[Tsujigiri]

Serengeti is another underrated company, IMO. They aren't the most cutting edge stylistically, but they have a decent selection of styles and make a high quality product. Their lenses have some of the best optics out there; they are available in glass or plastic, and come with both polarized and photochromic technology, as well as antireflective coatings. The 555nm green lens is particularly nice, as it offers a great compromise between neutrality and contrast. The frames are acetate or metal, and some of the styles are offered in titanium. Some of the metal frames also have a proprietary feature they call "S-flex," that allows the frame to be sturdy, but the beta titanium arms are flexible to accommodate your head without much pressure. Customer service is good from my experience; they sent me a couple of hinge screws free of charge when one fell out.
 
Lamone sunglasses with 555nm photochromic and polarized glass lenses and titanium S-flex frames:

 

 

[Tsujigiri]

Maui Jim is considered by many optometrists to have the best optics available. Their lenses are available in glass, plastic, and a hybrid between the two. Polarization is standard, as well as antireflective and antiscratch coatings and a proprietary bigradient mirror (the lens is darker on the top and bottom, and less dark in the middle where you would most likely be looking). The frames are not as good as those from higher end and more expensive brands in terms of quality and style, but they are very good nonetheless. Additionally, Maui Jim's customer service is unparalleled in the industry. Because of this, I consider Maui Jim to be the best value out there in sunglasses. They are also widely available in Luxottica's stores and others, despite them being an independent brand (the fact that they're independent and have the highest quality of anything in a Sunglass Hut is no coincidence).
 
Kaimana in brown fade with bronze lenses (I also have the same frames in black with a tortoise pattern on the inside):

 

[Tsujigiri]

Warby Parker has been receiving a lot of attention lately from the fashion industry. They were founded by a couple of business school students who were lamenting the high cost of glasses caused by the predatory business practices by conglomerates like Luxottica and Safilo. Their strategy is to incorporate vertical integration on a smaller scale so they can keep more profits and deliver products at a lower cost. WP manages everything from the manufacturing to the distribution of their products, cutting out any middlemen.Their frames are made of Italian acetate and their lenses of polycarbonate, with the manufacturing done in China. I would consider their products to be fairly competitive for the price, but they do have some of the typical defects of Luxottica products in the same price range, such as frame warping. Thus, I would not consider the non-prescription sunglasses to be an astounding deal, but they are quite good for the price. Where WP really shines is in their prescription eyewear. They don't take advantage of the inelasticity of price of glasses the way most companies do. As of this writing, frames with prescription lenses are $95 and prescription sunglasses are $150. They will also send you 5 demo frames for free with shipping paid both ways, so you can try out their glasses. Definitely worth a look if you need corrective eyewear.
 
Invisible Children edition Griffin sunglasses (first sunglasses made by them):

 

 

[Hutnicks]

Three pairs of Serengettis here (2 were appropriated by former girlfriends) Including an original pair of 1985 vintage huge Aviators. Arguably the best lenses made period.
 
Sport optics, while I own loads of Oakleys the go to seems to have trickled down to Bolle and the almost impossible to find in NA Uvex . I find the fit on Bolle much better than anything Oakley produces while head to head comparison is night and day in favour of the Uvex lenses over the Oakley.
 
 
I actually did not now that Bushnell had gobbled up Serengetti and Bolle .

 

[Tsujigiri]

Nice choices! I don't really have any experience with Uvex besides the cheap safety glasses you find in labs, but I'd be interested to see how the European sport brands like Uvex and Alpina compare to the ones over here. Are the Uvex lenses from Zeiss, or do they make them in-house? 

 

[Hutnicks]

Quote:

Nice choices! I don't really have any experience with Uvex besides the cheap safety glasses you find in labs, but I'd be interested to see how the European sport brands like Uvex and Alpina compare to the ones over here. Are the Uvex lenses from Zeiss, or do they make them in-house? 

