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Worth buying expensive sunglasses?

Old 11-29-19, 12:53 PM
  #101  
Billy Bones
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Stihl [the chainsaw folks] brand. $14...safety rated...available in several lens densities...look good. Get 'em where Stihl equipment is sold...you can lose 'em, break 'em, wear 'em out by the $hit-ton and you're not out anything. I tell folks they're Italian...from Milan.
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Old 11-29-19, 06:15 PM
  #102  
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Originally Posted by H.Franco
When you buy a pair of cheap sunglasses, you often reject these benefits and make things worse. For example, if your glasses do not provide ultraviolet protection, you will increase the exposure to ultraviolet rays. Cheap sunglasses surround the light, causing your iris to allow more light. This will allow further penetration of the ultraviolet layer, which increases the damage to the ultraviolet layer, which can cause retinal detachment.
Perhaps if the glasses are really cheap & not a name brand; but Uvex etc usually have good UV protection & often cost under $10.
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Old 12-01-19, 09:27 PM
  #103  
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Originally Posted by H.Franco
When you buy a pair of cheap sunglasses, you often reject these benefits and make things worse.
These below are 1.5 USD and provide UV protection.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/3303...html?spm=a2g0o
The optics and lens durability are fine too, but I need large prescription lenses so I am sticking to my visor.
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Old 12-01-19, 10:43 PM
  #104  
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Originally Posted by timtak
These below are 1.5 USD and provide UV protection.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/3303...html?spm=a2g0o

The optics and lens durability are fine too, but I need large prescription lenses so I am sticking to my visor.

hah . . . those look to be exactly like the glasses I wear while riding now except I spent the "big" bucks and got the case, lens cloth, soft pouch, every color lens, etc. together as one package. I have been using the amber lens on cloudy Fall rides and love them. They give the allusion that it is sunny and warm even though it is cold and cloudy; and I see everything clearly. They stretch without deforming to to fit over my buff or skull cap when I am covering my ears and still fit snugly when I have no head covering on at all. If someone is looking for a cheap pair of sunglasses that do the job, I can recommend these.
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Old 12-01-19, 10:49 PM
  #105  
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My visor is yellow too. It is nice and sunny all the time :-)
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Old 12-02-19, 07:23 PM
  #106  
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My riding glasses MUST be Polarized. Glare reduction is paramount.
Next is color - I prefer an orange- to brown tint over gray because it seems to heighten colors/contrast rather than just darkening everything.
Spring temples are a plus so they aren't easily broken.
A more contoured-to-the-face shape cuts down on distracting side-lighting, but they also cannot fit so close that they steam/fog up due to exertion.
Scratch resistance is nice, too

Brand name? Not important.

Yeah, most of my sunglasses - even my DRIVING sunglasses - are sourced from discount or drug stores, but generally the 'better' lines, and still less than $30/pr Would I spend $150 on a pair of Oakley? No Frigging way!
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Old 12-02-19, 07:54 PM
  #107  
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Last edited by Cyclist753; 01-11-20 at 11:37 AM.
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Old 12-02-19, 08:11 PM
  #108  
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As long as the cheap sunglasses have polarized lenses with a brown hue, and don't let sun in from above the frames, they're usually good enough for me. Target has been a consistent source for those. At night I wear yellow shop glasses that are shaped like sunglasses.
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Old 12-03-19, 07:00 AM
  #109  
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I don't know, and don't intend to find out. I'm satisfied with the cheap-o Performance brand interchangeable lens ones I've got now. I might very well like more expensive sun glasses, and find them "worth it", but there's no way to know without trying them.

Some more expensive stuff I've tried has turned out to be "worth it". I was gifted Camelback insulated bottles after using the cheapest available bottles for decades, I'll never go back. Sidi mega cycling shoes - completely and utterly worth every penny (for me).
Other more expensive stuff has turned out to be a waste of money. I bought "expensive" PI bibs after years of using Performance brand, but the PI just didn't fit me right, rubbed me bloody on rides > 1 hr, I've stuck to Performance ever since.
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Old 12-03-19, 10:11 AM
  #110  
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Originally Posted by Texboy


Curiously, I can't use polarized glasses. I get glare from things like windshields. My eye doctor told me that I represent a tiny fraction of people who experience this. I don't understand it, but there it is.
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Old 12-03-19, 02:48 PM
  #111  
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Originally Posted by timtak
I recommend tinted bicycle helmet visors. 30USD gets you a grey lens and a dual layer helmet. Another 15USD pays for three spare visors in clear, yellow, and rainbow.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/3285...3a834e8dEdJhAo
I mainly use the yellow lens and bolt Trivex (virtually unbreakable) prescription lenses on the inside. The advantages is that they are less likely to get sweaty, or get lost, and they provide a wider range of vision. I can get low without looking out the top of my glasses. The anti-insect wire mesh is good in summer, and the visor keeps the cold air from my face in winter.

Visor Lenses by Timothy Takemoto, on
Flickr
When it is really sunny I can wear the darker tinted ones but find I rarely do.

The End of Goofy Glasses by Timothy Takemoto, on Flickr
These days the bolts are made of stainless steel.
You definitely have FULL coverage with those.
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Old 12-03-19, 08:13 PM
  #112  
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IMHO, No . . . there is no reason to spend $100+ on sunglasses for riding. I get wrap around polycarbonate safety glasses from the big box home stores and they work great for about $12-15. I have a dark smoke, dark amber and light amber glasses, as well as a pair of yellow Remington shooters glasses (also about $15) for cloudy, gray days. The optical clarity is excellent and any distortion is negligible to non-existent. I've had the dark amber ones for about three years now and they are my daily sunglasses for all kinds of activities. Despite a lot of use and abuse, they are still nearly scratch free.
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Old 12-04-19, 07:51 AM
  #113  
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Yes, worth every penny. I had cataract surgery 10 years ago, so I can't see my computer or maps easily.

Some things in life you can skimp on: shirts, water bottles, socks....some things are worth spending on: glasses, seat, tires.

Rudy Project prescriptions, through my optical shop.
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Old 12-05-19, 04:14 PM
  #114  
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Originally Posted by NomarsGirl
You definitely have FULL coverage with those.
I wear balaclava-like neck-warmers, and wind impermeable snowboarder's ones in the deepest winter, over the lower part of my face so the only thing that sticks out is my nose.

The only parts of myself that I can see when I am cycling are my nose and brow, like a Taotie.

Last edited by timtak; 12-06-19 at 06:31 AM.
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Old 12-06-19, 01:22 PM
  #115  
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