Looking for some decent Aviator Sunglasses for $100 or less.

Ready Reader
Multifocal

Ideas? name brand, where to buy etc etc.

Serengetis. They have a great selection. Their aviators style have a gradient lens such that the upper part of the lens has a darker tint than the lower.

Their patented tint is fantastic in low vis conditions, like smoke. Other manufacturers claim to have similar lenses, but there's no comparison.

They're not cheap, but worth every penny.

MTV

Don't know if you have any electronic displays, but........ Whatever you buy, try the color you want in your airplane and look at your displays. One of the guys I worked with bought some expensive brownish sunglasses, and whatever the color they were, made the red and the magenta look the same, almost invisible, and rendered them unusable with the EFIS/EICAS. Even if its a handheld GPS in your cockpit, to lose the color or some of the color can be annoying and needless. If you make a deal with the shop, try the colors with your display or take your GPS into the shop with you so you can test it before you buy. Maybe even take them to your Doc and look through the color chart or maybe there's one online somewhere.

There was a deal online a while back where you got a free flight suit and tom cruise tshirt with every pair of aviator glasses!

I prefer my Randolph Aviators. $129 shipped but very occasionally there is a sale. The last pair I bought was $100 even (~3 months ago).

Gray or AGX lenses. Bayonet temple works great with headsets.

http://shop.randolphusa.com/aviator-p5044.aspx

I second the serengetis!

Resky wrote:Don't know if you have any electronic displays, but........ Whatever you buy, try the color you want in your airplane and look at your displays. One of the guys I worked with bought some expensive brownish sunglasses, and whatever the color they were, made the red and the magenta look the same, almost invisible, and rendered them unusable with the EFIS/EICAS. Even if its a handheld GPS in your cockpit, to lose the color or some of the color can be annoying and needless. If you make a deal with the shop, try the colors with your display or take your GPS into the shop with you so you can test it before you buy. Maybe even take them to your Doc and look through the color chart or maybe there's one online somewhere.

This effect is due to the fact that the lenses on the sunglasses are polarized. Great for fishing, not for flying. The color of the lens (non polarized) can change the actual color of what you are looking at, but you will still be able to see it. One of my friends is an eye doc (and fellow pilot) and he says non polarized only in the cockpit. I've noticed this effect looking at an iPad/iPhone, or even my UV coated windows in my vehicle through polarized lenses.

Also, polarized lenses are almost always more expensive. Another good reason to not get polarized for flying!

+ 1 for Randolph. I recommend
SKU: AF5R612

Love them.

Also Polarization for Pilots : just say NO.

Amazon has them for $90 I think.

I prefer polarized sunglasses.

Many instruments with LCD displays have polarized screens, so it is necessary to be sure that the orientation of the screen polarization is correct, otherwise the scree will appear dark unless you tilt your head - not good. However, once this is tested and sorted out, polarized glasses are nice for soaring as they enhance the contrast and visibility of even faint wispy clouds so you can more easily discern which clouds look to be marking the best lift.

Cons, some soaring pilots don't like them , claiming that they make it harder to see other sailplanes by eliminating the sometimes telltale glint or flash of light from a wing during a turn. I haven't had a problem with this, blessed with 20-10 distance vision (corrected of course, without glasses can't see squat).

bumper

You mentioned "multi focal" I assume you mean reading glasses. I've been using "av-sun reader" sunglasses for a few years, they work great in the plane or driving a car. I bought them from airplanethings.com for about $90.00, but that was a few years ago.

If you need readers, buy a set or two of stick on readers, and put them on those Serengetis....works like a charm and the stick ons are less than $25.

Bumper....try a set of Serengetis.....the contrast is GREAT! Particularly if there's a little (o a lot) of haze.

I was once flying home in smoke with a very experienced but nervous observer in a 185. He kept asking about visibility......I kept telling him no worries. Finally I told him these sunglasses are so good at cutting glare and haze that I could see really well. Told him I'd take em off and let him try them, but I might lose control without them.......he bought it, and also bought a pair of Serengetis when we got home.

