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Can anyone recommend a nice pair of sunglasses for a lifeguard?

D

Doju

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Jun 16, 2008
1,510
1
Hi guys, I'm a lifeguard (at a pool, if that's relevant) and during the summer its obviously very bright out, and sunglasses are a must.

Last summer I prepared poorly and simply bought a $10 pair from the grocery store. While these worked... better than no glasses at all, they weren't anything impressive. They didn't reflect a lot of the sun back and I felt like a lot still hit my eyes, and there was still a significant amount of glare.

I've been hearing of "polaroid" glasses and the like, and have heard, while expensive, they're worthy of the price and do a great job.

Polaroid or not, can anyone (perhaps with experience in lengthly sun sessions) recommend a pair? I have no brand preference, but I am looking for a nice pair. $200 is as high as I'd go.
 
I think you mean "polarized":p

For your purposes, I'd go for a sporty pair of sunglasses that wrap around and don't let the sun get in from the sides. Also, I'd make sure that the lenses are plastic and are not glass.

Oakley's have a good selection that would work for you.
 
I have a friend who is a lifeguard and he swears that a pair of polarized Oakley's are the best investment he has ever made for erm checking out the scenery amongst other things.
 
I have a pair of polarized Oakley Flack Jackets as my sunglasses and love them. I think I paid 195 for them new.
 
Best sunglasses for the money for me are Serengeti's. I'm photophobic, and those are the only ones that allow me to relax my eyes, see clearly and truly eliminate most glare, without the heavily-polarized "shimmer" I get from Oakleys or Maui Jims. Color clarity is excellent, and I even wear them driving on overcast and snowy days, they're that good. For flying above the clouds, they're indispensable. I'd imagine they're near-perfect for casual beach wear.

The only possible limitation is I haven't seen them in a "wrap-around" configuration, and I understand that may be a concern given the intended use.

Even at retail, they're better priced than most "trendy" labels, and if you're a Costco member can be had for about a third off of that.

Bottom line, they're the only sunglass I've been wearing for over 20 years now, and I will never go to anything else.
 
I alternate between a pair of Wiley-X's and a pair of Aviators from Randolph Engineering, If you go with RE you get classic looks and I would recommend a Bayonett Temple, it will hold them in place really well! Both have polarized options that perform very well for me in very sunny environments
 
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