Sunglasses- who makes decent ones in 2024?

[GuigiaroBertone]

There used to be an obvious answer to this, but I find myself struggling to find a decent pair for my upcoming holidays.

Here's my (highly subjective, tongue in cheek) 2024 brand perception of the main players:

• RayBan/Oakley/Persol - owned lots and used to be good quality/value now just another overpriced Luxotica brand

• Italian "designer" (Prada/D&G/Armani/Ferrrari/ Versace) etc = more overpriced Luxotica brands & cheesy AF

• Oliver peoples/ Tom Ford heading towards the above

• Any designer/ high street/Airport "world duty free" brand tie in- e.g. Ted Baker, Jimmy choo, Marc Jacobs etc. Just naff and again paying to advertise a mid market brand

• Police/ Randolph aviators = Walt / kiddy fiddler vibes (big aviation fan, but I'm afraid it's true)

• Carrera = One trick pony/ gimmick. Cool in 2004.

• High street own brands/ Next, Reiss, Boots, Zara, Top man etc- cheap chinese st

• Polaroid - given up on life

• Fake/tourist market knock offs- as points 1-6 but cheaper and a bit pathetic

• Messy Weekend/ SunGod etc - a product of Social media hype and massive markup for what must cost just a couple of quid to make- max.

I'm just looking for a pair that are on trend (or near enough) and worth their price. I'm not looking for a status symbol / obvious branding/ bling. Price not an issue, but bear in mind that most pairs I've owned seem to go missing in a time frame that is directly proportional to their price. I've never lost a pair that cost less than a Tenner- no matter how hard I try.

[GuigiaroBertone]

RustyMX5 said:

I've gone with Bolle or Bloc in the past

and Ray-Ban and Oakley

sorry- I forgot the Euro/ski rep / couldn't afford Oakleys in the 90s category

No doubts re: quality, but they do still look like they were bought from Decathlon.

[GuigiaroBertone]

Super Sonic said:

Have had a pair of Serengeti for 4-5 yes now, v light, v comfy excellent visibility not a scratch on the plastic lenses. Highly recommend. Not the cheapest but worth it.

I remember their adverts in Car/ Performance car magazine circa 1990.

Although I don't doubt the quality, unfortunately that's put them in the Randolph aviator/ Police category for me.

[GuigiaroBertone]

Ambleton said:

My pal swears by Sungod. They're not part of the Luxotica group and appear to be actually half decent.

I'm in need of a new pair of sunglasses having broken my raybans so will have a mooch around and see what they have that I like the look of.

I'v enot tried a pair in person, but looking closely at the website they seem to be a marketing phenomenon/ brand exercise. I'll try and find a pair in person.

[GuigiaroBertone]

Badda said:

Maui Jim are good.

Persol are better.

I had some lovely Persols years ago and also rated Maui Jims


Unfortunately both are now owned by mega- corporations and made in the same factories as all their other brands. Prices hiked massively, but quality not worth the increase in price- in 2024 you're paying for a brand.

[GuigiaroBertone]

CountyAFC said:

Randolph Engineering are head and shoulders above everything else in my experience.

I remember when they were £60 for a pair! I don't think quality has also increased fourfold.

Also see my subjective brand perception comments above.

Maybe acceptable if one actually is a military pilot. Otherwise a bit Nick Adderley.

[GuigiaroBertone]

joropug said:

I really rate Shady Rays.

The glasses are good quality, if you break them, or they fail or go missing, for the price of postage you can claim a free replacement.

I’ve used this twice after lenses got damaged, have about 6 pairs.

You can also have a flutter at a random pair of polarised glasses for about £15 when you order another pair, I’ve been lucky and had 3 decent ones out of it.

You can usually find a decent discount code online too.

I will do some research- thanks

[GuigiaroBertone]

Square Leg said:

After catching a cricket ball in my face

User name checks out

[GuigiaroBertone]

The Hofff said:

https://www.screwfix.com/p/dewalt-reinforcer-fire-...

Just the right price range me for me!

Haha! Not doubting the quality/price ratio & I have worn similar clear ones on the bike on overcast days- clear Oakleys are no better

...but I did spec "Holiday" and "vaguely on trend"

[GuigiaroBertone]

egomeister said:

Maui Jim were only bought ~18 months ago, and from what I have heard haven't suffered yet. (I've heard it suggested that the frames have actually improved, and their lenses were very good anyway)

If you want to ensure quality, why not but a good optical frame and get it glazed with some decent lenses from Zeiss (or whoever you prefer). Customise to your hearts content

That's a solid idea to get the perfect pair, but opticians seriously know how to markup and as I mentioned- expensive eyewear has a half life in inverse proportion to cost.

[GuigiaroBertone]

Radec said:

How about Moscot?

How much!!!??

With sunglasses it seems it's only possible to pick two out of the following three criteria:

• Quality

• Style

• Price

[GuigiaroBertone]

caseys said:

Have a look at https://goodr.co.uk/

Lightweight so good for exercise. I’m very fussy on polarised lenses (which oakley’s polarised prizm lenses are still damn good, albeit not great value).

Customer services good. Had a pair where there must have been a defect as the arm sheared off. Emailed them with my order number and a photo and got a gift voucher code to order another pair.

I keep my Oakley now in my car. Have several pairs of Goodr in backpack, other half’s car, luggage etc. Cheap enough to not get annoyed about for example when you leave them at a friend’s house after a bbq and their dog likes them as a chew toy.

These look to be the kind of thing I'm looking for- thanks!

[GuigiaroBertone]

Gastons_Revenge said:

I too am confused at the allegations of poor quality on Luxottica brands- I have a 20 year old pair of Ray-Ban Wayfairers and a 2 year old pair of Clubmasters, there isn't anything in it. My Clubmasters are probably more durable than the earlier all-acetate framed models because they're metal framed.

OP here- maybe I was wrong on quality. As a teen I had a pair of OG crystal Frogskins in the early 90s that cost £35/ about 5 weeks wages, but the arm attachments kept snapping and i bought at least three more arms at £10 a go before the frame attachments also gave in. I've bought another pair of Oakleys every 5-10 years or so since and durability is a bit better, but I'm seeing the iridium coating coming off the edges of my 5 year old Frogskins.

i think maybe I'm just being tight/ reluctant to acknowledge inflation but prices seems to have hiked right up- esp with RayBan. I've bought the Justins for £70 about 10 yrs ago and last bought the "new" shape wayfarers for just over £100 3 years ago. The same ones are £150+now.

[GuigiaroBertone]

Graveworm said:

Take what you can from this..
https://youtu.be/QupDm63OSfI?si=f4FipJzbzYt2VX2F

I took a huge amount from that! A fantastic summary of all the brands I've been considering (and many more I'd never hear of).

Thanks for posting- well worth a watch.