Maui Jim Rx Sunglasses are they worth?

[hallux]

I agree 100%. It really bugs me when the glasses stores run those "buy one get another for free" offers. Those frames are typically junk and won't last more than a year or so.

If you spend the money on a quality frame, they usually last a few years.

A lot of the stores, Lenscrafters and Sunglass Hut included, are also owned by Luxottica.

The peeling of the coating on the frames, it happened on the pair I had before the Ray-Bans, they corroded something terrible. The peeling and corrosion is due to the exposure to salty moisture (sweat). The Ray-Bans were MUCH better as it relates to the coating holding up, as in I had NO issues with it at all. I had those for 3 years, with the same lenses in them, but the plastic on the temples started getting brittle and breaking off. I HAD to get new glasses and since my prescription hadn't changed and I couldn't find frames I liked (damn you wide-rim tortoise shell frames for being the "it" thing right now), under the laser I went.

 

[MacNut]

I just ordered a pair of Oakley Rx sunglasses last week. I have a very light prescription, really don't even need them, but since they're Rx I could use my HSA to pay for them. Yay for tax free money!

They were just over $400 without insurance (already used it for regular glasses) with Oakley lenses from Pearle Vision. They seemed eager to sell the frames with their own lenses for obvious reasons (and they use the "it's cheaper" line in their sales pitch too) but she brought out the book of Oakley sample lenses when I asked.

What frames did you get, I have been trying to decide what Oakleys I want. I was really drooling over the sport frames but those are bulky for a case.

 

[yg17]

What frames did you get, I have been trying to decide what Oakleys I want. I was really drooling over the sport frames but those are bulky for a case.

I forgot what they were called and I don't have them yet to check. They were wire frames, not the plastic ones - you could probably stick a set of standard lenses in them and have a decent pair of everyday eyeglasses.

 

[MacNut]

I forgot what they were called and I don't have them yet to check. They were wire frames, not the plastic ones - you could probably stick a set of standard lenses in them and have a decent pair of everyday eyeglasses.

I need prescription. And I do love my Oakleys.

 

[2298754]

What frames did you get, I have been trying to decide what Oakleys I want. I was really drooling over the sport frames but those are bulky for a case.

Get the metal frames. They are far more durable than their O-Matter plastic line. I recently went to try on their new designs and the plastic ones felt kind of cheap.

I've had the Sockets, Carbon Plate (the cheaper alternative is the Metal plate), and the Tumbleweeds.

 

[determined09]

Yeah, I don't it matters where they're made. Most, if not, all of the major brands (MJ is not though) are made by Luxotica all over the world.

I wear Oakley Carbon Plates now. Titanium hinges and frame with carbon fiber temples. Made in China. I've gotten hit in the face with a basketball and Lenscrafters was able to bend the frame back. The quality is unbelievable. I've had Oakleys (pre-Luxotica) and the quality was just as good.

My WayFarers are made in Italy and those are fantastic too.

Image



This happened to a pair of Nike Flexons I had 10 or so years ago. The paint/clear-coat started flaking off. Went through 3 frames. The worst thing about the frames was that when it was hot out, the frame would become become pliable and deform ON my face. I will never buy Marchon frames again.

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I agree 100%. It really bugs me when the glasses stores run those "buy one get another for free" offers. Those frames are typically junk and won't last more than a year or so.

If you spend the money on a quality frame, they usually last a few years.

I got one price quote of $800, one for 697 and another for $600. For the same frames. But those frames are a little fragile in my opinion and may pick some other frames.

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Good Luck Maui Jim.

I'm picking up the Rx Ray Bans tomorrow. They were done last week but I was unable to pick them up. I missed out for my Memorial Day vacation at the beach, oh well.

It looks like my old Burberry are made in Italy.

My current Persol eye glasses are made in Italy. Another pair of Ray Ban sunglasses I have, Italy. Ray Ban eyeglasses, China. Looking through my old collection of glasses, I have

I don't think it really matters where they are made, it comes down to the quality of products and manufacturing they use. I doubt Burberry is making their own glasses either, I imagine they just slap their name on. I have some Burberry clothing, all of it is fantastic quality. These glasses on the other hand… never again.

