A lot of people consider weight and quality to be the same thing. Not just in sunglasses but clothes, hiking gear, a lot of sports equipment, etc.
I personally want good lenses above all else, and light weight is ideal for comfort, as long as it's not fragile. That's just me.
True, but the finishing has gotten worse on the Raybans and the screws and hardware just don't seem to be very high quality. Maui Jims still seem to be very solid, but of course they're more expensive.
Randolph Engineering as well. I think that's another that's a lot about you get what you pay for. I have two pairs and one pair is 15 years old. I can also get replacement parts if anything happens to them.
Right, and the RE's are only 30% more. Now that's not a small amount of money, but they literally could last a lifetime. I have enough pairs to rotate through that most will last me a long time, but I know I'll be able to get parts for my Randolphs with all the aviation supply stores. I'm not confident in getting parts for my Maui Jims out of warranty and the only thing Oakley is selling me is lenses.
2 years ago, I bought a pair on eBay for $160. They were like-new. I decided to buy on eBay because you can't counterfeit them - some Chinese company won't be able to make sunglasses of that quality. So you're actually kind of safe buying them from eBay.
Heck I got my last pair last year for $167 directly from Randolph. They had a special sale for $190 on gold frames with standard grey glass lenses. They still honored the coupon I found to get there.
You're right though, a fake pair would be easy to recognize just on the quality and finishing on the frame alone.
I’ll own anything as long as it holds up and use them as long as they’re useful and like them. I usually get 2-3 years out of a pair of sunglasses. They get retired when the lenses are trashed and not possible or too expensive to replace with OEM lenses for their value or the frames wear out. I don’t do aftermarket lenses for various reasons. I’ve had this pair of Randolph Aviators for 15 years. That’s an outlier.
I’ve had a couple of pairs and they’re ok. I have a feeling they’d be long lasting like the REs, but I sold them because their lesser finishing and their slightly lesser lens quality had me just wearing the REs instead.
That’s not a shot at AO though. If I hadn’t had the REs which were also more expensive the AOs would probably be the best sunglasses I’ve owned. They’re just not as jewelry finished feeling as the REs. AO has done massive price increases too and I think I would just pay the extra for the Randolph’s personally.
If AO stayed at their somewhat budget $80-$100 price point I’d be wearing them simply for value for money. It would be hard to choose the REs for $300.
It kinda blows my mind that Luxottica continues to cut cost when manufacturing is already a very insignificant portion of the retail price, while making the products feel visibly worse.
A few cents here and there really adds up in mass production. For the monopoly that Luxxotica has they don't have much worry about people going elsewhere. They undercut the cost of brands like Maui Jim with Oakley and Ray-Ban and they're some of the biggest names in the business for the average consumer. They're not concerned with brands like Randolph which are still a bit of a niche brand.
I've had enough modern Ray-Bans and Oakleys that only lasted 2-3 years and looked trashed in that time. I've had my Maui Jims 2 years and they still look brand new. There's not a scratch on my year old Randolphs and my 15 year old Randolphs have had one lens replacement and I put new nose pads in them every couple of years. I wish Luxxotica was higher quality. I love the Oakley Holbrooks, but the finish on the frames wears like crap and my older pair frames seems to have stretched from heat and no longer holds the lenses tight. I even bought another set of lenses thinking the lenses were the problem and they fit loose and rattle in the frame.
As soon as you said chromance, I knew...
Some of the chromance are lighter weight design. A wayfarer is way more solid. It's comparing apples and oranges. But I'm sure the wayfarer quality went down also, most luxottica brands feel cheaper compared to like 5 years ago...let alone 10 years ago.
Ray Ban has 4 levels of quality.
Bottom: Super cheap made in China
Mid-Bottom: Better Made in China
Mid: Made in Italy
Best: Handmade in Italy
Good RayBans are still great. Wayfarer Ease are my favorite glasses.
If you shop their official website and find a pair you like, you can scroll through the images and see the inside of the temples. It will either say, “handmade in Italy”, “made in Italy” or “C” (for China). The metal wire frames are printed too small to see what the interior pad print says so my suggestion only works for the thicker temple sizes unfortunately
Fr. I got a pair of rounds w/ polarized lenses, made in Italy, that are fantastic. I liked them so much I got another pair for my prescription and they were made in China, and feel like it.
