Most popular pilot sunglasses these days?

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WollyPollyOlly@reddit

Ombraz. Absolutely no side pressure on head, always around my neck when I need them.

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+1 for Ombraz. The only sunglasses I've ever used that truly don't break the earcup seal. Kind of sucks to have to put your bag down to put them on because you need both hands, but that's the only drawback.

They also don't fall out of your front pocket onto the ramp when you're preflighting...

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run264fun@reddit

I love my Ombraz. Didn’t realize my RayBans made me look like a douche until I started wearing something else

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CaptainMajka@reddit

Serengeti Drivers.

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SavingsPirate4495@reddit

The correct answer. 👍🏻👍🏻

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Khantahr@reddit

I've never understood aviator style sunglasses, they let way too much light in on the sides.

Aside from that, who cares, get sunglasses you like that work for you. I wear Oakleys.

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RoutineTraditional79@reddit

I’ve got a pair of ray ban meta glasses.

Not the optimal glasses style but being able to film what I’m doing in first person is quite handy as a student pilot and the Bluetooth functionality means I just use them as daily drivers to listen to music as I’m going about my day

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Hodgetwins32@reddit

I wear polarized prescription Gucci sunglasses.

pilots get pissed off when I say they’re polarized(I can see everything fine)
they are prescription so I can see
cockpit is quite enough I forget to use ANR

I picked the frames before I realized they were gucci, they are not obnoxious drug dealing sunglasses but I did think it would be ironic to get them because of the branding.

tldr get what you want bro, you don’t need to be the same as these cargo shorts/polo guys lol

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Fast-Government-4366@reddit

What’s the issue with polarized?

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3Green1974@reddit

They can make the windshield look like it has a rainbow when it flexes from pressurization. Which I mentioned because I watched a crack form one day. We were about an hour in to our flight and I noticed that there was this straight rainbow looking thing going right down the middle of the windshield. I told the guy I was with that we were gonna lose that window and a couple minutes later, it cracked.

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looper741@reddit

Polarized lenses make LCD screens appear black.

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braided--asshair@reddit

And in reality they dont when looking at a screen normally.

No one flying is sitting there looking at a screen with their head cocked 90 degrees to the side. Every single plane I have flown, I have been able to clearly see all screens.

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gbchaosmaster@reddit

Depends on the screen. Our G500s look black through polarized sunglasses, the G500TXIs and G1000s are fine.

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mtconnol@reddit

Yup. My polarized glasses work with my iPad mini 5 but they switched the direction of the LCD polarizer in the iPad mini 6 and up so I have to get new glasses before I ever upgrade.

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appenz@reddit

100% this. Depends on the screen.

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Mithster18@reddit

I would caveat that and say some LCD screens. We have some LCD's and they're fine, I've flown with G1000 and they were OK, unless I tilted my head 45°

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Fast-Government-4366@reddit

Oh interesting!! Thanks for the link I’ll give it a read

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Pilot-Imperialis@reddit

Ray-bans for civis, oakleys for ex military

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draggingmytail@reddit

I still wear the same pair of Oalleys I got at the PX when I was a boot 15 years ago 😢

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rattler254@reddit

And still a boot today.

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draggingmytail@reddit

I know 😢

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Necessary_Use_4729@reddit

Flying Eyes is another brand I was looking at to get a new pair.

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nopal_blanco@reddit

Most expensive gas station feeling sunglasses I’ve ever worn.

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Ok-Money2811@reddit

This is the answer.

Ive heard of them from just about every aviation YouTuber in existence since every one of them has their discount code. Now I know why they pay them to push them, because the profit margin must be astronomical.

I finally tried them first hand at their Sun n fun display and the first thing I said was I’ve seen better made glasses selling 2 for $10 in any roadside souvenir shop selling counterfeit Disney merchandise.

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Rumpelforeskin6969@reddit

They may feel cheap but you can literally take the frame and bend it into a full circle and it won’t snap. Bet you can’t do that with any other brand. And the noise suppression leak is unmatched

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Rumpelforeskin6969@reddit

Flying eyes

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ScottPWard@reddit

Love my Randolph’s, but I rarely wear sunglasses anymore.

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thefouthblindmouse@reddit

The only problem with Ray-Ban is they are now owned by Luxottica they they are not the quality they once were. Oakley is the same thing.

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Desperate_Exercise13@reddit

non-polarized. that’s it.

