Are sunglasses really worth hundreds of dollars?

[PM Martin]

FosterGrant vs. Rayban, Gucci, Versace, Lauren, Maui Jim ETC...

Does a basic pair of $25 dollar sunglasses have the same quality (in terms of protection) as the "designer" brands?

Please discuss.

http://www.ray-ban.com/


Also, what do you make of this brand?
http://www.soseyewear.com/

[BrklynLiberal]

1. All that monogrammed "designer" junk is over priced...One is paying for a name..and not

necessarily better quality

[SIMPLYB1980]

2. Only if they are perscription.

:hippie:

[XemaSab]

8. My ray-bans cost $250

and I love them. :)

[cherokeeprogressive]

27. My Oakleys cost $190

Wouldn't trade them for anyone's $3 Cheap-Bans.

[teamster633]

61. My Ray Bans were around $130.

I justify it as a work expense. I wear them all the time and they take a real beating. If the frames break within a year they repair or replace them free of charge. I've only had to take them up on it once, but they did follow through without any questions.

[SIMPLYB1980]

62. Yeah I have a pair of prescription Maui Jim's,

that cost around $350, but when I wear my contacts it's strictly "cheap sun-glasses".

[onehandle]

3. There's a difference between a $25 pair and a $90 or so pair.

After that, you're paying for a name for the most part.

[PM Martin]

11. How do you see $90 as the limit of being reasonable?

[onehandle]

49. Because I've bought sunglasses and that was my conclusion at the time.

A couple of years ago.

Maybe now it would be $120 or $55?

[paulsby]

14. this is true with most items

iow, there is a sweet spot where performance and price match

beyond that you get incrementally smaller (if any) gains in performance for each extra $ you spend.

this is the case with PC's, as an obvious example.

for a desktop w/o monitor, you will get MUCH better performance between a $800 and a $400 model. add another $400 and the extra performance will be much smaller. ditto for the next $400. etc.

i agree that one can get the best optics for under $100. everything beyond that is mostly for name brand cachet.

[Fumesucker]

33. I built my last computer, reused the case and hard drives..

Bought a power supply from ebay, a motherboard from Microcenter and memory and a processor from Amazon..

Total expenditure was under $200 and I have a 2.66 dual core Pentium with four gigs of ram that screams through all the image processing and CAD work I do on it as well as a lot of video processing and audio enhancement work.

Oh and my dual 21" hi res CRT monitors came from Craigslist for $10 each.. I nearly forgot, my 13x19 super B size printer, it was $30 from Craigslist too.

[paulsby]

36. that sounds sweet

i got my computer and monitor off craigslist.

my biggest expense was my graphics carn. i like computer games, and they thrive on a hardcore graphics card.

i also use 3 monitors on my desktop and a laptop with an extra monitor

[Fumesucker]

39. The only "game" I enjoy is Flightsim X..

Graphics card doesn't really do much for that, it's much more of a processor type of thing, I can max out all the realism settings and still get a good smooth frame rate.

Since the mobo I got didn't have a joystick connector for my Sidewinder 3D Precision Pro I got a Turtle Beach PCI sound card off ebay for $5 shipping included, the fact it sounds great too is just a plus.. :)

My favorite ship is a Sim Shack C130J, that thing flies more like an aerobatic plane than something that size has any right to.

I also like a Horten Ho 229 flying wing, I have a thing for flying wings and have about ten of them including a Northrop YB 49 and a Northrop XP 56 Black Bullet.

[paulsby]

53. i used to LOVE

the flight simulator on the old Apple II

how old skool is that?

strangely enough, i haven't used a flight sim on the pc platform for at least 10 yrs

not sure why.

i think it was the first person shooters. once i got into those, it was ALL OVER.

[Fumesucker]

63. I sometimes get motion sickness from some of the first person shooter games..

I think it was Castle Wolfenstein or something like that where I first noticed it, I would end up feeling nauseous after ten minutes or so.

