As my wife will happily tell you, I have a problem with sunglasses. Actually, she’ll quickly tell you that I have
three problems with sunglasses.
First, I’m a freaking vampire. I wear sunglasses almost all the time when I’m outside. I’m not
quite that guy who wears them even in the dark. But I’ll wear them even when it’s cloudy, especially if it’s that nasty kind of cloudy that almost feels like every way you look is glare. I have sensitive eyes, and it’s actually painful to not wear them. I spent most of my life wearing glasses with special UV coatings. Then I had LASIK done. I’m pretty sure my eyes just adapted to having the UV coating. So now I wear sunglasses.
But I’m also kind of bad about losing them. Every 12-24 months or so I’ll lose a pair of sunglasses. Just
poof, gone, no idea what happened to them. But I’m not quite as bad about losing them as I seem. My third problem exacerbates the issue: I have four children. My oldest is about to turn seven. In those seven years, my children have broken about three times as many pair as I’ve lost.
In short, I go through a
lot of sunglasses.
Until now, my solution has been to always buy the dirt cheap sunglasses from Wal-Mart. If they won’t survive long anyway, at least I’m not spending much money on them. I usually spend between $15 and $20 a pair, depending on current prices, and buy about 1-2 pair a year. So it’s not a ridiculous expense. At least I’m not spending $300 on a pair of Ray-Bans.
Enter
Shady Rays. I became aware of the company through Twitter ads. In fact, this is the first time I’ve ever bought anything based on a Twitter ad. But this goes to show you how important it is to find your audience. I was the right guy – the
absolute right guy – to respond to this ad. The ad was simple and pushed two things:
- Two pair of sunglasses for the price of one (normally $45 a pair) with a special discount code.
- Lifetime replacement of any pair of sunglasses if they’re broken – or if they’re lost!
I saw the ad a few months ago. All I needed to do was wait for my last pair of sunglasses to die. About six weeks ago, they did. My 10 month old daughter broke them.
Snap. So I dug up the promo code and hit their web site.
I found the sunglasses pictured above, which approximately resemble the style I’ve been getting for some time. I punched in my discount code for two pair, entered my credit card number, and opted to pay $6 for expedited shipping. Hey, man, my eyes were hurting. And it was only
six dollars. If I’d chosen slow shipping, it would’ve been free.
The fine print quickly informed me that there is a limit to their replacement guarantee. They will only replace any individual pair of sunglasses twice. So with my two purchased pair, that would mean a limit of six sunglasses total. Also, it’s unclear if I will have to pay shipping costs for replacement pair or not. I suspect that I will have to. Unless shipping costs are outrageous, I can probably live with that. Worst case, I’ll still be paying about the same per pair of sunglasses as I’ve been paying.
A few days later my two pair of sunglasses arrived. And I can tell you this: they’re
far sturdier in build quality than the cheap sunglasses I’ve been getting. They’re quite comfortable, especially after a few days to break them in. I have yet to break or lose a pair, so I can’t yet tell you how well they live up to their promises. But I can promise you that with my history I
will break or lose a pair within 24 months. When I do, I’ll give an update and let everyone know how it goes. Worst case, I got two new sunglasses for approximately the same price as every other pair I’ve bought in the last five years – but with better build quality. I think these will take longer to break – although perhaps not to lose.
And so far I’m
extremely happy with these sunglasses. They have a wide range of styles, so odds are good you can find a pair you like. If you’re in the market for new sunglasses, you might want to check them out.
Update: 5/23/2017
I haven’t broken a pair yet, but here’s my
six month follow-up review.
Update: 2/2/2018
One of my two pair of Shady Rays just
broke. I’ll report more after I test out their lifetime replacement plan!
Update: 7/8/2019
I’ve left my
final update in the Shady Rays saga. If you’re considering a purchase, I highly recommend that you read the last update beforehand.
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You only lose a pair of sunglasses every year or two?! Amateur. I don’t spend real money on sunglasses because I lose them so often.
See, Morgon? See?! SEE?! 😉
Did you get a pair of glasses,replaced yet? Cause I tried and it hasn’t happened yet.
I have not. Both of mine are still in great shape. This is disturbing news, however. Please let me know how this ends up getting resolved.
If you need sunglasses soon you are better off getting them elsewhere. After two weeks waiting I found out my order was actually a “pre-order” even though fully paid for by card on-line.
Use promo code “OHAMBY” on their website for 25% discount and free shipping!
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Can I ask you what color lense you are using? I’m a vampire too, super sensitive eyes. I wear them as often as you do. Thank you!
Hey Russell,
Any word on the process for replacing a broken pair? Was it easy/worth while?
I am considering going with Shady Rays specifically for this feature!
Curious to know how the replacement process went for you?
Do Shady Rays have glass lenses?
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