Notice the "white" smudgy areas. Basically the glue-like clear coat is coming off and smudging around. It all happened very quickly. Within a couple weeks they went from being perfectly fine to absolutely atrocious. I'm not sure if it's sweat, UV, or what.

Those Burberrys look really bad. I've never had a pair of eyeglasses do that.
Sorry for missed your beach party. Hopefully you're make it next year.

 

[takao]

I don't think it really matters where they are made, it comes down to the quality of products and manufacturing they use. I doubt Burberry is making their own glasses either, I imagine they just slap their name on. I have some Burberry clothing, all of it is fantastic quality. These glasses on the other hand… never again.

Notice the "white" smudgy areas. Basically the glue-like clear coat is coming off and smudging around. It all happened very quickly. Within a couple weeks they went from being perfectly fine to absolutely atrocious. I'm not sure if it's sweat, UV, or what.

wow having that happen a few weeks in sure is annoying.. my current glasses have also developed some material detoriation on the inside but that was a very slow gradual process and not really visible until 2 years ago. I suspect it's the sweat, since points were i'm usually picking it up it's also not as shiny anymore.

For glasses bought in 2007 it's OK since i've been wearing them constantly/everyday for all those years.

Glass coatings have also been incredible impressive: not single visible scratch when wearing them. Only when cleaning them (only water and a soft microfiber cloth) and holding against the light i can see a few very,very thin tiny little scratches.
Zeiss glasses sure are worth their money. Their coatings were already great 20 years ago on my first glasses but today they are even better.


On sunglasses: worth a shot are the house brands made by Luxottica or their biggest competitor Safilo (hardly surprising also italian). In quality they usually are equal to many of the fashion branded sunglasses but can be quite cheaper.

 

[A.Goldberg]

wow having that happen a few weeks in sure is annoying.. my current glasses have also developed some material detoriation on the inside but that was a very slow gradual process and not really visible until 2 years ago. I suspect it's the sweat, since points were i'm usually picking it up it's also not as shiny anymore.

This took 13 months to start happening (right after the warranty ended) but in quickly progressed into hideousness.

I took the glasses to where I bought them and my eye doctor. They all said "it's sweat, here I'll clean it off". Nope. LensCrafters refused to be forgiving with their warranty.

I got my RayBan sunglasses in the other day. They look great. I've been waiting for a new pair for ages.

 

[MacNut]

Get the metal frames. They are far more durable than their O-Matter plastic line. I recently went to try on their new designs and the plastic ones felt kind of cheap.

I've had the Sockets, Carbon Plate (the cheaper alternative is the Metal plate), and the Tumbleweeds.

I have been wearing Tumbleweeds as my eyeglasses for a few years and love them. Light weight and durable.

I was looking at the flaks or halfs for sun frames. They are just so big to carry. Was also thinking about the whispers.

 

[2298754]

I have been wearing Tumbleweeds as my eyeglasses for a few years and love them. Light weight and durable.

Yeah, they were super durable. I think I still have them somewhere. The frame still looks great after all these years.

I was looking at the flaks or halfs for sun frames. They are just so big to carry. Was also thinking about the whispers.

I had Flaks a long time ago. You're right! They were so bulky!

I'm just not a huge fan of their O-Matter plastic material though. It's durable, but doesn't feel sturdy IMO.

The upside is that, there is so much choice for quality sun frames these days. RB, Persol, and Maui-Jim are all top-notch.

 

[2298754]

A lot of the stores, Lenscrafters and Sunglass Hut included, are also owned by Luxottica.

This is true. They're a huge monopoly. They make the glasses, sell them at LC/SH, and even provide vision insurance (EyeMed).

What I was alluding to in my previous comment was the cheap frames that LC/Pearl Vision, etc sell. Not RB/MJ/Oakley, etc. The off-brand and cheap ones where the frames cost under ~$120.

