The best polarized sunglasses

The best polarized sunglasses overall

The lightweight but sturdy aluminum frame and thick, scratch- and shatter-resistant metal-rimmed glass lenses keep the timeless Ray-Ban Clubmasters on par with the best.

Thick glass lenses held by an aluminum frame make the Ray-Ban Clubmasters an easy, nearly indestructible choice for people on the move, and while they’re still among the more popular — and arguably tired — designs, they at least give the Aviator and Wayfarer shapes a rest.

I was gifted a pair a couple of years ago, and while it’s safe to say almost every pair of shades I’ve owned before or since has taken on a scratch or two at least, this pair has survived just about everything. I should add that I’m extremely rough on sunglasses. I even managed to sit on this pair — strictly for testing purposes — and unbend it from an unnatural 45-degree angle without creasing, let alone snapping the bridge piece.

I’ve also dropped and kicked them (again, for testing) across fiberglass decks, marble floors, and concrete sidewalks, and they’ve somehow survived it all. These things are just simply not like the others.

Aesthetically, the Clubmasters seem to suit just about every face shape and outfit, no matter how formal or relaxed, and perhaps that’s why they’re so iconic. While they lack the full wraparound protection of sportier options, we don’t assume most of you will be bopping about town in what could reasonably be mistaken for a tinted pair of safety goggles pilfered from your father’s workshop — we certainly won’t be. But we’ll never judge, and if we’re completely out of touch, there’s an option below for you, too.

Pros: Fit for any occasion, sturdy

Cons: Pricey, a small amount of light passes through the sides, which doesn’t make for the best protection in direct sunlight

The best budget polarized sunglasses

Gamma Ray’s Polarized Wraparound Sport and Cheaters are fully serviceable shades for an exponentially lower price than the rest of the sunglasses we recommend, so losing them won’t keep you up at night.

If you’re looking for a cheap pair of driving lenses, or just aren’t willing to dish out for another pair of Ray-Bans or Maui Jims because you’ve lost and broken so many that it hurts, a pair or three of either Gamma Ray’s Polarized Cheaters (a Wayfarer-style) or Wrap Around Sports (the sportier version pictured above) should do you well.

While they’re nowhere near as durable as the other sunglasses we’re recommending here, they do come with a lifetime warranty (though we haven’t tested it, yet) against both scratching and shattering. If you can manage to find a case for them, they might last a whole lot longer.

Pros: Metal-reinforced hinges, budget-friendly

Cons: Cheap nylon frames will break if you’re not careful

The best for outdoors

Smith Optics’ ChromaPop lens technology filters two wavelengths of light that cause color confusion, while the brand’s array of lens tints is designed to cover every kind of light (and water) condition you might face in the great outdoors.

In 1965, orthodontist and ski bum Dr. Bob Smith developed the first sealed thermal lens and vent foam goggles, what came to be known and revered as the modern ski goggle. But he didn’t stop there, and his line of sunglasses is no less revolutionary.

Smith’s ChromaPop lenses come in six different tints, all geared toward different lighting, so whether you’re inshore fishing on a gray day or offshore on a bluebird one, they’ve got the lens for you. On a recent fly fishing trip in Hawaii, I realized, perhaps a little too late in the day, that the shades I’d brought along were not defining the elusive bonefish I was trying to spot — not as well as my guide’s Smiths were. We switched glasses at the end of the day and I was suddenly spotting the “gray ghosts” left and right. I’m still kicking myself.

Granted, to run the gamut of light situations you’ll encounter as an angler, you’ll need at least two pairs of sunglasses. This, of course, isn’t cheap, but then performance optics hardly ever are.

But Smith doesn’t just cater to anglers; the brand also has a performance line designed for runners and cyclists with removable lenses — I only wish they’d offer interchangeable lenses with their ChromaPop fishing line.

Pros: Lens tints for all light, fishing-, performance-, and lifestyle-specific frames

Cons: Can be pricey

The best sustainable polarized sunglasses

Detailed but still sleek, Costa x Bureo’s polarized sunglass frames are made with plastic recovered from fishing nets off the coast of Chile and Costa Del Mar’s top-notch plastic or glass frames.

Sunglass manufacturer Costa recently teamed up with skateboard company Bureo, which has been producing these sunglasses with frames made entirely from recycled fishing nets. Now that Costa is popping its high-end glass lenses into the glasses, they’re a little pricier, but we think they’re much more scratch-resistant now, and they’re worth it. Plus, you get to help out the environment and a Chilean fishing community through your purchase.

A slightly sportier take on classic Wayfarers, Costa x Bureo’s are tumbled for detailed finish and grip that keeps them neatly propped on the bridge of your nose. The lenses are Costa’s patented 580 Lightwave plastic or glass, and they offer full 400-nm UV protection while selectively filtering out high energy visible light (blue light) and yellows to cut haze and offer better crispness, which any angler ought to appreciate.

