I went thru three pairs of $200. sunglasses in less than a year. Lost a pair and broke two others. Went cheapo after that. Amazing how my $10. sunglasses last forever.

The biggest difference I've noticed between my $200+ Oakleys and cheapies lie in fit and weight. My Oakleys fit very well, even when I'm sweaty and they weigh next to nothing. Not sure whether my Oakleys are optically superior, though. Maybe it's just marketing/advertising?

I always bought cheapo sunglasses until i was harassed into buying expensive ones by one of my clients (a retinal surgery center). I bought a pair of smith slider 01 glasses and I will never go back. the clarity seems way higher, and maybe it's just the style i got but they never move on my head even if I end up crashing on the ground. They are light, comfortable, and pretty indestructible. I've accidently sat on them a number of times and had no issues.

http://images.ems.com/...6577569830514409.jpg

I'm with you on the cheapo's. I don't know what the extra $170 will give me over the sunglasses I have now.

Oakley's lenses are unbelievable. I'm consistently astounded by how much better they are than anything else I've used. I've had other glasses I liked the fit of better, but for optics, Oakley is the pinnacle, and that's what you are paying for. Rudy's are ok, but I certainly don't think they are in the same league as Oakley in terms of optics.

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"Non est ad astra mollis e terris via." - Seneca | rappstar.com | FB - Rappstar Racing | IG - @jordanrapp

I always felt that Oakley's were mostly just marketing and hype.

Then I tried T-Racer's...


WOW


I'm trying to forget how good it was so that I can go back to being happy with my Rudys/Adidas...

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<If you're gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough>
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Depends on what you're going to use them for and how long you'll keep them before loosing or smashing them;)

Some $200 glasses cost that much only because of the style and brand. Others fit function, fit and finish as well as (hopefully) a bit of style in there too.

Love absolutely love my Oakley Radars. Been using Oakley for years and years and have tried a good number of other awesome brands as well but keep coming back to where I started. Oakley's optics are the best you can get. There is independant testing, in house testing and my own personal "testing" that all verifies this and then some. Quick test, put on your glasses, find a far away vertical object (edge of a building, etc) and slowly move the glasses up and down checking if when the glasses move away from your eye the vertical edge moves horizontally. With some glasses you'll get a HUGE jump as the glasses come off... Oakleys are usually spot on or insanely close. The only other glasses that I've tried that come close are the Giro glasses (these were really impressive) and these new prototype glasses that I have sitting here from a company that I can't name. Plus you get the insane hydrophobic lenses which are to me the biggest advance in sunglasses in the past 10 year. Awesome fending off sweat and rain. Not perfect but way way way above anything else.

Anyways, yes, if you've got the money to spend, find a pair that fits and looks good, then yes they are worth it and then some.

Okay, back to work for me

I second Jordan's opinion; Oakley puts an amazing amount of engineering into their glasses. I've been testing the new Jawbone, and am amazed at just went into the glasses... I just updated my blog with a review of the glasses. They think of considerations I'd have never concocted, like a foam lens housing that effectively "floats" the lens in the frame of the new Jawbone, so that the lens (and your optical view) is not distorted by frame flex. This new Jawbone looks wicked, but performs like a frameless design.

When you actually realize what you are getting, you not only not have buyers remorse for spending that much, you actually attend to and care for the glasses much better than you perhaps normally do, in a manner they demand. I forget and lose a lot of stuff, but I put sunnies up there with my cell phone and wallet as things I tend to take extreme care to look after.

-Jay

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Jay Prasuhn
Marketing Specialist, American Bicycle Group (Quintana Roo//Litespeed//Obed)
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Was along these lines of thought then got oakley zero's and have just picked up a pair of half jackets and love them both. Got the half jackets due to the interchangeable lenses and the zeros due to the lack of top bar for riding aero.

Difference between $30 an oakleys has been less tendency to fog up, clearer vision and much better fit (the big winner for me).

FYI I have better than 20/20 eyesight so the focus of my sunglasses is purely fit and perfomance.

