Sunglasses - What is your choice?

[outlawtorn]

This morning the right arm on my cheap-ass pair of sunglasses broke, so I made the decision to fork out some extra cash and get a good pair that in theory should last me a long time.
What are you guys wearing and how do you rate them for cost, safety and comfort? I'm looking closely at the Ugly Fish, cause they appear to be cheaper than WileyX and have the same construction. Thoughts?

[rustyrobot]

Well, I know you haven't even mentioned them but whatever you do, don't get Arnette sunglasses. When you are partly in shade & partly in sun (dappled shade) they create a white glare and you can't see anything at all. Friggin annoying because they weren't cheap either. Especially terrible when riding on tree-lined roads with the sun behind them. I too am in the market for a new pair of sunnies, so interested to see how this thread goes.

[AllanB]

I have a preference for the Dirty Dog brand as they are extremely durable with a quality lens. There is a trader on Trademe selling them well under RRP and Rebel Sports stock them - but wait for one of their 25-30% off sales!

[Goblin]

I use the tinted safety glasses from the tool shop. $10 a pair and they fit nicely in my helmet so are comfy.

[Insanity_rules]

Oakley Gas cans are designed to fit inside a helmet. Thats what I have and they're awesome. Not cheap though but recommended.

http://www.oakley.com/pd/2222

[Crasherfromwayback]

I used to use Ray-Bans, but have since decided my Serengeti's are the best pair of sunglasses I've ever owned.

[cromagnon]

If you are looking for something on the expensive side, go for oakley polarised sunglasses. They provide good protection, are comfortable, huge range, and cut out alot of glare. My 2c

[FJRider]

The local $2 shop ... a half dozen at a time. If they do get lost or broken ... no big deal. Various styles available, as are various sizes...

[JimO]

dirty dogs for me

[spajohn]

If you are looking for something on the expensive side, go for oakley polarised sunglasses. They provide good protection, are comfortable, huge range, and cut out alot of glare. My 2c

Two thumbs up...although I don't wear glasses in my helmet...prefer a tinted visor.

Arnette are awful...they shouldn't be the price they are for the lens quality.

[NighthawkNZ]

Sunvisor built into me helmet :)

[TerminalAddict]

mine:
http://www.oakley.com/pd/4868

but I would equally go for a pair of dirty dogs

[Rockbuddy]

I got some Bobsters bought them online had them for ages, changeable lenses, converts from sunnys into goggles

http://www.bobster.com/catalog/product.aspx?ItemCode=BRH2001&SectionID=96&BrandID=3716&Family=Road+Hog+II

[PrincessBandit]

I used to use Ray-Bans, but have since decided my Serengeti's are the best pair of sunglasses I've ever owned.

I have a pair of Serengeti Drivers - awesome sunnies, but tend to pinch into the side of my head behind my ears after a while (despite bending the arms a bit).


The local $2 shop ... a half dozen at a time. If they do get lost or broken ... no big deal. Various styles available, as are various sizes...

Largely I now use a pair of el cheapo plastic crappy looking things which are very nerdy but do the job and very comfortable (arms don't quite curl behind my ears and they don't pinch either). The bonus is, as FJRider said, if they break or get lost I don't really care. The Serengeti's have a wee chip out of the top of one lens and I'm gutted!

[Grubber]

Oakley for me. Paid a princely sum about 5 years ago and they are just awesome. Serengeti would be my next choice. If ya want good glasses you have to pay $200 plus. Trust me, there is a difference.

[Maha]

I use the tinted safety glasses from the tool shop. $10 a pair and they fit nicely in my helmet so are comfy.

I think I might go back to that system.
Then, if you are caught out at night with a tinted visor, you can ride visor up!
I used my tinted visor over the weekend and didnt like it to be honest, I would rather a clear and wear sunny's, but the Ray-Bans keep slipping (I got them cheap from the markets :shifty:) so like I said, back to the safety's.

[slofox]

I used my tinted visor over the weekend and didnt like it to be honest, I would rather a clear and wear sunny's,

Not me. I really like the tinted visor...'cause then people might think I'm a badarse biker instead of a doddering ole grampa man who couldn't lift a hen off its nest...

[Kiwi Graham]

Wiley-X for me, bloody good quality and you can buy replacement lenses. Huge range to choose from. Use tinted visor on the bike.

[Gremlin]

tinted visor for my riding, but I do have a very nice pair of adidas golfing glasses when not riding. Interchangeable lenses too

[spookytooth]

i Found the dirtydogs shades pretty good but i won't go back to wearing polarised shades on the bike after using brown tinted glass shades.I find polarised shades distort the road colour too much

[sinned]

Serengeti's for driving and general use as they are lightweight and very cool. Ugly Fish for on the bike as they wrap around and keep the wind off the eyes (visor up or cracked mode).

