Sunglasses are one of those things that are nearly impossible to find without a 2000% markup. I'm too lazy to do the research. Tell me your nerd secrets.
Every pair of sunglasses I’ve ever owned I purchased at a gas station or dollar store for $5 or less
Listen to Mr Fancy pants here, with his $5 fancy glasses.
buck fiddy from Ali Express not good enough for you boy ?
Never bought sunglasses with enough forethought to order from Ali Express, I always buy them while already on a road trip/on the way to the beach when I go “oh fuck I wish I had sunglasses”
Are they still under $5 these days? At drug stores they're like $10-20. They junk quickly, and I can probably get ten of something similar in quality on AliExpress for $1.
I'm looking to spend a little bit more for something more robust and stylish. I thought there was some secret website for sunglasses but maybe that's just prescription glasses I'm thinking of.
I got these for like $7.99 at a 7/11 a few months back.
At least for me, I’m gonna accidentally break any pair of sunglasses eventually. The more expensive ones are never worth it in my opinion. Maybe I’m just a klutz but they seem to break just as easily.
I have prescription glasses, so to get sunglasses it's either a super high markup for photochromic lenses, or a super high markup for a second pair of glasses with tint.
Either that, or wear contacts, which are also expensive and hellish for people like me with dry eyes
There is some misinfo on polarized glasses here. Polarized glasses are good for reducing glare but polarization doesn't make them more safe. I like to get polarized glasses because it reduces glare on water which is handy for fishing. One reason not to get polarized lenses is the polarization can affect how well you see screens. LCDs work based on polarization so polarized sunglasses can interact with that.
Whatever you do, DO NOT BUY UNPOLARIZED GLASSES. They basically fool your eyes into thinking it's dark, so the pupils open more. But the glasses aren't actually stopping the harmful light passing through to your now enlarged pupils.
I wear Goodr glasses like Maturin mentioned. They're like $20-$30
Double post
ackshually this isn’t quite right
The dangerous thing is to buy tinted glasses that are not UV protective. Your pupils will dilate in response to reduced visible light, in turn increasing your exposure to UV light.
Unpolarized glasses are safe. Indeed many expensive sunglasses are unpolarized, for example those worn by athletes or pilots.
What polarization does is cut down on glare by using a vertically polarized filter, letting in only light near vertical (and dimming like the sine of the angle from vertical). Light that reflects off surfaces like roads and water will be horizontally polarized and therefore almost completely blocked. This helps with comfort, but that’s about it.
I get mine in the hipster neighborhood. Pro? Tip- buy the dorky ones. The absurd ones. Don't by the ones that look 'cool', buy the ones that look insane.
I need prescription glasses so I also buy prescription sunglasses from Zenni Optical and they have all been pretty dang good.
Uh oh, Hexabear is going on a double comment spree, I almost submitted this three times
gas station for 10 dollars
You should look into independent glass makers. Stop giving money to the Essilor-Luxottica and Safilo duopoly. And please, be it from Aliexpress or a luxury French brand, please check if they're polarized, or else you're better off throwing them in the dustbin.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Eyewear_retailers
When Wikipedia footer templates are structured around monopoly relationships you know its bad
That list is good enough but misleading in the sense that there's a whole bunch of EssilorLuxottica like brands, like Safilo, Ermenegildo Zegna and Marchon.
Slightly better brands include (this is not a comprehensive list, sadly):
Whatever you do, DO NOT BUY UNPOLARIZED GLASSES. They basically fool your eyes into thinking it's dark, so the pupils open more. But the glasses aren't actually stopping the harmful light passing through to your now enlarged pupils.
I wear Goodr glasses like Maturin mentioned. They're like $20-$30
You made a
Oh, shit. Is that why my eyes feel "tired" after wearing my current pair of sunglasses?
Maybe. Polarization isn’t safer, but it can reduce eye strain for sure.
Maybe. Polarization isn’t safer, but it can reduce eye strain for sure.
Costco has some good ones at a reasonable price, they usually include a case and a microfiber cleaning cloth.
I should really get better ones, myself. I'll tell you what I think I should do and maybe that will be good advice?
Like others have mentioned, you should get polarized sunglasses. Also UV blocking. The polarization will help with the UV itself and will perform better, allowing you to, e.g., see through the surface of bodies of water much better (rivers, lakes, oceans). The UV blocking is essential for making it so that you don't basically sunburn your eyes.
It's pretty easy to test polarization yourself if you have two pairs. The polarization should be horizontal (linear) so if you overlap the lenses at a 90 degree angle it should turn more or less black, blocking a ton of light.
