Sunglasses

[Exe treme]

Hi all

With the first signs of Spring upon us, you might be thinking of investing in some new sunglasses. Here's 10 things you might want to consider for use at sea:

1. Polarised lenses: filter horizontally reflected light, so are ideal on the water.
2. Floating frames or at least floating retaining strap.
3. Hydrophobic and scratch-resistant outer coating to repel water.
4. Oliophobic inner surface coating to repel sweat etc.
5. Colour: Grey is best for colour recognition (CRI), whereas brown or gold are considered better for contrast.
6. Polycarbonate lenses offer good impact resistance, but clarity of optics is not as good if you have Rx lenses.
7. Close fitting wrap frames offer better protection from the wind and periphary glare/UV.
8. UV 400 lenses cut out harmful UV rays across the entire spectrum.
9. Sunglasses dont have to be marine-specific, but many of the above features will be included if they are.
10: If you are budget conscious, prioritise features over branding, as there are some good value unbranded options available, whereas cheaper branded options will be very basic.

[chris.moody]

Polarised lenses can make some digital instruments unreadable. Our log / depth display on my yacht cannot be seen if wearing polarised sunglasses.

[whisper]

After I missed most of the scenery on round IOW 2012 I bought some Oakley Five sunglasses made up to my perception and they are awesome. Would really recommend them

[Exe treme]

Originally Posted by chris.moody

Polarised lenses can make some digital instruments unreadable. Our log / depth display on my yacht cannot be seen if wearing polarised sunglasses.

You're right Chris, although some devices have been developed to counter this, especially GPS and in-car displays.
Not that its a practical thing to do, but if you rotate the lenses 90 degrees, ie by tilting your head, you will be able to view the screen.

[Exe treme]

Originally Posted by whisper

After I missed most of the scenery on round IOW 2012 I bought some Oakley Five sunglasses made up to my perception and they are awesome. Would really recommend them

Oakley's Rx service is excellent, and their lenses are good quality - good choice.

[whisper]

Originally Posted by Exe treme

Oakley's Rx service is excellent, and their lenses are good quality - good choice.

Yep

[Pikey Dave]

IIRC RYA members can get a discount on Bolle sailing sunglasses through the RYA website

[colcreate]

I was given a safety pack by a Makita rep, 1 pair of wrap around impact resistant safety sunglasses complete with lanyard and a pair of earplugs in a neoprene pouch!
There just the job for ribbing and jetskiing. The wrap around design and rubber arms keeps them on even when going A over T off the ski.... and keeps the wind out of your eyes.
Makita P-66385
Cheap as chips even if you have to buy them, which I didn't.
Probably don't cover all the points raised by Exe Treme but well worth having on board.

[Bigtalljv]

I like my Maui Jim's. I've had the same pair for 15+ years.

[Exe treme]

Originally Posted by Bigtalljv

I like my Maui Jim's. I've had the same pair for 15+ years.

I also have a pair of Maui Jim Sport. Great alternative to the "big" names, although already well respected in the industry.

[Solent Bombard]

Point to note that oakley make there lenses optically correct on x and y axis this means that they will not damage your eyesight or give you problems that may not be linked from uv rays.

I would expect other high end sunglasses have this also but your cheaper models like from boots etc etc will have passed basic UV level tests etc etc but will not have the level of protection that brands like oakley have as standard.

[Exe treme]

Originally Posted by Solent Bombard

Point to note that oakley make there lenses optically correct on x and y axis this means that they will not damage your eyesight or give you problems that may not be linked from uv rays.

I would expect other high end sunglasses have this also but your cheaper models like from boots etc etc will have passed basic UV level tests etc etc but will not have the level of protection that brands like oakley have as standard.

Hi Solent. Sorry to correct, but to save confusion, optical correction and UV are different things. You are right though, good quality lens manufacturers do indeed produce better optics, and have better UV and polarising performance. However, even branded sunglasses offer cheaper versions to appeal to the masses.
Edited. Apologies: reread your post Bombard. I can see you were separating the two issues, not linking them. My fault cos I can't see properly through my Blue Light filter lenses ;-)

[Solent Bombard]

a lot of the damage cheap glasses does not protect against happens over a number of years and not quickly like UV damage or sun blindness.

[Exe treme]

Originally Posted by Solent Bombard

Never tried to say they where the same thing but most people only think they need sunglasses to protect from bright light and UV rays.

But there is so much more and a lot of the damage cheap glasses does not protect against happens over a number of years and not quickly like UV damage or sun blindness.

You are right. Conditions such as age related macular degeneration (AMD) are thought to be accelerated by exposure to blue light that appears at the higher end of the UV range.

[A1an]

I found a nice pair of Oakleys in Vue Cinema car park, I did the right thing and handed them in to the Police....... aye right!!!


They are now tucked up in my Musto!

[Zippy]

Have a cheap ish pair of bloc's which are great for on the water and some nice Prada ones for best!

Having lost a couple of pairs of Oakley on boats throwaway is best for me!

Looking for some non polarised ones for using on the bike, I can't currently see how fast I'm going as I can't see the screen with by sunnies on.

[Aries]

I got a pair of Barz at the boat show. Have bifocal lenses so I can read my phone and GPS...

[Exe treme]

Originally Posted by Zippy

Looking for some non polarised ones for using on the bike, I can't currently see how fast I'm going as I can't see the screen with by sunnies on.

Check out Sunwise for some good non-polarised options. They are a UK company and good value.

I have a pair of Sunwise for cycling with three interchangeable lenses for varying light conditions. They are polycarb too so have good impact resistance.

[spartacus]

I bought Oakley polarised sunglasses last year on route to Portugal but can't bring myself to use them when out in the boat. On a 'regular day' my cheap polarised glasses are covered in salt-spray.

Best advice is to slap on factor 30 sun cream even on an overcast day, wear a hat, and use a strap for sunglasses. Watched my brother's ones disappear into the North Sea after the wind caught them.

[diver 1]

I'm another bloc fan based on getting a fairly decent pair for £20 and going through at least 2 pairs a year. Good for the mountain biking too. The bloc glasses are supposed to be fairly reputable and are UV400 rated and polarised but are they going to cause me harm in years to come?