Sunglasses

[Sea Hunt]

Ms. Santa Claus has told me I have been "a good boy" this year and that I will be getting a Christmas gift (and not a sock full of coal like the past few years )

Since I am presently "in between" sailboats I have been thinking about new sunglasses. For years I have always bought the $10 pair at CVS, Walgreens, etc. Since I am entitled to list 5 items I would like to receive from Ms. Santa Claus (I only get 1 of the 5) I thought I would put a pair of quality sunglasses on the list.

I checked on various websites (Harken, Henri Lloyd, Gill, Ray Ban, etc.). Combined they have literally hundreds of models, frames, lenses, etc.

For sailing (mostly coastal, sunny days) what are recommendations for a quality pair of sunglasses (frames, lenses, lens color, etc. If important to know to give a recommendation, I do not wear prescription glasses but I do need reading glasses for the newspaper, books, etc.

The price range should be in the $75-$110 range, lower if possible.

Thanks in advance for any and all suggestions.

P.S. Temps in Miami this morning (in my neck of the woods anyways) were 28-30 degrees. The mooring field at the club may start to ice over

[Jeff and Sarah]

You can't go wrong with Costa Del Mar glasses. In my opinion they are the best money can buy (though there are several great brands out there). Everyone who has tried on one of my pairs has ended up buying a pair for themselves. You should be able to find their black lenses in that price range, and the black lenses are great. If you find a good sale, I recommend blue for most saltwater environments or green if you spend most of your time on lakes and rivers (or the golf course)! Their top lens is called the "580" series and while I love them, I have two identical frames with the same color lenses- one is a their 580 lens and one has the '400' (normal) lens and it's pretty tough to tell a difference unless I'm flying (the 580 is a little more compatible with the displays in the helicopter).

I love mine- I wear them for boating and flying and couldn't be happier.

[sealark]

I too usually go with the cheapo sunglasses.

I was recently given a pair of Calcutta Offshore Polarized Sunglasses purchased at West Marine as a gift. The price is very easy on the wallet - I think they were about $20.

I like them a lot. Seem to be very well built and fit quite comfortably.

Probably not as good as Harken or Gill sunglasses - but also a lot less likely to make you cry when one of your crew steps on them.

[Russell]

Indeed, dont spend too much on sunglasses, you can get decent polorized sunglasses for cheap these days. There is simply too much that can happen to them, dropped overboard, scratched, stepped on, etc... dont spend serious money unless doing so as a fashion statement. Simply shop around, try on various pairs and chose what feels comfortable to you.

Personally I like lenses on the small side, to make it easy to look "over" the glasses. Polorized lenses are great for seeing difference in water color for navigation purpose, but they suck for reading LCD insturment screens. Smaller lenses allow me to peak over them without adjusting them, kind of like a bifocal. However if eye protection is your primary concern smaller lenses may not be ideal.

Anyway, eye gear is highly personal, best advice is to go out and pick out what you like best.

[Jeff and Sarah]

I often hear people use the "too many things can happen to them" rational for buying cheap glasses. I rarely have a pair last me less than 3 or 4 years... What are you guys doing that is so hard on them? I've carried the same pen for 9 years now so maybe I'm overly cautious with things???

Anyway, my eyes are pretty important to me so quality glasses will remain on my "willing to spend alot of money to protect" list.

Merry Christmas,
Jeff

-PS: high quality polarized lenses now allow wearers to see LCD screens.

[Oswego John]

It seems like as far back as I can remember I used to wear RayBan aviator shaped shades. I believe that they were polarized. They had a gold colored metal frame and it looked like ivory nose rests. (I don't think that it was real ivory.)

But I have to tell you of the wildest, far out set of shades I ever had. They has slide on grippers on the temples and the cord passed around the back of my neck so if they slipped off, I wouldn't lose them.

I could put these glasses on, look over the side of the boat and actually see fish swimming underneath.. Reflections or waves had no effect on the vision. Probably some version of polarization or other.

I suppose that I bragged too much about them to too many others because one day I went to put them on and they were nowhere to be found. Long gone. I never did see this kind of sunglasses ever since.

Oh well,
O J

[Maine Sail]

No question for me it is either Maui Jim or Costa Del Mar. The optical quality and clarity are incredible. I am not however a fan of either Maui or Costa in polycarbonate, only glass..

