Drivewear lenses + Ray-Ban aviators
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BikerJ
Jun 18, 2008, 12:08:26 AM6/18/08
to GlassyEyes
1. Has anyone tried the drivewear transitions polarized lenses?
I read some posts re drivewear lenses, but have not seen any replies
if anyone has actually tried them. I drive of course, but also
bicycle, motorcycle, and fly so these appear to be the perfect lenses
for changing conditions?
BTW, 39dollarglasses lists them as a $79.05 option.
2. Does anyone know of a site where I can get RB3025 frames without
lenses?
(since I plan on replacing the lenses anyway with Rx lenses)
Thanks for your responses.
I read some posts re drivewear lenses, but have not seen any replies
if anyone has actually tried them. I drive of course, but also
bicycle, motorcycle, and fly so these appear to be the perfect lenses
for changing conditions?
BTW, 39dollarglasses lists them as a $79.05 option.
2. Does anyone know of a site where I can get RB3025 frames without
lenses?
(since I plan on replacing the lenses anyway with Rx lenses)
Thanks for your responses.
IMQ
Jun 18, 2008, 2:19:46 PM6/18/08
to GlassyEyes
You may try eBay.
I sometimes see Ray-Ban Aviator style sunglasses frames without lens
up for auction but they are used I believe.
If I am not mistaken, the model RB3025 goes for around $150 or more at
local LensCrafters, and about $90 or more online. I don't remember
seeing them online store without lenses.
If you are looking for feedback from people who actually tried them,
you can do a search on http://www.optiboard.com/forums/
What I do remember reading about them are:
-- They are generally pretty good
-- They are not as dark as some people would like to have when driving
-- The colors are subject to personal preference
-- They aren't cheap
The only question I haven't seen the answer to is, "How long does it
last since it is a type of transistion lenses?"
Most people expect their sunglasses to last for years, but for Rx
transistion sunglasses, they expect it to last as long as needed until
their Rx changes.
I sometimes see Ray-Ban Aviator style sunglasses frames without lens
up for auction but they are used I believe.
If I am not mistaken, the model RB3025 goes for around $150 or more at
local LensCrafters, and about $90 or more online. I don't remember
seeing them online store without lenses.
If you are looking for feedback from people who actually tried them,
you can do a search on http://www.optiboard.com/forums/
What I do remember reading about them are:
-- They are generally pretty good
-- They are not as dark as some people would like to have when driving
-- The colors are subject to personal preference
-- They aren't cheap
The only question I haven't seen the answer to is, "How long does it
last since it is a type of transistion lenses?"
Most people expect their sunglasses to last for years, but for Rx
transistion sunglasses, they expect it to last as long as needed until
their Rx changes.
tsengik
Jun 25, 2008, 2:56:50 PM6/25/08
to GlassyEyes
I've been meaning to write a review for some time, so here it is:
I bought a pair of polycarbonate Drivewear lenses in in Oakley Whisker
frames from http://www.rx-safety.com. I highly recommend them. They
have drivewear for +$85. My prescription was perfect; I want to say,
even better than the two pairs I got from Optical4less (and I would
have said those were perfect too) because they seem to have less
distortion peripherally, but I don't know if that's a function of the
lenses themselves or the lens maker (the oakley frames curve a lot
more than my regular glassses). They have great customer service and
quick turnaround (2 weeks, one of which was for the antiglare
coating). I called and emailed them several times just to feel them
out and also to change my frames and they were always easy to get a
hold of and quick to respond. You also more or less speak to the same
people, who are not foreign, speak perfect English and are located on
site in New Jersey. I did ask them if they would refit frames and
they said yes, for a $15 lab fee plus the cost of the lenses. For
ordinary lenses, they're not the cheapest, because they charge more
than some of the other online places for their coatings but for
polarized and Drivewear lenses fit to a real sunglass sunglass frame
(something that wraps around your face), they were the cheapest (by
about $30-$50 much), had the biggest selection of lenses that could be
fit with drivewear, and by far was the most accessible company that I
could find at that time, which was late april-early may of '08.
They're also located close to to my house so I figured it would be
easy to return something or go complain if I had to. They have a
sister site called www.visionaryoptics.com which has some different
brands available. I do wish they would just put everything on one
site, because my first impression of the multiple site thing was that
this was a shady company and I definitely wasn't expecting to get good
answers when I called them, but they did put my doubts to rest very
quickly, especially being American and local. The BBB had no
complaints listed on these sites or their parent company, Phillips
Safety, and I could not find any bad reviews on them online, but I
couldn't find any reviews for that matter.
As far as the Drivewear goes, they're just unbelievable. I wear them
all the time while driving and while outdoors except when its
completely dark outside. They're perfect for driving and for golf; I
find I can see the ball against the sky much better and as it crosses
the horizon, where I usually lose it looking through black
sunglasses. When driving, there's next to no glare and traffic lights
seem to just pop out at you. They do get fairly dark; much darker
than regular transitions. You can't look straight into the sun but
you can look at a golf ball, for instance as it flies towards the sun,
without any real discomfort. They're not as dark as the darkest
sunglasses I've seen but there's also no way I could keep regular
sunglasses on almost all day long, if I were to go to a dark
restaurant for lunch, or if I were to pull out my computer out at a
bookstore to do some studying, for instance. I do routinely forget to
change my glasses in front of the computer for several hours at home
without being bothered enough to get up and find my regular glasses.
