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For too many years I've just bought crappy £10-£20 sunglasses that typically last less than a year before they disintegrate.
I've searched the forum for any recent articles about the benefits of both/either but they appear to be several years ago now.
So, in true stw style, I thought I'd canvas the opinion of the collective. Obviously I've heard of Oakley and Ray-Ban, but what other brands are available as an alternative, and what are the merits of the more expensive brands?
I'm not a sucker for marketing BS and am not a label whore, so I guess I'm just wondering whether expensive shades are worth the cost, or is it style over substance?
What say you?
Edit: just to add I'd be looking for some normal use glasses, not specific cycling ones although I would probably be wearing them when I'm out on the road bike (usually where Bollé safety glasses for that though).
Ready to have your cynical nerve twanged?
It used to be that a company called Luxottica owned nearly every quality glasses frame brands (Oakley and Rayban among them...) and Essilor made nearly all of the lenses.
And then Essilor bought Luxottica... So now nearly all sunglasses brands are owned and made by the same company*. That doesn't mean that they're not able to design great lenses and frames. But if you're after decent sunglasses (AND LOOK AFTER THEM!) then find a size and style that fits your face well and enjoy them. After a certain level, you'll get polycarbonate lenses with decent optics and frames that will take a reasonable beating. I still regularly wear Oakleys from ten/15 years ago.
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EssilorLuxottica - some big names there... Though I stand to be corrected by someone in the optical industry.
Depends what you’re after.
For years I’ve used some Oakley half-wires. The original lenses got scratched up and I replaced them with some polarised sunglassfix.au lenses.
I like them. No longer made. Many similar styles.
My favourites until I tried my son’s AO aviators. Amazing clarity. Glass lenses. He changed to some RayBan aviators. Glass lenses. Excellent clarity.
That set me on looking for some new sunglasses.
In most cases the lenses are all fairly similar once you get out of the £5 marketplace ones. Glass has greater clarity than polycarbonate, but not transformationally greater.
Go for a style that works for you. Forget the brand.
For cycling I now pick Julbo.
I tried my son’s RayBans. Good. I tried several Maui Jim designs. Good. In the end I bought some Randolph aviators as my regular alternative sunglasses. Polarised grey.
Check out the BBC R4 program best thing since sliced bread: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00194g9
For too many years I’ve just bought crappy £10-£20 sunglasses that typically last less than a year before they disintegrate.
I've got a pair of Oakley half jackets that must be getting on for 20 years old, and are still on the original lenses. Think I paid about £120 back in 2005ish.
Had Oakleys over the years, now have some Bloc ones (had for about 4 years now). Good quality and all replaceable parts and good lenses.
Just for balance, Ive had three or four pairs of expensive sunglasses over the last 20 years. Only one set is still going and I've never used them on the bike.
Personally I just buy cheap (sub£30) sets for the bike, that I don't mind dropping in the mud/dirt.
Does anyone remember the fake DX Oakley £10 sunglasses that were going around about 10?+ Years ago? - didn't a forum member do a UV test on the lenses and found very little difference to genuine Oakley's ....
Edit found the thread:
https://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/dx-sunglasses-uv400-testing-results/
Love my Oakley Juliets. Lost them in Bristol airport. No luck to whoever found them as they're prescription.
I quite like my Dragon Alliance glasses.
Had Oakleys over the years, now have some Bloc ones (had for about 4 years now). Good quality and all replaceable parts and good lenses.
I've been through plenty of sunglasses of varying pedigrees over the years (though likely not as many as Chipps). Out of all of them I think my favourites were Bloc, they were ace right until I sat on them and snapped them clean in two.
Friend raves about her Melon Optic Alleycats.
I snapped the only pair of Oakleys I have ever owned and am now boycotting them.
Bolle are not a Luxottica but I found their quality to be even worse - so boycot them too.
Today I wore bbb glasses. They are ok.
I've a set of Julbo's - good quality, easy to look through, cost me £40iirc, and posher lenses are a bit more, all the way to £100+
The STW reviews of them are very good.
I drove to the trail and had forgotten my riding glasses a few weeks ago so went to Screwfix where I bought Dewalt safety glasses for under £20. They even have tinted options and Bolle spex too at similar prices. Bolle is a kosher brand, right. And safety glasses have tough lenses.
I was very surprised how well the Dewalts behaved after years with Oakleys, Specialized and POC, they didn’t even bounce despite the lack of Oakely's 'O matter' hydrophilic nose piece. (those go squidgy over time anyway). They now live in the car as spares, I'm sure to forget again.
Like Chipps I have some ancient Oakleys (M Frame) I still use them - and a few scratched lens pairs too - but they are SO expensive now and whatever you pay the lenses still can get scratched.
Some are tougher for sure but weighed up against your £20-30 jobs they'd need to last a LONH time to weigh up.
Less style points I guess (in some eyes). If you want proper bike glasses, Madison seem good value..
didn’t a forum member do a UV test on the lenses and found very little difference to genuine Oakley’s ….
