Seen some cheap (aviators), is there a genuine benefit over cheap brands?

Yes, they will say Ray-Ban on the side. You just don’t get that with any other manufacturer.

Is this another 80’s shades thread?

I think the best lenses to price glasses are Bolle. Also the safety specs are a fiver and spot on for biking.

You’re here all week…try the fish? 🙄

I had a pair of Rayban’s years ago. Most expensive glasses I’ve ever bought and probably the worst. Crap rubbish. I wouldn’t buy another pair again.

Crap rubbish. I wouldn’t buy another pair again.

Care to elaborate?

I like them. However the company has, I believe, been taken over and the latest pair were made in Italy. Time will tell.

Aren’t they the shades in ‘Top Gun’?

Rayban’s are OK but there are sunnies with far better optics in the same price range, most people in the optical trade will argue between serengetti and Maui Jim as the best lenses out there, personally i prefer the latter

Apart from anything else, the lenses are made from glass, so are ground properly plano, and not plastic. One benefit is they tend to last much longer. I was a great fan of Raybans (though aviators don’t suit me) and owned about three pairs over a twenty year period. The quality of the lenses alone justified the extra expense, but as a certified tightwad, I would rather buy one pair that lasts a decade, then two or three pairs of cheap nastiness that needs replacing every few months because I scratch or lose them. My last pair of square metals are still in the glove box as a spare, and I reckon I bought those in about 2002. I now wear prescription varifocals, and can get quality lenses elsewhere, but the G15 lens colour (the grey green one) has always been a favourite for driving or general wear.

Surely it depends on the heritage of your car?

better optics…load of marketing bullshit there

skids – Member
better optics…load of marketing bullshit there

My evil eyes had significantly “nicer” lenses than the cheapo ones I’ve had before.

I have ray-ban specs (not for the brand, they’re just nice glasses). And yep, not the best build quality, they’re sturdy enough but the earpieces wore quickly and the finish hasn’t lasted either. (my previous pair was a set of optical express ownbrands, they lasted 10 years, these won’t last 5) Don’t think I’d buy again tbh

I still wear the aviators I bought 20 years ago to give me the TopGun look. They are great but I am sure the manufacturing process has been modernised to make them more profitable so they are now ‘cheaper’.

iolo – Member

Care to elaborate?

The arms went floppy within the first week or two & no amount of tinkering with the screws holding them on would tighten them back up.

Despite taking more care with them than any other glasses I have owned, the lenses started popping out of the frames; they’d never been dropped, trodden on, sat on etc. and had been kept in a hard case so I don’t know why. It was almost like the lenses had been forced into the wrong shaped frame & over time the lenses made a bid for freedom.

I contacted Rayban about the issues I was having and was sent an e-mail back saying that they didn’t have any service support in the UK; only if you are a US customer and so they could not help….

In contrast, a mate of mine stood on his Oakley A-wires. Oakley said send them back and it’ll be £17 for a new frame. When he got them back, a small scratch on one of the lenses had gone, so we think they’d just sent him a completely new pair of glasses for £17.

I only buy cheap glasses now – £35 Bloc are about my limit. But if I was to splash out again, I would have no qualms getting some Oakleys, but wouldn’t spend any money on Rayban.

I have a pair of Aviators bought at the start of the Gulf war, so nearly 25 years old and still look like new. I also have some others that I bought about 5 years ago (Active Pilot iirc) and show no signs of wear either. I tried other makes of sunglasses but could always tell the difference. Although I have Bolle before which were good but got scratched up.
The worst I had were the Oakley’s we were issued for the Gulf War which were useless and scratched up within a few weeks. The sand probably didn’t help but the RayBans were used for longer in the same condition and came out of it still as new. This was before Oakley were trendy so not sure if the same quality as now.

I’ve got a pair of Wayfarers I’ve had for 20 years – stopped wearing them for a bit when they went out of fashion and dug them out again a few years ago. Excellent quality.

Aren’t they the shades in ‘Top Gun’?

Indeed, everyone’s favourite mainstream, soft-core homoerotic volleyball and shit sunglasses based film.

There’s some planes and other crap in it but it’s mostly an advert for volleyball and Aviator sunglasses I believe… Thank you Tony Scott…

Ray-Bans and Oakley are now owned by the same Italian company

Luxottica wiki

I use to wear Aviators, but then got hold of a pair of Oakleys…

Imo, lenses on the oakleys are lighter weight and clearer to see through. Not sure I’d go back to RBs.

Worth the money IMO.

Lenses quality and durability – in the end good value

Aren’t they the shades in ‘Top Gun’?

No, actually. They were by Randolph.

Seen some cheap (aviators), is there a genuine benefit over cheap brands?

In all seriousness no, but they do make you look the bollox, even if you look like me.

I’ve had a pair for going on 10 years in which time they’ve been kicked around various cars, gone on many trips abroad and for at least the last 5 years have been treated with very little respect yet the lenses are virtually spotless and they still look good. Worth buying the genuine article imo.

Wayfarers for me cheap and quality six years old still like new

Older RayBan’s had glass lenses, newer ones have plastic, for H&S reasons I believe. My glasses are RayBan Lennon frames, with Rx lenses fitted, I’ve got a couple of other pairs all of which came from eBay, all with original glass lenses, and they’re at least as good as any others I’ve worn, I’ve bent my prescription ones a couple of times, by accidentally sitting on them, and I’ve got them back into shape quite easily, because they’re brass, not some cheap alloy.
I’ve no idea how old the frames are, but they’ve been worn pretty much every day for around three years so far, with no issues whatsoever; the frame screws have stayed tight, I put a tiny drop of thread-lock on the arm screws, and they’ve stayed solid.
A mate has a pair of Lennons he bought around twenty/twenty-five years ago, and the only sign of age on his is the black enamel coating has worn through to show the brass.
I’d be looking around on eBay for some originals with glass lenses, mine cost me $55, IIRC, although I’ve got a pair I bought as new with diamond-hard gold mirror coating which were around $120, and are just lovely to wear, the brown tint is perfect on bright days.

Bought some this week and impressed, lenses seem better than my old oakleys. They also have carbon weave frames which is great if you are a massive tart like me

I’ve a few pairs of decent glasses, oakleys ray bans Maui joins etc. current faves are ray bans with polarised lenses which were £210 in store but I picked up online for £97.