Need polarized sunglasses, looking for advice

[Protoman]

So I need some polarized sunglasses for when I’m out in their the sun, like at the park, and I’m wondering what brand I should buy and how much I should pay. I want something that will protect my eyes well, I see ones on amazon.com as low as $14 that say they’re polarized and have 100% uva and uvb protection, but I read somewhere that cheaper sunglasses tend to not have higher quality polarized, so I’m unsure how much to pay. What do you guys think?

 

[ValidusLA]

I cant speak to polarization quality. $14 sunglasses are probably junk though.

I wouldn't recommend buying sunglasses sight unseen anyway. Need to try them on for looks.

As far as how much you should spend? Seems like it depends on what you are willing to. I have 3 pairs I really like. Ferragamo that were 80 ok Massdrop down from 250. Prada's that were like 400 and Maui Jim's that were 350.

 

[Phileas Fogg]

Not all polarized lenses are the same. First there’s the issue of the lens material itself. What is the optical quality? Are the materials cheap and easily scratched or high quality?

The polarization itself, too, is another issue. It’s a technological issue. Not all polarized lenses perform the same.

As for how much to pay, that depends on your budget. Fourteen dollars will not get you much. But you needn’t spend $500 either.

I think Ray-Ban is a good place to start. Maui Jim is a bit more expensive but known for their excellent quality lenses.

My preference is Persol. You can look through their website and see what they have.

 

[johng70]

Personally, I like Maui Jim. They're light weight, excellent quality and not owned by Luxotica. Like several other high quality brands, you have a choice of lens color. The usual grey offers the most shade from sun but not the best for contrast - I prefer the Rose - great contrast. Then the bronze. But you really should go to a store to try glasses on - you want glasses that look good on your face and are comfortable if you're going to wear them for hours.

 

[Panama]

Foster Grant, AO Eyewear, plus Ray-Ban and Persol as mentioned above.

 

[breakaway01]

Why do you need polarized sunglasses? They’re great when you’re on the water or snow but not necessary for general outdoor use (e.g. at the park, as you wrote). For cheap sunglasses (under $100 retail), spend the money on better frames/lenses and avoid polarized.

 

[Protoman]

I heard polarized sunglasses is necessary for dealing with light that bounces off surfaces like the ground, like the concrete ground and the street. Isn’t that true?

 

[breakaway01]

I wouldn't say 'necessary'. Glare from reflections off the road/street will definitely be reduced by polarized sunglasses, but in my opinion this is much less bothersome than glare from water/snow, unless you live somewhere where you have very intense sunlight and you are often dealing with these kinds of reflections from horizontal surfaces. Plus you may find that some smartphone screens are hard to view when you are wearing polarized sunglasses since many screens also have a polarizing filter to reduce glare.

IMO if you are going to get polarized sunglasses, it is definitely worth spending more to get better/higher quality lenses.