OTOH, I can fly an aerobatic Extra 300 for hours on the sim and not feel the slightest touch of nausea, go figure.

But then I flew for a while IRL and sometimes fly RC planes, I just got tired of the expense every time I rekitted an RC plane, since I like to fly hard that happened far too damn often. :(

[Xithras]

78. The difference is in the lenses.

Cheap sunglasses just use tinted plastic. Mid-tier and expensive glasses use polycarbonate and glass lenses. Those last longer, are more scratch resistant, and are more optically consistent. They're better for your eyes too.

I generally spend about $100-150 on a pair of glasses, but since I'm buying a quality pair, they generally last a few years between replacements.

[spanone]

4. the price of regular glasses is ridiculous

[malaise]

55. The lens aren't that expensive

The real cost is the frame. I recently changed my glasses and although our health insurance covers most of the cost, I reused the frame I bought in March 2008.

[Tracer]

58. Lenses aren't expensive??

I lost a lens and had both replaced in the old frames.

The cost? $162.00.

That ain't cheap!

[malaise]

65. I agree they aren't cheap but they aren't

very expensive. At least we know we need the lens but the high price of frames is ridiculous.

[AlienGirl]

70. Mine are. I can't get the glass or cheaper plastic, my Rx is too high.

They have to use the really thin plastic kind, and I have astigmatism besides nearsightedness so that affects which kind they can use. Then I always go for the UV block coating and anti-scratch coating: I need UV block, and I am active enough that scratches are a problem. The cheapest lenses I can get are usually in the $200 range.

I've been wearing my current pair of glasses for two years now, and the lenses really took a beating when someone--I am not naming names, but some beaked individual--threw them. When I get the cash together for a new eye exam and lenses, I need to get 'em replaced.

I buy my frames online, so I save money there--I have a couple of early 1930's acetate frames manufactured in France that I spent $30 each for. They've got an interesting provenance, they're unique looking, and they're so out of date that they look like they might actually be in style in some upscale way.

Tucker

[Codeine]

73. Buy your glasses online

direct from the manufacturer, just like your optometrist does. I got a pair of regular glasses and a pair of sunglasses for less than $50 shipped. I paid over $300 for a single similar pair two years ago from Kaiser.

An article from Slate about the process:

http://www.slate.com/id/2198746/

Two of the companies that have good reputations:

http://zennioptical.com/cart/home.php

http://goggles4u.com/

Excellent quality and a huge selection of frames. A bit of work on your part to take measurements of your current frames, but totally fucking worth the enormous savings.

[gateley]

5. I remember once (when I had money) that I was pretty impressed by the

protection Maui Jim offered so I was willing to fork out the money.

I'd get the best UV protection you can afford and I'm not sure $25 glasses would have the same level of protection as a more expensive line. :shrug:

[Swede]

6. Are blue jeans worth $500?

Yey folks buy them.

[imdjh]

16. No, but Calvin Kleins were worth more than Levis in 1980. Why? ------>

Because Calvin Klein jeans made people with no ass look good.

[virgogal]

7. No.

[NRaleighLiberal]

9. Not when we have Americans that need, but can't afford, regular glasses.

[frylock]

72. that can be said for just about anything..

there are people who can't afford to eat. should we all limit ourselves to eating ramen?

[dysfunctional press]

10. they can be...

years ago, i had a friend who came back from brazil with the coolest sunglasses ever(at the time).
they had removable/interchangeable lenses, and the ones that were the best were thick amber- i've never seen a pair of sunglasses that worked as well.

[PM Martin]

15. Amber lenses are great for driving.

The coloring is more pleasant than the gray tinge of many glasses.

[imdjh]

12. You pay $25 for sunglasses? Are they harder to lose than $10 glasses?

[snagglepuss]

13. A Canadian TV news reporter did a story on that - cheap glasses

were as effective as expensive glasses, as long as they have sticker indicating UVA and UVB protection.

