Expensive Sunglasses

[sailorboy1]

Got a West Marine flyer today for apparel. Before I tossed it I flipped though it fast and saw sunglasses that were $200+. Now I believe good sunglasses are very important, but I've never spent more that around $40.

So fess up......who is buying $200 sunglasses? What do they do that the other polarized/UVA/UVB/comfortable "cheap" ones do?

[zeehag]

ROFL.....i buy dolla sunglassses--my favorites i lost while tarping a boat--lol---so i bought another pair at psj marina--modified look like old folks eyesurgery ones--excellent sunshades!! and only 14 dolla!!!!!! which goes to show, if ye want a 400+percent markup, go to worst marine.....LOL

[Mariness]

I believe they're popular with people who own a boat, but don't use it much.
Personally, I've never spent more than $20, even for the polarized ones.
As for what they do - they mark you as the kind of person who spends $200 on sunglasses. Whether that's good or bad depends on who's looking at you I guess.

[Prerequisite]

I confess that I have three pairs that cost over $200 each and my wife has 3 that cost over $150 each. I did get a couple on sale so I didn't pay quite that much for all of them. All 6 are Costa Del Mar brand, and if you've never worn them, you wouldn't understand. They are worth every penny and I've owned about 10 pairs of them over the past 8 or 9 years. I have two different color lenses for being out on the water and my third pair is a comfortable frame to wear under my helmet while I'm flying. I can tell you they make a huge difference from boat or helicopter and I can often see things in the water long before anyone else on board. There is a major shift at my CG unit lately to buy Costas or similar quality glasses because of their ability to cut glare and reveal things floating in the ocean.

If you're someone who loses things though, stick with the cheap ones. I've never lost a set of glasses and have been carrying the same pen for 9 years.

[Sailmonkey]

I'll admit I've got a 300+ dollar pair of glasses
I can tell the difference between the $2 pair and the $50 pair, but once you get a little salt spray on any of them all bets are off.......but they sure nice for driving

[Mario G]

LOL I lose something everytime I step foot on the boat. cell phone, straps snorkle and flash lightes but never a set of my very cheap safety sun glasses that I really like because of comfort.

[barnakiel]

I use Polaroids at about 40 USD a pair. Certified to all the UV stuff and clearly marked with all certification agency marks.

I think one cannot buy good glasses on the cheap, but beyond some price it is all fashion and marketing.

Good stuff I have used so far - Polaroid, Uvex.

b.

[motion30]

Refer to the thread sailors are cheap .......

[David M]

Mine are expensive only because they are prescription.

I think lots of sunglasses are bought as status symbols, not that they do anything more for you than a moderately priced pair.

I would like to know whats the cost to produce versus the MSRP of some of these sunglasses. I would bet its in the 100% to 500% range.

[David_Old_Jersey]

My last Sunglasses cost around £300. But prescription lenses. and highly curved. Forget the name, but some sort of "brand". Really great

Shame I put them in my pocket with some sandpaper

[DRS]

I have an expensive pair that never make it close to the marina let alone the boat. I discovered along time ago that both cheap and expensive glasses sink at the same rate and it is faster than I can reach

[maxingout]

I am an ophthalmologist, and I spend ten to twenty dollars for polarized sunglasses. I am not particularly picky about my vision - whether I see 20/20 or 20/25 doesn't matter that much to me. When I am out sailing, any polarized sunglasses work for me as long as they are comfortable.

If I was doing search and rescue in a helicopter or fixed wing aircraft, I would be wearing more expensive sunglasses with a prescription in the glasses. Other people's lives would depend on what I saw from the air, and polarized glasses would be extremely important in eliminating as many reflections as possible from the water's surface.

Sunglasses can protect from "sun blindness". I have known one person who had corneal irritation from reflected sunlight while at sea, and he had to go below for a day for his eyes to heal from the UV light. That's only one person in more than thirty years of sailing. Sunblindness is like snowblindness - corneal irritation from reflected UV light.

Clear lenses without a tint remove most of the UV light. The polarized part of the lens eliminates much of the reflections off the surface of the water and makes it easier to see, but it doesn't remove that much more UV light.

If the goal is to stop UV light, just about any lens can do that pretty well.

If the goal is sharper vision, then a prescription lens with polarization and some degree of tint will work best.

[Surveyor]

Originally Posted by Prerequisite

....Costa Del Mar brand, and if you've never worn them, you wouldn't understand. They are worth every penny....

What he said. I have 3 pairs of CDMs, one cost >$600 but I won it in a fishing tourney. All 3 are firmly fastened to lanyards, which by the way, is how to not loose them.

[sarafina]

I used to wear cheap comfortable disposable sun glasses, exclusively. My eyes are pretty sensitive to light so you won't catch me out during daylight with out them.

I now wear expensive comfortable non disposable sunglasses. I am picky about my vision and in recent years my astigmatism has gotten really bad, in my dominant eye in particular.

So it's a pair of RayBans with ultra light yada yada yada lenses in the shade of brown that is the only one I will wear (cheap or expensive) that almost totally corrects the glare for the astigmatism.

On a really good peeper keeper. so I can't loose em (knocking on wood so I don't jinx myself)

But with out the need for the prescription I would still be in the ten buck frames.

so yeah, I dress out of the thrift shops but I have 300.00 shades...

[Reckless]

I have had 3 pairs of expensive sunglasses in my time, 1 $300 pair of Oakley's, Wife accidentally picked them up with the laundry and they were washed a week after I bought them.
2nd pair were nice $225 Ray Bans, bought them in Vegas, had them for a few months, then someone broke into my car and helped themselves to them.

3rd pair were prescription, but I paid for "designer frames" they looked great as I watched them fall into a lake.

I have a "nice" $30 pair I keep in the car for driving, and the boat I have some $5 Walmart specials.

The quality of the expensive glasses were noticeable, however, I could have replaced my cheaper ones 100x over.

Third time was the charm for me, I learned my lesson, I can't afford to have expensive glasses!