The Wall Street Journal suggests they’re not.
… are these expensive brands worth it? How much better are they, really, than the $25 pairs you can get in your local pharmacy?
Before you spend big money on your next pair of designer shades, here are six things you should know.
1. Most sunglasses are made by the same company.
2. In many cases, the same company is also selling you the glasses.
3.The markups are as big as they seem.
4. Those expensive sunglasses may not be any better for your eyes, either.
5. An inexpensive pair of sunglasses from the pharmacy isn’t the worst thing in the world.
6. Those fancy glasses are really costing you a lot more than you realize.
There’s more at the link, where author Brett Arends goes into a lot more detail about how expensive ‘designer’ sunglasses are basically a ripoff. He also points out the long-term cost of spending so much on them, concluding: “Over a lifetime these things add up. Indeed they compound. Even at, say, 4% interest, $200 a year over 50 years adds up to $30,000.”
It’s a very useful article. It inspired me to look online, to see what sort of prices were charged for quality glasses by Internet suppliers. That was another eye-opening discovery! There are plenty of suppliers out there, who’ll charge you a fraction of what local businesses want for spectacles of identical quality – sometimes with better ‘brand-name’ frames, etc., if you want such things. This company is one of many – I’m posting its Web site purely as an example, not as a recommendation, as I’ve never used their services. You’ll find many more out there with a simple Internet search.
Peter
I've used Zenni. Good stuff provided you have a pair of comfortable glasses you can use for initial measurement.
My sunglasses of choice: Walmart specials, found in the sporting goods section, near the fishing/hunting area. $15 gets you a comfortable pair of polarized shades. I buy one or two pairs a year, depending on how much abuse I put them through.
The problem with buying online is that you can't tell how they'll feel or what they'll look like on your face. Not a big issue with sunglasses, which was the original topic of your post, but could be a serious problem for prescription glasses you wear on a daily basis for all of your waking hours.
I concur on Zenni. Just bought a new pair of no-line tri-focals for $82 delivered. My previous pair from a local optician, $400.
JD
I wear prescription bifocal, extra-dark sunglasses in titanium frames (the only kind that are LittleRed proof) that are ten years old. I'd love to have a pair of "cool pilot" glasses, but seeing things is more important. Alas 😉
LittleRed1
We've been getting glasses from Zenni for a while now. My son (10) has a couple pairs of plain plastic framed glasses ($15 each) as a "back-up" to the $30 pair we got as a "main" pair. Those three glasses cost less than 1/3 what one pair did from the eye doctor.
I have a $20 pair that I've worn for ~ 3 years now, no issues. I have an $8 pair in my truck just in case something happens to my contacts (two is one, etc.).
Shipping will take time, since they're coming from China; other than that everything has been excellent.
Zinni is good, as indicated, and unless you have 'specific' requirements, often a better deal.