[mule_train]

17. ray bans are cool

the question is, are they worth it to the buyer

they're my only fashion vice

[gateley]

18. Here's an informative article

(ignore the ads)

http://sunglasses.lovetoknow.com/Sunglasses_with_the_Best_UV_Protection


Not to belabor the point, but I think UV protection is crucial, so let that be your guide.


And I really liked the Maui Jims I mentioned in my other post. But there are other good brands, too.

[blue sky at night]

19. problem is sunglasses are usually worn when your active....

easy to break or loose them, hard to justify big bucks on something that you might loose in the drink....then again you could always wear a croakie on them.

[frazzled]

20. Yeah, if they're prescription with progressive lenses

It's the lenses that are expensive.

I don't buy expensive frames for sunglasses, the the lenses kill me. But you don't screw around with cheap lenses when you can't see a foot in front of your nose.
For regular glasses, frames really matter. You have to wear them all day every day, and you don't buy them very often (on account of the damned expensive lenses!)

[Manifestor_of_Light]

38. ATTENTION Myopic Shoppers! YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE!

I am down with ya. I can't see a foot in front of my nose either. And I am over forty so I'm in bifocals as well. And ya gotta have shades for driving in Texas.

Here you can get dirt cheap stylish scrip glasses, starting at EIGHT DOLLARS for single vision frame AND lens too.

You can get clip-on shades or prescription shades. I now have the luxury of THREE pairs of glasses to interchange when the dents in my nose get irritating.

http://www.zennioptical.com/cart/product.php?productid=756&cat=16&page=1#largeimage
http://www.zennioptical.com/cart/product.php?productid=1082&cat=16&page=1
Couldn't find a pic of the third one.
Anyway I got pink tinted progressive bifocals with clip on shades for under $200.00 TOTAL!!!!



Best selection:

www.zennioptical.com



Blog for reviews: http://glassyeyes.blogspot.com
This blog has discount codes and promos.

Other sources:
www.39dollarglasses.com

www.prescriptionglassesonline.net

www.glassesshop.com

www.goggles4u.com

www.eyebuydirect.com

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

59. I mentioned Zenni further down thread. They are absolutely amazing!

[Codeine]

74. +1000!

I've done this and I became an evangelist for direct purchase of eyeglasses overnight. Two pairs of prescription glasses - one regular, one sunglasses - made and shipped to my house for just under fifty bucks. Fucking sweet.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

77. Yes I got 3 pairs bifocals with clip on shades for $200.00 total!!

I love my Zennis.

It is an unimaginable luxury to have THREE pairs of glasses, plus contacts if I feel like putting them in. I've worn glasses since I was seven years old, and I needed them sooner than that b/c I always had my nose in a book. My first pair were baby blue plastic cat's eyes!!!

My honey is very farsighted (focus = infinity) and he got trifocals from the eye doctor

- $900.00!!!! :wtf: Now he wishes he had gone the Zenni route like I did.

[Codeine]

79. Nine hundred bucks

and made by the same people who made yours at a tenth the price.

Goddamned criminal is what that shit is.

[Swamp Rat]

21. I pay $3.00 for mine at the French Market

I was irritated when they raised the price from $2.00.

[DJ13]

22. I gave up trying to find what I like

I've always preferred aviator styles with real glass lenses at prices below $30, but its just not possible anymore with most of the made in China crap foisted on us.

Even if I can find some the lenses are no longer aviator size, the styles in recent years is smaller lenses.

[PM Martin]

23. About what size are "real" aviator lenses?

http://www.soseyewear.com/info.html

[DJ13]

30. Like this

But the frames dont need to be wire.

In fact polycarbonate is usually more comfortable for long term use.

But outside of Ray Ban theres few companies that still sell that exact style with glass lenses, and forgetabboutit anywhere below $80 on sale.