😎😎😎
Try loads on until you find a pair that are comfortable and look good ON YOU. Went through this yesterday at the Rayban shop and then John Lewis. Have a pair of Raybans from 7-8 years ago and wanted another pair for the car. Couldn’t get a pair I (my wife) liked, so I hit her to choose pairs without me see what they were. Ended up with a pair of Prada ones if all things. Never would have tried them myself but I really like them. Just checked the box and not that it’ll surprise Chipps, but yes they are also made by Luxottica.
I've loads of oakleys, Holbrook x2, crossfire x2, plank, race jackets, flak jackets ( or are they half jackets... can't recall) I like them, however the iridium coating on the flak/ half jackets has blistered/flaked (halfed?) Off. Common apparently, the salt in sweat or sea water is the cause.
The SunGod glasses I got last year seem to be much better than the Oakleys they replaced
I’ve had a couple of Pairs of Oakleys and they end up getting scratched despite being careful. My last favourite pair were some Bloc’s for about £30, looked good and good optics but sadly snapped near the hinge when they were on the peak of my cap and I took the two off together, over extending the hinge. I’d buy them again, the lenses stood up well and they looked far better than the price tag suggested.
All of my Oakley and Ray Ban style type glasses have been great for decades, but the polycarbonate prism lenses on my half jackets have started to chip/peel. This is a first for me.
I have a pair of RayBan cutters from a long time ago when I wore contacts. My first pair of sun glasses. I still have them after 20 years. Lens quality must meet a standard for retail, and as mentioned, are largely provided by the same company. My standard sunglasses for the past ten years have been some silhouette titans - the frames with just titanium wire sides and nose. I need to upgrade the lenses as my prescription has changed quite a bit. But no varifocals for sunglasses as it’s sunny and I’m outdoors.
Rising I wears Rydons with an Rx insert.
I’ve got two pairs of Oakley Frogskins from the late 80’s/early 90’s, a pair of HalfJacket 2.0’s, a pair of Oakley WHY3’s, two pairs of Oakley WHY4’s and a pair of Oakley WHY8’s, which were all prescription-only, but now have non-prescription lenses from SunglassFix in Australia, I’ve got a couple of pairs of Arnet Ravens, three pairs of Arnet Black Dogs, one pair unfortunately broken, but I’m aiming to try a fix, a pair of Arnet Hornets, a pair of Arnet Dusters, several pairs of Rayban Lennons, which had prescription lenses in, and three pairs of SunGod sunglasses, Classic, Renegade and Sierras. That’s around 40 years of collecting, and a fair number are eBay grabs, so pretty cheap.
Now, lens quality is honestly pretty close, all my Rayban lenses are glass, as are my Arnet Hornets, which I managed to find in a bike shop in Vail when I went over for the World’s in ‘94, and they were about to return them; I’ve never seen them referred to on the internet, so they’re pretty rare, but the glass lenses are excellent, and they’re made in Italy with brass frames.
Now I’m not having to wear prescription glasses or contacts, I’m swapping between all my sunnies, and SunGod are phenomenal for the money, they’ve got an excellent lifetime warranty, lenses are easily replaced and aren’t stupidly expensive, and they do proper cycling and snowboarding glasses and goggles which are cheaper than Oakley.
A second shoutout to SunglassFix, for anyone with decent frames that need lenses replaced, their prices are very reasonable, and their service is superb, and you can send them frames that they’ll reglaze as well - one of my pairs of WHY4’s had a lens screw cross-threaded from when Oakley fitted the prescription lenses twenty-odd years back, and I couldn’t fit the replacement lenses, so they asked me to send the frames back, they’ve made up custom lenses and sorted the stuck screw, and charged next to nothing for the service; I can’t say enough good things about them!
https://www.thesunglassfix.com.au/
My name's a11y and I've got an Oakley problem 😎
Bought my first pair in '99 after years of crappy/disposable sunglasses. Still wear them. I'm up to four pairs of casual Oakleys now: one pair lives in each vehicle, two pairs in the house. Still original lenses in all. Then there's the pairs of Oakley riding glasses...
I can't remember the circumstances of its acquisition, but a mate had so many pairs of Oakleys when he was younger that he got hold of one of the official display cases/stands that you see in opticians.
Julbo are good, and make their own stuff.The transition ones are excellent.
Cheaper on Trekkinn, and a massive selection.
Or if you've got some frames you like, get some decent glass put in by people like Reglaze Glasses Direct (other suppliers are available of course).
I used to buy expensive glasses, but they either seemed to:
a) scratch easily or
b) break without me trading them roughly
I now wear glasses from PX or similar. they don't seem to be any worse, and they re cheap enough that I'm not too worried if I damage them.
Having said that, if Oakley came to their senses and re-issued Zero 0.1s I'd have them like a shot. I don't suppose anyone has a pair laying about do they?
I have Oakley Thinlink with polarised lenses, which I quite like but I recently bought Rudy Project Spinhawk and they have been my faves ever since.
Been wearing the same pair of Oakley half-jackets for 22 years.
I forgot about the 5th pair of Oakleys I keep in my bag...
A few years ago I bought a pair of Ray Ban Aviators to try something different. Iconic style, etc. Liked how the looked but preferred Oakleys for everything else: quality, fit and security - the Ray Bans wouldn't stay put on my head if I even thought about leaning forward, and IMO the quality was a good step below Oakley.