Sunglasses recommendation?

[kthrash]

Costa's. Lifetime warranty..

 

[scokill]

I don't use anything that doesn't cost over $20 around the water.... I have a knack for having them go overboard!! I will use polarized but just cheap ones that you can get from Walmart. Sunglasses of choice are Ray Ban.

I go to the sporting goods section in walmart and they have polarized "fishing glasses" in many styles and colors. Berkley, Strike King, and other brands. I wear them all the time and they are great. I've had expensive glasses and to be hones I can't tell the difference. If I lose a pair or break them they are $12-$18.

 

[Jim Robeson]

@scokill ... yep, I have three pair of those Berkley's and you're exactly right, they are great!! I even take them on vacation to have when we go on some excursion or something.

 

[jawsf16]

Oakleysi.com for you military veterans. Great deal and they have free shipping around holidays. I have at least ten pair of oakleys floating around my house, truck, and boat. Love them all...

 

[veedubtek]

I'm an Oakley fanboy. 5/6 pairs, and I'm just very careful with em. I wear my polarized red tinted Gascan's on the boat most of the time, no problems viewing anything really.

 

[Wayloncle]

I'm an Oakley fan as well, I have several pair from that oakleygi site for military, my favorite ones are the flak jackets.
I just bought a pair of Berkley polarized from Wal Mart and I really like those, for a lower priced pair.

 

[KXCam22]

My expensive bolle's make it very hard to read gauges. I tend to use some cheap safety sun glasses in the boat. Cam.

 

[Big Shasta]

Maui Jims.

http://www.mauijim.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/StaticContent?storeId=20001&url=Right_Lens.html&langId=-1&ddkey=http:ClickInfo

 

[Yamaha242lsdallas]

I'll add my .2c I use Revo's, they are polarized (a must as others have said) and hold well on my face even in wipe-outs. They also come with a cool cord that snaps into the glasses that will float so you never lose them.

 

[MikeyL]

UPDATE - APRIL 1th - It appears these 2 websites (SAME COMPANY) have been taken down., Will keep monitoring the situation. New website is shown by me on next page of this thread.

INTROD. NOTE: This post is about OAKLEYS !

I am going to "throw" this out, for those who understand.
Barbie always wanted Oakley's - Everyone RAVES about the "look" of a pair of Oakley's, and the QUALITY, .......and of course, the PRICE ==> Quite high.
In Feb of this year, I ran into this website ......
http://www.oak-b2cvip.com/
http://www.shoppiing-svip.com/
(NOTE: These two websites above are different URL web addresses for the same company)

Virtually ANY pair of Oakley's for, at that time, $25 plus about $10 shipping. Two pairs cost $65.00.

NOTE: This company may have been forced to shut down, or at least their websites (shown above).
Here is a good alternative, I have found and subsequently modified this original post:
http://www.6pm.com/oakley-mens-eyewear~y
6pm.com is a well-known and respected on-line seller !

Back to my story ..........
I said "What the heck" and entered our order.

So what happened ?

First, delivery took a lot longer than they say on their website. I figure now because they are coming from China.
Customer Service which at first glance appears to be non-existent, actually DOES answer email inquiries, and quite nicely (altho in more than "broken" English). But they try. And appear sincere.

DELIVERY ? Well, surprise, surprise ! If these ain't OAKLEY's I am shocked ! They even came with the official Oakley "tags." Seriously. The quality is everything I'ld have expected from Oakley.

To put this another way, what you "see" shown on the website (and it appears they sell EVERY model of Oakleys ever made !) is EXACTLY what you'll receive !

So I offer this website as an alternative to more conventional purchasing means. Just know the wait time will be about 5-6 weeks.

And for those who might be wondering, Barbie is THRILLED with her "Oakleys." She says these 2 pairs are the BEST sunglasses she has ever worn !

Sincerely hope this helps someone else who has always wanted a pair of Oakleys but didn't want to spend $100 + for a pair of sunglasses.
Mikey Lulejian - Lake Oconee, GA

 

[octavio3311]

@MikeyL - As a huge Oakley fan (I just counted - I have 10 pairs) I'm questioning the legitimacy of this website.
I believe you, but I'm just having a hard time believing that these are legit!

 

[octavio3311]

Screw it - for shits and giggles - I'm buying a pair so I can compare and see if they're real.

