Sunglasses recommendations...?

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WastedFlyer
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Sunglasses recommendations...?

Post by WastedFlyer »

Hello all... I managed to lose my trusted Ray-Ban sunglasses a few months ago... I've owned Ray-Bans since I was 15 and planned to buy a new pair as replacement, but thought I'd ask for suggestions first... The first considerations would be good optics, durability and comfort. As for the brand, I recently heard of "American Original", reportedly a favourite for US military pilots (and astronauts) since the the 1960s. Does anyone here owns AOs...? What about other brands out there, any recommendation...?

Another question is tint color. There's the classic Ray-Ban green, then there's the brown... Any preference, at the practical level...? (I'd think brown would be more effective in neutralizing the "blueness" of the sky and thus provide better color perception, overall... but if so why the original Ray-Bans were always green...?)

While I'm at it... what about the frame color...? Would black be better than metal (less chance for glare / reflections)? Or would black tend to get "hotter" than metal...?

I know I may be overthinking it and perhaps I should just go for whatever feels good and looks good, but hey since I'm going to spend the money I rather "use it well"...

Many thanks in advance for any suggestion!
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ditar
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Re: Sunglasses recommendations...?

Post by ditar »

I recently lost my prescription sunglasses (also Ray-Ban) and just replaced them. I decided to try something different and got brown tint. I hate it. It makes the EFIS screens look terrible. Once I get back home I'm getting the lenses swapped out for green/grey again.

By the sounds of it, you're over thinking it a little. Just get whatever is comfortable for you. My personal preference is glasses with as much wrap as possible to block stray light from the side windows from bouncing back into my eyes.
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SuperchargedRS
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Re: Sunglasses recommendations...?

Post by SuperchargedRS »

I used to be all about the non polarized G14 (or whatever they call that color) shades, but frankly it doesn't actually matter that much.

So far I've flown with
Spy coopers and dirty mo, both polarized
Randolf Engneering millitary issue, non polarized least comfy and falls off easily plus it's heavy
Ray ban club masters, polarized
Oakleys polarized
Cheap sunglasses from the gas station

All worked just fine, so pick something you don't mind wearing for a while, that has lenses you like, and that looks good on you.

Only consideration might be to have thinish arms on them so they don't press into your head with your headset on.


But yeah, despite what the hobby pilots and low time instructors may lead you to believe, it doesn't really matter that much.
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fleet16b
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Re: Sunglasses recommendations...?

Post by fleet16b »

I have h Ray-Ban and Randolph
Both work well but the Randolphs have bayonet arms and slide past headsets better
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Flying Low
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Re: Sunglasses recommendations...?

Post by Flying Low »

I wear Serengeti Velocity Titanium Drivers Gradient.

http://www.thresholdaviation.com/produc ... -Lens.html

I like the wide lense and the Drivers Gradient has less tint on the lower part of the lense making it easier to see things inside the plane.

Note these are not the darkest lenses but I find they work great in most situations.
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ant_321
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Re: Sunglasses recommendations...?

Post by ant_321 »

Flying Low wrote:I wear Serengeti Velocity Titanium Drivers Gradient.

http://www.thresholdaviation.com/produc ... -Lens.html

I like the wide lense and the Drivers Gradient has less tint on the lower part of the lense making it easier to see things inside the plane.

Note these are not the darkest lenses but I find they work great in most situations.
+1. Once you buy Serengeti's it's hard to wear anything else. I also have a couple pairs of raybans and a pair of oakleys. There is no comparison in the quality. on top of the amazing clarity the lenses are super scratch resistant. I bought mine online so they are a little to big for my face so they have fallen off a rediculous amount of times lens first and there isn't a scratch.
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Wayans
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Re: Sunglasses recommendations...?

Post by Wayans »

Serengeti Drivers hands down.

Ray-Bans used to be dirt cheap before Luxottica bought them - seriously look it up, most glasses and sunglasses brands are giant rip-offs all owned by Luxottica. Ray-Bans are a fashion brand and their cost has nothing to do with their quality.

Serengeti meanwhile is owned by the Bushnell company (most definitely not a fashion brand), and truly have amazing optical quality, and a cost that reflects that (not more than Ray-Bans, but certainly not less). I've used them for about the last 7 years, and before that I had Ray-Bans. There is no comparison. The Serengeti's have amazing lenses. I got the Dante model - their Flex collection are great because the temple arms are very thin and flexible, which means when you have a headset pressing your ears against the arms, they don't hurt after a 12 hour day.

