You may be young Jax but your no dummy if your smart enough to wear ear muffs with power equipment. And that goes for any power tools such as saws as well.

I have a fair amount of experience with high end sunglasses and consider good sunglasses a "quality of life" issue. And since you are one of my favorites Jax I have come out of semi retirement    to see if if I can steer you on the right path.

First off.......unless style and image is what you are aiming for never pay full price, ever! My 1/2 price Costas are for fishing but my $300 dollar Maui Jims are for working with the public (sort of like a suit and tie  ). Of course with your cop pals (ahem, police officers) sunglasses are a status symbol so $200 shades are the norm.

I prefer glass lenses but polycarbonate are lightweight, do an excellent job and a very good value. I like having 2 pair with me at all times while fishing, one pair for blazing sun and one pair for low light conditions. A little research will educate you.

For sporting glasses I go to Sierra Trading post and look for closeouts which are typically discounted rather heavily.
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Now comes the tricky part......learning to care for high end sunglasses........especially after having trained yourself to have throwaways.

*you MUST have a cord. If your not wearing them they are dangling on your chest. Otherwise you will set them down and I promise you that sooner or later you will either lose them or they will get damaged.

*you MUST keep them in a case. When they are not on your person they are in a case, period, no excuses. Good glasses always come with a case.

*just because you have a cord and they are dangling does not mean they can't be broken. I have broken 2 pair while dangling on a cord.......one pair broke when I pressed a 6/0 saltwater reel against them (am I allowed to say that?) and another pair when I took a nap with them on and crushed them. So, try and get into the habit of using the case.

*DO NOT drop your glasses on abrasive surfaces. They will get scratched or get nicked. I am highly attuned to scratches or nicks and find them a distraction from said "quality of life".......they invariably will be retired from use or put on work detail.

DO use a micro fiber cloth to clean your glasses. Make sure no sand or other abrasive particles are present or it will act like sandpaper. DO NOT use paper towel to clean your glasses.....to abrasive. TP is acceptable (use the white area ).

*DO NOT leave your sunglasses on your dash in your vehicle or in a very hot location for extended periods. It tends to degrade the surface coating used.

DO keep the receipt. Preferably in the case.....check out what the companies exchange policy is. For example: Maui Jims can be replaced for $50 by sending the old damaged pair in.

One last thought......A good way to care for glasses is to have several pair. One pair stays in the truck for driving, one pair stays with the camping stuff, one pair stays with the art show stuff, etc. etc. But that can be later down the road.......first relearn to take care and keep track of one good pair. You can find some very good deals at Sierra Trading post and from $50 to $89 you could get a very good pair of polarized glasses (maybe even less!). Save your money, spend it on a solo canoe and we can go fishin some day 

MT   

@mt, i was hoping you would weigh in on the discussion. your insight is always greatly appreciated, your wisdom is vast, thank you!

i did an extended amount of research pulling information from all different sites/brands about lens color and what each does. wiley x had a really neat chart about lens color/uses, and ive decided i want an amber/brown/copper lens.

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blue/grey seems to be best for super sunny bright glare, whereas amber is best for underwater contrast. for the canada trip, in a canoe where there isnt as much 'sight' fishing, blue is probably the better lens color. the majority of my local fishing is done in the morning and evening from shore/dock/boats where seeing the underwater structure is more important, so amber it is.

Jax - in very bright sun conditions on the water, I like my eyes really protected.  When I put on a pair of Bandana's made by Ocean Waves while out fishing one summer day, it was like taking a cool shower on a hot day.  Check them out:
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puckster

I'm also looking for good polorized sunglasses. What I need is something that will fit over my regular bifocals. Any suggestions?

FWIW

The Kaenon glasses that Kerry suggests are the same ones Superman wears (Yes, that Superman) and are Kryptonite resistant up to 300 meters.