The best sunglasses

[MajorDave]

lenses on the diamond. I like both but I think the non-polarized are better. For some reason whenever I look at anything black with polarized I get a weird refraction. I cannot explain what it is but only black does it. I did not like that as a lot of teams wear black now, my college association wears black as the primary color for shirts and hats and now high school wears it a lot. Not a big deal but I noticed the difference.

I wear contacts so the sunglasses are a must on sunny days.

I sometimes wear them behind the plate when sun is going down in outfield.

I wear Oakley Half-Jacket with XLJ lenses like they give military. I bought mine. I am interested in trying a lighter lens. G-30 or VR-28. I wear Black Iridium right now.

I had M-Frames but they are too wide for my head. I had the kind that did not fold-do not recommend them as they break rather easily.

I have had other brands but none I would recommend higher than the Oakley's. The optics are fantastic in them. They really help me.

By the way, I take them off when discussing calls with coaches. I want them to see my eyes.

[johnnyg08]

The G-30's are the ones that I was interested in trying. Your information about the black w/ polarized lenses is great...as well as the other stuff. Do the half jackets fold?

[MajorDave]

Yes they do. Make sure you get a hard case to put them in when not wearing to protect the lenses and prevent breakage. Oakley's are tough but not indestructible and scratched lenses are worthless for baseball. I got my hardcase at Wally World for $5. Oakley hard/firm case was too expensive for what it was made of and it lets thieves know what they are stealing with all the logos.

[cardinalfan]

Originally Posted by johnnyg08

The G-30's are the ones that I was interested in trying. Your information about the black w/ polarized lenses is great...as well as the other stuff. Do the half jackets fold?

I have one pair of polarized glassed (not real expensive) and when I drive, it appears the windows on my truck have rainbow streaks running across them. I don't know if this is common, or I have just have a bad pair!

[cardinalfan]

I personally don't like the polarized lenses, but some of the guys I call with swear by them. This is another issue you will probably get a lot of different viewpoints.
I like Oakley's with the amber lenses. I've found that the glare is what bothers me, and these cut the glare for me the same as dark shades. The big advantage, especially when working the plate, is that they actually lighten the sky if a dark cloud appears or the sun starts going down.

I have called with some guys who say they don't want coaches to see their eyes. I don't have a problem with this, and I don't think it looks any different than some of the "blue" or "rainbow" lenses.

I learned to buy a good pair and take care of them instead of a cheap pair. The money I've saved on headache medicine has been worth the initial investment!

[johnnyg08]

Are the Amber ones, the G-30's? I don't think they are polarized. Are they?

[MajorDave]

you will learn more than you ever wanted to know about Oakley and their lenses.

Lens Tints


Hope this helps.

[johnnyg08]

Originally Posted by MajorDave

you will learn more than you ever wanted to know about Oakley and their lenses.

Lens Tints


Hope this helps.

thanks Major Dave...the site is helpful...along with the opinions on here, I'm leaning toward some version of the G-30's...either the standard or w/ the Iridium...these are all simulated images, which is helpful, but not as good as the personal accounts...

[cardinalfan]

Originally Posted by johnnyg08

Are the Amber ones, the G-30's? I don't think they are polarized. Are they?

No, they aren't polarized. But sorry, I don't remember the number!

I had a buddy who was interested in amber lenses. He bought a pair that had replaceable lenses in case he wanted the black look. (not sure the brand)

It's a tough choice. I always have the fear of buying a pair I don't like and have to live with!

[johnnyg08]

Originally Posted by cardinalfan

No, they aren't polarized. But sorry, I don't remember the number!

I had a buddy who was interested in amber lenses. He bought a pair that had replaceable lenses in case he wanted the black look. (not sure the brand)

It's a tough choice. I always have the fear of buying a pair I don't like and have to live with!

I really don't think polarized is the direction I want to go for baseball...they're more expensive and I'm not convinced that polarized is what I want on a diamond...at least based upon what I'm reading on the Oakley site and from some of the opinions shared on here.

[bobbybanaduck]

I've worn these for 5 years. LOVE them. I'm in the polarized camp, and haven't had any distortion issues. These Native glasses (from what I was told when I bought them at Eastern Mountain Sports) were designed for bicycle racers. They have little vents on the top of the frame. Never had a problem with them fogging up, even on 100+ degree days when I'm sweating buckets.

Native Eyewear

You can't buy them off of the Native site, but they will link you to the various retailers that do sell them. I think mine are the Sprint, but I like a couple of the other options, too. There are better descriptions of the glasses on the REI site than found on the Native site, and there are good descriptions of the lenses on the Native site. Hooray for going back and forth between windows. Mine came with regular, clear and yellow lenses, but it looks like they only come with 2 now. Oh well.

[eagle_12]

I have the half jackets with three replaceable color lenses. I want to say that it was a "golf package" or something like that. My wife bought the set at sunglass hut and I don't know what it's officially called. It came with the frames, three lens selections (regular grey, fire iridium, and ruby) a couple of cleaning cloths and a nice semi-hard padded case. The set is really nice. I've tried to stay away from the fire ones because they just don't look very good in the middle of the field. The ruby and grey work real well.

[Klokard]

Check out the Bolle Vigilantes. I have these in my bag. They are a blade type so they work well under the mask. They also have interchangeable lenses. I love them.

[DG]

I wear safety glasses from Northern Tools, about $7.99 per pair, appearance similar to Oakley M Frames. I go through about 2 pair per year.

[Texas Aggie]

I go through about 2 pair per year.

I bought my M-Frames in 2000 and wear them regularly for everything from biking (which I don't do anymore) and other sports, to lawn mowing. Since I bought a clear lens a few weeks ago, I'll wear them for even more stuff like woodworking and shooting. I think they cost ~$140, which is only $4 less than what your 2 pair per year would cost you from then through this year.

If that's what you like, then that's great, but I'm just saying that the Oakleys should last you a long time and, as you've demonstrated, have a relatively decent cost.