Between my wife and I we own 6 pair of Maui's. My oldest pair was purchased in 1994 and I still wear them. Neither of us has ever lost a pair. I only broke one pair and Maui fixed them at no charge. Do you lose your wallet often?

Most of the big name brands are owned by Luxottica and you are mostly paying for branding not necessarily quality optics. Maui & Costa are stand alone companies dedicated to producing optically superior eye protection...

[Joe Myerson]

Hi Robert,

My favorite off-the-shelf glasses were a pair of H2Optics with dark amber lenses and a built-in float. I'm not sure they still make these--I stepped on mine one time too often.

My second-favorite off-the-shelf glasses were a pair of Costa del Mar that I still own. However, as I remarked in an earlier thread, this year I bit the bullet and spent 4 boat-bucks for a pair of prescription dark-amber glasses, with a small bifocal for reading charts.

If you don't need prescription glasses, just get a pair of quality polarized sunglasses.

My sister, who used to be a licensed optician, always said her favorite brand was Maui Jim.

Of course, I'm not a doctor, I only play one on this board.

--Joe

[Sea Hunt]

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions. I am probably going to suggest Costa del Mar to Ms. Santa Claus. Perhaps a gift certificate that I can use to buy a pair of Costa del Mar sunglasses at Strictly Sail Miami in February 2011.

Mainesail, although technically accurate (not sure how you knew it), your reference to my losing my wallet often was uncalled for and undignified. I have lost my wallet 6 times (that I can remember ) and each time I was falling down drunk in some seedy bar in some far flung corner of the world. Thus, I am not sure I "lost" it as much as someone rolled me and stole it. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Conversely, I think I have only lost 3-4 pair of sunglasses. Anybody want to trust me with their hand held GPS unit

I continue my search for a Cape Dory 25D. The cause endures.

I wish everyone a Safe and Happy Holiday Season

[moctrams]

I bought a pair of H3O Storm sunglasses at the Annapolis Boat Show a few years ago and have been extremely satisfied with them. When the nose piece deterioted, they sent me a new nose piece at no charge. The sunglasses come in a hard case with three different colors.
The web site is:
http://h3opolarized.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?

[kerlandsen]

I friend bought a pair of Maui Jim's for Block Island Race week. I put them on while standing on the dock. Bought a pair the following week and have never worn anything else.

I am very fussy with my eyes. Been wearing glasses since the fourth grade. I wear contacts when out on the water. The Maui Jims are a pleasure to look thru. They have treated me well. Same pair for what, 15 years. Same wallet too, oh wait, one of them wore out, so my wife got me a new one about 10 years ago.

this is the part about growing up that i don't like. Stuff I have, now can be considered old, and I am not that old yet.

Kyle
(I turned 40 a month ago)

[JWSutcliffe]

I learned a long time ago to stay away from plastic sunglass lenses. Got into wearing Ray Ban aviators as a private pilot years back, but when I got back into sailing I found that the plated metal aviator frames did not like salt water. I switched to Ray Ban Wayfarers and love them. Sturdy, substantial frames yet not too heavy, optically perfect glass lenses, and a classic look.

[Sea Hunt]

Assuming I receive a pair of sunglasses with only one color lens or get a gift cert. for same, what is the preferred or recommended lens color for coastal sailing in generally sunny conditions

[Joe Myerson]

Hi again Robert,

I prefer dark amber lenses, although some grays are also effective.

I should note one problem that I had with my gray/neutral Costa Del Mar glasses: I had trouble seeing green buoys at a distance. My amber lenses do not have that problem.

Not sure if it's my glasses or my eyes, though.

--Joe

[bill2]

Hey Robert -

Some many years back I was told ( forget by whom - someone I trusted like the eye doctor or a reputable magazine ??? ) that yellow ( dark amber comes close ) would bring out objects - make them appear sharper . Since I wear prescription glasses already I wanted any advantage that helped with my vision - esp on the water ( or any outdoorsy activity ) . So I've been happy with yellow ( dark amber ) as my sun glasses since . I do treat myself to the photochromatic lenses - change with the light and carry a spare pair of just plain clear for night time and - just in case .

However - we all have slightly different needs so - ymmv ( your mileage may vary )

Good Luck