Best Sunglasses?

[The Sheep Reaper]

I had a pair of Oakley's and they were the bees knees...until they got kicked out of my truck and the cows chewed on them    just have cheep ones now and there is no comparison...the Oakleys were better!

[Weste]

I've been buying the cheap $20-30 polarized ones for years now because I always tend to lose them or wreck them. My eyes are getting more sensitive these days though and I've got a little more $$$$, so I figure it's time I stepped up and actually bought myself a good pair of sunglasses.

I've been using the same pen at work for like a week now, which is a personal record, so I figure I'm ready for the responsibility.

Any recommendations?  I'd primarily be using them for fishing and driving, and polarized lenses are a must.

Waxy

I have been using the Coulmbia PFG (professional fishing gear) that you can buy at Costco for about $80.  They have been great and I would still have my first pair except I let my 5 year old son use to find turtles at Surveyors Lake near Cranbrook BC.  Once he used them, there was no chance I was ever goinfg to get back. LOL  anyway, the second pair works just as well and they are stylish enough to wear when golfing or other outdoor activities.

[Waxy]

Well, as per usual, I dove right into the deep end.

Went out and bought a new pair of Oakley SplitJackets (ouch$$$).  The optics are pretty incredible, but the design of this model is what sold me on them.  They comfortable, wrap nice and tightly, and the lenses are quick and easy to change - no tools, no hassle, takes about 30 seconds.  So I bought the Black Iridium Polarized and the Persimmon lenses.  The black lenses are great.  I have a Persimmon lense for my sled goggles and I really like them for cloudy, flat light days, so that's why I went that way, but I'm still not 100% sold on them as sunglasses.  At the price of the lenses, especially the polarized ones, I'll wait a while before experimenting with something else.

I also bought a pair of Oakley Monster Dogs with a grey polarized lens from a guy on Kijiji.  $260 retail, and I picked them up for $100, so I figure that was a deal I couldn't pass up.  Yes, they are the real deal, complete with all the packaging.

I guess time will tell if it's really worth it or not, right now I'm not convinced.  I don't mind spending money to buy quality, in fact, I pretty much swear by it, but coughing up $340+ on a pair of sunglasses was REALLY hard to do, I was sweating like a _______ in church while I was in that Oakley store.

Waxy

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[heybert]

Monster Dogs are awesome.  Have a couple of pairs since I tend to misplace them around the house. 

[Outbound]

personally, i've never been impressed by Oakleys. for the price, i'd expect way more. Oakleys are the Apple Computer of sunglasses, you pay alot for the name.

i wear Smith sunglasses. i have a pair of Smith Mavericks that i've used for 6 years. they're great and around $120. i'll be buying a pair of Smith Parallels in a couple weeks. they have the interchangeable lenses and are about $140.

[Weste]

i have a pair of oakley half-x.  they are expensive.....even for oakley standards they are pricey.  i have had them about 8-9 months and they are the clearest sharpest glasses ive owned.  i had other oakleys, and nikes, but these one win.  a week i discovered them broken?!?  im pretty sure a kid threw something on them or something as they were sitting on the console in the truck, and thats not where i left them.

at any rate, this is where it gets good.  i went back to where i bought them looking for some help.  o dice.  i was in calgary a few days later and checked in at the oakley store in chinook, and they told me to call oakley canada in quebec....no dealer has parts.  it was just an arm broken at the hinge by the way.  so i call and explain my issue.  he asks if i have the receipt as warranty will cover it...if not 95 bucks to replace the whole frame.  i told him i would check with the guys i bought them from as i didnt have it, and if not no biggie, ill pony up.  he said, hey no sweat, ill just fill out the paperwork that it was provided......cool.  i also asked about spare lenses.  he said yup, i have what you want....120 bucks.  i says ok.  he said what the heck, youve been asking me nicely to help you instead of growling at me wanting the world for free.....how about 80 bucks?  i said ya man, thanks.

 i dont know if i caught a good guy on a good day or what, but service like that from a big company doesnt seem to be all that common anymore.  long story short.....i recommend oakley not only for a quality product, but also for great service.

I had a similar story with Oakley about 8 years ago.  I dropped my glasses on the driveway and stepped on them breaking one of the arms and scratching the glass.  The place I bought them at told me to send back and they would replace.  He gave me a box for shipping and the address and away I sent them.  After a month of hearing nothing (and quite honestly thinking I would never hear anything) a new pair showed up in the mail.  They wrote me a note telling me that I should have sent a copy of my receipt but they would let it go this time.  They wouldnt replace the glass as they did not warranty scratches but who cares.  $90 for a new lens and I had a new pair of top quality glasses.  They are definitely a company that stands behind their products even when I was the problem.

[Skinnydipper]

I've been wearing Maui Jim's for several years and they have performed very well. Originally I started with a non prescription pair then migrated to a prescription pair as my eyes degraded over the years. They have many styles to fit different face sizes. With expensive glasses you tend to look after them a bit better so they definitely last longer.

[TheSylvanSpinner]

I like my Ray-Bans i don't know what level of polarized they are cost $350 and i can see everything. Had them on at the pier the other day standing beside a guy fishing illegally and i just said wow there are Walleye everywhere down there in about 6-8ft, he said "what" how do you know i gave him my glasses he said "holy shit" he took them off and looked at them like they were from space or something.

I'll never fish with cheap glasses again.