Sunglasses

[James Mills]

I'm looking for a good pair of sunglasses that are polarized and also dark enough to help with brite sunlight.  I've looked at the major brands and haven't really found a pair I'm totally happy with, we're are some of you guys buying glasses?  I need them for work as well as flying.

Thanks,

James

The last pair I bought cost around $150, so I'm not looking to get off cheap, looking for quality.

Thanks for the responses.

James

[Randy Powell]

James,

Depends on how much you are willing to spend. I have a pair of Oakley sunglasses that work remarkably well in very bright sun. But they ain't cheap. I use them when I'm wearing contacts. I also have a pair of artic sunglasses (prescription) with  side shields. They also work very well in bright sun. Not cheap, but cheaper than the Oakleys.

You can get a decent pair from a sunglasses shop, but you get what you pay for.

[Paul Taylor]

This topic has come up before. Like Randy says depends on what you want to spend.
But here is what I did.
Went to WalMart and got a pair that go over your glasses. I use them on top of my sun glasses.
Works real well for me.

[RC Storick]

I get my look into the SUN sunglasses from Snap-On $15.00  They are stylish safety glasses only for gas welding. Work perfect

[Bill Heher]

Wow Sparky- it's been a few years since I was on a Snap-on truck, but I'm surprised there is anything on there for $15 anymore. Some of the guys guys I worked with in Detroit gave the Snap-on and Mac guy about 25% of their paycheck each week. But there was never any question that you got quality.

[Glen Wearden]

I've worn glasses since I was seven, so I wear sunglasses that fit over my glasses.  The best I've ever worn are "Fit-Overs".  They give protection from all angles, and unlike the others I've tried, they are very comfortable.  For me, at least, they can be worn for long periods without driving me crazy.  They're probably availabe on-line.  I don't know what they cost, because my son gave me a pair.  The only place I've seen them for sale is in high-end optical shops, so they're probably not cheap.  Glen

[Ward Van Duzer]

Similar to the "Fit-Over" brand I found the "Cocoons" to be darker, (they come in many colors), and way more comfortable. You should try them on however as they do come in different sizes.

www.cocoonseyewear.com
www.liveeyewear.com

I know they can be had at the Bass Pro shops. About $40.00


Ward

[Alan Hahn]

I have used the Zurich Sunglasses over the last few years. They are large enough to fit over my normal glasses and cover your eyes from all directions. Only two problems, the right (or left, don't remember which) side lights breaks every two years or so (but Zurich always has replaced it since they are guaranteed for life), and my kids refuse to stand around me when I wear them. 

[Ted Winterman]

       James,
 In response to sunglasses. I also had the problem of loosing sight of my plane when passing in front
of the sun on a bright sunny day. I wear prescription glasses, but that really doesn't matter.
 When I got my new glasses I had the optometrest make two pair of sunglasses. One pair was #3 brown
with a medium flash mirror coating for bright cloudy days. The other pair was #3 gray with a heavy
mirror coating. With this pair on a bright sunny cloudless day I can fly right through the sun without
loosing the airplane.
  You may pay a little more for these kind of glasses, but its worth the extra cost. Hope this helpes you.
     Ted w

[Bob Zambelli]

In the 70s, I was a ski-pro and had the opportunity to evaluate a number of different sunglasses, in conditions from extremely bright to very limited “flat” light.

The absolute best I ever used were the Bausch & Lomb Ray-Ban models. You could get a number of different colors from Kalichrome to a very dark green.
The Kalichrome is a yellowish tint that was developed for weapons sighting in limited light – it actually acted like an image enhancer.

I'm not sure what material is available today but all the ones I tested were safety glass and virtually scratch-proof. A number of optical engineers at Xerox confirmed that they were some of the highest optical quality glass they had ever seen.

There were quite a few different styles offered, including the wrap-around and aviator style, developed for General Macarthur.

As I recall, the lenses were available as photochromic material. I'm not sure about any polarized versions, however.

I also seem to recall that they had some sort of UV blocker to minimize corneal burns.

One more really neat feature – they had earpieces that wrapped around in back of your ears so that they would not fall off when looking down.

A Google search using the Ray-Ban name should turn up some interesting sources.

Bob Z.

[Andrew Borgogna]

I have a pair of Zurich's that fit over my regular glasses.  I love them, I put them on when I get to the flying site and take them off when I leave.  They are great in bright sun light.
Andy

[Bob Zambelli]

Hi, Guys - where are the Zurichs sold?

Bob Z.

[Randy Powell]

http://www.zurichsunglasses.com/

I still like Oakley Snowboarder wraparounds, but these are pretty nice.

[Gary Letsinger]

Bob,

Zurich sunglasses are sold at www.zurichsunglasses.com.  I have never seen them in a retail store.  Years ago, I bought a pair at the 'Northwest Hobby Expo'.  They only had one style then (large).  Now they have more to choose from and I bought a smaller pair over the internet.  I think these are excellent glasses. 

Gary

[Leo Mehl]

I bought my Sunglases from REI. They are called Glacier glases an they come in two diferent shades I have the bronze shaded ones because they brighten the flying field without trowing the color off too much, They sell for around forty dallars and have side shades that are removable. I can sometimes fly right thru the sun with them. It depends how my eyes are doing that day. I even wear them on a clowdy day to brighten the field.

[Peter Nevai]

Maui Jim Sunglasses. I swear by them. Look for the dual polarized models. NOT Cheap though.

http://www.mauijim.com

[Andrew Borgogna]

Bob
I got my Zurich glasses over the internet.  I did see them at the AMA show a couple of weeks ago.  I got my after almost loosing a plane when it passed directly in front of the sun.  I was blind for a few seconds and flew by feel only.  I made up my mind that would never happen again.  The Zurich glasses work even in direct sun light, they are not cheap but they do work.
Andy

[W.D. Roland]

years ago in model avaition mag was an article written (early 80s) by an eye doctor who flew r/c
he noticed that his r/c buddies that came to see him were having cateracts at a much higher rate than his other paitents.the cause turned out to be ultravilot light from the sun and that fact that r/c fliers are looking up way more than most.same for c/l?
any ways after reshearch-bla bla bla-he developed or found a coating to reduce  light/damage by xx%
the coating(process) was uv200--i went a had a set made($150+ in 1980 and they were great--i was amazing how relaxed my eyes stayed while flying r/c--made it easy to see even when flying almost directly into sun but were not very dark.
now i get uv200 and 300 in drug/convienence store racks. dont know quality ect but i look for the darkest with a uv200 or 300 tag/sti