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What's the best sunglasses for flying

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geologist

geologist

Member
Joined
Apr 23, 2004
Posts
7
I recently had my Serengetti sunglasses stolen and I'm looking to replace them. What are your opinions about glass vs. polycarbonate, polarized vs. nonpolarized, comfort, and features that reduce eye fatigue? What brands do you recommend and why? Does the CRJ windscreen create distortions with polarized glasses? What brands are comfortable when worn with your headset?

Trying not to spend to much, but will spend for good features and comfort.

Is it worth spending 200$ for a pair of sunglasses.
 
You definitely don't need to spend $200 on sunglasses. I swear by Ray Bans (either G-15 or amber lenses) and you needn't spend any more than a cool hundred on them... usually less.

I haven't ever used polarized lenses, but I seem to recall they can cause problems with CRT screens.

I use the Ray Ban Predator series, and they fit fine under DC headset earpads.
 
I had a decent pair of ray bans that i bought for $100 or so. They worked great, unfortunately i can't recall the specific of what type they were. They were missing for 2 months at one time until i found them sitting in the cup holder of a roommate of mine when i was in college....i asked him where he got them and he said he didn't know...figured somebody left them there (yeah ok). I made him give me $100 for them and have'nt had sunglasses since. I wish i had them now though seeing as i fly at sunset 5 days a week and it's getting to be a pain in the arse not seeing.

Definitely don't spend $200 on sunglasses, there are many out there for half that or more that will get er done.
 
Best sunglasses I've ever bought cost me $10 at a Miami Intl gift shop about a year ago. Broke my previous pair of glasses that morning, and needed a replacement, and it paid off well.

Most pilots I know can be hard on their sunglasses with scratches and breaks, so I never believe in spending too much on sunglasses. Besides, the glare-shields in most all jets do more then do the job, as I typically fly with just my regular prescription glasses when I fly.
 
My favorites are Smith's. They are fly-weight and have thin arms that don't cut off the circulation behind your ears. You will find these at Outdoor and Surf shops for $100-175. Of course, I'm wearing a pair of $12 foster grants that work just fine, at the moment!
 
I don't know where people are finding these $10 sunglasses that work "just fine"... I've purchased cheapo sunglasses occasionally when I lost a pair of good sunglasses or left them at home and didn't want to go on a five-day with no shades, and invariably I've found myself saying "well, you get what you pay for". No cheapo shades can match an honest pair of Ray Bans with the G-15 lens.

Fifty bucks for a pair of name-brand specs (from their cheapest line), maybe, but not the ten-dollar specials you can get at Wal Mart or the airport. The lenses are just plain horrible... And usually plastic, which is cheaper and lighter than glass, but scratches if you simply LOOK at them wrong and have vastly inferior optics in that price range. Distortions, weird colors, excessive glare, you name it. Good glass lenses beat plastic every time.

And as for scratching/breaking/destroying a good pair of spectacles, I have a pair of Ray Bans that I've managed to hang on to for two years. I've sat on them, bent them, lost them, popped out the lenses, etc... Yet with a little bending and an occasional tweaking, they are almost scratch-free after being worn on a daily basis for the better part of two years at work.
 
Serengetti all the way. If you've had them already, you know how great they are. I used to buy $20-30 sunglasses all the time, and decided while in Hawaii to splurge and go wtih the Serengettis.I'll never go back. Definitely a great pair of sunglasses to have while flying.
 
I used to use Ray Bans, then Serengeti's for years. I dropped the last pair and scratched them so bad I couldn't use them anymore. I did a bunch of research, and ended up with a pair of Oakley Gold lensed something. They got stolen, so I bought a pair of good old fashioned Ray Bans with G-15's. Now I remember why I switched to Serengeti's from Ray Ban. Ray Ban G-15's make things look flat and colorless when compared to Serengeti's. I just need to find an excuse to go buy a new pair of Serengeti's. Even the Oakleys were better than the Ray Bans.
 
I.P. Freley said:
I haven't ever used polarized lenses, but I seem to recall they can cause problems with CRT screens.
Click to expand...
I currently have a pair of Bolles. They are great! Extremely light weight! Low profile, especially over the ears/under the headset! I hardly know they are on my face. However, they are polarized. From time to time, when the angle is just right,things on LCD displays disappear: calculator, cell phone, mp3 player. I haven't yet had it happen on a CRT and believe me I've tried. I have seen some major highways look like water ways, and water ways look like big mirrors. I hear they make icy runways look more inviting! But like I said, with CRTs, no worries!
 
Big Duke Six said:
Ray Ban G-15's make things look flat and colorless when compared to Serengeti's. I just need to find an excuse to go buy a new pair of Serengeti's. Even the Oakleys were better than the Ray Bans.
Click to expand...
Two pair of Serengetis and I've long since abandoned them.

