i've narrowed it down to two
 

before anything is said: yes, i know this kind of topic has been discussed before and yes i have used the search function.

but i'd just like to ask it myself, Serengetis or Ray Bans(and why)?

thanks:)

Depends on how cool you want to think you are I suppose.

1) Do you fly above cloud regularly?

no, im only a beginner:ok:

Am quite keen on the free tinted safety glasses I get from the mine site I go to.

Don't use Raybans or Serengetis unless you drive a Porsche. They are glass. Pilots flying aeroplanes should only wear polycarbonates. (my opinion of course). Actually it's a wonder anything else is not illegal.

Whilst "the price is right" on those, they pretty much all have 2 things in common -Cheap & Nasty. Optically, they may as well be milk-bottle bottoms. They'll do your eyes far more harm than good, and I would be surprised in the filtration is adequate.

Do yourself a favour -get something worth spending the money on. For my money; Serengeti's. Unbeatable.

The ones begining if the S. Expensive but worth it if your eyes are ageing like mine.

Vedalo HDs for me; no question.

Loved my Serengetis but they fell apart twice in normal use; The first time I paid the ~$170 to get them repaired, but when they fell apart again just 3 months later, I put them back on the shelf, where they remain broken and unused. The cost of ownership matters more than the cost of initial purchase.

Everyone will vote for whatever they currently use, but the HDs are brilliant; including that the colour is built into the lens not layered on, the side arms are really thin & flexible for sitting under headsets, and when I needed a new nose pad they posted me half-a-dozen from the US with no delay, debate or cost.

Serengeti 7314 Dante. Best ever lenses (555nm grey/green) and seriously tough. No one makes lenses like serengeti.

SN

Edit: Frames are best too!

Servo sunnies, that way you'll have more money for beer, if you were old enough to drink!;)

Vedalo HD ....... No question about it.

I have two pair, only ever used by mrs Jaba and myself while flying.

Forget all the poodle big brand names, these were made with precision sight for aviation, pro holders etc in mind.

Another critical point is the effect on your head set seals. Vedalo wins again.

Aviator Sunglasses | Aviator Glasses | Military Sunglasses | Mirrored Aviators | Pilot Sunglasses | Aviator Shades

Seri 7314's, you only know your wearing them because the world looks sooooo good!

SN

Do Serengeti still make "7314". The only 555nm lens in the Dante range I can find are polarised. The only lens that are not polarised are the drivers one. Are they any good?

Polarised Oakleys work just fine in my glass cockpit, and no probs with the heated windscreen either.

The only response I can give to that is: TRY THEM. You'll never go back. Used the Drivers lenses myself for nigh-on 20 years now, frequently in coastal murk and in the mountains in all sorts of wx. I've never flown with anything else that allows me to pick up a ridge hiding in the murk quicker or more effectively than these lenses. They're remarkable. You'll never go back!

As others have said, stay away from polarised. They cause all sorts of issues with glass cockpits, heated windscreens and even standard bug-smasher windscreens. They're indispensable on the water -but a hazard in aviation IMO.

If you're gonna smack the dash hard enough to be worried about your sunnies breaking, it probably won't matter anymore. :cool::ugh::ouch:

Be aware photo chromatic lenses aren't instant. Passing through cloud shadows the consideration.

Polaroids definite no no.
LCD displays can become unreadable (any sunglasses retailer worth their salt will know this if you mention flying) and while great for spotting fish and golf balls through water, you won't be able to pick wind direction from the water surface.

DK08
Not quite sure if they still make the Dante with the 555nm. There are some on ebay at the moment, that's where I got mine. I was so impressed I bought a second pair for spare as they were less than half RRP. The frames look delicate but but are strong as and just seem to retain the original shape. I had the drivers gradient lense (brown) in my previous serri's, they are good but the 555nm is something else, you just seem to always want to wear them. They block the same amount of light as the drivers but somehow brighten everything up.

SN

It's not so much the breaking as the glass splinters in the eyeball. Walk into a flap while doing a preflight on a C150 for instance. It's a safety issue.

Hey Frank
If you go by that rule then you should not wear shades with glass lenses anywhere. Lots of hazards you know, tree branches, birds, golf balls, tennis balls, car doors, a backhander from the wife, hell you could take a hit at anytime night or day!

Seriously though dood I dropped my serri's onto the concrete footpath (and the lense hit first), I cringed at the time but so much as a chip. God speed my friend and look out for the back end of that flap on the 172!

Folks,
Frank is spot on here!!!

Back in the G.O.Days, when Dr John Colvin was the head scherange eyeballs for the RAAF and civil by whatever name at the time, he used to conduct the most graphic eyeball health lectures.

Anyone who attended one of these lectures, was never the same again. All the "glass" sunglasses went, and polycarbonate lenses became the order of the day. All of a sudden, nobody I knew mowed the lawn without safety "glasses".

Every featured person was an ex-pilot, having lost an eye under circumstances where proper eye protection would have prevented the immediate cessation of a professional career. Some really gruesome results from very ordinary and commonplace accidents --- in the cockpit, in the car or around the house.

Cheap insurance !! Do you really want to gamble your career for an "image". No, nil, none, zilch glass lenses, if you are smart.

An added bonus of optical polycarbonate lenses is that they are actually more scratch resistant than optical glass.

Don't forget, proper sunglasses also delay glaucoma causing damage from the in-flight environment, quite apart from preventing physical damage to the eye.

Tootle pip!!

PS: Beware the market flooded with pirate Ray-Bans and Randolph sunglasses, you cannot tell from visual inspection, but the glass the lens are made from is really nasty stuff, with little impact resistance, and shatters in to shards.