I had been in IMC (and on an IFR plan) at the time, and couldn't see anything past the panel.....but it quoted him down. Magic sunglasses, good for many things.

MTV

I like the Serengetis a lot, but being on limited budget from time to time, I have gotten used to and like the Edge safety glasses. Run about $15.00 a pair at hardware stores/supply houses. To me the color of the lens seems more important, generally, than the brand of glass(as long as they are a good lens or better). I feel that rose colored lenses make it easier to spot things like other planes/birds etc. while flying.
Gary

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned RayBans, old standby.
My first pair had green glass with gold frame and brow band, handed down from my father with a gift of a new Brietling Navitimer on the day I passed my private licence. Still wear them occasionally.

Beamer pilot wrote:I'm surprised that no one has mentioned RayBans, old standby.
My first pair had green glass with gold frame and brow band, handed down from my father with a gift of a new Brietling Navitimer on the day I passed my private licence. Still wear them occasionally.

That is what I ware in prescription. $400
The G9 non polarized lens is my choice.
No prescription $245
AVIATOR CARBON FIBRE

Looking for some decent Aviator Sunglasses for $100 or less.

Ready Reader
Multifocal

Not likely for $100, "decent" and "multifocal" being part of the criteria.

I'm about due for my annual eye exam, and I'm hoping for no change again. My prescription tri-focal sunglasses, not polarized, run around $400/pair. By the time I change my night flying trikes and my daily trikes, I spend way too much money!

Cary

Thanks for all the ideas

I had bought a pair of prescription sunglasses at OSH 3 years ago. Real glass, good lens, and I thought they were in that $90 range. That is 3 years ago and things have gone up some. I wear a 1.50

I just can't remember the company......they had a big area there, didn't seem like a fly by night outfit.

my luck I'd get a really nice pair...........and sit on them.

Maui Jims. Fishing version with the1.5 reader built into the bottom of the lenses. About 150. Except when flying EFIS.

Was flying an AW139 in the Arctic on a sunny day so had to have sunglasses for the bright glare. Put the battery on and told my copilot to crank the screen brightness up. He looked at me and said they are - looked perfectly black to me with the polarized sunglasses. Ended up wearing them upside down so I could see out and looking underneath them at the panel. RFM even said specifically in Limitations, No polarized sunglasses, but I thought they were kidding.

Lots of guys flying floaters on the coast had Serengeti's. You'd pick up about 1/4 mile viz on those scuddy days. So I got some too.

@ Bumper

I agree with you, I prefer Polarized, even if certain screens like on my cell phone blank out a little.

Regarding cost..I guess I am one hell of a cheap skate when it comes to sunglasses. I don't by cheap cheap, but I am not one to go for the big glitzy names either. I do make sure that they have:

Ultra Violet Protection (not sure whether they all clearly state UVA and UVB rated)
Bidirectional flex where the lens frame hinges to those pieces that go back to the ears
Polarization.
Shatter resistant lens material
Distortion free lenses
Low Price
Low Price
Low price

I think you can get decent sun glasses without spending a fortune. I happen to have some ancient American Optical military aviator style glasses in a cheapie blue plastic belt case which are waaay ancient....recommended to me by Orville and Wilbur Also, do a search on slickdeals.net They often have real deals on sunglasses.

I agree with those who are emphasizing color as the defining quality for a good pair of pilot's sun glasses. I don't know from Serengeti but I got a tip from my legally blind brother in law. He is extremely sensitive to bright light. So much so that he even wears sunnies inside. He had a pair of mega buck Nikons that I borrowed and had my optician send off to a custom tint house so they could duplicate it in my prescription glasses. I regularly saw traffic and detail with them that my experienced passengers just could not see. It's worth the extra dough just like a good set of ANR headphones.