Sunglasses

[Lithril]

OK, I know most people wouldn't consider sunglasses standard kit but to me they're vital, I've got so used to wearing them now that they're on pretty much all the time I'm out during daylight hours.

My only problem is that I tend to trash sets at regular intervals, currently I'm using my Ray Bans which are on their second set of replacement lenses since I've had them. I've also seemed to have destroyed a set of Blu Blockers, Animal sunglasses and numerous cheap sets from chemists....

What I'm after now is a relatively cheap set as in under £40 but that still have good clarity. Preferably polarised and ideally blue blockers. The actual brand Blu Blockers only seem to be available from the states and they wanted a massive amount for delivery.... more than the actual sunglasses were worth.

Anyone have any ideas?

Matt

[beachlover]

These folk do prescription sunglasses
http://www.spex4sport.co.uk/fishing_glasses.html

Sportfish also do a range.
http://www.sportfish.co.uk/products/....html?view=all

[leon-1]

I don't know if they are still about, but i bought a set for snow and ice climbing years ago by a company called bloc IIRC and they are very good, not quite the same quality that I get from either my Oakleys or my Ray Ban's, but as far as the lens efficiency is concerned they are very good. I think I bought them in Blacks, but cannot be sure.

I had to get decent glasses post a tour of South Georgia, when I got back I suffered quite badly from headaches / migraine that appeared to of been caused by high light, the Oakleys and the RB's are great, but the bloc are pretty much indestructible at low cost.

[Rob]

My problem has always been finding something wraparound that can be made to a prescription.

I have got to find some more now as my prescription has changed

[jdlenton]

I'm a Bolle wearer i think they do prescription too.

IMO eye protection is worth spending money on when I used to drive for a living I wore my sunglasses all day every day and like Mat went through a number of pairs cheap and expensive I came to the conclusion that I needed good glasses I would have to pay for them and they would get trashed so i now get a new pair every year and spend about £50 and i get what i want number 2 or 3 lenses with with UV A and B protection and polarized lenses.

Bolle rock

James

[leon-1]

I'm a Bolle wearer i think they do prescription too.

IMO eye protection is worth spending money on when I used to drive for a living I wore my sunglasses all day every day and like Mat went through a number of pairs cheap and expensive I came to the conclusion that I needed good glasses I would have to pay for them and they would get trashed so i now get a new pair every year and spend about £50 and i get what i want number 2 or 3 lenses with with UV A and B protection and polarized lenses.

Bolle rock

James

James my problem is that my eyes had become sensitive to high levels of UV (I can get a headache in a night club if you turned the speakers off), all of my glasses (the sets of Oakleys and the sets of Ray Bans) are very good at cutting out UV, the snow and ice glasses have to be good at that because otherwise people could suffer snow blindness.

Having said that Bolle use to make glacier glasses that were very good and there is an American company called Julbo who do glacier glasses, some of them will be too dark for driving so look for either an evolution type lense or one that is graded around 3 rather than 4. They have some quite nice ones in thier glacier range and not all cost the earth.

[jdlenton]

those julbos do look nice leon

[leon-1]

They used to be classed a bit like the "poorman's Bolle's", but they are very good, we used to have sets of them sat in stores for mountaineering and sometimes you could catch the storemen wearing them without screens on the sides when the weather was good.

On the occasions that I have used them I have always liked them, don't run too much on the prices on the main page as you may find they are different else where, but you can still get a decent set of glasses for less than £50.

[Rob]

I came across some old sunglasses that i had for work a few years ago.

They are Bolle wrap around safety specs but were designed for people who might be in the vacinity of people welkding, without being close enough to have to wear the full kit. Too dark for legal driving, but I know that they used to do a version for driving.

Time to trawl through the H&S practitioner mags and see what i can rustle up.

[Lithril]

Ok I was weak, Leon sparked my curiosity and after a bit of research I bought a set of Julbo Magics:



http://www.cotswoldoutdoor.com/Cat/117039?Ref=

First impressions are great, they're light... actually they're really really light, the clarity is excellant and they give a good contrast, and thats without the hi-contrast lenses in. Not a bad price either, slightly over the budget I wanted to spend but still not bad.

Matt

[addyb]

For sunglasses in the bush or mountains or for skiing or for hiking (etc etc...) I'd suggest industrial safety glasses, the kinds that construction workers wear. They're dirt cheap, plastic, usually VERY good at blocking UV and almost impossible to break. Sure, I like Oakley's and Ray Bans but at the price per pop, I'd probably never take 'em into the bush.

Just my $0.02 cents!

Adam

[Burnt Ash]

My problem has always been finding something wraparound that can be made to a prescription.

I have got to find some more now as my prescription has changed

Try Optilabs. I am a professional fly fishing instructor and had a pair of Optilabs prescription polarised specs for several years until they went missing after a skiing trip. I can thoroughly recommend them. Their original frames were a sort of Easy Rider/pilot style, with side shields. They now do a more modern wrap-around style (I'd probably still go for the older style myself).
Polarised specs and a broad brimmed hat are a huge aid to looking into water and spotting fish, etc. I'd rather leave my fly box at home than be without my polarised specs.

Burnt Ash

[Burnt Ash]

Try Optilabs. I am a professional fly fishing instructor and had a pair of Optilabs prescription polarised specs for several years until they went missing after a skiing trip. I can thoroughly recommend them. Their original frames were a sort of Easy Rider/pilot style, with side shields. They now do a more modern wrap-around style (I'd probably still go for the older style myself).
Polarised specs and a broad brimmed hat are a huge aid to looking into water and spotting fish, etc. I'd rather leave my fly box at home than be without my polarised specs.

Burnt Ash

Oh and Optilabs now advertise 'extreme' polarised lenses for use in low light situations (e.g. fishing at dusk) where you don't want very dark glasses.

Burnt Ash

[quiggers]

FWIW I've just ordered a pair of Bolle's off of ebay, they're moulded alloy frames - very strong, and have a blue mirror and natural tint grey lense which means no colour variation (which I need)...they also do tinted lenses inc a large range of polarised, I like the look of the cactus lense.

The one's I got are available to UK for £29 + £5 postage.
Do a search on 'bolle tnt'....

Although I've not received mine yet...(only ordered yesterday)

Q.