Later on they are prescription non-polarized.

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BarnackBro1914@reddit

American Optical Original Pilot.

Whatever sunglasses you get, be sure they are not polarized.

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mitoboru@reddit (OP)

Seems like it’s AO vs Randolph. At first glance they look pretty similar. What sets them apart?

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BarnackBro1914@reddit

For me, it's heritage. For a long time AO was a military supplier of sunglasses, WWII through the 1980s. If your friend's son is a space fan, AOs were worn by the early NASA astronauts; for example Neil, Buzz and Mike took their AOs to the moon on Apollo 11.

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freedomflyer12@reddit

I’ve owned both over the years and honestly I couldn’t say much of a difference esp now they cost the same.

Randolph has better continued support and mx

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TheOrigamiPenguin@reddit

Serengeti Drivers are by far the best lenses for flying. I’ve tried every big brand in the last 30 years, and the non-polarized Drivers are unbeaten. Gradient helps for ease of transition from outside to the panel.

RayBan B15 is also a good lens, but a bit dark when you look back inside

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Pretty_Marsh@reddit

I’m a fan of the classic squarer-style of aviators made by American Optical and Randolph. You can get knock-offs on Amazon for about $20

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PM_MeYour_pitot_tube@reddit

I bought a pair of AO’s at a Base Exchange in like 2009 for ~$40. Those things are like bedbugs. I’ve lost/broken a dozen other pairs of sunglasses but those AO’s are still going strong and when I lose them they always turn up again.

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Street-Committee-367@reddit

Your username is hilarious.

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elkcox13@reddit

You made me look and agree

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This-Aardvark-1431@reddit

I'll vote for Flying eyes sunglasses. I've been using them for over 8 years now, and the extra thin and flexible arms work great with my headset.

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arnoha@reddit

Same. I did Randolphs until I bought a pair of Flying Eyes at Oshkosh on a whim. I would still recommend the Randolphs, but I would also recommend the Flying Eyes.

One note: the Flying Eyes feel cheap. They're light and plastic and very flexible. You'll question spending so much for so little. The Randolphs feel substantial. But, the Flying Eyes have been extremely comfortable and have had zero durability issues. The hinges, in particular, are still perfect. I always break the hinges but not on this one.

Basically, they do what they say. Good eye protection in a frame that is utterly comfortable under a headset. And one that leaves the noise protection of the headset intact.

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Professional-Tie-82@reddit

This is the way to go. Not cheap but worth it. Great company too.

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TheBeardedLegend@reddit

Randolph Engineering

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e_pilot@reddit

I’ve been wearing the same matte frame brown lens american optical aviators for over a decade at this point

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182RG@reddit

Randolph

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the_devils_advocates@reddit

🤮

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Ok-Money2811@reddit

Dewalt impact sunglasses…$8 at any Home Depot. Ultra dark lenses for the flight levels and can take a beating. If I lose them…I just stop at any Home Depot on the way home.

I can go through 30 of them price of one flying eyes.

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MacAttack0711@reddit

Big proponent of the Oakley Holbrook, sits close to the temple and if you’re a veteran you can get some fairly affordable models off their website.

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Fun_Job_3633@reddit

Well a lot of pilots are mistaking a pair of Pit Vipors for a personality so I wouldn't do that.

If he's a hockey fan I always get compliments on my Knockaround Rangers sunglasses. They make a pair for every NHL team so just get his favorite team.

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Thhe_Shakes@reddit

I was just wearing my Phillies knockarounds on a flight yesterday. Great quality for the price and sturdier than they initially seem.

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ChiefDaddyJ@reddit

I just wear wayfarers

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dilemmaprisoner@reddit

I can't see gauges with sunglasses on, so I wear a pair of $20 readers with thin, floppy arms that keep a good seal on my headset (like Flying Eyes advertises). My backup is a pair of very light shaded Tifosi with readers at the bottom, but with readers down low, I have to point my chin up whenever I look at controls. So I prefer a reader where I don't have to move my head up and down: just look over them to see out, and eyes slightly down to see through the readers.

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0621Hertz@reddit

My personal favorite is Krewe.

Ray-Bans are cheap crap owned by a borderline monopoly and Randolphs look dweeby.

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Nearby-Medicine9484@reddit

Wear whatever is comfortable and provides protection.

I can tell you that the farther you climb the ladder, the less it matters what you wear on your face.