 

[MikeyL]

@octavio3311 ... Even tho' it'll be most likely at least 6 weeks or so, I sincerely look forward to your findings. And so will many of my friends.
Again, many thanks, and hope this works out positively for you like it has been for us.
Again, Barblie LOVES what she received !
Hey ! Enjoy a warm(er) weekend ! Mikey

PS - After re-reading what you wrote @octavio3311, Barbie said "Heck .... Let's buy ME 2 MORE pairs !" So we did. Thanks for the inspriration.

 

[Kross]

recently spent way too much time researching this. Here's what I found, facts are facts, opinions are mine.

- most sunglasses are made by the same company, Luxottica. They make Rayban, Oakley, and tons of other brands (full list below). They also own all the Sunglass Hut stores and much more. In short: they own the market. Some people hate them because of it. Personally, I don't much care if they own the market. What I do care about, is what owning the market does to the motivation of making a better product. Here comes my opinion... "they can make whatever they want and they will sell them because they own all the stores that sell glasses. So what motivation do they have to make top-of-the-line lenses". I'm not here to argue this point (and wont, though i welcome any other opinions of course), just my opinion.
Full Loxitca story here from 60 Minutes in link below.

- Based on my opinion above, I believe companies outside of Luxotica are more motivated to make a better product to try and compete with Luxotica. Two companies seem to dominate, outside of Luxotica brands.
- Costa Del Mar
- Maui Jim

- Between Maui Jim and Costa, i started reading all I could about the two companies. I came to the conclusion, for a variety of reasons, that Maui Jim simply makes better, clearer lenses. Also, no matter what company you pick, glass lenses are always the clearest, and are currently clearer than any plastic lens out there. Maui Jim has a history and large following of those that want the clearest lenses available. In the end, I choose Maui Jim's with glass lenses.

Ok i'm sure I researched this way more than I should have. Honestly, I doubt I could tell the difference if I looked through any of the major brands. But, it makes me feel good that I think I have the best/clearest glasses out there! Also, I can't fail to mention the customer service of Maui Jim is excellent. Full Disclosure: I also own a pair of non-polarized RayBan Wayfarers, because I think they look cool! I wear the Raybans when I'm driving (car not boat).

Final Opinion:
- Get polarized lenses. here's how polarized glasses work (video above)
- get something you like that fits your face well.
- Buy a major brand; even if they aren't better, you'll like them better if you spend a little more than gas-station glasses.
- buy something that hangs around your neck do you don't lose your glasses. I bought orange Chums, I like the orange because it's easy to see if I dropped them on laying around: Chums: http://amzn.to/1aS8Wld

more Links:
- My pick: Maui Jim, Makawao:
http://www.mauijim.com/shop/en/us/makawao
- 60 Minutes on Luxotica:

- Luxotica Brands: http://www.luxottica.com/en/eyewear-brands

• ALAIN MIKLI
• ARNETTE
• BROOKS BROTHERS
• BURBERRY
• BVLGARI
• CHANEL
• COACH
• DKNY
• DOLCE & GABBANA
• EMPORIO ARMANI
• GIORGIO ARMANI
• MIU MIU
• OAKLEY
• OLIVER PEOPLES
• PAUL SMITH SPECTACLES
• PERSOL
• POLO RALPH LAUREN
• PRADA
• RALPH LAUREN
• RAY-BAN
• STARCK EYES
• TIFFANY & CO.
• TORY BURCH
• VERSACE
• VOGUE EYEWEAR

hope this helps, good luck!

- Kross

 

[smthng]

Opinions on the Oakley sites posted above... they're probably what are called "gray market" products. Basically, they're sold in other countries at a much lower cost than in the States. They're supposed to stay in those countries and not be sold back in our high-priced first-world countries. They're probably real Oakleys and will work and feel like any other you buy here in the States. But...

If you need warranty coverage on them or need to send them to Oakley for any reason, there's probably some marker or something on them that indicates they're to be sold in asian/indian markets or something like that. They'll probably deny any service on the grounds that they aren't American/European sunglasses. They're usually fairly polite about it and say something like "Oh, you probably got these on vacation or something... unfortunately, the products we sell in China can only be serviced in China due to regulations and trade agreements", or some such nonsense like that. Does it hurt the company? Probably not... you have any idea now of how much they could sell them for and they'd still be clearing the costs. Does it hurt our economy? Maybe... Most of the products bought here have a little bit of money tacked on to every step in the process from the company to you. Gray market products put all that in another country or eliminate it entirely. Just my thoughts on this kind of stuff... if there was a Gargoyles version of that site, I'd probably snag a few.