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http://opensourcetriathlon.blogspot.com/

I've had multiple optometrists tell me the cheapo's often do not provide the UV protection they claim and put you at higher risk for cataracts since you are now opening your eyes wide for the harmful rays. I've had LASIK and because of the thinning of the cornea i am not taking chances. I wear oakley's any time i am outside.
I've had friends eyes saved by these optics as they stopped shrapnel in Iraq as a testament to the quality. The fit is always good and they have always proved durable for me.
I fork out the money for oakleys and have not found a brand that really compares in overall quality.
Completely worth the money.

another vote for Oakley. I have 4 pair currently and will probably be adding to that number again this year

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"Oh you hate your job? There's a support group for that, it's called EVERYBODY and they meet at the bar."

Tifosi are nice glasses and they don't cost anywhere near $200. And many models come with three different lenses for different conditions.

I wore Oakleys for years...Factory Pilots, Blades, Razor Blades, M-Frames (LOTS of these!), Radars....

I can't say I really notice a difference between the Oakleys and the Tifosi glasses I'm currently wearing. I'm pretty sure they would hold up on the shooting range as well, where I took more than a few brass hits to various Oakleys over the years.

That said...I HAVE noticed a difference between decent glasses and the $10-14 specials you'll find at Wal Mart, Target, etc... Those are just crap...they break quickly, scratch quickly, etc.

Jay,

You've got a killer blog - nice read!

I have found the big difference between 200 sunglasses and 10 ones is that my 10 ones stick around for years where my 200 ones seem to get lost/crushed in a matter of months, not sure what the phenomenon is called but it must have a name.

I usually use cheapos for driving. Really cheap, like $12 as long as they're 100%UV. It's important to have 100%UV because dark glasses that do not have 100%UV protection dialate your pupils and actually let in more harmful UV.

Cycling on the other hand warrants something a bit more robust and clearer, and I find higher end glasses like Oakley are worth it. I admit the hype makes them pricier, but hey, they're keeping our troops in the Middle East from catching conjunctivitis caused by flying shrapnel. Oakley lenses in particular have superior clarity and durability over cheapos as well as some not so cheap. Have you seen the sample polycabonate lenses that are pitted with a 12 gauge shotgun from 15 yards? They are protective from UV, glare, and debris flipped up from the not so perfectly smooth 40k TT course.

I have a few pairs of Oakley RX (prescription) and they are actually much clearer and much less distorted around the peripheral than my many non-sun glasses.

One scary story: Before my serious bike riding days, I was riding one day and a huge cicada came bumbling out of nowhere and BOP! ricocheted right off my left eyeglass lens. Fortunately my glasses at the time were rather large and geeky. You never know what the good Lord is gonna fling at your retina.

I equate $200 sunglasses with HD television. Sure, you can look at it and see the slight difference in clarity. But is the extra clarity worth the additional $170-180 you're going to spend? As far as fit and weight ... they're sunglasses. They're not custom sized, so they fit everyone differently. And they weigh a matter of grams, not pounds. Get a haircut and you just shaved off the equivalent weight difference between $$$$ and $$. If you have and like your expensive sunglasses, I appreciate your contribution to stimulating the economy. But for me, they just don't hold water.

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"The right to party is a battle we have fought, but we'll surrender and go Amish... NOT!" -Wayne Campbell

I use the expensive sunglasses, first because they are more likely to really protect your eyes and because I can get polarized and photochromic lenses.

Photochromic is just an addition to a good thing, but once you have polarized sunglasses you cannot go back to regular ones. It is a world of difference.

I love my rudys.

It is amazing how people can be cheap when it comes to protecting something valuable as their eyes. If you have a $20 eye go get a $20 sunglass. It is all in the quality of the lens.

 
It demands entirely on how well you take care of your glasses. For example, My wife and I both bought so really nice sunglasses on a trip 10 years ago. Hers are long gone but I still wear mine daily and they don't have a scratch on them. Even though we basically got the same thing, she wasted her money and I got a great deal. If you break, scratch, lose or otherwise end up buying a new pair every year or two, you are probably better off going cheap. But, the more expensive glasses are, by and large, better than the really cheap ones (ie $30 vs $150 or so -- if you are talking $100 vs $200, not so much). The lenses are better, they fit better and they last longer (if you take care of them).