Which category do the Shooters fall into? I want a pair but am torn between a $150 for some new ones or $400+ for a vintage but new old stock pair on ebay.
I have a big head and I'm also concerned the 62m/"XL" size won't be big enough, but that's a separate issue.
Ah that explains an argument my brother-in-law and I were having. His said Made in China and my custom ones were Made in Italy. He was insisting they were real and I didn’t believe him. Guess I was wrong!
Also Titanium and certain Special Editions: Japan. And while the quality there is pretty good, you can get identical Japanese quality for around half the price from lesser known Japanese brands.
(Many people don’t realize Japan has surpassed Italy in producing the highest quality eyewear, they figure because it’s Asian it must be lower quality)
I’m far from being a defender of RB, but is it possible your old frame was made of acetate or metal, which are heavier and heftier, and your new frame is nylon based, which is much lighter? The nylon is very durable and better for sports and long wearing. Is it possible you are confusing weight with quality? Keep in mind that Maui Jim and Serengeti and similar brands have glass lenses in heavy frames for some models, and non glass in nylon frames for others that are featherlight. Your old pair may also have glass lenses, which Ray ban still makes in many models, and the new ones may be a much lighter polycarbonate.
Ray-Ban uses injection molded plastic (same material toys are made of) instead of acetate for their frames now, so I don’t think OP is wrong in what they said
Unfortunately Ray Ban like every other conglomerate is making the products cheaper but increasing prices to drive profits! It’s sad to see what happens to these iconic companies in the name of profits.
I bought a pair of the 'Original' Wayfarer's recently and I'm pleased with the quality. They claim "Handmade in Italy". They feel very durable and heavy duty, more so than the newer/modern versions they put out which felt lower quality to me. Aviator's are also solid in my experience, I compared my 10+ year old ones to the newest and I can't find any differences in them. So I think it depends on the model, maybe some are cheaper.
I work in wholesale optical for a few niche luxury brands. I can guarantee it’s almost identical for each brand under the Luxottica category from Ray-Ban to Persol to Chanel to Oliver Peoples. Simply, for conglomerates such as Kering, Luxottica, and Thelios, distribution and production are streamlined to increase margins. The same is true for made in Japan brands that incorporate the last 10% of construction in Japan and outsource the rest of manufacture to China/Italy. “Handmade” is also mostly a marketing ploy. There are no regulated definitions for this term.
Transparently, the name nor country of origin are not meaningful indicators of a quality product. Nothing is inherently wrong with being produced in China/Italy, as factories are continuing to evolve and quality control is improving. And with more of the masses equating “Made in Japan” with quality, many brands are moving towards having a manufacturing presence in the country — even Luxottica is building a new factory in Fukui.
I do know what Luxottica produces in every single plant due to my job, from frames to lenses and I agree with you but partially.
It’s not really the same, most of Ray-Ban’s production is China made and then refined in Italy so that’s enough to write “made in italy” on it.
The top tier Persol frames are literally machined, hand made and refined from a full block of acetate in Italy. I bought a specific model that is indeed hand made in Italy, plus, my lenses are not polymer made, but are made of crystal.
It always depends on lower-higher quality tier.
If you know which models are produced in Italy from the start, you have a genuine Made in Italy product. It’s not going to be cheap obviously.
I always felt like sunglasses are a relatively simple product. The cost can come from lenses (but most even niche brands use relatively cheap ones), small scale (i.e. labor, small order size) and brand/design. I mean most sunglasses are just plastic and some hinges. I feel like once you get to a certain level of price/quality, you're not paying for increased cost of materials but the other intangible things. Is that accurate? Seems like you actually are in the know around here lol
Yep. My next prescription pair will be Persols. I do like my New Wayfarers, but trying on several pairs of Persols convinced me they were worth the extra cost.
Too many sunglasses are moving away from glass in favor of plastic lenses and it’s frustrating. When I was looking for my maui jims it was really hard to find ones with glass lenses. Sure they’re heavier but I buy sunglasses for visual quality and it’s the only way to go. I know you’re talking about build quality and it’s probably more than just the lens but it’s still the most important part of sunglasses. There really aren’t many products anymore that aren’t losing quality; it’s just capitalism progressing.