Being able to keep the same glasses on while driving in overcast and
sunny weather and not feeling blinded inside a tunnel is also
priceless. I did get antiglare on these lenses because I have them on
all of my lenses. I forgot to ask what kind of antiglare they use but
my impression is that its different and somewhat better than the ones
on my other glasses, although I am comparing apples to oranges because
it could all just be the Drivewears talking. If anyone else speaks to
them, I would be curious to know if they could do Crizal Alize anti-
glare, or things like that, although I know most of you here are not
interested in high-end, overpriced stuff like that.
The Oakley frames look great, but most importantly, they fit my big
flat face and stay on even during a sweaty afternoon jog. I couldn't
find any budget eyeglass frames that would fit those criteria, and I
can be a bit of a brand-whore so I figured what the heck. I do wish
they came with a hard case though. I ended up buying a really nice
one one from www.citizenlabs.com.
These glasses came to around $330 including anti-glare and anti-
scratch. The same glasses were close to $700 when I priced them at
the mall. I'm very happy with these glasses and would gladly
recommend them to others and buy them again for myself. I feel they
are worth every penny and I'm sure that nothing could outperform them
overall, but for the bulk of the budget oriented, brand-name agnostic
shoppers here, I will add that I wonder if a cheapo pair of very light
brown polarized lenses may be good enough in most scenarios,
especially if you were to swap them with a pair of dark polarized
lenses when needed. I might get a pair or two like this for the beach
and the pool if I can find them for cheap enough and will let everyone
know if this changes what I think of the Drivewear.
-Ian
> > Thanks for your responses.- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -
I bought a pair of polycarbonate Drivewear lenses in in Oakley Whisker
frames from http://www.rx-safety.com. I highly recommend them. They
have drivewear for +$85. My prescription was perfect; I want to say,
even better than the two pairs I got from Optical4less (and I would
have said those were perfect too) because they seem to have less
distortion peripherally, but I don't know if that's a function of the
lenses themselves or the lens maker (the oakley frames curve a lot
more than my regular glassses). They have great customer service and
quick turnaround (2 weeks, one of which was for the antiglare
coating). I called and emailed them several times just to feel them
out and also to change my frames and they were always easy to get a
hold of and quick to respond. You also more or less speak to the same
people, who are not foreign, speak perfect English and are located on
site in New Jersey. I did ask them if they would refit frames and
they said yes, for a $15 lab fee plus the cost of the lenses. For
ordinary lenses, they're not the cheapest, because they charge more
than some of the other online places for their coatings but for
polarized and Drivewear lenses fit to a real sunglass sunglass frame
(something that wraps around your face), they were the cheapest (by
about $30-$50 much), had the biggest selection of lenses that could be
fit with drivewear, and by far was the most accessible company that I
could find at that time, which was late april-early may of '08.
They're also located close to to my house so I figured it would be
easy to return something or go complain if I had to. They have a
sister site called www.visionaryoptics.com which has some different
brands available. I do wish they would just put everything on one
site, because my first impression of the multiple site thing was that
this was a shady company and I definitely wasn't expecting to get good
answers when I called them, but they did put my doubts to rest very
quickly, especially being American and local. The BBB had no
complaints listed on these sites or their parent company, Phillips
Safety, and I could not find any bad reviews on them online, but I
couldn't find any reviews for that matter.
As far as the Drivewear goes, they're just unbelievable. I wear them
all the time while driving and while outdoors except when its
completely dark outside. They're perfect for driving and for golf; I
find I can see the ball against the sky much better and as it crosses
the horizon, where I usually lose it looking through black
sunglasses. When driving, there's next to no glare and traffic lights
seem to just pop out at you. They do get fairly dark; much darker
than regular transitions. You can't look straight into the sun but
you can look at a golf ball, for instance as it flies towards the sun,
without any real discomfort. They're not as dark as the darkest
sunglasses I've seen but there's also no way I could keep regular
sunglasses on almost all day long, if I were to go to a dark
restaurant for lunch, or if I were to pull out my computer out at a
bookstore to do some studying, for instance. I do routinely forget to
change my glasses in front of the computer for several hours at home
without being bothered enough to get up and find my regular glasses.
Being able to keep the same glasses on while driving in overcast and
sunny weather and not feeling blinded inside a tunnel is also
priceless. I did get antiglare on these lenses because I have them on
all of my lenses. I forgot to ask what kind of antiglare they use but
my impression is that its different and somewhat better than the ones
on my other glasses, although I am comparing apples to oranges because
it could all just be the Drivewears talking. If anyone else speaks to
them, I would be curious to know if they could do Crizal Alize anti-
glare, or things like that, although I know most of you here are not
interested in high-end, overpriced stuff like that.
