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Which Sunglasses Do You Use?

Geico266

Geico266

Well Known Member
I'm in the market for new sunglasses because I lost my Revo H2O's. When you consider that UV light is really bad for your long term eye health it is important no to skimp on sunglasses. The Revos were good glasses and they were thin where it counted so the headsets fit good. I liked the blue lenses, but they were dated style wise.

What do you all wear?
 
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I have a pair of Revos now, but will be replacing them with Serengetti's or something other than Revo's. The current pair of Revo's is suffering from delaminating layers in the lenses, which is pretty sad for a 2 year old pair of glasses that have been treated well.
 
I am cheap. Renegade's $7.97 at Walmart. This way when I loose them bodysurfing at Tybee or damage them I don't get upset.
 
ColorEyes Argento.

These are titanium frame, very thin and good optics. I paid about $180.
I used to buy cheap shades but when I lose these I'll buy another pair!
 
i like the 3.00$ kind

safety glasses with tint. i am really hard on glasses. after spending hundreds of dollars on ray bans, Arnettes and spys, i started wearing these http://store.pksafety.net/ventureii.html
i cant seem to take care of them for more than 6 months at a time and i like the full view.
 
I found that polarized lenses create strange colors and mottled effects through the acrylic windscreen. Straight tinted lenses solved that problem.

Doug
 
cytoxin said:
safety glasses with tint. i am really hard on glasses. after spending hundreds of dollars on ray bans, Arnettes and spys, i started wearing these http://store.pksafety.net/ventureii.html
i cant seem to take care of them for more than 6 months at a time and i like the full view.
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I also am hard on them.

I find these http://www.hlbouton.com/hlb8100.html to work well for me, and my eye doc checked them out----says good optics, and UV protection.

I get them at a local welding supply store.
 
After two trips to Az in my 9a on sunny days the left eye was always irritated from the side sun on the outbound trip. I also did not like the effect of looking through my glasses, the clip on sunglasses, and the plexi. Additionally, any polarization tends to "wash out" the screens on my Dynon and AF2500 screens. I found the solution at Hidalgo. Jim Hidalgo is a pilot, understands the negative impact of polarization on reading screens and has a lot of frames that you can "try out for fit". I went with a slight wrap around to cure the side light problem and selected the traditional dark grey aviation tint. I had him make them up to my prescription and they seem to have solved the problem.

http://www.hidalgos.com/

Cheers,

db
 
I buy the $10 ones from WalMart or CVS.
I stay away from the polarized glasses as they obscure my Dynon EFIS and gps.
Most of the time I prefer to fly without sunglasses which is strange as I always wear them otherwise.
 
I don't think that there is much UV under the RV can-o-pees. The reason I say this is because my glasses which go dark outside will go light as soon as the can-o-pee is closed. I then have to wear sun glasses. As soon as it opens the glasses go dark. I always thought that they changed to dark because of the UV. Can anyone add more to this.
 
Norman CYYJ said:
I don't think that there is much UV under the RV can-o-pees. The reason I say this is because my glasses which go dark outside will go light as soon as the can-o-pee is closed...
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I don't know if anyone has measured RV canopies. I know I don't get sunburned under mine.

Some glider canopies have been measured and found to transmit very little UV. The measurements pretty much agreed with this statement from the DG German glider manufacturer "We also asked Mecaplex about the transmission of UV light through the canopy. The canopies do not totally screen out UV, but do absorb about 95% of it."
 
Norman CYYJ said:
I don't think that there is much UV under the RV can-o-pees. The reason I say this is because my glasses which go dark outside will go light as soon as the can-o-pee is closed. I then have to wear sun glasses. As soon as it opens the glasses go dark. I always thought that they changed to dark because of the UV. Can anyone add more to this.
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I've heard exactly same thing when I bought my transition glasses - neither car windows nor plastic/polycarbonate glass transmit enough UV to activate transition effect.
 
Plexiglas

n5lp said:
I don't know if anyone has measured RV canopies. I know I don't get sunburned under mine.

Some glider canopies have been measured and found to transmit very little UV. The measurements pretty much agreed with this statement from the DG German glider manufacturer "We also asked Mecaplex about the transmission of UV light through the canopy. The canopies do not totally screen out UV, but do absorb about 95% of it."
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Plexiglas does absorb the shorter UV wavelengths, but not the longer UV ones near the visible spectrum.