BTW... the only reason I know all of this is because I've dealt with it for camera equipment. Gray market items are a huge issue there because it's hard to tell if you're getting one or not. Photographic equipment is comparatively expensive and sensitive... the likelihood of having to send it in for service sometime in it's lifespan is high. It also has serial numbers, so it's easy for the manufacturers to figure out where it came from. Having Canon or Nikon tell you they won't fix a $4000 lens because it's from Singapore is not a fun conversation to have.

 

[MikeyL]

@smthng ......... I agree with what you wrote about gray market goods. And gray market is a problem for consumers who need warranty work done, especially with electronic items.
But this is for sunglasses. And to be able to purchase a pair of Oakleys, whatever/whenever/however, and simply have to wait 5-6 weeks for delivery, ordered from the comfort of my home, for a GRAND TOTAL of $35 a pair, whereas if I ORDERED these, from an authorized Oakley webstore they would cost me possibly $135 .......... Well, personally I have never heard of sunglass warranty work. I am sure 1 or 2 might have had some done ....... But all of my friends simply "leave" them somewhere (ie, LOST) or SIT or STEP on their pair of glasses, or they fall overboard from a boat.

Remember that I STARTED my post by writing carefully .............
"I am going to "throw" this out, for those who understand."
And I ended my post by carefully writing ........
"Sincerely hope this helps someone else who has always wanted a pair of Oakleys but didn't want to spend $100 + for a pair of sunglasses."

So please remember, I carefully constructed what I wrote (and re-wrote it several times to be extremely careful in my phrasing and word choice), to let someone potentially interested, in knowing what/where/when and how this woulds work.
I feel sure that what I wrote IS NOT for everyone. I never thought everyone would jump on this opportunity.
But like @octavio3311 wrote, "Screw it - for shits and giggles - I'm buying a pair so I can compare and see if they're real."

All I attempted to do was let a few, who are interested , know MY personal experiences purchasing from this company.

And thanks to @octavio3311, Barbie said "Heck ... Let's buy me 2 MORE pairs of kewl Oakley or Oakley-like glasses !" She LOVES hers.

And oh yeah ........ As you referred to my "2 sites" in my post, for clarification, they are simply different URLS for the same company ! I will edit my post above to reflect same.

Mike Lulejian - Lake Oconee, GA

 

[dustinjean]

i love my spy konvoy sunglasses with the happy lens, i despise polarized after owning two pair with the happy lenses, first pair are at the bottom of the lake now whoops

 

[smthng]

@MikeyL I hear ya, wasn't trying to be negative. I wasn't condemning, just trying to add my two cents to let people know that they probably are real Oakley's, not knockoffs. I've sent in Gargoyles for warranty claims (nose pads fell off), but I understand most people aren't concerned about that. I'd probably snag a pair myself except that I don't like the styling of most Oakleys. I have one pair that I like that I've battered to death, but I have no idea what model they are. I'm not digging through the entire listing to see if I can find them... I'm lazy that way.

 

[MikeyL]

@MikeyL I hear ya, wasn't trying to be negative. I wasn't condemning, just trying to add my two cents to let people know that they probably are real Oakley's, not knockoffs. I've sent in Gargoyles for warranty claims (nose pads fell off), but I understand most people aren't concerned about that. I'd probably snag a pair myself except that I don't like the styling of most Oakleys. I have one pair that I like that I've battered to death, but I have no idea what model they are. I'm not digging through the entire listing to see if I can find them... I'm lazy that way.

Many thanks. It's all GOOD !
Wishing you a most Blessed and happy weekend. Weather is like PURR-fect down here in the Southland !

 

[soggyshoes]

It is interesting how different of experiences we can all have. A lot of of you have had great experiences with Oakley. I have not. For me they seemed to scratch quite easily and I have had issues with the coating on both a pair of Oakley goggles and sunglasses. I don't get it as I am sure many of you, especially those in the military and law enforcement, are using them lot more than me (in Oregon) and in much harsher environments. Maybe I am just oafish as my wife says.
I have likes Native and have gotten some great deals on them from REI outlet. In fact, I lost a pair of Natives below my slip and found them this winter when the water was down! After over 6 months under water they had a heavy layer of mud and slime on them but washed of and are as good as new.
I am really interested in the Peppers floating sunglasses. Feeling lucky to have found my Natives at the bottom of the lake, I especially like the idea of floating glasses!
I have a, um, wide head. Does anyone know which models are best for that?