 
I believe Uvex makes their own. Zeiss seems to have disappeared from the sunglass market. Uvex also attempted a style brand named Torque but it went nowhere. They had a wicked polaroid lens though.
 
The only issue I ever had with Serengettis (and any metal frame) is winter. Man, the combo of glass lens and metal frame with a little wind gets painful.

 

[Somnambulist]

Nice thread. I'm looking to buy some sunglasses very soon and you've given me plenty to think about. One thing worth addressing as well is picking the right sort of shaped frames for your face...  if you buy into that? I saw this guide recently:
 
http://www.fashionbeans.com/2013/mens-face-shapes-sunglasses-guide/
 
Need to take a face shot as I wouldn't mind trying to figure out what would suit me.

 

[Tsujigiri]

Good point. I haven't really worried about that so much because based on the guides I've seen, my face seems the closest to an oval shape, which can supposedly get away with anything. Personally, though, I think other factors like how high they sit on your face or how wide the nose bridge is make a bigger impact on how good they'll look on a given person.

 

[Tsujigiri]

As I mentioned before, many companies make sport optics for applications that require impact protection. Many people wear sport optics as regular sunglasses, but this is not ideal since sport sunglasses are lower quality than regular sunglasses, and are typically not very stylish. I use my sport sunglasses as eye protection when in labs, working with machines, or shooting. Since most of this takes place indoors, I have clear lenses fitted into most of my sport optics. The more military-oriented companies tend to include interchangeable tinted and clear lenses. Wiley-X is one of these companies, and they have built their name by providing eyewear that is strong and practical. The lenses pass mil-spec regulations for stopping shrapnel, and Wiley-X products can be found for less than many comparable products from more prominent companies (although IMO Revision offers a better product for the same price or less). However, I've found that their quality is not as good as many others, and the frames aren't as sturdy as they could be. They are still worth looking at for some of their more unique offerings like the SG-1, which features foam seals around the lenses and arms that can be swapped out for an elastic goggle strap.
 
Wiley-X SG-1:

 
Wiley-X PT-1:

 

[Tsujigiri]

Revision caters specifically to military, but their products have some nice features and the quality is very good, especially considering the low street price of their products. As such, I would consider their products to be the best value in sport optics currently available. They manufacture everything in-house in the USA, even the lenses. There's a lot of interesting work that goes into their products, and they've clearly designed with an eye towards the practical. For an example, the Sawfly glasses feature nosepieces with the hard plastic and soft pads fused together permanently, so they can't come apart like nosepads on other sport optics can. The Sawfly also comes in 3 sizes so you can be sure to get a good fit, and both the goggles and glasses are offered in Asian fit, which supposedly fits Asian faces better. Revision also builds their lenses stronger than any of the other companies I've seen, as can be seen in the video below, where their lenses stop a shotgun blast:
 

 
 
Desert Locust:

 
Sawfly:

 

[Hutnicks]

Quote:

Revision caters specifically to military, but their products have some nice features and the quality is very good, especially considering the low street price of their products. As such, I would consider their products to be the best value in sport optics currently available. They manufacture everything in-house in the USA, even the lenses. There's a lot of interesting work that goes into their products, and they've clearly designed with an eye towards the practical. For an example, the Sawfly glasses feature nosepieces with the hard plastic and soft pads fused together permanently, so they can't come apart like nosepads on other sport optics can. The Sawfly also comes in 3 sizes so you can be sure to get a good fit, and both the goggles and glasses are offered in Asian fit, which supposedly fits Asian faces better. Revision also builds their lenses stronger than any of the other companies I've seen, as can be seen in the video below, where their lenses stop a shotgun blast:
 

 
 
Desert Locust:

 
Sawfly:

Hmm Full circle. Back in the 80's Gargoyle used the exact same stunt to market their glasses.
http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Gargoyles+wins+lengthy+lawsuit+against+U.S.+Army%3B+hundreds+of+U.S....-a015922660

 

[Tsujigiri]

Interesting, I knew about the .22 caliber test from Gargoyles, but I hadn't heard that they did a shotgun test as well.

