Cheap Hack for Cheap Sunglasses

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I needed a pair of cheap sunglasses and got these at Harbor Freight for 99c. https://harborfreight.com/smoke-lens-safety-glasses-66822.html?_br_psugg_q=safety+glasses I like the fit and amount of tint. The plastic bag they came in put zillions of micro scratches in the surface and the glare and clarity loss made them unusable for driving.

I was going to wear them the other day while waxing the car. With a microfiber towel and a drop of Meguires 205 polish, I hand buffed them for a few moments just like you would do with faded headlight lenses. It completely corrected the scratches and clarity was 100% perfect. LOL: I waxed them with a drop of Collinite 845 and these are now my favorite sunglasses.

The process takes about 2 minutes. Next time I go to HF, I'll pick-up a couple more and doctor them up.
 
The $1 sunglasses at Dollar Tree are amazingly good optically, especially compared to what low-grade sunglasses used to be like. However, the frames are fragile. Fit and coverage are ok. I wear them on bike rides, and get another whenever I accidentally break the frame.
 
I just wonder if they're UV400. Anyway, if you go to various events, there's always some company giving away free sunglasses that have the UV400 stickers on them. I keep one or two in the car for emergencies when I forget mine.
 
Originally Posted by Wolf359
I just wonder if they're UV400. Anyway, if you go to various events, there's always some company giving away free sunglasses that have the UV400 stickers on them. I keep one or two in the car for emergencies when I forget mine.


Don't know if these had a UV400 marking but they were marked as 100% polycarbonate. Assuming that is true, they block 100% of all UV-A and UV-B. You would want to avoid cheap glasses that are only UV400 rated.

UV400 is synonymous with UV-A (320-400 nm). UV-B is around 280-320 nm. UV-A is what gives you suntan, UV-B gives you sunburn. Really cheap sunglasses are made of acetate-type plastic which does not scratch as easily as polycarbonate but, is only effective for UV-A.

Welding helmets have two components of optical protection. One is to block the UV (A and B) and the other is to reduce the intensity of the bright light. Any 100% polycarbonate over 0.3 mm thick is suitable for the backing lens of Arc or TIG welding shades to block the UV. Polycarbonate is the go-to material for blocking UV at the full spectrum.

Ray


.
 
I bought some shades on clearance at Home Depot for $1....said they covered UVA/B and they looked OK.
Soon found myself using them for yard work when I knew I would be sweating heavily and really liked them....clarity was good and the tint was OK, a bit too dark. I bought a $10 pair of sunglasses at a drugstore after having LASIK and was disappointed to find that they gave me a headache in about 10 minutes....didn't buy many cheap pairs after that. Sunglasses before that had to be prescription and expensive, also had a pair of clip ons just out of school that looked totally ridiculous.
I brought my $1 pair along on vacation so I wouldn't have to worry about sand and losing top notch sunglasses in the surf...and, I lost them in the surf just off Dennis Port. Three big waves hit back to back as a tstorm was rolling in from the West and they were gone.

Before somebody calls me a cheapskate, the Ray Ban Wayfarers I use for driving were almost $200. Could have gotten them cheaper online, but the store where I bought them adjusted the frames for a better fit....well worth the extra few bucks. I don't want to lose those on a beach or have them fall off my sweaty face while I am mowing the lawn or whatever, so I usually have at least one pair of $30-50 sunglasses around for things like that and those do get lost fairly often.
 
As someone who needs prescription glasses, OTC sunglasses dont work.

I usually order my glasses through EyeBuyDirect, even sunglasses.

I do have a very nice pair of WileyX prescription sunglasses. But the prescription no longer works for me ...ž
 
Originally Posted by GumbyJarvis
As someone who needs prescription glasses, OTC sunglasses dont work.
I usually order my glasses through EyeBuyDirect, even sunglasses.
I do have a very nice pair of WileyX prescription sunglasses. But the prescription no longer works for me ...ž

I bought a really pair of prescription aviator sunglasses after I had been working for a while.
Wore them to S Padre Island on spring break (yes, we were cruising for college chicks) and we were messing around throwing a football in the surf on our first day in town when I jumped backwards to make a great catch....boom, they were gone.
I was dumb enough to have not brought regular glasses, so I couldn't even check out the college gals on the beach for almost the entire trip!!!
The sunburn I got on that trip is worth its own post....suffice I to say I had to go to the doctor a couple of times back in Dallas.

I think I have only lost two pairs of sunglasses in the ocean but wouldn't swear to it....it was a lot less painful when it was my $1 Home Depot pair.
 
Dollar sunglasses? Cmon guys, I'm cheap and I even have a couple pairs of ray-bans.

Once I moved down south I bought a pair of ray bans and they are absolutely necessary.

For driving its a safety issue, the polarized glass is a must have.

I got mine on sale for like 70 bucks online.
 
Originally Posted by madRiver
We need an entire sub forum dedicated to cheapskates.

This topic and saving junk windshield wipers could be starter topics.


LOL... Just... LOL.
 
The optical center at Walmart actually has some really decent aluminum frame polarized glasses for about $30. That is what I usually rock...
 
Originally Posted by RayCJ
Originally Posted by Wolf359
I just wonder if they're UV400. Anyway, if you go to various events, there's always some company giving away free sunglasses that have the UV400 stickers on them. I keep one or two in the car for emergencies when I forget mine.


Don't know if these had a UV400 marking but they were marked as 100% polycarbonate. Assuming that is true, they block 100% of all UV-A and UV-B. You would want to avoid cheap glasses that are only UV400 rated.

UV400 is synonymous with UV-A (320-400 nm). UV-B is around 280-320 nm. UV-A is what gives you suntan, UV-B gives you sunburn. Really cheap sunglasses are made of acetate-type plastic which does not scratch as easily as polycarbonate but, is only effective for UV-A.

Welding helmets have two components of optical protection. One is to block the UV (A and B) and the other is to reduce the intensity of the bright light. Any 100% polycarbonate over 0.3 mm thick is suitable for the backing lens of Arc or TIG welding shades to block the UV. Polycarbonate is the go-to material for blocking UV at the full spectrum.

Ray


.




The welding lenses also block IR radiation which damages the eyes at welding intensities.
 
Originally Posted by JustinH
Dollar sunglasses? Cmon guys, I'm cheap and I even have a couple pairs of ray-bans.
Once I moved down south I bought a pair of ray bans and they are absolutely necessary.
For driving its a safety issue, the polarized glass is a must have.
I got mine on sale for like 70 bucks online.

My Wayfarers generally stay in the car and they are my driving sunglasses...that is really the only time I NEED sunglasses anymore, they are just conveniences at other times.
I think I have had them for 3 years now and they are still in great shape. I have no regrets about buying them in a mall for less than minimal $$$ as I got to try on lots of options and then had the frames reshaped for a great fit.
 
If I bought a pair of sunglasses over $20.00 they would be either lost, scratched or broke within an hr. I go through sunglasses like crazy so I buy the cheap Dollar Store ones. I work on a farm.
 
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