Are "good" sunglasses worth it?

[Hattrick 22]

I just bought a pair of Penn salts at Walmart the other day for around 25.

Now I wanted a pair of Costa shades for fishing and everything else but these salts are pretty good. The are polarized and uv protective. If your going to the beach the salts have all stainless components.

If I had my choice and money I would have bought the costas but I can not afford them atm until I see how the mortgage affects my finances etc.

If your having a tough time making the price choice check out the Penn salt series.

 

[Beeramid]

My wife got me a pair of Costa Del Mar, with 400 series light wave glass about 3 years ago. I believe they cost ~$190, and are worth their weight in gold. You will never catch me outside in daylight hours without them either on my face or hanging from my neck. My next pair will also be Costa Del Mar, I never leave home without them.

 

[lsu fan]

some costa del mar 580 waves best sunglasses ever

+1


I did some research on sunglasses before I bought mine. I can't remember where I found the info... might have been on howstuffworks.com but anyway, I wanted to know what the huge difference in price was. Essentially what it came down to was, cheapo glasses, even with UV protection, basically had a UV protective layer on top of the lenses that can wear off over time, basically making them tinted glasses, which are terrible for your eyes because you expose your eye to more UV damage, since you don't have to squint.

With quality sunglass lenses , the UV protection is built into the lenses, and won't "wear-off" over time.

It sounded important enough to me to drop some money on nice pair of shades, especially since my eyes are pretty sensitive to light. I'd like to protect them the best I can.


ETA:

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

Found the article. It's pretty informative.

 

[JLouv]

If you want good cheap sunglasses, check out Optic Edge. Less then $20. I wear them at work. Excellent light transmission, lightweight, no color distortion etc. Also, as a bonus, they are not polarized!! Lots of video screens don't play nice with polarized glasses! heck, some windsreens turn opaque if you wear polarized glasses!!

 

[topgunz1]

I usually take good care of my stuff, if it costs more the better care i take. That said I still shop for deals. My Oakley Pitbulls came off their government sales sight. For anybody who qualifies for it, I highly recommend it.

 

[JadeRaven]

Y'all people gotta be more careful with your sunglasses.

It took me two good pairs years ago to realize that. . . but haven't lost/broken any since.

 

[Trey@IG]

i have a set of polarized oakley flak jackets ill let go for 100 if you want them. i bought them online and didnt like the way they fit my face so theyve been in the hard case ever since

 

[JustinB]

+1 For Oakleys. Got one as a Christmas gift from my fiancé and I love them. Even swam in the adriatic sea with them on.

I have a cheap pair of Walgreens aviators in my truck that I wear on occasion. The screws are backing out and the frame is bent. You get what you pay for, just like anything else.

 

[1911Dave]

Costa Del Mar Stringer 580's for me. Best sunglasses I have ever owned. They have been virtually scratch proof now for 3 years after dropping them numerous times on concrete. For fishing they are unbelievable. When using them for redfishing in shallow ponds, nothing beats them. I have never found cheap sunglasses to be comfortable, nor any good for outdoors.

You just cant compare a cheap pair of sunglasses to an expensive pair. There is no comparison and yes paying the extra money is highly worth it for numerous reasons.

 

[Leadfoot]

I bought a USED pair of Costa's from Motor51 that have been EXCELLENT. My first pair of Costas, but I will say that theyre great glasses and I would highly recommend them.

I used to lose cheap glasses all the time, however since I spent some REAL money on a pair of glasses, I personally pay more attention to what happens to them. I've had these longer than I keep any cheap pair.

ETA: These have also landed face down on the concrete more than once and have emerged unscathed.

 

[CEHollier]

Revo's are my favorites. Polarized sunglasses protect your eyes so you don't develop cataracts. The key is polarized. I also have Maui Jim and Under Armour sunglesses. Quality isn't cheap.

 

[Sugarbug]

If you're just gonna be using at the beach every now and then, I don't think it'd be worth it to spend more than $50. However, if you find yourself out on the water fishing and boating or just outdoors a lot, then I'd invest in some quality sunglasses. I just picked up some Oakley's. Haven't had a nice pair of sunglasses in years. Tired of squinting all the time. All I can say is make sure they're polarized. The world just looks better through polarized lenses.

 

[skwurlking]

I bought a USED pair of Costa's from Motor51 that have been EXCELLENT. My first pair of Costas, but I will say that theyre great glasses and I would highly recommend them.

I used to lose cheap glasses all the time, however since I spent some REAL money on a pair of glasses, I personally pay more attention to what happens to them. I've had these longer than I keep any cheap pair.

ETA: These have also landed face down on the concrete more than once and have emerged unscathed.

That reminds me of the time my old Nike Interchange 80's flew off my head and exploded on the highway when I was riding. My Under Armour shades flew off about a year ago, bounced, and came to rest with only a small nick in the frame. The Nike shades were apparently cheap plastic in comparison to the polymer UAs.

 

[BrandonLSU]

only if they never leave your car

 

[blastncast2]

I buy Native's. Oakleys and Costa's are to expensive to have the lenses replaced in my opinion. For $30 I send off my Natives and they return them with new lenses and new nose pieces. I won't buy anything else. I am hard on sunglasses and wear them anytime I step outside during the day. My original pair are 6 years old and I have sent them off many times for new lenses and they come back looking brand new (maybe they are). I just bought my second pair last week.

 

[ericlosh]

Bought some oakley's in high school cause i decided at that time in my life, $180 sun glasses were the way to go....I'm suprised i still have them. I lost them for a year at one point and they came back to me. I mis place them all the time and i don't care, they always come back to me. I thought the expensive glasses were easy to loose. They've been through hell and could stand to go back to oakley for service. They've been smashed by basket balls and dropped more times than i can remember. Glad i have them still.

 

[charlie12]

I've been wearing Ray Bans for over 30 yrs. I can't do the cheap stuff.

 

[CEHollier]

If you're just gonna be using at the beach every now and then, I don't think it'd be worth it to spend more than $50. However, if you find yourself out on the water fishing and boating or just outdoors a lot, then I'd invest in some quality sunglasses. I just picked up some Oakley's. Haven't had a nice pair of sunglasses in years. Tired of squinting all the time. All I can say is make sure they're polarized. The world just looks better through polarized lenses.

Totally agree on the polarized lens. You can really see much clearer when glare is a factor. Personally, I feel they are safer for driving.

 

[SVTFreak]

If your a cheapo, or lose things, head over to your local safety supply company. You can pick up polarized, uv a and uv b protective safety shades for 20-40$. Yeah, it's not as cool as name brand but don't hurt as bad when you lose them.

 

[JWG223]

I'm going to the beach in a few weeks, and the only sunglasses I have are some that I found (they say oakley on them but I suspect they are knock-offs).

I've never paid good money for sunglasses, as I don't need prescription lenses or anything. I've usually don't wear sunglasses, and when I do they are borrowed or cheapo. It seems to me that sunglasses come in two types: $5 cheapo glasses and those that are over $100. I would like to get a decent pair of sunglasses and start wearing them, since I hear it is good for your eyes on these bright days. My question is, how much is it worth spending on sunglasses? Is it something I just bite the bullet on and buy a nice pair to have for a long time, or are the cheapo glasses functionally just as good? Is there a good "middle ground" that is really the best bet?

I had some $30 Aviator style that I loved. That said, it was obvious that they were not "quality".

To me, yes, if I buy another pair, I will spend several hundred bucks and get something worth having. You get what you pay for in the world of optics, usually. In this case, the chassis is where the $$ goes, or a good portion, anyway.