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trollisme_iamtroll@reddit

Whatever $20 pair i can find since i break/lose any nice sun glasses i ever get.

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Can_Not_Double_Dutch@reddit

My Costa sunglasses are just fine

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Rusty1031@reddit

I wanted to try other styles but aviators are popular for a reason. The stems are thin and let your headset create a good seal. I wear gold rimmed Ray-Bans with mirror blue lenses

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SuperSaint77x@reddit

Oakley Holbrooks are really good, first sunglasses that does not squish my ears in the headset.

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Gold_Space_4734@reddit

Cheap Amazon sunglasses, I go for Merry's.

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IncognitoJoseph@reddit

Ray-ban caravans so you can mumble that you’re a pilot instead of shouting it

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mightymac-89@reddit

I had the old caravans and now I have the new caravans and I like those as well. The aviators are too big for my face.

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Captain_Sheppard@reddit

I love my flying eyes sunglasses. The noise canceling on my headset works great with them and they make it easy to see the instruments. I have the blue ones and the colors look great

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beefen1970@reddit

i’m a commercial student at a big flight school right now and I can say pretty confidently, ray bans are still the most popular brand i’ve noticed, other then like aviation niche ones like Randolph. Style wise aviators are still extremely popular, about 50% of people wear aviators and the other 50% is other styles. gift wise you can’t go wrong with the aviators, they are classic pilot staple. i use a pair of ray bans avatars vs a nicer pair of sunglasses i have, because the aviators being wire thin makes them way more comfortable wearing a headset. versus my nicer pair that are a different style and have a thicker frame. they would give me a headache wearing them after about an hour of flying

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d4rkha1f@reddit

Anything polarized 🤭

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Nicktuf99@reddit

I use a pair of not-polarized Oakley split time. They’re very good and very stylish

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Gand@reddit

Randolph Engineering. The quality is worth it.

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MaterialInevitable83@reddit

I love my blenders non polarized aviators

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flyingwithfish24@reddit

Idk man ray bans are expensive asf. I just got to Ross and pick up the most obnoxious pair of wrap arounds for 10 bucks and rep those. Also knockarounds are another brand I buy.

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blitzroyale@reddit

Really like the Rayban new wayfarer personally

The square ones

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Dry-Coast7599@reddit

My Opticus sunny’s are my new favs. Cutting the side glare is amazing and reduces squinting and associated fatigue.

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Av8torryan@reddit

These have been the best hands down - Serengeti. Not cheap but the glass lenses don’t scratch easily.

https://flightsunglasses.com/collections/serengeti-favorites/products/serengeti-dante-2-0-sunglasses

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Texican84@reddit

I fly with the same Smith Chromapop's that I fish with. I sometimes use gas station beaters as well. I'll likely pick up a pair of Randolphs at some point.

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RandalPMcMurphyIV@reddit

Stick with the Ray Bans and don't forget to pass along a pack of Beeman's.

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mitoboru@reddit (OP)

Beemans. That’s a good one. He’ll enjoy that. Thanks!

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TheStoneSamurai@reddit

Peppa Pigs from Walmart. Blocks the sun and the haters

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mustang180@reddit

If you want high quality aviators, get Randolphs. The build quality is night and day better when compared against Ray Ban.

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canuck791@reddit

What are "pilot sunglasses" anyways.

I just wear what I want. Some days it's ray bans, some days its dollar store. But its NEVER aviators.

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azbrewcrew@reddit

Oakley SI gascans

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Key-Pianist-7997@reddit

https://a.co/d/0eQqtKVw

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theireverywhere@reddit

I've had the same Oakley Holbrook Metal frames for like 5 years now, just recently replaced the lenses.

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TellmSteveDave@reddit

Same. An same on lenses.

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indianmcflyer@reddit

Randolphs

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tex_pilot@reddit

Blue Blockers.

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Hodgetwins32@reddit

This is the dumbest sh*% I’ve ever heard on this subreddit

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LoudLingonberry5643@reddit

I have some Ray-Ban aviators I wore for a while… then I started to feel like a douche bag. Probably just in my head because I know a lot of people wear them. Then I went through some Oakleys… 1 dropped in a urinal and 1 stollen. Now I rock the $30 Goodr glasses and probably won’t go back

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A friend's son has started flying and I was thinking of giving him a pair of cool shades.

Which sunglasses do young pilots clamor for these days?

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