It is not as easy to test for UV blocking. You would need a UV detecting device and a UV emitter. So I would probably rely on online testing experience for this. I would, specifically, focus in Chinese-made stuff available on AliExpress that has been tested by various YouTube nerds and probably reviewed by a sunglasses - obsessed niche consumer forum or subreddit and figure out what is cheapest while passing those tests. Most likely it will be a knockoff of some popular brand's design but luckily 50 people will have purchased UV emitters/detectors, tested exactly those glasses, and reported how you can buy them for $20 or whatever.
If you have a UV lamp and UV paint, you could use them to test. If you're the sort of person who has both those things
Polarization is a preference thing but once I got a good pair of RX sunglasses with good anti reflective properties and polarization I can't drive (or stand to be outside in summer) without them.
I’ve been buying a bunch off of aliexpress lately. They’re not the best, but they are super cheap and similar quality to Goodr or knock around of w/e $20-$30 ones, but cost like $3
I buy all of my sunglasses from Amazon lately, can get stylish looking cheap polarized ones for $15-ish CAD easily. Can probably get the same ones on Aliexpress for a few dollars less if so inclined.
I’m far too good at leaving them on a patio to spring for anything more than that.
I got a real big fat head, so I special order my shit. I get < $10 wayfarer knock offs on Amazon and always get polarized. too easy to lose or scratch to dollar down.
for a real long time I used to just wear large sized safety glasses that cover the entire socket, because I worked with power tools and landscaping equipment so I wanted my whole shit covered. safetyglassesusa dot com if it's still around. I would buy a box of like 10 at a time and it worked out to like a few bucks a pair. they were comfortable enough and did the job, but I sure as shit looked like I took life too seriously.
which sorta works when you're stoned AF and have RBF from listening to tool all day while weed-eating a mile of fenceline. 🤘😎🤘
Aliexpress, clothing stores when things go on sale (right now is a good time since most department/clothing stores are getting in fall season), zennioptical or similar online glasses place, especially if you can't wear standalone sunglasses due to eyesight.
Sunglasses are one of those things that are nearly impossible to find without a 2000% markup.
Amazon ($19.99) is a showroom for Aliexpress
Aliexpress ($5.17) is a showroom for Taobao
Taobao ($2.48) is a showroom for Alibaba
Alibaba ($0.69) is a showroom for well whoever actually makes the thing!
At the sunglasses shop
Sunglass Hut and all of their brands are fully vertically integrated. The company is called Luxxotica
Such as?
I always thought I look stupid in sunglasses, so I never bought one even though I really like to have one. I wear prescription glasses so it's even harder to use sunglasses.
polycarbonate safety glass will stop uv rays if you already own a pair of safety glasses
I’ve been buying a bunch off of aliexpress lately. They’re not the best, but they are super cheap and similar quality to Goodr or knock around of w/e $20-$30 ones, but cost like $3
Look on the used market. Quick check on facebook marketplace near me shows brand name glasses going for $30. Sure you'll have to worry about fakes but whatever. Get a cheap polarizer sheet to rotate in front of the lenses if you really care about checking that the glass is polarized.
What are some "good" brands?
idk Ray Ban and Maui Jim are two decent quality ones I'm not really up on the whole sunglasses game
I buy 4-5 pairs for $10-$20 at cheap stores and even gas stations. The utility is nearly identical, I get multiple fashion choices, and the easy (affordable and available everywhere) replaceability compensates for the slightly lower quality.
Helps that I'm not a brand loyalist or in need of expensive status symbols.
I need prescription glasses so I also buy prescription sunglasses from Zenni Optical and they have all been pretty dang good.
gas station for 10 dollars
I should really get better ones, myself. I'll tell you what I think I should do and maybe that will be good advice?
Like others have mentioned, you should get polarized sunglasses. Also UV blocking. The polarization will help with the UV itself and will perform better, allowing you to, e.g., see through the surface of bodies of water much better (rivers, lakes, oceans). The UV blocking is essential for making it so that you don't basically sunburn your eyes.
It's pretty easy to test polarization yourself if you have two pairs. The polarization should be horizontal (linear) so if you overlap the lenses at a 90 degree angle it should turn more or less black, blocking a ton of light.
It is not as easy to test for UV blocking. You would need a UV detecting device and a UV emitter. So I would probably rely on online testing experience for this. I would, specifically, focus in Chinese-made stuff available on AliExpress that has been tested by various YouTube nerds and probably reviewed by a sunglasses - obsessed niche consumer forum or subreddit and figure out what is cheapest while passing those tests. Most likely it will be a knockoff of some popular brand's design but luckily 50 people will have purchased UV emitters/detectors, tested exactly those glasses, and reported how you can buy them for $20 or whatever.
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