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I have VERY light sensitive eyes (I wear sunglasses when driving in the rain) so sunglasses are important to me. I highly recommend these two brands as they are both fairly local, are stylish, and in general provide good products.

First is Townie Shades.

They provide many different styles of sunglasses (mostly plastic, and more recently wood) with unique skyline designs from the NW. They also have mariners and Seahawks shades available for a really reasonable price which is awesome. Another thing I really like about this company is that they donate a lot of their profits to charitable causes in the local areas.

Second I would recommend Shwoods. They're flagship sunglasses are made from recycled Louisville Sguggers and they are based in Portland. They are a lot more expensive than Townie Shades, but the quality and style of the product is worth it to me. They also offer specialty sunglasses, some of which have a thin stone slate in addition to the wood frames, and some which also use recycled news paper in their design. Every pair of the wood and stone frames is hand made and is therefor unique. Only problem is the cost and also sometimes there can be a manufacturing defect since they are hand made in Portland rather than mass produced in China. Fortunately, Shwood is very good about honoring their one year warranty for such defects (I can attest to this personally).

I suggest if you have the extra funds that the style of the Shwood Sunglasses is well worth it, but if you are working on more of a budget I have not seen a better company than Townie Shades, especially if you want unique glasses sporting Seattle skyline. Plus for around $20 you can get a Seahawks or Mariners pair of Townie Shades, and a good portion of the products go towards local charities.

Sorry if this post seems like an ad, I am not affiliated with either company but I do enjoy their products. If you'd like to look into them further here are their websites:

http://www.townieshades.com/

https://www.shwoodshop.com/us

Also, if anyone has any other suggestions for sunglasses please recommend them here. I am always looking for new styles and good brands for sunglasses as I wear a pair almost every day.

Do you live in W. Washington? The reason I ask is that I saw a little tidbit where Seattle sells more sun glasses per capita than any other city in the nation, the obvious oddity being that the area has to receive fewer UV rays than any other major city in the lower 48. Not that it has anything to do with your issue.

Love the local flavor of those, Emerald, but I'm not sure I value that over being light and durable.

I also wear sunglasses a lot and seem to migrate toward Oakley and Maui Jim (I even have a pair of Oakleys for my Rx glasses- lightweight and indestructible).

Being as ubiquitous as those two brands are I'm sure you've evaluated them before, but I thought I'd throw my experience and preference on the pile.

Sunglasses; wear 'em but don't spend a ton on 'em.

I like polarized lenses and a comfortable frame, beyond that price is my driving factor. I'd never buy a pair from your second link.

@RD:

Yeah I just moved back to Western Wa from Oregon. I think the reason Seattle sells so many sunglasses is because most people only wear them from June through August and then they get lost in storage and need to be replaced each year haha.

@Burrton:

Maui Jim is a great brand quality wise, just not my personal style. I have a pair of oakleys myself, I like wearing when I'm sailing or playing baseball/softball because they are very durable and also sporty in style. I prefer Gargoyle to Oakley but I think they might not make Gargoyles anymore as I haven't seen them available for several years.

@c_hawkbob:

Totally understandable. As far as functionality goes no reason to pay the extra money.

I too read that tid bit a while back about us Seattlites buying or spending more on sun glasses per capita than other areas of the U.S.

I also have sensitive eyes, in fact, high bright clouds affect (hurts) my eyes about as much as a bright sunny day. I am really rough on sunglasses, I have had expensive ones (Varnet) and inexpensive ones and it didn't matter whether I used cases or not I find a way to ruin them.

I love aviator glasses, especially at night, they really cut down the glare from on coming headlights, especially those new LED ones. Since I just wear them at night and when I am driving I tend to keep 'em in their case and in the car my aviators have lasted pretty good. A friend gave them to me several years ago with the promise that I take care of them. I wrecked the first few I had an I could weard replaced them quickly because I didn't have the heart to tell that person I had messed up.

For day time I can spend any where from 5$ to 20$'s but I simply refuse to pay more since it would be a miracle if they last a year, maybe two if I am lucky. I had a pair of Blue Blockers I liked a whole lot and since that time i try to get the ones with the amber lens. The amber lens really cuts the glare and people can still see my eyes and in my job people have to see my eyes. I am a Traffic Control Flagger and it is against the rules to wear the mirror lens or ones so dark people cannot see who and where I am looking. Eye contact with drivers and pedestrians is a MUST. I remember my first day on the job and it was cloudy but very bright and was I disappointed when the forman told to take off my mirror sunglasses I used to love so much. I was misrable and couldn't wait to get sunglasses I could wear.

For work I wear a amber lens safety goggle and they are so comfortable I wear them away from work as well and like I said, I am rough on them.

If the price is in the 20-25$ range I might check out the sunglasses you mentioned, that is one thing I love doing and that is shopping for sun glasses! I had more than one pair that were like those used in the first two Terminator movies but I never bought an exact pair because I believe they were designer sunglasses and outside of my price range.

Thanx for the thread, it was nice to post about a subject that puts a smile on everyones face, COOL!

I recommend Revo sunglasses with glass lenses. I haven't had a pair last fewer than 10 years. The pair I have now were purchased in 2004. I have dropped them from my seat in my Kenworth to the pavement several times and kicked them and they don't have a scratch on them. The pair before them went out of style, but are still wearable. I bought that pair in 1990. Get the amber lenses and you'll be blown away by the clarity in all light too.

Thank you for the rec. At work today, I realized how poor the clarity is in my Oakley's. I know my oaks are a few years old and have some scratches (no fault of their own, these are my sports, work glasses, not my style ones, and they have been used heavily). But I was really shocked today by how poor the clarity was. I think I might retire these oaks to being glasses I wear only in conditions really hostile to eyes and eyewear and grab a new pair of work glasses. I am considering the bamboo seattle skyline towny shades, but I will also look at the Revos.

Not that anyone cares, but I still wear a pair of wayfarers that i bought over 25 years ago. The frames show some wear but the lens are flawless and the hinges are still tight.

RiverDog wrote:Do you live in W. Washington? The reason I ask is that I saw a little tidbit where Seattle sells more sun glasses per capita than any other city in the nation, the obvious oddity being that the area has to receive fewer UV rays than any other major city in the lower 48. Not that it has anything to do with your issue.

The reason for this is the relatively short time of the year that NW residents have use for sunglasses they tend to lose/misplace shades in the off months and buy new ones every year.

I love Oakley's. I bought a pair of X-Metal XX's that I still own, and even though they no longer support them or offer lenses, I can get good replacements online. I bought them in 2002 and always know where they are. Best sunglasses ever.