Funny that anyone would think that G-15's make anything look "flat and colorless". All I can figure is this is the same kind of mindset that makes people think that Bose speakers make everything sound clearer... When discerning audiophiles understand that Bose's reputation is based upon coloring their speakers to "sound better" than other speakers. Bose sounds great until you hear TRUE hi-fi speaker sets, and then you understand that sonic trickery doesn't replace high fidelity (you know, "there is no substitute for cubic inches").

IMHO, of course. Not trying to start a flame war. :)
 
My uncle, a professor of optometry, got me a pair of serengettis for my birthday. He said they were the best. Best sunglasses I've ever had, including Smiths and Ray Bans.
 
One of the best pair of Sunglasss I ever owned was a pair I purchased for $7 at a flea market. I never could find another pair like them. I imagine the UV protection...etc. was naught though. Going on a hunt a couple of years ago I looked up in Consumer Reports to see what they had to say and as I recall their top rated pair was a Foster Grant pair (the FBI) version I think. I tried on a pair or two and I think someone at CS must have slung a rod they day they wrote that article. They were only like $20. I then purchased a pair of Randolph Aviators from Sporty's.

http://www.sportys.com/acb/showdetl.cfm?&DID=19&Product_ID=1894

They are nice glasses and one of the best features is the bayonet temples so that you don't have to tear them off your head when you have a headset on or take the headset off first. They are $52
 
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Second That

I recommend the Randolph Aviators.

For a little over $50 you get the lowest cost sunglasses that were designed for aviators. They darken without significanly shifting the color spectrum. I've had mine for over 6 years and they're still in great shape. I only wear them in the airplane and they go in the flight bag before leaving the cockpit (or I'd have lost them long ago). I regulary lose the $10 specials everywhere else in my life.
 
Definitely Serengeti Aviators. I've worn them for over 15 years and am only on my third pair. The last pair I bought on eBay for $55.00 brand new. There's a guy on there now that sells them for about $80.00 brand new.

Typhoonpilot
 
I.P. Freley said:
Fifty bucks for a pair of name-brand specs (from their cheapest line), maybe, but not the ten-dollar specials you can get at Wal Mart or the airport.
Click to expand...
Like I said earlier. :)

Foster G's, Serengeti, RayBan, Randolph, take your pick. In this range, they are all good sunglasses and you can't go wrong... It's all a matter of taste at this point, finding a style that suits you (and a style that is suitably durable).

My beef with Serengetis isn't really a beef at all, I just didn't like the frames. The optics are on par with the other styles.
 
I used Oakley for years, but when I started flying for a living, the frames seem to push the headset away from my head and make a "leak". Most Oakley's have a funky bend on the side frame so take your headset along if you are not sure.

I have a pair of ray-bans. Not the classic pilot ones, these are a smaller style, with silver frames and silver type reflection on the lens. Very comfortable and fit under a headset great.

I have tried polarized and they are the way to go. I also have a pair of Serengeti’s in my flight case, but seem to never use them. They are hands down the best shades out there, but look very corny on me at least. I am thinking of selling them and getting a different model.

Mark

 
Anyone know if these are able to be perscription glasses?
 
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Serengeti will make prescription sunglasses. I bought a pair about 8 years ago for $350.00. That was a little steep and I hardly ever use them because they give me a headache. The prescription was very small and I'm not required to wear them so I usually just use the non-prescription pair unless I'm flying into an unfamiliar airport and want just a bit more clarity.

Typhoonpilot
 
Serengeti for me. The drivers lenses actually seem to help when flying through haze.
 
Another vote for Serengeti!

Serengeti's are the best sunglasses I have ever worn and owned. I bought mine from http://www.peepers.com/ .

The rose vermillion lense is the best, brings out all the definition of the clouds and brightens everything up.

The lenses are also photocromatic, naturally lightens in darker light and darkens in brighter light. That way you can be cool like Jack Nicholson and wear em' inside.

Go with Serengeti's, you will never look back!
 
typhoonpilot said:
Serengeti will make prescription sunglasses. I bought a pair about 8 years ago for $350.00. That was a little steep and I hardly ever use them because they give me a headache. The prescription was very small and I'm not required to wear them so I usually just use the non-prescription pair unless I'm flying into an unfamiliar airport and want just a bit more clarity.

Typhoonpilot
Click to expand...
THANKS!
 
Another vote for Serengeti. They don't darken like traditional sunglasses but cut the glare and improve the definition of the visual field. That's what you need at DA...definition of visual references. I've worn them to Cat 2 at dusk and seen as if it were daylight on a sunny day.
 
Hello,

The best sunglasses for the money that are available are made by American Optical. The type I use are the same ones that the military issues pilots and work very well with just about any headset. They have excellent polarized lenses that are impact/shatter resistent. I've used them for over 20 years and my Dad used them for over 20 years of military flying as well. Not sure about the company website, but you can purchase them at avshop. If you have any freinds that are military they can pick-up a pair at the uniform shop of just about any military base at a pretty good price.

Regards,

ex-Navy Rotorhead
 
Ray Ban G-15s all the way. I've tried a bunch of other stuff, and always come back to the G-15 lens.


Extra dork points for the Top Gun Aviator style! ;)
 

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