I admit to being somewhat of a sunglasses snob. It’s not the fashion that I care about… it’s all about the lenses.
I have almost always had a pair of Serengeti’s in my collection. Why? If you ask me, they make the highest quality lenses available for driving, boating and flying. My one complaint about my most recent pair… I went with the Cielo with PhD lenses, frameless, for incredibly lightweight sunglasses. They’re fantastic to wear, but eventually crack around the nosepiece because without frames, the lenses themselves provide all of the structure.
I was down to just my cracked Serengeti Cielo and a pair of Ray Bans. Both broke recently, and now I have only a cheap pair of Oakleys that I don’t like. So today I ordered a new pair of Serengeti Trapani with the polarized drivers lenses. I look forward to receiving them. The lenses are glass and the frames are a titanium and acetate mix; strong and durable, but with some give.
In my experience, a good pair of sunglasses will typically last 5 years or more. That’s with daily use (I never drive in daylight without them). So while $200 seems like a large sum of money for non-prescription sunglasses, I value my eyes. $40/year for something I wear every day is very reasonable. And the key to the longevity… I use straps so I never drop my sunglasses. Fashion faux pas, but I like having quality sunglasses and making them last as long as possible. It’s also the environmentally friendly thing to do versus tossing a cheap pair of sunglasses in the trash once a year.
I like to have more than one pair of quality sunglasses. I find two pairs a necessity and three pairs is better. My eyes are very light sensitive, and hence I always need to wear sunglasses when outdoors; they’re not optional for me. And different lenses serve different purposes. For example, I like the Serengeti Driver’s Polarized lens (glass or PhD, both are exceptional) for summer driving. But I like the CPG lens in harsher light conditions, for example on or near the water and when there’s snow on the ground. That means I prefer the CPG lens during the winter months in Michigan. I like the sportier PhD-lensed models for active wear, but prefer the rimmed glass lens models when socializing or wearing to the office where I’m taking them off frequently and possibly not being very careful with them. For long road trips, I prefer the PhD lenses; the light weight means I can wear them for many hours on end without leaving painful imprints on the bridge of my nose. For longevity I’ve had better luck with the models that have framed glass lenses.
I put two pairs of Maestrale on my birthday wish list, and they are partially-framed PhD lenses. If someone buys them for me, they could easily turn out to be my favorites. They have the benefit of the light weight of the PhD lenses and not a lot of frame, but probably enough frame to prevent me from cracking the lenses at the bridge for a good while. They’re also a larger fit than the Cielo were, which should help with respect to stress on the lenses. I put both the CPG lens and the Driver’s lens on my wish list. I’d love to have both, and will buy them myself if no one buys them for my birthday.
The Trapani are likely too heavy for me to wear for an entire day due to having glass lenses. Hence they’re unlikely to be worn when I’m doing a full day of yard work, on a road trip, or on weekends. In all likelihood they’ll mostly just be used for my work commute. I might just leave them in my car most of the time, which is what I used to do with my metal-framed, glass-lensed Ray-Bans to be sure I always had a pair of sunglasses in the car. The Trapani don’t have the peripheral coverage of the Maestrale, which means they don’t offer as much protection. Even though they cost more than the Maestrale, I’m going to call them my beaters since they’re probably a little more durable.