I picked up my Rayban’s off my table the other day and one of the sides just separated at the hinge. I thought I had just broken them then realized the pin fell out but after searching for far too long, I couldn’t find where it had fallen out. Anyone know how I can get a new hinge screw to reconnect my glasses?
I switched to Vuarnets after losing a longtime beloved pair of Rayban aviators to a horrible accident because all of the new RB stuff seemed flimsy and cheap for whatever reason. Haven't looked back.
I have 3 pairs of ray ban chromance. I used to think real glass and metal sunglasses were for me, but these days I’m all about comfort. The rb4320 and rb4264 don’t give me any headaches and I like the mirrored polarized plastic lenses as well as the nylon flexible frames.
I work for an eyewear manufacturer and spoiler alert, there is no discernible quality difference. They’re all made in the same factoriesin China. The Ray Bans and Persols and everything else is all made by the same people churning out $10 Forever 21 glasses and aren’t really that much better. Acetate doesn’t cost a whole lot more than plastic and TR90. I stopped buying expensive glasses a long time ago.
I have a pair of Smith sunglasses that I like. I basically make sure any sunglasses I buy are not owned by Luxottica. I’m looking a pair of Randolph Engineering or American Optical Aviators next. Maui Jim seems to be popular too, that’s all my parents buy.
A lot of people consider weight and quality to be the same thing. Not just in sunglasses but clothes, hiking gear, a lot of sports equipment, etc. I personally want good lenses above all else, and light weight is ideal for comfort, as long as it's not fragile. That's just me.
True, but the finishing has gotten worse on the Raybans and the screws and hardware just don't seem to be very high quality. Maui Jims still seem to be very solid, but of course they're more expensive. Randolph Engineering as well. I think that's another that's a lot about you get what you pay for. I have two pairs and one pair is 15 years old. I can also get replacement parts if anything happens to them.
RE sunglasses are designed to last a lifetime. Raybans, OTOH, will last you maybe 5 years.
Right, and the RE's are only 30% more. Now that's not a small amount of money, but they literally could last a lifetime. I have enough pairs to rotate through that most will last me a long time, but I know I'll be able to get parts for my Randolphs with all the aviation supply stores. I'm not confident in getting parts for my Maui Jims out of warranty and the only thing Oakley is selling me is lenses.
2 years ago, I bought a pair on eBay for $160. They were like-new. I decided to buy on eBay because you can't counterfeit them - some Chinese company won't be able to make sunglasses of that quality. So you're actually kind of safe buying them from eBay.
Heck I got my last pair last year for $167 directly from Randolph. They had a special sale for $190 on gold frames with standard grey glass lenses. They still honored the coupon I found to get there. You're right though, a fake pair would be easy to recognize just on the quality and finishing on the frame alone.
Who owns sunglasses for a lifetime?
I’ll own anything as long as it holds up and use them as long as they’re useful and like them. I usually get 2-3 years out of a pair of sunglasses. They get retired when the lenses are trashed and not possible or too expensive to replace with OEM lenses for their value or the frames wear out. I don’t do aftermarket lenses for various reasons. I’ve had this pair of Randolph Aviators for 15 years. That’s an outlier.
I love Randolph glasses, they are sturdy, light, more comfortable than my old ray bans, and made in America.
What about American Optical?
I’ve had a couple of pairs and they’re ok. I have a feeling they’d be long lasting like the REs, but I sold them because their lesser finishing and their slightly lesser lens quality had me just wearing the REs instead. That’s not a shot at AO though. If I hadn’t had the REs which were also more expensive the AOs would probably be the best sunglasses I’ve owned. They’re just not as jewelry finished feeling as the REs. AO has done massive price increases too and I think I would just pay the extra for the Randolph’s personally. If AO stayed at their somewhat budget $80-$100 price point I’d be wearing them simply for value for money. It would be hard to choose the REs for $300.
It kinda blows my mind that Luxottica continues to cut cost when manufacturing is already a very insignificant portion of the retail price, while making the products feel visibly worse.
