I trashed my beloved A-wires and Oakley have said they can't be fixed. They will however give me 40% off the the cost of a new pair so i'm looking at the Whiskers which come both polarized or not. I've never had polarized glasses before are they worth paying the extra for?

I don't fish, or spend much time on the water but I do ski if that helps.

would help with skiing so yes.

beware that you can't see some LCD screens with polarised lenses if that matters to you!

Does cut down on glare nicely though.

hmmm, interesting. I can't think when i would need to watch an lcd screen with sunglasses on… phone maybe? but then i can either take them off or rotate the phone!

It sounds like I should give it a try as the difference is 40% less than usual.

I will also need to not keep them in a shorts pocket as the previous ones went through the washing machine twice and then were destroyed in a crash at caddon bank. 🙂

Polarised are also very effective for driving as they cut the glare off wet roads & off your windscreen when you're facing into the sun.

Polarised Oakleys are very scratchable. If you're as careless as me then they may not be the best bet. Otherwise the quality is very good.

I've found they make it quite difficult (not impossible) to see my car stereo's screen when I'm driving. Not enough to stop me wearing them though.

Polarised lenses annoy me somewhat. especially when I want to read a msg on my phone or look at the time on my digital watch. Oakley lenses are pretty good without it. I have the Whiskers too with a gold iridium lens. brilliant for most things although are a little too dark for woodland riding. I can also recommend the VR28 lenses too. don't go for a dark/grey lens as these don't offer enough contrast for biking/skiing etc.

Go for polarised, because they eliminate glare as well as reducing light transmission you can use a lighter tint, meaning you can use them in a wider range of conditions

hmmm, interesting. I can't think when i would need to watch an lcd screen with sunglasses on… phone maybe? but then i can either take them off or rotate the phone!

cycle computer for instance, in my case it just means I can't glance down and see how fast i'm going 🙂 I imagine it would be much more annoying if you were trying to use a gps mounted on the bars or something

I've had a few pairs of Oakley manufactured Fox polarized glasses. As some have said, lovely optic quality that cuts out glare really nicely. I've not had any problems with them scratching. Really good for skiing.

Whether they render screens unreadable depends on the screen – my iPhone and SatNav are both fine. My digital camera I can only see the screen in landscape – if i turn to use in portrait it appears blank.

You're not using them for riding – personally i'd definitely pay the extra.

Polarised for skiing? Definitely not. You can't make out the contours in the snow.

Good for driving or near water.

Thanks guys, I think i'll go for the polarized black iradium lenses, they will be for proper sunny days, just like we have all the time here in scotland! 🙂

cheers
Mark

I've got polarised Oakley straightjackets (from way back) and A-frames (for snowboarding) and I love them. Oakley seem to do a good job of aligning the polarity of the lenses to minimise problems viewing LCD screens, IMO, and as for not being able to see contours in the snow, I've found polarised lenses to give better contour definition than non-polarised.

The polarisation cuts out glare, especially off water, which I've mainly found useful when driving.

: P

another + for polarised. I have normal grey polarised lenses and use them for driving. They are brilliant for cutting out the reflection of the dashboard in the sloping windscreen, but do also highlight how much dust i have on the dashboard 🙂 would replace with the same lens.

Polarised O's, I have some. It reduces glare from backscatter off shiny surfaces and generally makes it easier to see textures, incl. snow.

You might consider a slightly lighter tint given that polarising filter reduces overall light input by a measure, perhaps 10%.

They are brilliant. I never drive in anything else (in sun of course), and have treated myself to some for my Jawbones. Do wear other colours too of course but if it's one pair only definitely go for for it. Never had any issues with scratches either, and my Juliets are 7 years old.