[hfojvt]

24. I think I must be in the Twilight Zone

I cannot imagine paying $25 for sunglasses and thinking that was a reasonable price. $25 sunglasses sounds like $10 a gallon gasoline or something, and not for the Imperial gallon either.

[Vidar]

25. Not at the rate I lose them.

[onenote]

26. if someone chooses to pay that much for them,then I guess they are to that person

Is there a point to this thread?

[hileeopnyn8d]

28. Not if they still break when I sit on them n/t

[seabeyond]

29. i spend money on my sunglasses. wear them all the time. indoors, always outdoors

a good quality of sunglasses are different than the cheap ones. i dont lose mine either.

i dont spend a lot on clothes, dont buy lots of shoes, no jewlery. but i love a good pair of sunglasses.

[lumberjack_jeff]

31. Only if they allow me to see the aliens among us.

[unpossibles]

32. win! nt

[proteus_lives]

51. I love that movie.

"I've come to kick ass and chew bubblegum and I'm all out of bubblegum."

[Ezlivin]

68. Those are the ONLY glasses worth that kind of cash

I'd love a pair of those.

[flvegan]

34. I paid around $100 for my Oakley Half Jackets a few years ago.

Worth every dime.

[Merlot]

35. Ray Bans are good glasses - lenses made of actual glass

plastic lenses give me headaches and bother my eyes. Even expensive plastic. I've been wearing raybans for years, and usually pay $125 or so. Worth every penny.

[PM Martin]

37. $125 is not cheap but

I have seen much worse than that.

Imagine 300-500 dollars for a pair (non-prescription).

[dysfunctional press]

46. after my third pair of ray-bans were destroyed- i gave up the habit.

one pair i left in a shopping cart at home depot- and the next two i broke in two different ways.

polarized foster grants is as high end as i make it anymore...:shrug:

[onehandle]

50. That was my conclusion as well. I paid $90 for mine (on sale). $125 isn't out of line. nt

[Johonny]

40. depends

I live on the beach in LA. I need prescription glasses. To me a good pair of sunglasses is worth that price.

[LisaL]

41. Well if you put some dimonds on them, they could be.

[Ter]

42. In the Mortal Kombat movie

Didn't Goro step on Johnny Cage's glasses, who then said something like "I paid $500 for those sunglasses, asshole!" :)

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

43. I have prescription, Johm Lennon style shades that cost me $29.00 from Zenni

Optical w/shipping included and I love them.

[miyazaki]

44. they can make a huge difference.

spent half of my life in the mojave wearing cheap sunglasses until I kicked down and bought
some maui jims. fuckin' a, what a difference.

[REP]

45. Mine are Prada with prescription lenses - damn straight they're worth the $185 I paid

I'm not allowed to drive without corrective lenses, and sometimes it's way safer to drive with sunglasses on. I got the Pradas because the look good on me (black wireframes).

[Ozymanithrax]

47. In a consumer economy they are shown on the faces of the rich and famous...

which convinces most people that by spending a great deal of money they can be just like the rich. Such marketing is use to redistribute wealth from the hands of the middle class and poor to the pockets of the rich investor class.

You arn't buy protectiong for your eyes, you are buying your piece of the weatlhy class.

[KillCapitalism]

48. I bought some Revos at a garage sale.

They were originally $250 according to the seller, but I got 'em for $100, and they are in perfect shape. The reason I bought them is b/c they have polarized lenses which cut down glare by a lot. I asked the seller why he was getting rid of them since they're so nice. He said "They're out of style" LOL

[krispos42]

52. My most favorite pair was $55

Polarized Nikons, black wire frame, dark lenses, folded pretty darn flat, great comfort, light weight, and pretty good optical clarity. Had them 4 years... then I think I lost them in the parking lot of my apartment building last year.


Bought a pair of Nautica polarized, but I don't like them and miss my Nikons... :-(

[RebelOne]

54. I buy mine at Big Lots for $5.

Last pair I bought were Candies. Just $6.