 

[Tsujigiri]

Oakley is a company that probably doesn't need any introduction. They seem to be surrounded by hype, both good and bad. The thing is, they're neither as bad as the fashion police say they are nor as good as their marketing and fans claim they are. They claim to have the best optics of any brand, but this is sadly far from the truth. Despite advertising their decentered optics, I've experienced prism effect on their lenses, and some of the mirror coatings I've had from them were applied so badly that the color of the lens was uneven. Even on a good day, their lenses are at best average due to the murky but impact resistant polycarbonate based material they use. But all this isn't too abnormal for a pair of sports sunglasses. Oakley does produce some comfortable frames, but they don't flex outwards much, so the clamp will probably be too much if you have a larger than average head. The rubber material they use in their pads is softer and grippier than most of the competition, as well. I've heard that their quality has gotten worse since the hostile takeover by Luxottica, but they have retained some remnants of the old company that won the loyalty of many customers. They still manufacture their products in the US, they often avoid playing it safe with their design approach, and they offer deep discounts on their products to soldiers. Overall, they make a good product that feels refined for eye protection, but their relatively high asking price makes some of their competitors seem like a better value, and their quality and technology isn't quite up to par with the similarly priced Rudy Projects. I would say that they're worth looking at if you need the impact protection from sports sunglasses, but I would not recommend them for daily use.
 
M-Frame:

 
Gascan:

 

[Hutnicks]

Quote:

Oakley is a company that probably doesn't need any introduction. They seem to be surrounded by hype, both good and bad. The thing is, they're neither as bad as the fashion police say they are nor as good as their marketing and fans claim they are. They claim to have the best optics of any brand, but this is sadly far from the truth. Despite advertising their decentered optics, I've experienced prism effect on their lenses, and some of the mirror coatings I've had from them were applied so badly that the color of the lens was uneven. Even on a good day, their lenses are at best average due to the murky but impact resistant polycarbonate based material they use. But all this isn't too abnormal for a pair of sports sunglasses. Oakley does produce some comfortable frames, but they don't flex outwards much, so the clamp will probably be too much if you have a larger than average head. The rubber material they use in their pads is softer and grippier than most of the competition, as well. I've heard that their quality has gotten worse since the hostile takeover by Luxottica, but they have retained some remnants of the old company that won the loyalty of many customers. They still manufacture their products in the US, they often avoid playing it safe with their design approach, and they offer deep discounts on their products to soldiers. Overall, they make a good product that feels refined for eye protection, but their relatively high asking price makes some of their competitors seem like a better value, and their quality and technology isn't quite up to par with the similarly priced Rudy Projects. I would say that they're worth looking at if you need the impact protection from sports sunglasses, but I would not recommend them for daily use.
 
M-Frame:

 
Gascan:

 
I have the old pro M law enforcement kit. The lenses seem to be much better than my folding M's (actually bought a knock of of the M after the second frame cracked, the clone hold up better). and the frame itself just seems a better fit. All in all their lenses are hit and miss,

 

[Tsujigiri]

Rudy Project is currently my favorite sports sunglass company. Their products have a number of features that seem well-thought out and offer the user more flexibility than similar products from other companies. Most of their frames have rubber temples with wire cores that can be bent around the user's ears to fit them more comfortably and securely. Many of their nosepads are similarly adjustable. Their optics are superior to other sports sunglasses in my experience. Most of these are polycarbonate lenses, but a few models are offered in Trivex lenses they call "Impact-X." This material is not very common, but it's clearer and stronger than polycarbonate. Some lenses are both polarized and photochromic, and Rudy's polarizing technology polarizes light without blacking out LCD displays like most polarized lenses do. Rudy Projects are harder to find, but can be well worth the search.
 
Freeon: