Ray-Ban RB3026 Sunglasses

A lot of glass, a lot of weight, means a lot of indent on the bridge of my nose. That might be the best way to describe my Aviators. I am without a doubt a Ray Ban die-hard. Having light sensitive eyes and being an outdoors type, I buy and use probably more sunglasses than the average Joe. Ray Bans truly are my favorite glasses and the only models I’ve written about to date. So it really pains me when I have to write something negative about this company.

Truth be told though, all of the Ray Ban metal-framed glasses that I own are much heavier than they would appear. This pair with the 62mm lens (That’s a lot of glass by the way) is no exception. Although they have an adjust able nose piece to center them over the bridge, I can not for the life of me get them positioned so as to not create nice kidney shaped indents on the side of my nose. It has to come down to the weight being applied at that point.

I have other plastic framed Ray Bans like the Wayfarers, New Wayfarer, Wayfarer II and as well as the Predator. None of these models create the pressure that these do and none have adjustable bridges. Yet they are all more comfortable and even after hours of use do not indent my nose. On the flip side they are all plastic framed glasses and much lighter.

If you feel that you can wear these without discomfort (I highly suggest you try them on and get a feel for the weight) than you’ll probably reap the benefits of a nice looking pair of glasses with outstanding optics.

Ray Ban wrote the book on optical clarity. As I’ve described in my other reviews. The Ray Ban G-15 lens is ground and polished impact resistant glass. The green tint of the G-15 provides the truest color spectrum of any sunglass and provides 100% UV protection. This lens was designed for Navy pilots and the Aviator is about the closest frame and lens combination you can buy if you’re looking for Mil-Spec authenticity.

My own glasses are with the gold frame, but you can also get these with black or gunmetal finish. If you’re a fan of polarized lenses (I’m not) then you can also get these with grey polarized glass. I’ve seen these glasses advertised from the low eighty dollar to the high one-thirty dollar range, so shop around. Also be wary of knock offs. The Aviator is a very popular design and I’ve seen Roy Bans, or Ray Bons that look identical. The Fit and finish is nowere as near as good nor is the quality of the lens.

Ray Ban packages these glasses well and they come with a nice belt loop carrying case, a soft cleaning towel and instruction booklet. Even if I waste a pair of glasses, I’m sure to keep the Ray Ban cases around.

I do have times when I do prefer these glasses to my others. Hazy, overcast days with a hint high UV squint inducing light burning through the clouds are one example. In this case the black plastic framed models block out just a bit too much light. The 62mm Aviators act like a large camera lens to the eye. Allowing lots of filtered light in to kill the squint factor yet still enough light in quantity that I don’t strain to see. I usually keep these glasses in the glove box of the car, because it’s during long drives that encounter a need for this type of sunglass. Maybe that’s why they were designed for pilots. Imagine flying a P58 below the cloud cover, wide-open sky’s, Zero’s all around. You’d want to see what you was coming your way clearly too. In that respect the Aviator is still second to none.