There is a full description here....

http://www.plexiglas.com/literature/pdf/81.pdf

I don't know about Larry, but I've certainly been sun-burnt under my sailplane Mecaplex canopy in the Mojave desert - so much so, that even short flights in a T-shirt were bad...:(
It may be OK for your eyes, but my skin sure noticed it.

gil A
 
az_gila said:
I don't know about Larry, but I've certainly been sun-burnt under my sailplane Mecaplex canopy in the Mojave desert - so much so, that even short flights in a T-shirt were bad...:(
It may be OK for your eyes, but my skin sure noticed it.

gil A
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Apparently there is a lot of variation among canopies. I have seen references to sunburn under RV canopies but It has never happened to me although I don't usually wear sunscreen in the RV. I have made many flights of from 4 to 7 hours in various gliders, in short sleeves, in the Chihuahuan Desert, also without problems, although I usually apply sunscreen before a glider fight because of the possibility of land out.

I think there is a lot we don't know about this.
 
Canopies

n5lp said:
Apparently there is a lot of variation among canopies. I have seen references to sunburn under RV canopies but It has never happened to me although I don't usually wear sunscreen in the RV. I have made many flights of from 4 to 7 hours in various gliders, in short sleeves, in the Chihuahuan Desert, also without problems, although I usually apply sunscreen before a glider fight because of the possibility of land out.

I think there is a lot we don't know about this.
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My canopy is an original Mecaplex of 1977 vintage, but it is not tinted. Perhaps the tinted ones (or the later years) are a slightly different material?

Sunscreen is cheating though...:)...one of my worse moments glider flying was when I went essentially blind after a sweat/sunscreen mixture from my forehead got in my eyes.

Took many minutes to wash it out with my drinking water...:eek:

Started using the kiddie sunscreen after that....:cool:

gil A
 
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Kyle Boatright said:
I have a pair of Revos now, but will be replacing them with Serengetti's or something other than Revo's. The current pair of Revo's is suffering from delaminating layers in the lenses, which is pretty sad for a 2 year old pair of glasses that have been treated well.
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I'm pretty sure Revo's have a warranty against any delamination on the lenses.
 
Canopy does not filter all UV

Norman CYYJ said:
I don't think that there is much UV under the RV can-o-pees. The reason I say this is because my glasses which go dark outside will go light as soon as the can-o-pee is closed. I then have to wear sun glasses. As soon as it opens the glasses go dark. I always thought that they changed to dark because of the UV. Can anyone add more to this.
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My very unscientific test is that my wife does burn and get sun poisoning under the canopy. This does not dispute the other "tests" but suggests that other factors or wavelengths are there.
 
Old school

I guess I'm old school. I have worn Rayban aviators for about 7 years. I am only on the second pair now.
 
Yahoo! I found my Revos! They were between the seats of my truck. I tell you this because they have never been there before, and I have no idea how they got there. Anyway, thanks for all the suggestions.

BTW, I love ZZ Top. I saw them live in Chicago in 1972. Back then it was no beards, BIG Texas cowboy hats, and 3 guys that made more music than most bands with 5 members.

Back to work.
 
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HAZEBUSTER

Hazebuster Sunglasses.

Full UV protection, great clarity in haze, not real expensive, and they come in bifocals for this old guy.

Roger Evenson, 7A, Tucson, AZ

[email protected]
956-975-6715
 
I've had the same pair of RayBan Aviators for 19 years. They're now my standby glasses and I have a pair of Oakley SquareWire2.0s. "Plane & Pilot" or some similar magazine had them rated #1 a couple years ago. They're very lightweight which I prefer over the RayBans.

http://oakley.com/pd/1215/15662

It looks like these frames are only available by prescription now...
 
Hmmmmmmmm

Quite a timely thread for me. Its been 3 yrs since my last eye exam, and my sunglasses are 2 previous exams out of date. I only keep using them because its not my distance vision thats changed but rather my near vision. (darn bifocals anyway!)

That aside, they're (my sunglasses) 1991 vintage Ray-bans with custom lenses with UV and anti-glare coatings. Despite the elapsed time, both coatings have stood up pretty well. There is a noticeable difference to me when I use them vs. the clip ons that came as a package with my current frames. I'll stick with the UV and anti-glare coatings. :cool:
 
Gotta be Polarized...

Serrengetti used to make their Drivers with wrap around temples and Polarized lenses in an amber tint with full UV protection. Those were the best, and never fell off even if pulling g's. They don't make them in that combo any more, so I currently use Raybans.

My criteria for good aviation sunglasses:

For me, give me Polarized every time. On a hazy day in Georgia I can switch between otherwise identically tinted lenses and pick out details 2-3 times as far away. Yes, you will pick up some funny colorations on the canopy - so move your head an inch for cryin' out loud and look around 'em! On some days reported as 1500' x 3mi, I can't really make heads or tails of anything beyond 1.5 miles - until I don the Raybans. Then it's like 5 miles. A lot can sneak out at you from within 1.5 miles!

Tint - Amber. Nothing else gives as good contrast against a blue sky, making aircraft "pop out" of the haze and glare. Also, the military did many studies on which filters allowed images to "resolve" best on the back of your eye (blue bends a different amount than yellow, etc., which is why you see a rainbow when light is shined through a prism). Amber with UV protection provides the optimal narrowing of light to the cornea to insure maximum clarity.

UV protection - only if you value your eyesight.

Brand: I could give a hoot. Gotta fit, gotta be rugged (see previous posters' comments on abuse of sunglasses - ditto for me). Gotta look masculine and classic, not effeminate or trendy.

My 2 cents worth, mileage may vary.
 
An Austrailian buddy of mine told me it is illegal to fly with polorized sunglasses on in AU. The reason being you might not be able to see the glint of a signal mirror, plane, or vehicle on the ground. It is a very remote country and they rely on each other for rescue. Some use ham wave radios in the air for communication.

Either that, or my buddy was really pulling my leg. It wouldn't be the first time, or the last. :cool:
 
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Oakley all the way

I have 5 different pairs of Oakley's that I rotate through -- right now the lightweight Wires are my favorites. I have always respected the amount of eye protection that this brand provides (from a UV and impact perspective). I still remember the first time going to a store and seeing a pair of the Oakley blades shot with a shotgun. Yeah, it was shot and not a slug, but the glasses did not break. Don't get me wrong, they were messed up REEEEEALLY badly, but the lens didn't crack, shatter, or otherwise break. I rest comfortable knowing I have this level of protection in case a bird ever decides it wants inside the cockpit while in flight.
 
polorized lenes

Geico266 said:
An Austrailian buddy of mine told me it is illegal to fly with polorized sunglasses on in AU. The reason being you might not be able to see the glint of a signal mirror, plane, or vehicle on the ground.
Either that, or my buddy was really pulling my leg. It wouldn't be the first time, or the last. :cool:
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Same in Canada (I read somewhere?). Not sure of the reasoning. I understand that it makes it difficult to see the "shimmer" of another plane in your airspace. Also neutral coloured (colored:D) lenes as well.
 
Geico266 said:
An Austrailian buddy of mine told me it is illegal to fly with polorized sunglasses on in AU. The reason being you might not be able to see the glint of a signal mirror, plane, or vehicle on the ground. It is a very remote country and they rely on each other for rescue. Some use ham wave radios in the air for communication.

Either that, or my buddy was really pulling my leg. It wouldn't be the first time, or the last. :cool:
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Since law and rationality have nothing to do with each other, it is quite possible that they have such a law.

However, the chance of mirror flashes or other such being blocked by polarized glasses is vanishingly small. First, the Polarization on glasses is rarely (if ever) exactly matched. Second, perform this test for yourself:

-Take two Polarized sunglass lenses, holding one in front of the other
-Rotate one until the combination becomes "dark" (they are then 90 degrees to each other)
-Note that you can STILL see through them enough to notice a mirror flash
-If you are on a search and rescue mission, you will be continually moving your head (thus changing the angle of Polarization). Although light MIGHT be momentarily blocked, a person signaling your aircraft would still succeed within an instant as you moved your head.

It is an imperfect world, and every choice is generally a trade-off. I'll take the extra 50% sighting distance in haze and glare over the remote possibility that I might miss a particular glint.

But then again, this is a personal opinion and others will choose differently.

Cheers,

Bill
 
Sunglasses

Bought the Vedalo HD's at Oshkosh and have been very happy with them.
They are UV protected and are made to enchance the clarity of led screens, which polarized lenses make difficult. Take a look at their website. About the same price as Revos. They have quite a selection of frame and lenses.

JR-RV6A
 
Safety glasses are cheap...

I use Starlite safety glasses. They are extremely light and provide full wrap-around UV protection, impact resistance and flat temples to fit comfortably under headsets. They are so light you can even raise the nose bridge off your nose; the clamping force of my headset is enough to hold them up.

http://www.eyesafety.4ursafety.com/starlite-glasses.html

Go to your local industrial supply store and ask for Starlite glasses. They come in several color schemes (including clear) and with/without mirrored/polarized lenses.

I paid $16.50 for a box of ten (non-polarized). If they get a scratch in an irritating spot (like right in the middle of my field of view) I just chuck 'em. At a buck-sixty five a piece who cares?

Regards,

Mark
 
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