbonate lens are the standard UV protection used in sunglasses. You can get very economical polycarb sunglasses from Home Depot and other hardware/home stores by looking for "outside safety glasses". They are the wrap around type sunglasses which significantly help you to avoid cataracts. However, they are not polarized which is a bummer as once you try polarized sunglasses when out on the water you will be willing to pay the extra money to get them.

[Yotboss]

I'm "of that age" where I need reading glasses and have found it a real hassle to be taking sunglasses off and putting readers on, especially when it's bright out. The price of really good polarized readers (Maui Jim, Costa del Mar, etc.) is more than I'm willing to pay for something that will soon be donated to the sea or sat on. I found a couple of brands of off-the-shelf polarized readers that do the trick for me: Ono's and Suncloud. They aren't the best lenses, but plenty acceptable and the built-in readers are great; also the price is right - $65 - $90.

[bobfnbw]

I have both costa del mars and maui jims. I like them both.
The maui's recently go broken when my son decided they would make great eye shields for shooting nerf bullets, and they broke not sure how. They are at the factory being repaired for 75 bucks, replacing both lens. Not bad.
The costas I got from the practical sailor review on sunglasses. I got the copper lens. Both pairs are glass lenes which I prefer.

[TrevC]

Maui Jims or Serengetis. Cheap "polarized" lenses are no comparison for glasses with real optics. Comparing decent cheap pairs to the Maui Jim, and I can see way more detail through the water (sandbars, low spots, etc). Expensive, so definitely take good care of them.

[12reasons]

How about a pair that fits comfortably on a big head? My hat size is a 7-7/8 and I have a hell of a time finding glasses that don't hurt from pinching my head after a few hours.

Also, what is 13% polarized on a 20% light transmission lense?

[Pblais]

Also, what is 13% polarized on a 20% light transmission lense?

Transmision, polarization, and UV coating all are seperate components and qualities to consider. You want all of them for "on the water". It's not as bad as high alpine in the snow but it's a close second.

Polarization cuts the reflections so the light rays coming in sideways are blocked. It cuts the glare. Transmission just cuts the brightness down so you don't feel your eyeballs burning in the back of your head after a full day on the water. UV coating is the killer of your overall vision. The optical quality will help render colors better and maitain clarity when you add up all the other stuff.

If you throw in the idea of style the fames alone can bump a few hudred dollars more. You can get full polarization and UV protection from many inexpensive glasses. They tend to have gher transmission but for land based stuff you don't need it cut that much.

The extra bit for a lot more money I think is worth it when you run a boat on the water or fly an airplane. For driving a car the cheap ones are fine.

[osirissail]

Polycarbonate plastic is the UVA/UVB blocking material used in normal "plastic" sunglasses. Any other material - real glass, etc., needs to have an additional coating applied to the lens which can be expensive and can also be scratched/worn off.
- - Polarization does not stop UV but does significantly stop "glare" off the water and beaches, etc. For sailing, polarized glasses are the best especially in the Tropics. You can check the sunglasses at the store for polarization by looking at a light fixture/ceiling light through the lens and rotate the glasses clockwise or counter-clockwise. If the light source dims and then brightens you are holding polarized sunglasses. Tags and labels get screwed up or mixed up so always check the sunglasses carefully.
- - You can purchase good UV protection sunglasses for a fraction of the normal price by going to hardware stores, Home Depot, etc. and purchasing the outdoor safety glasses. They are made of polycarbonate and usually cost about US$10 +/-. They are large which is good as the UV from the sun can enter from around the edges of normal sunglasses and attack your eyes. The bigger safety glasses also protect better from wind and water spray.

[Lodesman]

Originally Posted by osirissail

You can check the sunglasses at the store for polarization by looking at a light fixture/ceiling light through the lens and rotate the glasses clockwise or counter-clockwise. If the light source dims and then brightens you are holding polarized sunglasses.

That only works if the light source is polarized - not very likely. Instead if you have an LCD watch, hold the lens in front of your watch and rotate it - the LCD is also polarized, so it should be clear in one alignment, but black when rotated 90 degrees.