While I do cycle in a pair of Oakleys and I have another nice expensive brand in my car, my lifetime sunglass spending is pretty low since I average about 10 years between purchases. Of course, that means I will be the last man on earth wearing M Frames so you do have to be willing to give up the whole fashion aspect of sunglasses if you go expensive and you don't break them periodically ;-)

Same Story as the OP. Always got by on $25 cheapos, but went for the Rudy deal. I like the glasses, hard case, interchangeable lens. Light frame. But honestly, I wouldn't pay more than $100 for them. I have already lost them once (and found them). They're nice, but I couldn't justify the $200 package on that alone.

Do like the helmet and bag that came with them. Bag is pretty high quality. Helmet is very comfortable. Those two are worth another $100 to me subjectively. They threw in some other overstock things, a running hat, a t-shirt, and a neoprene sunglasses leash that I never would have bought, but make the "deal" a "deal." Also got a cd of music that I've yet to listen to.

Not a bad deal if you need a helmet or bag or both.

I was told once by my Optomitrist that optics are the difference (typically) between $30 sunglasses and $150 sunglasses. I have a pair of Revos that I wear every day, spent a ton of money, but I have had the same pair for 5 years, just sent them back to Revo for a tune up and it cost $35. The clarity and polarization of these glasses makes them a joy to drive, play golf, hike, and watch the kid's ballgames with.

I have a pair of Rudy Project Rydons, I got them as a Christmas present 3 years ago. Came with two extra pairs of lenses, clear and red, as well as the standard blue that come with the frames. These glasses do not fog up while I am riding or running, the optics are very vivid and the glasses themselves are very light. I actually switch the lenses around depending on my needs. I am amazed at how often I use the clear and red ones. My wife wears the Sports Mask and loves them. I think that there is a minor design flaw with the way the lens attaches to the frame. My wife broke the lens after a ride one day and the glassses are not quite a year old so we sent them to RP and for $19 we got a brand new lens.

My point is, Yes there is a difference most of the time. I was given a pair of Prada sunglasses as a gift a couple years ago, yeah they looked cool, but horribly non-functional and they cost a lot of money, I think almost $300 and they lasted 6 months before falling apart, no customer service. If you can keep from losing them, sunglasses will last a very long time and not cost much over the span of say 5 years.

Rudy has a cool promotion going on right now, you can get glasses, backpack, hat, shirt, helmet, and a watch for $250 from e-rudy.com. If you don't want the package the glasses are around $90-$125.

I've spent thousands on eye surgery (lasik) to improve my vision and am getting ready to spend thousands more on vision therapy to restore my small vision loss after suffering a stroke.

The logic of spending $120+ on running shoes every three months but only spending $30 to protect your eyes is curious to me. Perhaps there is the notion that a $180 pair of glasses isn't any better than a $20-40 pair. That isn't right- no more so than the notion that a $40 Target brand running shoe is as good as a Newton or Asics or Saucony high end, motion control or stability running shoe.

There are differences. For one, high end glasses often exceed the federal standard for OSHA safety glasses, a concern if you are hit in the face by a pebble flung from a passing car tire- I've had that happen to me. Discount sports glasses don't approach this standard for impact resistance in most cases.

Additionally, if you value your eyesight and the visual information you take in then the transmission of light, both in color, frequency and in terms of a lack of distortion is much better in higher end glasses.

The shoe analogy is a pretty good one. Bottom line: How much do you value your eyes? How much do you value the visual information you bring into your brain? Do you have a nice television set so you can see the picture better but you're unwilling to enhance the real world visual information you experience?

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

Best pair of sunglasses I ever had were Nikon's. Expensive. I absolutely had a better view of life with them than without them. (Always wear straps if the lens are very heavy, they fall off your head onto the asphalt and scratch.)

I use Oakley's for athletic and Maui Jim's for causual wear. I definitely think there is a noticable difference in clarity, scratch resitance and frame quality with the more expense glasses. Is it 10x better, not sure about that. Maui Jim has a lens replacement deal where if you damage the lenses, they will replace them for $50. No a bad deal if you fork $150-200 for some shades.

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