On Aviators: Ray Ban vs. Randolph Engineering
First, since Luxottica owns 75% of the eyewear industry anyway, if Ray Bans suck, then I guess so do the vast majority of glasses on the market...and that's not true. And I've owned 2 pairs of Luxottica glasses that have been just fine. So I don't get the hate here. The construction on them seems fine and solid, though the temples are a little thin for my taste, but from what I gather they were designed to be "wire" thin anyway. Ray Bans are made in China. Mine are. Overall the glasses do feel cheap. On my face, the 55mm lenses are just a tad large but not overly so.
So, with the classic out of the way, it's time for Randolph Eyewear. These days, hold the majority of the contracts with the military and NASA. I already have their classic square Aviator and I wanted to go with American Optical for the traditional teardrop one, but only Randolph had it in a smaller 52mm size, with the AO starting at 58...way too big for me. And the Randolph was shaped differently.
I got the Randolph first and I have to say that the smaller frame LOOKS better on my face in terms of proportion. Randolph skips the 55 size in the Concorde model...the next size up is 57. In terms of frame, the Randolph feels more solid, mostly because of the Ray Ban's wire-thin temples. And I don't know what the Ray Ban is made of, but Randolph makes a big deal about its 18% nickel/steel alloy being less likely to corrode and break. Ordinarily I would think that's marketing spiel but I've had glasses frames snap on me after a couple of years, so maybe that's something to keep in mind as an advantage. Randolph ships with a little screwdriver and extra screws and nosepads, a bigger cloth, and hands down the plusher case; the Ray Ban's case seems oddly hard.
Neither pair has hinges on the temples, which is something that I'm continually surprised about in sunglasses (though Serengeti has them). At this price point, ALL glasses should have hinged temples or at least the option for them. It eliminates the frustration of having to find the perfect width, since distributors or even manufacturers give false numbers. Luckily for me, the Ray Ban and Randolph both fit me like a glove and I couldn't be happier. The Randolph just feels a bit more solid and naturally hugs my face.
In terms of price they are about equal. Randolph is more expensive if you order direct or at some dealers, but there are places that sell the Concorde for as low as $109. The Ray Ban of course goes for around ~$100 or a bit lower. Is it worth paying more for the Concorde? If price is an issue, go to: www.randolpheyewear.com . If you have an average to large head, the size will be fine. If you need a smaller size, I can recommend the Concorde or Crew Cheif. Honestly I do think Ray Ban deserves the sneering it gets.
So I hope this helps for some guys who are curious about different Aviators. Yes they're everywhere, but they're timeless and they look good (just get a pair that fits your face!). I should've worn them years ago. Now I always will.
