Affordable photochromic sunglasses that work?
 

My commute is long(ish), and in the winter half of it is in darkness while the other half is in bright Florida sunshine. I bought a cheap pair of photochromic glasses on eBay but they aren't very dark when they change. The Oakleys are supposed to be the fastest changing and best, but $200 is too much for sunglasses. Anybody have any suggestions? I was switching glasses halfway through for a while, but that's a pain.

I have PC prescription glasses. (They may be by design less sensitive and/or dark than sports PC sunglasses so they stay fully clear indoors)

My experience in using them cycling is they don't get enough UV from the sun to change when the sun is low in the horizon. That is also when its nice to have them dark if you are riding into the sun.

I find them most effective on cloudy/overcast days when there is a lot of scattered UV. On clear days the sun is simply too bright and they don't get dark enough.

What I mean by this is when there is sunrise/set and I look towards sun they barely dim. When it is overcast during midday and to my eyeballs feels much less bright than looking into the sun they get quite dark.

Al

Tifosi optics

http://www.tifosioptics.com/

Best dang sunglasses you can get for the cash. I use the photochromatic red ones. They are a tad dark on night commutes though.

Edit : heres the ones i use, model is Pave. They seem to have a lot more models available now so some may work better. http://www.tifosioptics.com/interchangeable/pave.html nashabr currently has a sale on eyewear (they always have a sale) so you can get some for $45 range i think

I also have used prescription ones with very unsatisfactory results. They will work a lot better when it is cold outside for some reason, but will never be dark enough for glaring direct sun. When I'm wearing contacts, I just keep two pair, one clear and one tinted. Many cheap sunglasses are decent, and you don't have to worry as much about them being broken..

I really like these. They include a case w clip, are lightweight, include clear amber and dark lenses, dont slip on my nose, and dont obstruct rear or side views. I'm not wild about sport-style glasses, but these function very very well for cycling. I always have them clipped to my rear rack

Specialized! Mine are vented on the sides and my eyes NEVER water! These are the best sunglasses I've ever had. However, that new Oakley Radar with the smudge/sweat/fingerprint/oil proof glass is amazing!

-Barry-

I use these and they work pretty well.