bruce19

Years ago I asked my Optometrist what the best sunglass lenses were. He said it was Maui Jim so I bought a pair. Not for cycling, just general use. I was using Tiffosi for cycling. A few years later I switched to Oakley. The Oakleys were decent but air flow around them caused me to lose a few contact lenses. Eventtually I decided to try my MJs for cycling. They just work better imo.

Eric F 

Unironically. It was a fad for a few minutes in the travel softball world (at least our part of it) during the spring and summer of '21. They thought they were cool. I withheld my laughter...mostly.

My kid (left) and a couple of Pit Viper-adorned teammates goofing off between games...

jackb

More surprisingly is the price people pay for sunglasses in general. All you need is shaded lenses to get the benefit. Everything else is mostly hype and marketing. But folks like what they like, so no big deal.

mattcalifornia

Maui Jim lenses are excellent. But it's not like they're any cheaper than Oakleys

mattcalifornia

I agree that lots of sunglasses are overpriced, but I disagree with the rest of your statement. Good lenses offer more than justn UV protection. They also reduce glare (front and rear), increase contrast at the appropriate wavelengths, and have greater clarity/sharpness. They also can be more scratch and fog-resistant. Cheap sunglasses often lose their coating or become hazy/smudged. Maybe it's just me, but I really appreciate a good set of lenses. That said, I have bought some pretty good less expensive sunglasses. Not as good as some of the best lenses, but good for certain tasks. For example, I bought a pair of these Ocean sunglasses for paddle boarding because they float and weren't expensive. They retail for about $90, but you can usually find them on sale for half price or less. The lenses are blue-tinted and polarized, which helps reduce glare off the water. They are pretty good. But they aren't as good at enhancing contrast as Oakley Prizms or Smith Chromapop, and they aren't as sharp or glare reducing as Maui Jims. I still like them though.

bruce19

That's absolutely true. But,if you're going to pay one way or the other then buy what works. For me it's the MJs. But,that's just me.

rsbob 

So blocking UVA and UVB are no big deal? Better ask your optometrist if they share your option.

Trakhak

As I mentioned in another thread about sunglasses a couple of years ago:

Back when I was still working in a bike store, our shop's Oakley rep occasionally brought around a simple demo apparatus that tested the distortion or lack thereof in lenses.

He took a couple of pairs of the other (expensive) brands of sunglasses we stocked and stuck them in the tester, which beamed a laser-like shaft of light through the center of the lens. With the light shining through each of the other brands' lenses at the beam's target, the resulting illumination was soft and diffuse.

Then the Oakley lens, and the beam was as tight and coherent. Think of the different settings of flashlights: that's what the comparison was like.

The testing setup couldn't have been simpler, and the superiority of the Oakley lens was glaringly obvious. No pun intended.

rsbob 

Loved the Oakley product, have owned a couple of pair back in the 80s, but their prices now are stratospheric. I will live with a little distortion until my ship comes in. Don’t see it yet…. Might be the distortion

Road Fan

No, but so what? Did they enhance his ability to win?

daviddavieboy

I think I had a pair of these \/ \/ in the 80s. These days I just use Carhartt safety glasses I get free at work.

PeteHski

That may be all YOU need. I need quality lenses with full UV protection in a reasonably stylish and functional package that isn’t going to break or scratch easily. I find there is a price to be paid for all these features, but would agree that some brands offer better value for money than others. There is certainly a strong fashion element to sunglasses, which is not that surprising since they are sitting right on your face.

BTinNYC 

Time trial kit.

SoSmellyAir

Oakley lenses meet the ANSI Z87 rating standard for impact protection. I never thought much of this until once when I rode into the back of a work truck (parked in the bike lane with no hazard blinkers or cones) and my left lens hit the trailer hitch on my way down. The reflective coating chipped but otherwise the lens was not damaged.

DonkeyShow

The Oakley prizm lenses are awesome ngl

DonkeyShow

also this but mine are 3M

Mojo31

MJs are the shizz. I have about eight pair, and also have Oakley, Smith, Tiffosi, and others. The MJs stand above the rest.

seypat

These are the GOATs, according to to testimonials.

Clyde1820

For years, I wore the Oakley M Frame, prescription. Those things excel at a wrap-around coverage of the eyes. Short of fully enclosing the eye area (like mountain expedition eyewear generally does), it's hard to get better coverage. Keeps out more of the pesky dust/sand grains when doing outdoor activities.

Of course, it's big, sitting on the face, and it does produce an interesting "raccoon" tan pattern on the skin. But they can work very well, assuming the wrap matches the shape of one's face.

MaxKatt

Smith Reverb. Go big...but always go frameless. Why would you ever want any frame blocking any of the view?

PeteHski

Can you change lenses on those or are the arms permanently fixed? I have a version of those with a thin top frame that come with a couple of different lenses that snap into the top frame. The nose piece clips directly onto the lens like the Reverbs. That’s the only purpose of the frame as far as I can see.

indyfabz

Sy Reene

Yes, lenses are interchangeable. They're not cheap however

https://www.smithoptics.com/en_US/p/...57LEN003Q.html

Typically almost better finding lens you want on sale and buying the complete glasses
eg. https://www.steepandcheap.com/smith-...pop-sunglasses

MaxKatt

---------

You can change lenses really easily. I got yellow, and I think it came with a rose or smoke. With that said, I pretty much only wear a clear for the same reason I like frameless... I like to see the world exactly as it is with no hinderance. The clear has a little sun reducing tint to it as well.

Before this I had some frames Tifosi's I liked, but I moved to this for the larger lens.

PeteHski

Cool. I think mine are an older discontinued version of these. On mine the lenses clip into a minimalist top frame.