I can't believe people actually buy them. The hinges/temple fittings are some of the lowest-quality junk I've seen.

The peeling of the coating on the frames, it happened on the pair I had before the Ray-Bans, they corroded something terrible. The peeling and corrosion is due to the exposure to salty moisture (sweat). The Ray-Bans were MUCH better as it relates to the coating holding up, as in I had NO issues with it at all. I had those for 3 years, with the same lenses in them, but the plastic on the temples started getting brittle and breaking off.

Yeah, I learned about the peeling and corrosion the hard way. The gunk builds up around the nose pad attachments and hinges. Eventually, they just get loose and fall apart.

My first pair of Oakleys from 2005 or so are still in great condition after 5 years. Could've put new lenses in them, but I wanted new frames.

 

[MacNut]

This is true. They're a huge monopoly. They make the glasses, sell them at LC/SH, and even provide vision insurance (EyeMed).

What I was alluding to in my previous comment was the cheap frames that LC/Pearl Vision, etc sell. Not RB/MJ/Oakley, etc. The off-brand and cheap ones where the frames cost under ~$120.

I can't believe people actually buy them. The hinges/temple fittings are some of the lowest-quality junk I've seen.



Yeah, I learned about the peeling and corrosion the hard way. The gunk builds up around the nose pad attachments and hinges. Eventually, they just get loose and fall apart.

My first pair of Oakleys from 2005 or so are still in great condition after 5 years. Could've put new lenses in them, but I wanted new frames.

I shyed away from Oakley after some bad experiences in the late 90's early 2000s after the frames warped on me. The quality seems to have improved since then.

 

[koa]

I had a pair of MJ Rx for years. You won't be sorry buying them. State of the art coatings and fantastic customer service. If you require reading Rx also, I recommend progressive lens in MJs. Really great sunglasses.

 

[determined09]

I had a pair of MJ Rx for years. You won't be sorry buying them. State of the art coatings and fantastic customer service. If you require reading Rx also, I recommend progressive lens in MJs. Really great sunglasses.

Thanks

 

[determined09]

Does your optometrist recommend that you buy them from him? Methinks he gets a big commission for selling you an $800 pair of sunglasses.

The other reason why they are making a big commission is I just found out today they were trying charge me for the progressive lens and only need the single vision lens for the Maui Jims. I didn't placed the order with them because the Optical person kept getting polarized and progressive lens mixed up. She wanted to charge me 779, I asked about a discount and she can down to 729. But when I went by Lencrafters their price is 649.00 for the Maui jim lenses single vision lens and the Maui jim frames. Then when they looked at my prescription, that's when they told me due to the power of my prescription that I can't have the wrap style RX sunglasses model name Nalani style frames. I'll be calling Maui Jim in the morning to clear things up.

 

[determined09]

I had a pair of MJ Rx for years. You won't be sorry buying them. State of the art coatings and fantastic customer service. If you require reading Rx also, I recommend progressive lens in MJs. Really great sunglasses.

I don't need the progressive lens now. But my prescription may be too strong for the frames that I have selected. I may have to get contact lens and just buy the non RX version so that I can have the frames that I really want.

 

[determined09]

If you're getting prescription lenses put in make sure you're paying for the OEM lenses then. Sometimes they'll put in their different lenses, thus you'll won't be getting the "best polarized lenses", if that is indeed the case. This is done to save money or because the specific lenses (tint color, index, polarization, etc) you want are not available. (edit: looks like others beat me to it)

If you're at the beach, on the water, or driving on a sunny day with snow, polarized are well worth it.

I just ordered a pair of Ray Ban Wayfarer prescription sunglasses. With my crazy vision insurance, the fames, RB polarized tinted polycarbonate lenses, cost about $53. Not bad considering without the insurance the cost would have been "$500-600" from the eye doctor (probably <$300 cash at Lens Crafters or another chain, with nonOEM lenses). I should be picking them up this week actually.

