Help me find a new pair of sunglasses

August 12, 2009 12:31 PM

I recently lost my sunglasses, and now I'm looking for a pair to replace them. Something <$100, polarized, good quality sharp lenses, and reasonably stylish preferred. Any recommendations?

The sunglasses I had before were Anarchy brand. I liked how they felt, and the lenses were great, but I wasn't too hot on their appearance.

Sunglasses that can be used in a range of activities, from hiking/camping, sailing, hanging out on the beach, etc. are good.

I'm not really that sure what style of sunglasses are fashionable right now, but I don't want anything dorky. (FWIW, I'm male)

Any recommendations of both brands and specific models would be much appreciated!

posted by Bahro to clothing, beauty, & fashion (7 answers total)

I'm a big fan of Hoven. I have owned a lot of that sort of sunglasses from a lot of prominent brands, but I have had my Hovens for going on five years now, and they're pretty unbeatable in terms of comfort, function, and durability.
posted by The World Famous at 12:41 PM on August 12, 2009

I recently picked up a pair of Randolph Engineering Aviators, and am absolutely in love with them. They fit great, they're really great quality lenses, and I think they look stylish (YMMV). They have a wide range of looks and styles, so if Aviators are your thing, you might still find something there that you like.

The other reason I love them - besides quality - is their customer service. I placed an order with next day shipping, which ran about $50 (broke my old glasses, was about to travel, etc.). I got a call from someone at the company who said they had looked at my order as they were pulling it together, saw that I lived near their location, and that the $10 shipping option would still get to me next day, and would save me $40.
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 12:42 PM on August 12, 2009

Tifosi seems to be a name passed around in cycling circles for good and inexpensive sunglasses (and as suggested from an older AskMe thread). I wear the Vogel model pretty much all the time out of the home. Haven't tried the polarized models, though; the cheaper GT lens model seems to have reasonably clear enough optics for me.
posted by zer0render at 12:48 PM on August 12, 2009

I love my Tifosi sunglasses, and they have a pretty wide selection of polarized lenses for you to select from. I've found them to be a good value for the price. I like the ones with interchangeable lenses so I don't worry about scratching them beyond repair during outdoor activities.
posted by BlooPen at 12:57 PM on August 12, 2009

I buy all of my sunglasses from the gas station. My current ones are polarized, plenty sharp, and, while obviously not the height of fashion, don't look goofy. I wear them every day; my $150 RayBans sit in my closet.

They invariably have a whole rack of polarized lenses*, in a variety of styles. And since they cost about $12, when you lose them (or forget them at home, or whatever), you just go back and get another pair.

My current pair has lasted me three years so far.

*This seems to leave most people incredulous when I tell them. But, I assure you that they do have sunglasses with polarized lenses at nearly every gas station I've ever met.
posted by Netzapper at 1:11 PM on August 12, 2009

My previous pair of sunglasses (Oakley wireframes that looked good on me, which is rare) lasted about 10 years. When they finally broke about 6 months ago, I replaced them with 2 pair of polarized glasses from Costco, 1 of which was Kirkland brand (titanium frame) and the other was Ray-ban (plastic frame). Both pair were very reasonably priced.

I would recommend Costco as a good place to look (and I would recommend Kirkland brand as great sunglasses at a phenomenal price), but specific recommendations aren't going to help; in my experience, sunglasses depend too much on the shape of your face for others' experiences to be useful.
posted by JMOZ at 1:31 PM on August 12, 2009

Ryders.
posted by speedo at 4:35 PM on August 12, 2009