I also broke / lost one of the nose pads about a year ago - I contacted their customer service and they sent me a free pair in the mail with absolutely zero hassle.

Can't recommend Serengti Drivers enough.
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Tube Driver
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Re: Sunglasses recommendations...?

Post by Tube Driver »

All of you are wrong. The only way to go is to rock a pair of Maui Jim's.
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Re: Sunglasses recommendations...?

Post by Panama Jack »

I was hell bent for leather on buying Ray Bans about 28 years ago (after all, Tom Cruise wore them in Top Gun) until I tried Serengeti's. Never worn anything else since then.
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JayVee
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Re: Sunglasses recommendations...?

Post by JayVee »

My Maui Jim's lasted only 2.5 years before the coating peeled off. Warranty is 2 years. Paid for the name. not the quality.
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westcoastwonder
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Re: Sunglasses recommendations...?

Post by westcoastwonder »

I have used the Maui Jims. Every time they break or scratch I pack up a $12 cheque and send them to Maui Jim near Toronto and they come back good as new.
The MJ 501 has a thin metal arm that conforms to ear cups keeping things quiet.
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dogone
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Re: Sunglasses recommendations...?

Post by dogone »

serengeti drivers all the way. Eagles don't get burnt eyes at altitude (10k ) serengetis glass is based on an eagles eyeball. True
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Re: Sunglasses recommendations...?

Post by jspitfire »

Flying Low wrote: Tue May 23, 2017 9:46 am I wear Serengeti Velocity Titanium Drivers Gradient.

http://www.thresholdaviation.com/produc ... -Lens.html

I like the wide lense and the Drivers Gradient has less tint on the lower part of the lense making it easier to see things inside the plane.

Note these are not the darkest lenses but I find they work great in most situations.
I’ve had 3 pairs of these exact glasses over the last 6 years. I went to order a new pair yesterday from my usual site, opticsplanet.com, and they’ve told me the driver’s gradient lenses are unavailable, until 2020! The only model I found now has photochromic, non gradient lenses, which adapt to changing light / UV.

Does anyone have experience using photochromic lenses? Online research I’ve done discourages them for pilots due to a lag in changing tint from bright to dark and vice versa conditions. Or have my last few pairs of driver’s gradient glasses had photochromic lenses already and I had no idea??
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Oldguystrtn2fly
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Re: Sunglasses recommendations...?

Post by Oldguystrtn2fly »

Check into a brand called Method 7. There was a lengthy discussion on a different aviation forum a couple months ago and these got an overwhelming stack of good reviews.
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CpnCrunch
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Re: Sunglasses recommendations...?

Post by CpnCrunch »

Any idea where I can get a pair of prescription Serengetis?
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200hr Wonder
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Re: Sunglasses recommendations...?

Post by 200hr Wonder »

Serengities all the way I get the non polarized ones at Costco that I like for about $100. On my third pair. Broke one lost one :(. I don’t wear prescription glasses but try Costco as they sell em and have a glasses lab?
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Re: Sunglasses recommendations...?

Post by tired of the ground »

Once you reach a minimum quality level (~$100), anything is going to work for you. The most important thing is how they fit. If you find something that is comfortable then that's what is good for you. There is a fairly uniform level of quality across the board and any problems you see are model specific or your fault.

The only things to look for are the following:
-Smaller temples allow headsets to seal better and reduce the likelihood of a hotspot behind your ear.
-Wraparound sunglasses will prevent light intrusion from the sides.
-Glass lenses will have better optics than plastic. Both are fine.
-Polarized lenses are generally a poor choice for glass cockpits/gps as LCD screens are usually polarized as well. Looking at something polarized with polarized lenses will usually give you a black/really dark screen. If you have to see it, tilt your head 90deg and it will work.
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dogone
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Re: Sunglasses recommendations...?

Post by dogone »

Serengeti all the way. First tried 20 years ago. My eyes sighed with relief. I have two pair with slightly different tint do do not know what they are called. Do it.
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Canad1anPilot
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Re: Sunglasses recommendations...?

Post by Canad1anPilot »

I bought a pair of Flying Eyes through Aircraft Spruce. They come with 3 sets of arms, I wear the flexible thin arms with my headset and they're very comfortable, even for hours at a time (regular sunglasses gave me a headache when worn with a headset).
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jakeandelwood
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Re: Sunglasses recommendations...?

Post by jakeandelwood »

An eye doctor once told me a $10 pair of sunglasses is just as good as a $300 pair, you are just paying for bling and gimmicks with the later. Welders need the ultimate protection and you can pick up a welding helmet for under $50.
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