One more: Sunglasses for driving?

Grey polarized fuel cells that's what I have I kept forgetting. They have a nice wrap

I found some $15 polarized aviators at JC Penny, and I'm pretty happy with them.

I can't bring myself to spend more than that on sunglasses.

I prefer the polarized because I can see through windshields better, and the clouds against a blue sky look cooler.

I just don't like the brown-ish or amber lenses very much.

But on really gloomy overcast days, I have some yellow lenses that pop into some cheap wraparounds that I got at Gander Mountain or someplace ($25 or so, and comes with yellow, clear, orange and gray lenses....none polarized though).

I had a set of Columbia amber UV blah blah blah thingies that i LOVED!!!!!!

Then i sat on them.

mwrraarrrr mwrrarrrrrr

Caribbean Sun for me. I prefer the blue tinted polarized lenses. Walmart Eye Center, $48-$75 on sale. I switched to them after my 3rd pair of $200 Costas had frame failure. The Caribbean Sun lenses and frames are more durable than the Costas were. They have blue, grey and amber lenses, all polarized.

I really like my polarized smiths. It's the first set of expensive shades I've purchased, and I would do it again. Good optics and durable as hell. I've had mine for 4 years, and despite countless drops and abuse they are still great.

I want to try a set of their fancy polarchromic lenses next.

My amber polarized glasses are from Zenni Optical and I am happy with them so far. I paid less than $50 for them and they have been great for driving.

I've been an oakley guy for nearly 2 decades now...

my daily shades are a set of antix... they are about 3 years old... my current lenses are pretty scratched up... will replace them soon ($50)

I also picked up an Oakley M frame array... it's a kit sold to the military, comes with a case, M frames and 3 lenses, amber, clear, and black iridium... I use the clear out in the garage or in wet weather MTBing, the amber is my nomral MTB and the black iridium is great for driving or anything else.

M frames are by far my fav for comfort and coverage

Ray bans. A local store sells "last years" model for about 1/2 price. Comfortable, tough and great on your eyes.

I've got a pair of all black air force issue aviators I've worn for about 6 years now, I think they were $50.

Toyman01 wrote: Caribbean Sun for me. I prefer the blue tinted polarized lenses. Walmart Eye Center, $48-$75 on sale. I switched to them after my 3rd pair of $200 Costas had frame failure. The Caribbean Sun lenses and frames are more durable than the Costas were. They have blue, grey and amber lenses, all polarized.

I have heard that carribean sun are actually rebranded Maui Jim lenses. I'm not sure if it's true, but they are a nice lense

I have a bit of a fetish. I currently have 3 pairs of oakleys, two pairs of ray bans, a pair of spy's, a pair of smiths, and a pair of Maui Jim's. The Maui Jim's have the best lenses in my opinion. They are also the least cool looking. I still pick them for driving most of the time. The others are all decent, but my eyes like them the most. I have very light sensitive eyes and am never without a pair of sunglasses (except at night). It's a good thing my extended health care plan at work covers prescription sunglasses.

Toyman01 wrote: Caribbean Sun for me. I prefer the blue tinted polarized lenses. Walmart Eye Center, $48-$75 on sale. I switched to them after my 3rd pair of $200 Costas had frame failure. The Caribbean Sun lenses and frames are more durable than the Costas were. They have blue, grey and amber lenses, all polarized.

Damn. Never even considered Wallyworld, but I suppose they do have that fancy "Eye Center" don't they? I'll hit that up this weekend. Seems like the consensus is that Amber lenses are best for driving, right? Again, this is consistent with what I already know to be true...I think.

and yellow for night/rain

I got a pair of Tifosi sunglasses with interchangable lenses. Love them.

Costco has glass Ray Bans for <50$, and Ross occasionally has Ray bans and other real brands for 30$-40$ ish.

Just tint the windshield.

Persols for me in a polarized dark amber tint--another vote for this color, especially in Florida downpours. Interestingly, Costa Del Mar has a GRM connection: They got their start in the same building that served as our last office in Ormond Beach.

Margie

I am thinking next year when I officially retire these 8 year old M frames.. that I might get an amber lens for them and leave them in the car for bad weather

Shaun wrote: Ross occasionally has Ray bans and other real brands for 30$-40$ ish.

Ross is a good idea. I got my Piloti racing shoes there really cheap. I'm sure that I drive a lot faster with snazzy racing shoes than I did in soccer shoes.

Walmart was a bust.

For the hell of it, this morning, I walked right across the street to the flyfishing shop. Low and behold, they carry Costas. They had a style I really liked, but not with the amber lense, which I was convinced I needed.

Thankfully, it's a partly cloudy day today, so I got to see a lot of different lenses in cloudy skies vs. bright-arse sunshine. Ended up with the style I liked ("switchfoot") with dark grey, reflective lenses. While the amber was superior with lots of clouds, and brightened things a LOT, the dark grey are crisp, clear, and tone down the brightness a bit when it's sunny.

That was easy!!! Shop gave me a neighborly 10% discount without my even having to ask. At $160 all-in, it's a little more than I expected to spend, but it got it done, and helped out a neighbor. Win-win.

Once I get my new vision insurance, I'm getting a set of prescription sunglasses with an amber tint.

Maui Jims all the way. I was a ship captain for 15 years, so being on the water it was vital to have a really good pair of specs. I've been through most brands of sunglasses, and I would say that the Maui Jims have the best optics and are some of the lightest; especially the titanium framed ones. I have three different styles now, but I always buy the polarized models (being fair skinned with blonde hair and blue eyes, my eyes are extremely sensitive to the sun). So far, I have not had to buy new sunglasses for the last 10 years, and if anything goes wrong, they are very good with fixing the glasses for free, or often just replacing them for a new pair. they're expensive, but I've had my share of cheap glasses. At least give them a try to compare! They are excellent for driving too, as I wear them rain or shine.

-Hamid

I am not affiliated with this company but have bought several pairs of sunglasses from them. http://www.hidalgos.com/ You can pick your frames and also the type of lens you like. I like the Randolph Engineering frames as they are really well made and tough and you can pick the type of ear pieces, nose pads and lens. Actually pulled a pair out of the wreckage of a home fire and wore them afterwards. These frames are also the frames used by military aviators. I do some sailboat racing and have found the Brown 3 lenses which are blue blocking cut down on glare and make colors more vivid. Probably not as popular and stylish as some of the other brand names but are tough and work well for me.

check out ao eyewear. They made the original aviators used by military and law enforcement since WWII. They run about $80 give or take

+1 on Maui Jim. You will have a heck of a time finding better lenses or customer service.