The worst glasses I ever bought were a pair of Burberry eyeglasses... decently expensive frames ($250? Close to $500 with prescription if I remember). After literally 14 months the coating on the brown tortoise frames starting rapidly rubbing/peeling off- I've seen such an issue before. They were no longer under warranty and would not be replaced (but thankfully I'm eligible for a new pair of glasses on Jan 1st of every year). Now I wear Persols.

Due to one pretty bad astigmatism, I'm forced to wear harder contact lenses since will not rotate as freely. I can go for about 4-6 hours before they become too irritating, and I've tried half a dozen brands. At this point I hardly even bother with the contacts.

How do you like your Ray Ban Rx sunglasses?

I have an astigmatism too. But I've soft topic contacts fortunately. I forgot the brand name of them. They do a pretty good job.

I picked up my Gucci eyeglasses and I like them a lot.

 

[A.Goldberg]

I got one price quote of $800, one for 697 and another for $600. For the same frames. But those frames are a little fragile in my opinion and may pick some other frames.

Those Burberrys look really bad. I've never had a pair of eyeglasses do that.
Sorry for missed your beach party. Hopefully you're make it next year.

I think your best bet on pricing is to order through an online service if you can find one. The ophthalmologist will likely send them out as it is to be made. LensCrafters has the convenience of same-day pickup, but I wouldn't pay extra for that unless it's vital, you've waited this long. At the same time, it's always good to support your local ophthalmologist!

My Burbs went downhill fast. Very different from my experience with their clothing (understandable difference since Burberry obviously doesn't make the frames). I forgot to mention contacted Burberry- they were not helpful. It took 2 weeks for them to say it was wear and tear and that they no longer make the specific frames so there's nothing they could really do anyways. At the time I could buy the replacement frames for <$100 at the time on Amazon. It was time for a new Rx anyways and why would I reinvest in them?

View attachment 564237 View attachment 564237
How do you like your Ray Ban Rx sunglasses?

I have an astigmatism too. But I've soft topic contacts fortunately. I forgot the brand name of them. They do a pretty good job.

I picked up my Gucci eyeglasses and I like them a lot.

Im happy with them. They're pretty conventional RB New Wayfarers. Brown Tortise with G-15 color lenses (grey-green color). The original JFK-style "old" Wayfayers don't fit my face, as is the problem with most people. I have no issues with them and never had issues with any of my previous RB glasses. My friend has the same Wayfarers with non-OEM but polarized G-15 color Rx lenses and the lenses for some reason cheap- overly plasticy.

I forgot my contact brands- I have a couple brands laying around- disposable and monthly, both are toric obviously. CooperVision ??? and Alcon Dailies? I rarely wear them (sports, formal events, etc). I've been through many brands but haven't found anything that's comfortable for more than 6hrs. My mom has the same issue with her astigmatism.

 

[determined09]

I think your best bet on pricing is to order through an online service if you can find one. The ophthalmologist will likely send them out as it is to be made. LensCrafters has the convenience of same-day pickup, but I wouldn't pay extra for that unless it's vital, you've waited this long. At the same time, it's always good to support your local ophthalmologist!

My Burbs went downhill fast. Very different from my experience with their clothing (understandable difference since Burberry obviously doesn't make the frames). I forgot to mention contacted Burberry- they were not helpful. It took 2 weeks for them to say it was wear and tear and that they no longer make the specific frames so there's nothing they could really do anyways. At the time I could buy the replacement frames for <$100 at the time on Amazon. It was time for a new Rx anyways and why would I reinvest in them?



Im happy with them. They're pretty conventional RB New Wayfarers. Brown Tortise with G-15 color lenses (grey-green color). The original JFK-style "old" Wayfayers don't fit my face, as is the problem with most people. I have no issues with them and never had issues with any of my previous RB glasses. My friend has the same Wayfarers with non-OEM but polarized G-15 color Rx lenses and the lenses for some reason cheap- overly plasticy.

