Aviator sunglasses...

cleared4theoption

cleared4theoption

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Jeremy
So, how many of you wear "aviator" sunglasses? How many just wear whatever decent ones you can find? Does spending 100-300$ on "Aviator" sunglasses really make a wothwhile difference?
 
cleared4theoption said:
So, how many of you wear "aviator" sunglasses? How many just wear whatever decent ones you can find? Does spending 100-300$ on "Aviator" sunglasses really make a wothwhile difference?
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I wear Serengetti sunglasses...expensive but worth every cent !

If you take good care of your toys - it's a great investment ( make sure you store them in their original case when you're not wearing them ).

If you're the kind of person that keeps dropping and losing sunglasses...don't waste your money.
 
This is interesting because my wife has already made me promise to refrain from ever wearing the stereotypical aviators if I ever get up in the air. Besides I'm so used to the quality of some good Oakleys they would probably be just fine.
 
My wife bought me Ray Ban aviators. I had no idea what I was missing in terms of visual quality from the cheapies I'd been using.
 
I have perscription lenses. They are a sport style of Ray Ban, I bought more because they were light weight, stayed in place and were better for running. Perscription glasses are expensive and owning two pairs wouldn't be practical. I am not sure what advantage the aviator style actually has for flying, though. The polarization on my lenses does make it hard to see the iPad.
 
Well, not sure whether my shades are "aviator" or not (they may be). They're Scheydens, and I love them because they make the clouds "pop" into view on a hazy day.

Main things are (1) thin enough ear supports to go under headset ear seal without open and noise, and (2) no polarization that interferes with seeing instruments, radios or the reflection off of that closing traffic!
 
Randolph Engineering...

Been My Choice For A Long Time... $100+

Usually comes with case, tools, cleaning cloth, and extra Nose Pads
 

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I got a pair of Ray Ban aviators off craigslist for 40 bucks, They stay in my glove box and i put them on whenever I absolutly have to. the only compelling reason I see for getting aviatior glasses is that they are not polarized if polarized glasses are giving you problems.

The down side is they are wortheless for fly fishing, so the aviators stay in the plane.
 
cleared4theoption said:
So, how many of you wear "aviator" sunglasses? How many just wear whatever decent ones you can find? Does spending 100-300$ on "Aviator" sunglasses really make a wothwhile difference?
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Whatever I have. I can't spend hundreds on sunglasses, because they will just get broken.
 
Love(d) my Maui Jims, but polarization does not work with iPad. Ended up using $3 sunglasses which somehow I still have after 5 years (lost the $230 Maui Jims after several months)
 
AirDC said:
Love(d) my Maui Jims, but polarization does not work with iPad. Ended up using $3 sunglasses which somehow I still have after 5 years (lost the $230 Maui Jims after several months)
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I think that comes under one of Murphy's Laws. Like, the odds that a slice of buttered toast will land butter-side down is directly proportional to the price of the carpet.

:D
 
I bit the bullet and bought Scheydens also. Worth every penny.
 
I always have worn Ray-Bans, but have some friends who really like Randolphs. My guess would be that any optically true glasses are fine. But like anything having to do with fashion, it's personal preference IMHO. B)
 
I ended up getting a pair of Original Aviators from American Optical. These are the slightly more squared-off style, not the "General MacArthur" style teardrops, as they ride on my cheeks and get oily. Anyway, glass lenses, green tint, sturdy as hell and I love 'em. I'm going to get a second pair with polarized lenses for the motorcycle. They're a lot less expensive than those from Ray-Ban or Randolph, and much better frames and optical quality than anything you'll find at Wally World.
 
I keep a pair of AO's ( smallest size they make) in my bag. I have this small narrow head and just about everything makes me look like a bug and severely drops my ramp appeal ;)
 
But certain glasses do make a world of difference in ways. It is kinda like having the right tool for the job. Yeah you can use an adjustable wrench to tighten a bolt or a straight blade screw driver for a chisel, but it works a lot better using a correct sized wrench and an actual chisel.
 
I have Serenghetti Velocity with "Driver's Gradiant" lenses. These are tinted stronger at the top than the bottom and the brown/orange tint really makes the clouds pop out when it is hazy/misty. They're not polarized which is good for reading cockpit displays and spotting traffic (that glint of light off of a wing is so useful!). I also really like them for driving.
 
I spent $200+ on a pair of Ray Bans and love them, but don't wear them flying due to the width of the ear support. I have a cheaper pair of WalMart no-names that I wear flying. Both sets are polarized, so I'll probably pick up a third set w/o polarization and narrower ear supports to fly with.
 
I have a pair of Weather Watchers they were sold by King Schools at one time. They give incredible definition to clouds and cut through haze.
 
I have a pair of mall kiosk polarized sunglasses. They are good for now, but I can't read the magnetic compass with them on. Also, the ear things (what are they called again?) really start to press into the side of my head after wearing headsets for an hour.

I was looking to get a pair of Serengeti Driver's Gradient aviators when I pass my checkride.
 
Has anyone heard of, or tried, these?:
http://spinoff.nasa.gov/Spinoff2010/hm_3.html
http://www.eagleeyes.com/

They remind me of those "Blue Blockers" that were always on infomercials.

