How much do you spend on sunglasses?

I live in Thailand so 90% of my time outside, I wear sunglasses.

I wore prescription sunglasses from about 10 until I had my eyes lasered at about 25. Since then, I wore fake Oakleys / Raybans etc which lasted anywhere from a week to several months.

Last summer I treated myself to 2nd hand (but BNIB) Oakely Jury sunglasses. They fell off my face last week and the hinge (irreplaceable) broke.

I can’t see myself spending that much money again where even though I took wonderful care of them, the arm is now epoxied on and they can’t fold. I saw more expensive glasses as an investment.

So, what do you wear (on and off the bike). What’s the golden price point for you?

Any recommendations?

Anyone had these?

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/th/en/shimano-ce-s40x-sunglasses/rp-prod131725

Quite a lot, but I only got my first pair of dedicated sunglasses towards the end of last year, the lenses cost nearly £500.
What do you do to them that they break within a year?

500 quid lenses? Really? Why?

I was bending down to reach something and they fell off my face onto a tiled floor. When I googled a replacement hinge, the internet is full of people complaining about that particular model. Other than the snapped hinge, they were in perfect condition after being worn most of the day, each day.

It’s been enough to put me off spending that kind of money again. I did love the clarity of the lenses though. They actually sharpened my vision when I put them on!

My last pair of sunglasses were in that Oakley site meltdown a while back so ended up costing me nothing.

£30 to £40 is my limit. I usually buy Bloc ones.

But my eyes are good and I have no special requirements.

For mtbing?

Cheap Endura ones – they always get scratched to buggery & when I lose them it’s no biggie, unlike when you trash your £150 Oakleys…

i like my sunglasses. my mince pies are pretty sensitive to bright sunshine. i have a pair of Oakley Frogskins and some polarized oakley ducati fives for active stuff, knocking about in, skiing, riding. then ive got 2 pairs of rayban wayfarer’s i wear for day to day stuff, pub, driving and and some rayban aviators that i keep for best. not sure how much they cost exactly but generally between £100 – £150 is about right

Usually whatever is cheap on deal extreme. Usually have a spare pair hanging around as the kids will always break something.

Also use cheap safety specs something like these.

I have my disposable oakley split jackets for on the bike, by disposable it doesn’t matter if they get broken as I will just replace them. I also have some crosshairs that I wear off the bike but guard with my life as they were the last thing my dad bought me before he died, they were stupidly expensive and obviously irreplaceable.

I’ve 4 pairs of Oakleys that span 14 years, the eldest pair are looking a bit tatty but still functional, all the others are pretty much as fresh as the day I bought them.

See no reason to change really!

To answer the op, between £100 and £200

Not as much as Houns..
I’ve 4 pairs of Oakleys, so I guess over £100 a pair is my average.

the hinge (irreplaceable) broke.

💡 Don’t Oakley have a really good fix it for free service? Pop them into a city main dealer or post. ❓

I have two pairs of Oakleys at the moment, but didn’t, and wouldn’t pay full price for them.

I paid about £50 for a pair of gascans, and £90 for a pair of Jawbones, however I have since bought two additional sets of lenses for the jawbones.

So I guess my psycological limit is £100, however I’ve been hankering after a pair of the new Oakley Crankshafts (clear frames – violet lenses) which are £130ish…

Send the Oakley s back to them for repair.. IME they fix for free.. And when I say fix.. They seem to just send you a new pair foc.

On the bike I wear safety specs from work, but they’re cheap from places like Screwfix Direct if you can’t get from work. Decent quality lenses (have to be for those operating machinery with them on), and conform to all the strictest stds for safety equipment. Work fine and look pretty fashionable. I’ve eye’d up some nice Bolle ones with iridium style lenses which seem to be available from our stores now.

I personally wouldn’t wear anything on the bike that is too expensive for me to lose or break.

There is a strange paradox in my life that if I spend a lot of money on sunglasses then they will meet with a catastrophic accident within weeks, if however I buy a cheap pair they last years. Currently I have a pair of £15 ones from Next and a couple of £4 pairs from Aldi, had them all for 2 years now. Before them I had spent £80 on a pair of Raybans that lasted a month.

Oakleys here too, 5 pairs purchased over 14 years (last pair in 2011), have made use of Oakleys fix it free policy before.

Also have 2 pairs of Oakley goggles (MTB and snow) and a pair of reading glasses, the spare pair which live in the car.

6 pairs of Oakleys, two with Transitions lenses. I try and buy discounted or duty free/USA if possible. I’ve also got a couple of pairs of RayBans as well.

So to answer the question… too much.

May be worth contacting Oakley, I have had a frame replaced before for not much money after I stood on them. It wasn’t free but a lot less than buying a new set and they swapped my old lenses over.