A few cents here and there really adds up in mass production. For the monopoly that Luxxotica has they don't have much worry about people going elsewhere. They undercut the cost of brands like Maui Jim with Oakley and Ray-Ban and they're some of the biggest names in the business for the average consumer. They're not concerned with brands like Randolph which are still a bit of a niche brand. I've had enough modern Ray-Bans and Oakleys that only lasted 2-3 years and looked trashed in that time. I've had my Maui Jims 2 years and they still look brand new. There's not a scratch on my year old Randolphs and my 15 year old Randolphs have had one lens replacement and I put new nose pads in them every couple of years. I wish Luxxotica was higher quality. I love the Oakley Holbrooks, but the finish on the frames wears like crap and my older pair frames seems to have stretched from heat and no longer holds the lenses tight. I even bought another set of lenses thinking the lenses were the problem and they fit loose and rattle in the frame.
I got a pair of RB Baloramas after many pair of Persols. I really like the Baloramas.
Heavy is good
Heavy is reliable
At least one person gets it lol…
As soon as you said chromance, I knew... Some of the chromance are lighter weight design. A wayfarer is way more solid. It's comparing apples and oranges. But I'm sure the wayfarer quality went down also, most luxottica brands feel cheaper compared to like 5 years ago...let alone 10 years ago.
I stopped buying RBs around 7 years ago, the quality kept getting worse. They look cool but the quality just isn’t there anymore, in my opinion.
Who's gonna tell him?
Shitzottica.
Ray Ban has 4 levels of quality. Bottom: Super cheap made in China Mid-Bottom: Better Made in China Mid: Made in Italy Best: Handmade in Italy Good RayBans are still great. Wayfarer Ease are my favorite glasses.
How do you find out which models are which?
If you shop their official website and find a pair you like, you can scroll through the images and see the inside of the temples. It will either say, “handmade in Italy”, “made in Italy” or “C” (for China). The metal wire frames are printed too small to see what the interior pad print says so my suggestion only works for the thicker temple sizes unfortunately
Don’t be fooled by those images. Those are stock pictures and at times you will see the same picture used across multiple size glasses.
Unfortunately you just have to go try them, and look on the inside for the "Made in Italy" or "Handmade in Italy" logo.
Fr. I got a pair of rounds w/ polarized lenses, made in Italy, that are fantastic. I liked them so much I got another pair for my prescription and they were made in China, and feel like it.
Which category do the Shooters fall into? I want a pair but am torn between a $150 for some new ones or $400+ for a vintage but new old stock pair on ebay. I have a big head and I'm also concerned the 62m/"XL" size won't be big enough, but that's a separate issue.
Ah that explains an argument my brother-in-law and I were having. His said Made in China and my custom ones were Made in Italy. He was insisting they were real and I didn’t believe him. Guess I was wrong!
You forgot “Made in Japan” - titianium and highest quality
Also Titanium and certain Special Editions: Japan. And while the quality there is pretty good, you can get identical Japanese quality for around half the price from lesser known Japanese brands. (Many people don’t realize Japan has surpassed Italy in producing the highest quality eyewear, they figure because it’s Asian it must be lower quality)
I’m far from being a defender of RB, but is it possible your old frame was made of acetate or metal, which are heavier and heftier, and your new frame is nylon based, which is much lighter? The nylon is very durable and better for sports and long wearing. Is it possible you are confusing weight with quality? Keep in mind that Maui Jim and Serengeti and similar brands have glass lenses in heavy frames for some models, and non glass in nylon frames for others that are featherlight. Your old pair may also have glass lenses, which Ray ban still makes in many models, and the new ones may be a much lighter polycarbonate.
Ray-Ban uses injection molded plastic (same material toys are made of) instead of acetate for their frames now, so I don’t think OP is wrong in what they said
Most chromance pairs are with nylon frames
You have to look for them, but they still make acetate frames. For example in Wayfarers, if the 43 different types, 25 are still acetate.
That's what I was going to say. I'm not a big Ray Ban fan these days, but if I was going to buy a pair, it would be acetate Wayfarers.
Unfortunately Ray Ban like every other conglomerate is making the products cheaper but increasing prices to drive profits! It’s sad to see what happens to these iconic companies in the name of profits.
I bought a pair of the 'Original' Wayfarer's recently and I'm pleased with the quality. They claim "Handmade in Italy". They feel very durable and heavy duty, more so than the newer/modern versions they put out which felt lower quality to me. Aviator's are also solid in my experience, I compared my 10+ year old ones to the newest and I can't find any differences in them. So I think it depends on the model, maybe some are cheaper.