The Oakley frames look great, but most importantly, they fit my big
flat face and stay on even during a sweaty afternoon jog. I couldn't
find any budget eyeglass frames that would fit those criteria, and I
can be a bit of a brand-whore so I figured what the heck. I do wish
they came with a hard case though. I ended up buying a really nice
one one from www.citizenlabs.com.
These glasses came to around $330 including anti-glare and anti-
scratch. The same glasses were close to $700 when I priced them at
the mall. I'm very happy with these glasses and would gladly
recommend them to others and buy them again for myself. I feel they
are worth every penny and I'm sure that nothing could outperform them
overall, but for the bulk of the budget oriented, brand-name agnostic
shoppers here, I will add that I wonder if a cheapo pair of very light
brown polarized lenses may be good enough in most scenarios,
especially if you were to swap them with a pair of dark polarized
lenses when needed. I might get a pair or two like this for the beach
and the pool if I can find them for cheap enough and will let everyone
know if this changes what I think of the Drivewear.
-Ian
>
> - Show quoted text -
BikerJ
Jul 23, 2008, 1:55:18 AM7/23/08
to GlassyEyes
Thank you Ian for your post with the great review on Drivewear.
I didn't have time to order Ray Ban frames (then send to 39$ for
lenses), but I did order the 'Aviator' style from
39$.com, with the DW lenses came to $116.20.
They arrived like 10 days later just in time for my bicycling trip in
WY.
The tint doesn't change as much as I expected, nor do they get as dark
as I would like;
but already my old Rx sunglasses are collecting dust. These are cool
in that you can walk
indoors and still see.
Prior to the bike trip, of course drove out there from MN, and then
paddled a river in MT.
I haven't had transition lenses before, or polarized, but these are
'funky' - getting
an iridescent effect on some reflected objects.
Then, whilst paddling down the Yellowstone river, and closing left eye
then right,
realized the polarization was not equal from left to right.
My Rx is slightly different between left/right, so not sure what is
going on
but I may end up sending them back for ? fixing it?
AND, what is Drivewear Transitions? a coating? or the lense material
itself?
I'll update when I know more,
~J
On Jun 25, 1:56 pm, tsengik <tsen...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I've been meaning to write a review for some time, so here it is:
>
> I bought a pair of polycarbonate Drivewear lenses in in Oakley Whisker
> have drivewear for +$85. My prescription was perfect; I want to say,
> even better than the two pairs I got from Optical4less (and I would
> have said those were perfect too) because they seem to have less
> distortion peripherally, but I don't know if that's a function of the
> lenses themselves or the lens maker (the oakley frames curve a lot
> more than my regular glassses). They have great customer service and
> quick turnaround (2 weeks, one of which was for the antiglare
> coating). I called and emailed them several times just to feel them
> out and also to change my frames and they were always easy to get a
> hold of and quick to respond. You also more or less speak to the same
> people, who are not foreign, speak perfect English and are located on
> site in New Jersey. I did ask them if they would refit frames and
> they said yes, for a $15 lab fee plus the cost of the lenses. For
> ordinary lenses, they're not the cheapest, because they charge more
> than some of the other online places for their coatings but for
> polarized and Drivewear lenses fit to a real sunglass sunglass frame
> (something that wraps around your face), they were the cheapest (by
> about $30-$50 much), had the biggest selection of lenses that could be
> fit with drivewear, and by far was the most accessible company that I
> could find at that time, which was late april-early may of '08.
> They're also located close to to my house so I figured it would be
> easy to return something or go complain if I had to. They have a
> sister site calledwww.visionaryoptics.comwhich has some different
> even better than the two pairs I got from Optical4less (and I would
> have said those were perfect too) because they seem to have less
> distortion peripherally, but I don't know if that's a function of the
> lenses themselves or the lens maker (the oakley frames curve a lot
> more than my regular glassses). They have great customer service and
> quick turnaround (2 weeks, one of which was for the antiglare
> coating). I called and emailed them several times just to feel them
> out and also to change my frames and they were always easy to get a
> hold of and quick to respond. You also more or less speak to the same
> people, who are not foreign, speak perfect English and are located on
> site in New Jersey. I did ask them if they would refit frames and
> they said yes, for a $15 lab fee plus the cost of the lenses. For
> ordinary lenses, they're not the cheapest, because they charge more
> than some of the other online places for their coatings but for
> polarized and Drivewear lenses fit to a real sunglass sunglass frame
> (something that wraps around your face), they were the cheapest (by
> about $30-$50 much), had the biggest selection of lenses that could be
> fit with drivewear, and by far was the most accessible company that I
> could find at that time, which was late april-early may of '08.
> They're also located close to to my house so I figured it would be
> easy to return something or go complain if I had to. They have a
IMQ
Jul 23, 2008, 12:32:17 PM7/23/08
to GlassyEyes
"what is Drivewear Transitions? a coating? or the lense material
itself? "
Drivewear is combination of polarization and photochromatic built into
itself? "
the lens, not a coating like anti-scratch or anti-reflective coating.
Polarization causes light to pass through the lenses in such a way
that reflections are reduced or completely eliminated.
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