polarized sunglasses

[eart]

Hey guys, I want your opinion on polarized shades. I went to the Oakley store yesterday to check 'em out. I went outside and swapped polaraized/non polarized shades and I couldn't really notice the difference - besides the cost that is ($70!!!)

thoughts? worth it? how durable are oakleys?

 

[Lynx_Arc]

I don't know about oakleys but unless you know why polarized glasses work better in some cases you probably won't notice the difference in normal use. They are great for blocking reflected light from water and off the street/buildings etc. For just normal look at the lawn and the sky you probably won't see any noticeable difference. Two ways to tell if glasses are polarized is turning 90 degrees around other known polarized glasses or even LCD watches, displays etc.

Personally I am a cheapskate and buy ~$15-$20 glasses at stores and catch polarized glasses on sale in the winter closeouts at times.

 

[NoFair]

I find they reduce glare a lot better than normal shades. Sun reflecting of wet roads, snow, water and other annoying reflections from flat surfaces are more or less removed. The big difference is when driving or sailing IMHIO. Under other conditions there is very little difference.

After having used good quality polarized shades (Bollè or Oakley) it is hard to go back.

Sverre

 

[TorchBoy]

The big difference is when driving ...

+1. Definitely polarised (sic) while driving, no doubt about it.

 

[ckthorp]

I've really been liking the feather-weight hingeless Maui Jim's I got last year. Down here in Arizona, there is an unbelievable amount of glare from the desert sun off of car windows. The polarization really attenuates it quite a bit. You can see the strength of the effect if you tilt your head back and forth, altering the axis of polarization. It's often really dramatic.

 

[guntotin_fool]

I personally think Oakleys have gone way down hill. My son got a pair on close out and the hinge snapped within a few weeks, sent them back to Oakly and all they said was too bad so sad; buy another...

 

[Led_Blind]

Go polarized, as has already been said they cut the glare quite well. You will probably notice it when driving, the reflections off car windows are so reduced that you can see the occupants

 

[TorchBoy]

And you can see out of your own windscreen instead of seeing the reflection of your dashboard.

 

[ckthorp]

Go polarized, as has already been said they cut the glare quite well. You will probably notice it when driving, the reflections off car windows are so reduced that you can see the occupants

Now, now, make sure you use it for good and not evil. Just like running a camcorder in IR mode during the day.

 

[TorchBoy]

Now, now, make sure you use it for good and not evil. Just like running a camcorder in IR mode during the day.

I note that KaiDomain and DealExtreme don't have anything like that in their photography sections.

 

[Led_Blind]

Now, now, make sure you use it for good and not evil. Just like running a camcorder in IR mode during the day.

Right.... so how does that video camery thingy work? hehehe

 

[NoFair]

I personally think Oakleys have gone way down hill. My son got a pair on close out and the hinge snapped within a few weeks, sent them back to Oakly and all they said was too bad so sad; buy another...

In the old days Oakley would replace anything, but like you said their warranty now isn't worth much

I used to get them from a sponsor when I was playing basketball and used them until they wouldn't replace damaged parts any longer. IMHO they are not worth the retail price.
Since nobody wants to give me sunglasses after I stopped playing I've switched to Bollè
Sandstone tinted polarized lenses are currently my favorite.

 

[eart]

So the conclusion then is, oakleys = not so good, while polarised lenses = a very nice bonus..

 

[beautifully-stupid]

Yes yes...
Oakley not so good
Polarized ... good.
+1 on Sandstone Tint... I really miss the color now that I'm using smith...
Smith polarized.... dark but good. (and they have a great warranty)

One thing I've noticed... and this may be just me.

Although they're great for use on the water...
great for conditions of uniform wetness... what they don't do is show those shiny patches of ice on the street... the glare is lost, and sometimes those patches of ice look like wet spots. It's not critical ... well maybe... but I've only run into the problem once or twice in several years. I don't wear my sunglasses when it's icy and i'm walking or biking anymore... but the rest of the year people call me racoon eyes.

 

[Flying Turtle]

Some gauges/readouts in your car may be tough to see with polarized lenses. I can hardly read the radio numbers in my wife's car.

Geoff

 

[TorchBoy]

Definitely sounds like a safety issue, Flying Turtle. How do you think she's react to using that as an excuse to get a new (better) one?

 

[greenLED]

I have some polarized "Chilis" brand I got from REI - love'em. I've gotten spoiled with polarized sunglasses; I can't stand non-polarized ones. Now, if they would only apply A/R to the inside of the lenses, I'd be even happier.