I forgot my contact brands- I have a couple brands laying around- disposable and monthly, both are toric obviously. CooperVision ??? and Alcon Dailies? I rarely wear them (sports, formal events, etc). I've been through many brands but haven't found anything that's comfortable for more than 6hrs. My mom has the same issue with her astigmatism.

Thanks for information.
The contacts that I have are the annuals. The ones that you get once a year. I just stay with this eye doctor because he is the only one that can properly fit me for contacts. But my eyes are a little on the dry side sometimes. I've never had the disposable contact lens before.
This is what I told about the ordering Maui Jims Rx sunglasses is that whoever you order them from is suppose to place your order them directly from Maui Jims and the lens should have the words Maui Jim on the top outer corners. It will take about 5 to 8 business days. I'll be sure to double check about the lens once the sunglasses come in. I went by the lencrafters in the mall and that's when I was able to discovered that my eyeglass store that I got my Gucci eyeglasses from was over charging me. She was trying to charge me the progressive rx sunglass price and she should be charging me the single vision price. I even told the lady at LensCrafters what happened and she even complement me on the true that I left the that other eyeglass store. I was able to get a copy of the price list from LensCrafters also. They had almost the same price as frames direct it for the same sunglasses that I want. There was only about a $10 difference.
I shouldn't have posted the same photo twice.

 

[determined09]

I just ordered the Maui Jims. I should get them in about two weeks. I can't wait for them to arrive.

 

[Easttime]

Hello Everyone I've been thinking about buying a pair of RX sunglasses by Maui Jim. I've heard that they have the best polarized lens around. I've had several eye doctors recommend them. I was wondering if they are really worth that kind of money? It's going to be about $600 to $800. Any suggestions or tips or pros and cons? Thank you

Yes. Curved lenses, progressive Rx, extremely comfortable mechanically and visually. Going on two years. I don't regret the cost at all.

 

[QuarterSwede]

I fully believe that spending the extra coin on "brand-name" rx glasses is worth it. My everyday Oakley frames/lenses were almost $700. My rx RayBan sunglasses were almost $500 with RayBan lenses.

However, one thing I noticed was that if you're buying from Lenscrafters or other stores, they offer you these sunglass frames (Maui-Jim, Oakley, RayBan, etc) with their own in-store brand lenses. They're not bad, but they aren't as good as the brand-name optics. On my WayFarers, the RB lenses were like $400, compared to the $129 frame. If I got the Lenscrafters RX polarized lenses, it would have been $250 or so all in. Just be careful.

Another thing to note is that there are so many places online that are a better deal than Lenscrafters. Glasses.com/framesdirect.com They all offer the same glasses at a sizable discount. I've done this multiple times over the years. You can just walk into Lenscrafters after and they will adjust/fix them for free.

Your eye doctor is pretty much the worst place to go for rx glasses. I'm sure the service is fantastic, but they do mark-up everything and they probably don't carry the entire lineup of designs that Lenscrafters and these online sites do.

It's always worth getting upgraded lenses, even from LensCrafters. They're much clearer and usually they throw in scratch protection and anti glare coatings which make a massive difference in themselves.

 

[MacNut]

It's always worth getting upgraded lenses, even from LensCrafters. They're much clearer and usually they throw in scratch protection and anti glare coatings which make a massive difference in themselves.

Is the Lens Crafters scratch protection worth it, they aways scratch on me. I hope their coatings have improved from when I last got lens there. I want to move to Crizal's but can't really go blind the week my frames are sent out.

 

[determined09]

Yes. Curved lenses, progressive Rx, extremely comfortable mechanically and visually. Going on two years. I don't regret the cost at all.

Thank you for the tip. I should get my RX sunglasses from Frames direct in about two weeks.

 

[QuarterSwede]

Is the Lens Crafters scratch protection worth it, they aways scratch on me. I hope their coatings have improved from when I last got lens there. I want to move to Crizal's but can't really go blind the week my frames are sent out.

It's not Crizal at all but it's better than nothing. Crizal is amazing though. High bar that stuff.