--

I need prescription glasses, so I just go with the clip-ons that fit my regular frames.

Sometimes I have to look under the lenses to see the panel properly when it's in the shadows, though. That's something that gradient lenses would help with.
 
cavmedic said:
I keep a pair of AO's ( smallest size they make) in my bag. I have this small narrow head and just about everything makes me look like a bug and severely drops my ramp appeal ;)
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+1! I love my AO's and the best part about them is that they are available at many Army/Navy Surplus stores for around $35. They come with a nice case and cleaning pad (mind did anyhow). Nice & cheap...a combo rarely found in aviation! :rockon:

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bgfyankee said:
+1! I love my AO's and the best part about them is that they are available at many Army/Navy Surplus stores for around $35. They come with a nice case and cleaning pad (mind did anyhow). Nice & cheap...a combo rarely found in aviation! :rockon:

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I was kinda of skeptical of them at first being they were "issue" , but they seem to do well , better than my scratched to hell polarized RayBans I use daily.
 
bgfyankee said:
+1! I love my AO's and the best part about them is that they are available at many Army/Navy Surplus stores for around $35. They come with a nice case and cleaning pad (mind did anyhow). Nice & cheap...a combo rarely found in aviation! :rockon:

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Bought a pair of those at ROTC summer camp back in the day. They're probably still around, but I need corrective lenses now and those do not do the trick. Great glasses if you don't need correction.
 
Ghery said:
Bought a pair of those at ROTC summer camp back in the day. They're probably still around, but I need corrective lenses now and those do not do the trick. Great glasses if you don't need correction.
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Or even if you do. Not bad at $125 for prescription shades.
 
spinfire said:
I have Serenghetti Velocity with "Driver's Gradiant" lenses. These are tinted stronger at the top than the bottom and the brown/orange tint really makes the clouds pop out when it is hazy/misty. They're not polarized which is good for reading cockpit displays and spotting traffic (that glint of light off of a wing is so useful!). I also really like them for driving.
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Here here, two votes for these. I'm on my second pair (still have my first pair from 8 or 9 years ago, the hinges are wearing so thin I was afraid they'd break soon, but still use them for doing the lawn and stuff now).
Love 'em.
 
I never spend more that $20 for sunglasses, I lose them and break them too much. $15 - $20 will get you full UV protection. My only requirement for "Aviator" sunglasses is that they fit close enough to your head so as not to cause a gap in the headset ear seals. Blade metal frames work best for that - you can bend them for a good seal.
 
I use Randolphs with Kontraster lenses.
 
cleared4theoption said:
So, how many of you wear "aviator" sunglasses? How many just wear whatever decent ones you can find? Does spending 100-300$ on "Aviator" sunglasses really make a wothwhile difference?
Click to expand...

I buy expensive shades, but I don't buy 'aviators', I buy Maui Jim Sports with rose lenses; been buying them for over a decade. They also make prescription, and as I was looking at the other day, bifocals...:raspberry::sigh:
 
AirDC said:
Love(d) my Maui Jims, but polarization does not work with iPad. Ended up using $3 sunglasses which somehow I still have after 5 years (lost the $230 Maui Jims after several months)
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Turn your iPad some. My Maui Jims work with all the glass in my panel and most any major brand of dedicated orientation displays.
 
Sac Arrow said:
I never spend more that $20 for sunglasses, I lose them and break them too much. $15 - $20 will get you full UV protection. My only requirement for "Aviator" sunglasses is that they fit close enough to your head so as not to cause a gap in the headset ear seals. Blade metal frames work best for that - you can bend them for a good seal.
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Me too though they only hold up my hair. I never wear shades, I might have put some on this weekend while flying, but other than that most of my flights are without sunglasses. And I can't buy aviators or anything with nose pads, they screw up my hair when placing them on top of my head. I never spend more than a few bucks and in fact my most recent pair are literally safety goggles from the hardware store, meant to look like regular sunglasses. So I guess mine are impact resistant in case something comes at me unexpectedly!!!
 
+3 on Scheyden.

Love the flip up feature and whoever does their lab work nailed it.

They also have managed to create the only set of flip-ups I've ever seen not have a "between the lenses" reflection/glare problem.

A couple of different Oakley frames every other day of the week. Normally only one pair, but switching employers reset my vision insurance and we like to keep the Doc in money. He's married to my wife's chorus director. ;)

(Not to mention has an incredible staff and takes extra time to get my astigmatism corrected the way I like the world to look. As he pointed out, I'm in-between the available diopter sizes for nearsightedness but changing the astigmatism correction slightly, we found increases edge sharpness effectively "over-correcting" without actually doing that.)

I spent a lot of years only able to afford the typical "One Hour" places in the mall kinds of eye docs with their bottom of the line lab work and cheap frames.

It only took one visit to a good eye doc to forever change my opinion on what a difference a quality set of glasses does for quality of life.

I still didn't order the Sheydens until I had three solid references who said they were the best prescription sunglasses they'd ever worn, and talked the sales guy into a significant discount. ;)
 
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