[Shadowjack]

Uvex safety glasses - NZ Safety - shatterproof, non-polarised, all day riding comfort.
Did I mention, cheap as well...

[Mom]

I use the tinted safety glasses from the tool shop. $10 a pair and they fit nicely in my helmet so are comfy.

Gee you are flash! My sunnies cost $10 too, but they came from the stupid market and are not safety ones. They have bling though :blip:

[CookMySock]

When you are partly in shade & partly in sun (dappled shade) they create a white glare and you can't see anything at all.[...] terrible when riding on tree-lined roads with the sun behind them.I get that with all sunglass, so I don't wear them at all. Not safe.

Steve

[slofox]

i Found the dirtydogs shades pretty good but i won't go back to wearing polarised shades on the bike after using brown tinted glass shades.I find polarised shades distort the road colour too much

+1 re polarised shades. I have prescription sunnies that are polarising and won't wear them on the bike for the same reason. Hence the tinted visor...

[Chooky]

Yer... just go down to "NZ Safety" with the bosses order book and get some cool looking mirror safety glasses.
Some of their stuff looks just as good as top brand $200 ones.. and your boss is paying for them.
No brainer really....:cool:

[vifferman]

Bolle.
I've had two pairs, the first pair lasting several years (including being inadvertantly run over by my VFR750), and probably would still be doing sterling service if my son hadn't lost them. (My mutant spawn are good like that, having lost three pairs of Bolles between them...)

[OutForADuck]

Fuglies for me.. Australian version of Wily-X See: fuglies (http://www.fuglies.com.au/)

[Usarka]

Cheapies - be careful that optics aren't distorted. I spend 3 months crashing my mountain bike until I realised my eye-protection was causing concussions.

Expensive - make sure they're covered by contents insurance!

[John_H]

Are shaded visors any good? Can you pop them on and off easily enough for day/night riding?

[Blinkwing]

I wear photochromic lenses (get darker on exposure to sunlight) so no need for tinted visor or sunglasses.

Maybe when I get contact lenses, I'll experiment with tinted visors or sunglasses?

[rustic101]

There's a guy down the supermarket who wears these really cool mirror glasses - I'll find out what brand the are as he looks soooooooooo cool, not. I think he may be a sexo and actually uses them to perv...

You may want something sensible ;)

[Snails pace]

Sunglasses from NZ safety. As others have stated less than 10 bucks. Use to use Serengetti drivers but after 2 pairs broke, I suspect the pressure of the helmet on the side of the head pinches the frame and they both cracked at the pin where the lens joins the frame. Safety glasses I have no difficulty riding from sun / shade/ sun.

[SMOKEU]

Oakley Gas cans are designed to fit inside a helmet. Thats what I have and they're awesome. Not cheap though but recommended.

http://www.oakley.com/pd/2222

I had a pair of fake Oakleys and they were shit.

[NZsarge]

I used to use Ray-Bans, but have since decided my Serengeti's are the best pair of sunglasses I've ever owned.

+1 for Serengetti's.
Edit: Serengetti "Drivers"

[Crasherfromwayback]

Yeah they're awesome. I never use plastic lenses, my glass lenses never fuck out even if you get a scratch on them.

[swbarnett]

This morning the right arm on my cheap-ass pair of sunglasses broke, so I made the decision to fork out some extra cash and get a good pair that in theory should last me a long time.
What are you guys wearing and how do you rate them for cost, safety and comfort? I'm looking closely at the Ugly Fish, cause they appear to be cheaper than WileyX and have the same construction. Thoughts?
Look for a pair with frame arms that are spring-loaded, meaning that they're able to bend backwards without breaking. I've had my current pair of Revos for 3 years now and they're not showing any signs of breaking any time soon. I used to wear Oakleys but this got VERY expensive as the frames would break at least once a year.

[HenryDorsetCase]

my input to this thread will be next to useless, because I wear prescription lenses in my sunglasses. they arent cheap. I do recommend polarised for driving but I dont like them in a helmet. Looking thru a clear faceshield you get the same effect as looking thru a car windscreen (multicoloured blotches and dots) but much worse. I wear my normal prescription glasses and a dark shield in summer for that reason.

[HenryDorsetCase]

Yeah they're awesome. I never use plastic lenses, my glass lenses never fuck out even if you get a scratch on them.

glass is very heavy though. particularly in the thickness (Coke bottle) I need. I pay extra for the superthin hitech plastic ones. And I do try and lookafter them

[Crasherfromwayback]

My Ray Bans were heavy...the Serengeti's not so. But I don't need corrective lenses

[Swoop]

Another for NZ Safety. Dirty Dog style safety glasses with dark tint. Don't give a rat's ass if they get dropped either. Cheap as chips.

[Headbanger]

Are shaded visors any good? Can you pop them on and off easily enough for day/night riding?

