Sunglasses

Hiflyer2 · Post by **Hiflyer2** » Sun Jan 09, 2005 4:51 pm

Let me throw a couple of wrenches at this thread. Upon consultation with an opthamologist he gave me this advice!

Buy quality sunglasses that are 100% UV A and B blockers. He told me that cheap glasses generally claim to block 100% of UV rays. They typically are referring to UVA. So that being said I have always stuck with a quality lens.

I have worn Ray Bans (lots of styles), Serengetis (lots of styles), Vuarnet, Bolle, and most recently Oakley.

The new twist or wrench that I want to throw into the equation is sunglass fit. My last pair of glasses were a Serengetti (can't remember model) high end aviator model. I liked them alot and wore them for a few years. I started driving a Citation up in the high flight levels and found that i was getting alot of residual light entering my eyes from the sides and below. A long day up in the high thirties or low forties would leave my eyes bloodshot as if I had been drinking for days. I started shopping for a better pair and settled on a set of Oakley "David Duval signature series"

They are the goofy looking athletic glasses you see alot of athletes wearing ie Beach Volleyball Players etc. They are spectacular and i will never ever be without them. They offer a perfect wrap around fit and provide 100% UV A & B protection and they let no residual light in. I have purchased 2 pairs and had Oakley now give me 2 free pairs. They are very good for replacing damaged glasses. One pair I drove over with my truck and the other pair I was wearing on top of my head when I gronched them into the door frame of my vehicle. Very good customer service that they do not advertise.

So in this whole argument one must really consider fit when deciding on an aviation sunglass. Give Oakley a try and you won't be dissappointed. By the way I don't have any shares in there company either although I would love to fly there Challenger 604 as it has the coolest paint job I have ever seen on a business jet.

Benwa · Post by **Benwa** » Sun Jan 09, 2005 10:52 pm

The Adidas Gazelle are really good too.

Adidas Gazelle L

LH · Post by LH » Mon Jan 10, 2005 1:09 am

Hiflyer2 ------ good comments and as I said before here, ya gotta buy what fits, but don't "crimp" on the quality of the lens. Your opthamologist told you exactly what he told me and those guys are more expert on eyes than your plain old optometrist. Where I stumbled with my Serengetti's a long time ago was understanding that there was an aviator style period.....and not knowing that there were numerous aviator styles. Took me two pairs before I got the ones that worked for me for the very reasons you mentioned. My first pair were the small lens style and I ended up with sore eyes because of the same reason. Finally got the largest lens size, explained the problem I didn't want to have again and they fit them to me with that in mind......problem disappeared. Thanks for the mentioning the other ones....have to give them a try sometime.

snoopy · Post by **snoopy** » Mon Jan 10, 2005 3:24 am

Go for fit, comfort and protection - forget about style. Polarized lenses often conflict with aircraft windows - best bet is to stay far away from those.
Best piece of advice? Take your headset with you!!!! Forget about any glases with fat arms, look for wire arms and frames that match the width of your head. I.E. Serengetties are great glasses, but no good for a narrow-brain like me.
The best glasses for pilots with headsets in mind would have been those old tacky Varnais glasses - I'd about kill for a set of those. Wish someone would make glasses with skinny bendy arms and wraparound lenses.
Cheers,
Snoopy
PS
Sulako posted a reply on this subject some time ago and I believe he quoted an article on HowStuffWorks.com Maybe go there and do a search.

The Black Hole · Post by **The Black Hole** » Mon Jan 10, 2005 11:55 am

I'm sure this has happened to some of the somewhat higher flying pilots out there. This is when the sun is so bright that not even your glasses and the visor works for ya. It seems that the only thing that works is stuffing a chart in the window. Doesn't do much for the vis, but at least I can see the panel.

Advise. The names already said are all fine. Just don't spend too much or too little. Go for between middle to high price. Remember for the most part, you get what you pay for. And most importantly, don't spend too much time and effort on this making a production out of it. Trust a gut. You brobably have more important things to do on a day off.

Have fun.

P.S Don't forget to check out the hot chicks in the mall. If you say you don't do that, you're not telling the truth.

Swamp Donkey · Post by **Swamp Donkey** » Wed Jan 12, 2005 7:49 pm

W squared, check these out. I've been wearing them for two years and have no complaints. They have a slight wraparound and have excellent gradient lenses so the part you look at the instrument panel is less tinted.

Picked them up at the sunglass hut for around $200 (they price matched Aviation World).

http://www.framesdirect.com/framesfp/Se ... tf/lb.html

Siddley Hawker · Post by **Siddley Hawker** » Wed Jan 12, 2005 7:59 pm

My AME is also a pilot, and he advises against polarized lenses. I've been wearing Ray Ban Ambermatics for the last 25 years and like them a lot. They're also great for driving, and if you fly skis there's nothing better on days when the light is flat.

. ._ · Post by **. ._** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 6:33 am

Anyone know of any wrap-around prescription shades?

-istp

wallypilot · Post by **wallypilot** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 7:41 am

oakley will do prescription. go to a optical store that deals in oakley. also serenghetti has a couple models that are kind of wrap around and can be done with prescription.

Sunglasses

New Wrench