[madokie]

56. A product is worth whatever you are willing to pay for it

as worth is only relative

[jayfish]

57. Good Sunglasses Are A Must For Me And...

there's a big leap in performance from the cheapish to ones in the $50-$125 range. The difference going >$125 is not as great. Your basically paying for branding at that point. Some favs of mine are Ralph Lauren, DKNY and Serengeti. Ray bans are good too but they can be expensive. Get a good pair of amber, polarized lenses and you'll never go back. In the fall they are a revelation. As far as price goes I would hit places like Pearlvison and look for model closeouts and defects. They often have such items on sale for pennies on the dollar. I'm talking like $10.

Jay

[PM Martin]

80. I don't think we Canadians have Pearle Vision stores.

For the record, do they sell non-prescription sunglasses(Pearle Vision)?

[seemunkee]

60. Maybe

Depends on what you want out of them. Basic sun blockage, style, function?
I have a pair of Under Armour sunglasses. I tried on a lot of different ones, cheap and expensive before I found a pair that worked for me while biking.

[pipi_k]

64. Even $25 is too much for me to pay for sunglasses

And my reading glasses are the ones you get in CVS or Walgreens. I have a pair of little plastic ones (lenses are even plastic) that I got for less than ten dollars. Tiny little case that fits in my purse without taking up a lot of room. I've had them at least three years and they're great for what I use them for while out and about (reading menus, buying greeting cards, reading labels, etc)

I guess I never really got into the whole designer status symbol thing

:shrug:

[azmouse]

66. I live in very sunny Arizona and would never spend $$$$ for sunglasses!

And to be honest, I wouldn't recognize expensive sunglasses if they bit me in the ass.



No thanks. I love my cheap sunglasses.

[Scout]

67. unless they are prescription, no.

those who pay outrageous amounts of money for things because they have some certain idiot's name on them, are good little conspicuous consumers .... "look at me, i buy all the expensive, cool stuff! i'm so great!"

[AlienGirl]

69. I use $20 Solar Shield polarized amber wrap-arounds, 100% UV blocked

They are never going to look trendy, and that's OK. They made it possible for me to drive in the mid-day sun in Florida! Using those as eyewear, combined with my standard SPF 50+ waterproof sunblock every time I go outside, allowed me to spend two years on the Sun Coast and not even tan, much less burn. Solar Shields fit over my glasses and provide glare protection; I've found that amber is better than grey because amber cuts out some of the uncomfortable blue waves.

My pupils are a little bigger than normal and don't contract very well (my mom's the same way) and I am so light my skin is almost translucent, *plus* I've been irradiated on my face and am supposed to be extra-careful because radiation damage accumulates, so sun protection is something I pay a lot of attention to.

Tucker

[frylock]

71. absolutely..

try pulling a pair of shades off the rack at the gas n sip and compare them with a pair of polarized lenses from Arnette or Oakley. there is a signifigant difference in the quality of the optics. I've been buying expensive sunglasses for 20 years now, and still have almost every pair, as i take great care of them.

[itsrobert]

75. $1 at DollarTree

okay?

[Brigid]

76. Sunglass-related clip of Ron White:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yy1wbG_bOuw&NR=1 :rofl:

Sorry I couldn't find it with better sound.

[LeftyMom]

81. I bought my trendy brand sunglasses for $15 at an end of season sale at an expensive shop.

I guess it's cheaper for them to sell them off for a song than risk them getting scratched and make room to store them until spring. I'd pay a little more if I needed to, a lot of frames aren't really flattering to my face shape and I have to be a bit choosy to avoid looking stupid.

I'm so into brands I forget just what expensive brand they are, and don't care enough to look in my car and see.

[PM Martin]

82. May I ask where you got them from?

[LeftyMom]

83. Nordstrom Rack.

Their outlet store, it's a great place for getting high end brands on the cheap. Some of the stuff is not that great or very well priced, but if you're choosy there are a lot of gems to be found.

[PM Martin]

84. kick