IMO they are shite.

Wait until your out at night and its raining.

Or at dusk and the bugs are thick.

Your choices are visor down, blind and die

or visor up-Get blinded and die.

[Headbanger]

I wear Bolle safety glasses from the safety shop, I paid about $40 a pair, well, My employer did as I wear/wore them all day,every day.

They look the bizzo and do the job well.

[Insanity_rules]

I had a pair of fake Oakleys and they were shit.

Yeah I've had a couple of pairs of Thailand specials too and they were OK but the real thing are worth every cent.

[NordieBoy]

Dark tinted safety glasses made by AS/NZS 1337-1992 and some yellow ones for overcast conditions.

[Urano]

did you mean all around or under the helmet?

in the first case i wear only crystal lenses and serengeti makes by far the best lenses of the world, nowadays. polarized photocromatic quite light... not even steep on the price tag i'd say... they're absolutely my next buy.
at the same level cebè: i've got a pair of fantastic non polarized cecchinel i use to fly (polarized can give problems with lcd display, obviously...), but they are way too dark to drive.
on everyday usage i go for a pair of revo, polarized. very good, and with a scenographic blue coating on the outside... :D

i fell in love with juliet by oakley years ago, but they are heavy, waaaaay overprized, and worst of all they have grey lenses (from the inside, i know they have also the cool iridium coating...) and grey lenses give me headache...
i know, sound strange, but oculist sad me that everybody have a preferred lens color given by the unique shape of the eyeball... green ones are the best for me, brown are good.


under the helmet on the other hand is much better to use plastic lenses, but i feel safer using a tinted visor.
take a look at this, also:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=577lvBd8RKU&feature=player_embedded#!





Are shaded visors any good? Can you pop them on and off easily enough for day/night riding?

absolutely!
hjc is a snap, and even the others are quick and easy. much easier than wearing goggles... :D

[Neshi]

I just use my ray-bans for sunny weather.. good enough.
Might go for tinted visor if I ride something bigger than 250cc :)

[Scouse]

I used to use Ray-Bans, but have since decided my Serengeti's are the best pair of sunglasses I've ever owned.wot e said......

[Owl]

After 10 years of abuse, my Serengeti's are still fairly mint. No scratches and one tiny stone impact.

[rian]

after owning about 5 different models of oakley over the years, and getting a pair of serengetti last year i would never go back to the oakleys, way over priced.
the gettis are the best bit of glass i have ever looked through, pretty expensive but worth it.

[kermitt]

ugly fish for my good road pair, expensive($85) but fit in the helmet real comfy, nz safety for on the trail bike for the cheap replacement cost.

[dipshit]

take a look at this, also:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=577lvBd8RKU&feature=player_embedded#!


I'm going to get one of these when they make one for my helmet.... http://www.shieldtechllc.com/products_powersports-visors.php

[NordieBoy]

take a look at this, also:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=577lvBd8RKU&feature=player_embedded#!

I think mine was a ProGrip Iridium photochromatic insert. Heavy but brilliant and as it was held on with a thin strip of double sided tape around the perimeter it was double glazed and fog-proof. I think I stopped using it about 8 years ago when the helmet got too old.

[outlawtorn]

Thanks everyone for your input, having had a look around at some of the shops and looking at various brands, reckon I am going to give Ugly Fish a try and see what I get out of them.
Cheers
John

[outlawtorn]

Here are the pics of what I bought, very very comfortable inside the helmet and feel great with or without the padding. We'll see if they stand the test of time!

[Hopeful Bastard]

Sunvisor built into me helmet :)

Yupp. Same here. Easy to use and wont break an arm ;)

[Naki Rat]

Go for a tinted (mirrored) visor on the bike as the helmet is too snug to get shades on inside easily but I'm on my 4th or 5th pair of (polarised) Revo's that are brilliant glasses. Admittedly I scored the last 2 pairs cheap via Ebay :cool:

Due for a new pair soon and the honey at Sunglass Hut tells me that Revo have 'merged' or something, so it'll be Serengettis next time round :yes:

[glyder]

Go to a place that sells saftey equipment i bought bolle saftey glasses starting at $10 wrapround style and kite marked

[Banditbandit]

I stick with trhe $19.99 ones from petrol stations - going for the traditional "sharkeys" - fit inside helmets, doesn't matter if they get broken scratched or damaged .. bang them in my helmet with my gloves ... give good wind protection when I ride with my visor open (frequently do so at less than 120 klicks) ... I don't have to worry about the expense of replacing them .. generally last around 6 months ... can always replace them when I need to.

[jellywrestler]

I buy kiddies ones from the 2 dollar shop. they're easy to flick out of the way when you need to often with the nod of the head. sounds silly but it works

[Edbear]

Or you could... :innocent:

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