For a less-expensive, similarly eco-friendly and sustainable pair of sunnies, check out Swell Vision’s glasses, which are made from bamboo. They’re ultra-lightweight, come with sturdy double-jointed metal hinges that allow for a little play in the temples, and did we mention that they float?

Pros: Sustainably made, high-end lenses, full 400-nm UV protection

Cons: Pricey

The best for prescription lenses

If you don’t want to spend upward of $500 on a pair of prescription sunnies, Warby Parker has a ton of styles ranging from $175 for a basic prescription to $375 for progressive lenses.

Born out of necessity by traveling students who were fed up with replacing overpriced glasses, Warby Parker has established itself as the budget-friendly, socially-responsible option for prescription lenses and sunglasses alike.

While you’ll spend a small fortune ordering prescription lenses along with some of the other frames on this list, Warby Parker covers a good swathe of styles while staying kind to your wallet. The company also promises that for every pair of glasses sold, a pair will be donated to someone in need.

If you can afford them, it would be hard to build a case for not buying your sunglasses from Warby Parker, but they do fall short of offering a set of frames that cater to sportier souls who might like or require a pair that offers a little better protection from stray light.

In almost every aspect, Warby Parker should probably have you covered. We like the sleekness of the unisex Durand model, but they touch on everything from aviators and wayfarers to Lennons and Jackies.

Read our full review on Warby Parker here.

Pros: Affordable, durable

Cons: No warranty (apart from one-year scratch repairs), no thick frames for protection from intense, direct sunlight

The best folding polarized sunglasses

Persol’s folding 714 sunglasses are made with scratch-resistant crystal lenses, robust hardware, and timeless style.

While we recommend Ray-Ban overall for polarized shades, we’ve found Persol to hold better quality and hardware, especially since they’re still made the same way they were when the brand was founded over 100 years ago. Their hardware is more robust, and their lenses are more scratch-resistant.

Folding shades (which you’re going to end up putting in your pocket, without a case) require a robust set of hardware, and heavier-duty lenses, of which Persol’s crystal ones are exemplary.

The 714 sunglasses are a folding version of the brand’s , save for a few minor details. And this iteration of them is hardly any different from the original, other than that they fold inward, rather than downward, which seems to make more sense overall. Still, make sure to have a sunglasses screwdriver on hand to keep the screws in place (you’ll only have to do this every once in a while).

I’ve been wearing the McQueens for several months now and I’ve had them in and out of airports, shirt pockets, car consoles, and the sea. And, more often than not, as is my wont, I’ve done so without a case (yes, shame on me indeed). I’ve yet to scratch them. My Ray-Ban Aviators and Wayfarers? I’m sad to say they live deep in my glove compartment (also careless) for emergencies, rest their souls.

If you’re looking for a sturdy pair of shades you can toss around (but most certainly shouldn’t) and won’t get scratched like plastic or regular, thinner glass, the Persol 714 sunglasses will remain timeless through your final years, however distant they may be.

Pros: Scratch-resistant crystal lenses, robust hardware, timeless style

Cons: Spendy

What else we considered

I’ve been testing polarized sunglasses since I started wearing them to fish when I was about 10 years old, and in the interim, I’ve tested dozens upon dozens of them. There are a few key features that make a good pair of polarized shades, and the brands below all tick those boxes, but for reasons discussed below, they’re not on our main list of picks.

• Maui Jim (starting at $249.99): While polarized lenses are a given, the best sunglasses for a day at sea are only as good as their frames. And since most of us won’t probably succumb to wearing cataract sunglasses or the like — at least not until our rightful time — Maui Jim’s World Cup shades more than suffice. The only reason we didn’t include them as a main pick is that the brand doesn’t offer as much style versatility as Ray-Ban or Persol, nor does it make shades for specific light levels.
• Native Eyewear (starting at $89): A similar, more affordable on-the-water option is Native Eyewear’s Sightcaster, which is similar in design and profile, but about half the price. The Sightcasters come with Native’s interchangeable N3 lenses, which is something we wish Smith Optics would do, but Natives aren’t quite as technical compared with Smith’s. Still, they’re wonderful fishing-specific glasses, and if you’re on a budget but still want some high-quality lenses, look no further.
• YesGlasses (starting at $139 for prescription): YesGlasses is an affordable eyewear startup that offers stylish frames with prescription and non-prescription lenses. The brand has a lot of lens options, with polarized being one of them. The frame quality isn’t as good as other eyewear brands like Warby Parker, but it is a great place to get trendy or fashion-forward frames without paying designer prices. Read our full review of YesGlasses here.