Functional, inexpensive sunglasses for driving and shooting

[Miroslav]

A pair of polarized lenses with 100% UVA/UVB mounted in a decent, comfortable frame shouldn't cost $100. Maybe $30 or something thereabouts.

I'd like to buy a set (like three or four pairs) of sunglasses for driving and shooting. I'm thinking I could leave both a yellow lens and a charcoal black lens in the car for different weather conditions, and the same for my shooting bag. Do you really have to pay more than $40 for a pair of functional sunglasses? I'm talking impact resistance, polarized lenses and UVA/UVB protection.

Any input is appreciated

 

[hso]

Do you really have to pay more than $40 for a pair of functional sunglasses? I'm talking impact resistance, polarized lenses and UVA/UVB protection.

https://www.safetyglassesusa.com/amberlens.html?_bc_fsnf=1&LENS+FEATURES=Polarized

If you want polarized safety glasses you will pay considerably more than without polarization. The above are the only examples under $40 and most options are well above that.

You're asking a lot out of these. Polarization film has to be properly installed on the lenses and this requires a good quality lens to start with. You also want a z87+ impact rating. AND UV protection. You get want you pay for.

 

[George P]

So you're saying your eyesight, one of the few parts of the human body they can't replace, is only worth about $30? Shooting glasses should be made of better material from a protective standpoint.
Without polarizing, look at Zenni; their Chinese-made glasses aren't bad at all; I have a pair of bifocal transitions and a pair of polarized distance driving sunglasses.

 

[burrhead]

Before I blew up a gun I use to wear sunglasses while shooting. Now I wear a pair of Wiley XL-1s. http://www.wileyx.com/Tactical/ProductDetail/291_xl1-greyclear-matte-black-frame For everyday wear I like Ray-Bans.They are a little high but will last for many, many years; like twenty or more. I don't think you can get a pair of polarized glasses worth having for $30 and certainly not safe for shooting. But it's your eyes so rock on.

 

[Armored farmer]

I know i shoot better with my "real" shooting glasses. No frames in my line in vision when i put my head on the stock
Mine are prescription Decot HyWyd.
Bad things happen fast, i caught a fencing staple in my left eye one day. 14 stitches in my cornea, a week in the hospital. I had to wear an eye patch for a couple weeks.

 

[dh1633pm]

I keep a set of glasses in the truck, wife's car, and in my travel bag. So there you go three pairs. Whoops forgot to include the additional pair that I have inside the house for mowing and outdoor work like walking the dog and mowing. Hard to justify four $100 pairs if you can find what you need for less. I have one pair of Oakley's. With safety glass. Got them at the BX in McDill AFB one day on a whim. Love them. I use them for shooting and keep them in the truck. If you can, get one pair that is top notch that you wear the most.

I purchased a pair of these from Amazon. Keep one set in the wife's car and another in my travel bag. They have pretty dark lenses and come in a two pack. They are not polarized. I have worn these for a year when I travel and of course when I ride with the wife. They are comfortable and well made. I travel often.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01DBTCZP4/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The other pair I have is polarized. They have metal frames. They are not as comfortable as the others. They are durable enough. I use these when I walk the dog or work in the yard. Again, not too expensive. Lenses are not near as nice as the Oakley's.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078RJHT5N/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[George P]

I know i shoot better with my "real" shooting glasses. No frames in my line in vision when i put my head on the stock
Mine are prescription Decot HyWyd.
Bad things happen fast, i caught a fencing staple in my left eye one day. 14 stitches in my cornea, a week in the hospital. I had to wear an eye patch for a couple weeks.

Mine are scrip Randolphs Rangers. Both brands are excellent. I like my medium purple for all of my outdoor shooting.

 

[jmr40]

When you pay $100+ you know you are going to get a quality pair of sun glasses that will be clear and sharp when you look through them. The $30 sunglasses are a crap shoot. I've had some that were just as good as my high end glasses. But most are not nearly the same quality. I use some of the cheap sunglasses when doing yard work or something else where they may get damaged or lost and I don't need to see details. But for driving I wear my Costa's or Maui Jim's. With most the cheap glasses I have to take them off to read road signs because of the distorted image. But then again I've had others that did just fine. But by the time you buy 2-3 sets of $30 glasses that don't work for you you could have just bought a good pair to start with.