Edit – beaten to it

about £30 as I tend to trash them/ have kids that trash them for me.

Oakley here, Jawbones and Flak Jackets for riding, Minutes, Jupiter’s and Plaintiff’s off the bike.

Most have been bought cheaply in various sales so £100 ish per pair but they all last and the Jupiters I’ve had for 7 or 8 years.

A couple of quid here and there

I have two sets of prescription sunglasses (one dark, one reactolite), both cost about £150. Normally get about 5 years out of them before I finally break them.

Both from https://www.optilabs.com/

Normally around the £100 mark.. every 5 years I seem to lose or break them. Most recent pair was some polarised Serengeti’s from Costco for £80 which I though was pretty reasonable. They really are excellent sunglasses, especially for driving.

£30-£40 ish. I don’t tend to lose or break them so usually keep them for years.
I have some Bloc somethings for everyday, which I think were about £30 probably 5 or 6 years ago, and some Endura Guppys for riding, which were £40 a couple of years ago.

TBH at that price I still suspect I’m paying twice what they’re worth, but for infrequent buys of things I’ll use a lot and keep for years I don’t mind buying nicer ones. Can’t ever see me paying > £100 for some Oakleys though!

EDIT: In the last few years MrsSalmon has probably gone through 4 or 5 pairs of £10 Superdrug jobs. There’s usually a pair floating round her car with one lens missing or something.

You’ve got an Oakley display case in your house?

Bolle Sillium, about 8 quid a set. I always wear them as eye protection, clear or grey, depending on brightness. Adjustable nose bridge thingies (which I find important for a good fit and keeping the wind out of my eyes). Cheap as chips, only discovered them a year ago but they have lasted really well so far. Sorry, probably disqualified from posting here for not spending £300 on some bling.

contact your regional (Asia I guess) Oakley distributor and ask for a returns box….send them back and they will likely either fix them, send you a new pair or offer you a very hefty discount on a new pair. Oakley’s may be pricey but their customer service is worth it. had quite a few pairs of glasses and snow goggles and whenever I have had any issue, even if its down to wear and tear from a lot of use, they have come up with something.

A few Oakley over the years probably the best
Bloc are good
Best Buy North Face £15 TK Maxx 9 years ago
A few Nikes when in USA

edit sorry cost wise anything from 15 to 120

Never had Oakleys. Quite fancy a pair but I doubt they’ll help stop my eyes watering at the price. Are they actually worth it or are you just paying for the name?

I think my current ones are Police or some such. Think I paid somewhere in the £30-£40 mark, they were (allegedly) half price in Boot’s. Before that I had a pair of Bloc which were ace until I sat on them and they snapped clean in two across the bridge.

Got some Oakeys and Roy Bans last week 10 euros the pair

Actually not that bad even compared to the real thing

until I sat on them and they snapped clean in two across the bridge.

Did that skiing one year, as they’re prescription I spend the rest of the week wearing them held together with DUCT tape…

You’ve got an Oakley display case in your house?

Wouldn’t you if you had that many pairs!?

About £100 a pair here, 5 pairs of Oakleys (3 riding, two casual), but all bought at trade/in the US/discounted. Plus another two pairs that are retired, but still functionally ok.

Daren’t count up the amount of Oakleys in our house that have been acquired over the years between the four of use but it would probably fill that display case.

njee20 – Member

“You’ve got an Oakley display case in your house?”

Wouldn’t you if you had that many pairs!?

God no! Never go full Partridge.

Well I normally spend between £100 and £200 per pair, I found many years ago that if I spend money on glasses I seem to look after them better.

However, this has turned into a bit a ‘habit’ and seem to ‘have’ to purchase new glasses whenever I go anywhere on holiday. I now have 14 pairs of sunglasses with the oldest Oakley E wires being well over 10 years old and still perfect, if a little dated now.

I have gone through a shameful amount of sunglasses over the last 3/4 years. If i think about the daily cost it makes me feel ill.

The guy with the Oakley display cabinet in his house needs his head examined.

Lifer – Member
You’ve got an Oakley display case in your house?

You clearly don’t know Houns, and his obsession of Plastic Tat™.. 😯 🙄

I’m done with Oakley. Has a pair of jackets and the super dooper lens covering flaked off. They refused to do anything about it. I still have two more pairs, but I’ll never buy any more.
Nike vision for sports and ray bans or persol for posing.

Atm I have….

2 pairs of maui jims prescription sunnies, 1xsport 1xnormal
3 pairs of Oakleys inc anold pair of ewires i just cant part with
2 pairs Bolle again 1 sport and 1 fasion
1 Carl Zeiss in an aviator style
1 Carerra
1 Nike Sport
2 pairs Addidas 1xevileye, 1xclimacool

……..And pretty much all my ‘normal’ glasses have transitions in them.