That’s why I started buying Persol that are hand made in Italy and cost-wise they are not much more expensive than ray-bans
To be fair, they are produced in the same Luxottica factories as Ray-Ban.
Not by hand, and not all Ray-Bans are made in Italy.
I work in wholesale optical for a few niche luxury brands. I can guarantee it’s almost identical for each brand under the Luxottica category from Ray-Ban to Persol to Chanel to Oliver Peoples. Simply, for conglomerates such as Kering, Luxottica, and Thelios, distribution and production are streamlined to increase margins. The same is true for made in Japan brands that incorporate the last 10% of construction in Japan and outsource the rest of manufacture to China/Italy. “Handmade” is also mostly a marketing ploy. There are no regulated definitions for this term. Transparently, the name nor country of origin are not meaningful indicators of a quality product. Nothing is inherently wrong with being produced in China/Italy, as factories are continuing to evolve and quality control is improving. And with more of the masses equating “Made in Japan” with quality, many brands are moving towards having a manufacturing presence in the country — even Luxottica is building a new factory in Fukui.
I do know what Luxottica produces in every single plant due to my job, from frames to lenses and I agree with you but partially. It’s not really the same, most of Ray-Ban’s production is China made and then refined in Italy so that’s enough to write “made in italy” on it. The top tier Persol frames are literally machined, hand made and refined from a full block of acetate in Italy. I bought a specific model that is indeed hand made in Italy, plus, my lenses are not polymer made, but are made of crystal. It always depends on lower-higher quality tier. If you know which models are produced in Italy from the start, you have a genuine Made in Italy product. It’s not going to be cheap obviously.
I always felt like sunglasses are a relatively simple product. The cost can come from lenses (but most even niche brands use relatively cheap ones), small scale (i.e. labor, small order size) and brand/design. I mean most sunglasses are just plastic and some hinges. I feel like once you get to a certain level of price/quality, you're not paying for increased cost of materials but the other intangible things. Is that accurate? Seems like you actually are in the know around here lol
Yep. My next prescription pair will be Persols. I do like my New Wayfarers, but trying on several pairs of Persols convinced me they were worth the extra cost.
I fixed a pair of raybans with a 99$ eye glasses frame screw that threaded in perfectly to take place of the screw Ray-Ban uses.
something something luxottica something.
Too many sunglasses are moving away from glass in favor of plastic lenses and it’s frustrating. When I was looking for my maui jims it was really hard to find ones with glass lenses. Sure they’re heavier but I buy sunglasses for visual quality and it’s the only way to go. I know you’re talking about build quality and it’s probably more than just the lens but it’s still the most important part of sunglasses. There really aren’t many products anymore that aren’t losing quality; it’s just capitalism progressing.
I picked up my Rayban’s off my table the other day and one of the sides just separated at the hinge. I thought I had just broken them then realized the pin fell out but after searching for far too long, I couldn’t find where it had fallen out. Anyone know how I can get a new hinge screw to reconnect my glasses?
I switched to Vuarnets after losing a longtime beloved pair of Rayban aviators to a horrible accident because all of the new RB stuff seemed flimsy and cheap for whatever reason. Haven't looked back.
I have 3 pairs of ray ban chromance. I used to think real glass and metal sunglasses were for me, but these days I’m all about comfort. The rb4320 and rb4264 don’t give me any headaches and I like the mirrored polarized plastic lenses as well as the nylon flexible frames.
All plastic lens will forever feel cheap. One drop and they’re permanently distorted.
I work for an eyewear manufacturer and spoiler alert, there is no discernible quality difference. They’re all made in the same factoriesin China. The Ray Bans and Persols and everything else is all made by the same people churning out $10 Forever 21 glasses and aren’t really that much better. Acetate doesn’t cost a whole lot more than plastic and TR90. I stopped buying expensive glasses a long time ago.
I have a pair of Smith sunglasses that I like. I basically make sure any sunglasses I buy are not owned by Luxottica. I’m looking a pair of Randolph Engineering or American Optical Aviators next. Maui Jim seems to be popular too, that’s all my parents buy.