And most sunglasses are not impact resistant. They do make some tinted safety glasses that may work well for you.

 

[Ohen Cepel]

May be able to find some mil spec ones on the surplus market that you like. ESS ICE is one to look at, buy new ones though as used often are trashed. Won't be polarized but are tough.

 

[WestKentucky]

I used to fuss about cost, but then I separated from an employer and had flex spend money to burn or lose so I burnt the money on a few pair of truly nice sunglasses. Oakley, Costa, Ray Ban, and some designer crap my wife wanted. Prescription lenses of course (0 is a prescription strength after all) I didn’t care for the Costas and traded them for another pair of Oakley’s. The Oakley’s I got were z87.1 rated and I got clear lenses along with red iridium and blue iridium lenses. The pair I traded for were sporting glasses with pink lenses and yellow lenses. 4 years later I still have the whole kit and caboodle. The Oakley nose pieces wore out and were $4 to replace. The rubber earpieces wore out and were $13 to replace. I scratched and chipped a pair of lenses pretty bad with a lawn mower ricochet and the lenses were replaced for free. So my $120 glasses have been rebuilt like 4 or 5 times now, and take every bit of abuse I give them with minimal wear and cheap replacement parts. I might be into them (neglecting cost for extras that I didn’t “need”) for about $160 and they could be made like brand new again for less than $20.

Do the $40 glasses sell replacement parts or is it a wear and replace situation? Assuming one catastrophe a year I’m money ahead on the Oakley’s and if I choose to I can still sell them for about $50.

Don’t waste a long term dollar to save a right now dime. And don’t compromise your eyesight in the process.

 

[nigelmore]

30 usd is indeed cheap but we should ensure quality and brand before buying. Sometimes it's better to go for higher price that will last longer.

 

[bassjam]

Driving doesn’t necessarily require a high-end pair of sunglasses, but I still prefer to have a nice set of polarized glasses in my truck. I’ve found wearing them during rainstorms improves my vision, and for quality polarized lenses I think Costa’s are hard to beat. I tend to splurge for the glass lenses too instead of the polymer ones, they’re practically scratch proof then and will last for years. I’ve had cheaper polarized sunglasses that were OK, but they still don’t compare to a nice pair of glasses. And for the record, people seem to love Oakley’s but every pair I’ve owned had lenses that were similar in quality to a $40 pair of sunglasses. For the price they command, I think they’re pure junk.

Shooting is a whole other animal though, where true safety glasses are probably better to use than sunglasses.

 

[entropy]

I sell glasses for a living. For driving, it's hard to beat glass, polarized (assuming no Rx; glass is heavy in Rx's of any power) mirrored, with back-side anti reflective coated lenses. A good brand that isn't too spendy is Caribbean Sun. Maui Jim's are excellent, but more $$$. Ray-Bans (the traditional aviators) are not polarized, as they are designed for pilots, who need to see gauges, which are often LCD. Polarization blacks out LCD screens; something to consider if your car or bike has them, also. It also hides contour in clouds, or snow, something to consider for skiing and snowmobiling.
For shooting, even a pair of $5 poylcarbonate safety glasses (the kind handed out at job sites) is better than not wearing anything at all. (Non-Rx, that is) If your Rx glasses are Polycarbonate, Trivex, or Hi-index plastic (the $$$ stuff), you are covered safety-wise. HIP is not as impact-resistant as poly or Trivex, but it is way better than CR-39 or glass.) For shooting long arms, a lens design that has a lot of lens above the brow is best, (Zeiss and Decot make the best designs) as most shooters tend to drop the head forward when shooting them, causing them to look out of the top nasal corner of the eye used for sighting. Glasses made specifically for shooting should have the OC (Optical Center) raised to be where the eye is looking while aiming. They should be single vision only, or maybe a 'golf seg' (A tiny sliver of bifocal at the very bottom for writing on scorecards) but normally not a multi-focal. (Not needed, and it interferes with shooting) These glasses will be useless for anything but shooting, but will give you the clear vision you need to shoot a rifle or shotgun.