Budget vs Expensive: Sunglasses

“Value” has many definitions. In music, value refers to the duration of a musical note. The value of a color refers to its relative lightness or darkness.

And, of course, the monetary price associated with an item, goods or service is also referred to as value.

But the definition I want to work at is more relative than quantitative. While something of lower price can certainly be deemed as of “value,” the true best values in golf are a combination of price and performance.

In this sense of the word, what’s cheapest or least expensive may not always be considered “valuable.”

I’ve made it my mission to find, compare and contrast golf gear on the opposite ends of the price spectrum in order to help you determine which truly holds the most value.

Let’s get started.

$35 Sunglasses Versus $600 Sunglasses

Few categories of golf gear have more disparity in pricing than sunglasses. On one end of the spectrum you have brands like goodr, who pride themselves on providing high quality sunglasses at a bottom-barrel price. 

On the other hand, companies like USwing tout their expensive sunglasses as the leader in global golf eyewear. They can be seen on the likes of Phil Mickelson and Rose Zhang. 

The question remains: Can a $35 pair of sunglasses match the performance of a pair that costs nearly 20 times more? Which provides the most relative value to the consumer?

Here’s what I found.

Challenger No. 1: goodr Just Knock It On! – $35

• No-slip frame with silicone grips to eliminate slippage when sweating
• No-bounce design to keep the glasses from bobbing up and down on your face
• Polarized lenses with UV400 protection
• Durable plastic construction

Challenger No. 2: Uswing Golfer Elite 02 – $599

• Lightweight aluminum frame
• Polycarbonate lenses with UV400 protection
• Specialized gray-green tint
• Water-repellent lens coating

Criteria

I compared these sunglasses based on criteria similar to that of our Best Sunglasses of 2023 test. These criteria include:

• Durability. How durable are the frames and lens?
• Clarity and contrast. Do the lenses provide clarity and enhance vision or do they make it more difficult to read the contours of the golf course?
• Elements. How resistant to water and fingerprints (oil) are the lenses?
• Fit. Are the sunglasses comfortable? Do they stay in place while swinging a golf club?

Round 1: Durability

A pair of sunglasses (no matter the cost) should be durable. However, one would expect a $600 pair to be more durable than something that’s about 1/20th the cost. 

At least, that’s my thought. If you’re going to shell out $600, I’d hope they can withstand a little roughhousing. 

Based on my time and experience with both the goodr and Uswing sunglasses, the plastic frame of the Just Knock It On! Is more durable than the metal frame of the Uswing Golfer Elite 02. 

I’ll put it this way: The metal frame will be more prone to bending. While exceptionally lightweight and thin (more on that later), I don’t expect it to hold up as well as the beefy (yet flexible) frame of the goodr sunglasses.

Round 1 goes to goodr!

Round 2: Clarity and Contrast

Perhaps the most important function of sunglasses is to keep your vision clear and focused. Top-performing sunglasses must provide ultra-clear optics and good contrast (made through lens tint) to help see the contours of the course. 

In this regard, there really was no contest. While it’s hard to knock the clarity provided by the polarized lens of the goodr sunglasses, the Uswing Golfer Elite 02 has some of the best optics I’ve ever experienced

Its unique gray-green tint is just “dark” enough to stop me from squinting into the sun without obstructing my view. No washed colors or hues—the Uswing Golfer Elite 02 provides real-life clarity and contrast. Seriously, it’s almost like you aren’t wearing sunglasses at all.

Round 2 goes to the Uswing Golfer Elite 02.

Round 3: Elements

Boy, this one is a toss up! 

Between rain, sweat, sunscreen and your grubby hands, your sunglasses need some semblance of water resistance and oleophobicity (oil resistance). Any unwanted oil or water can obliterate your view. 

While both sunglasses had similar performance when it comes to repelling oils, the Uswing Golfer Elite 02 had slightly better water repellency. 

This one was close but Uswing sneaks out another win.

Round 4: Fit

Round 4 provides perhaps the most contrast of all the previous rounds. Where the goodr sunglasses are more chunky and grabby, the Uswings are thinner and lighter.

Is one necessarily better than the other? That’s for you to decide. Overall, the goodr sunglasses provided a better overall fit with little to no bounce or movement when making a golf swing.

On the other hand, the Uswing sunglasses are exceptionally light, so light that you hardly notice you’re wearing them. This makes them very comfortable. However, I did notice more bounce and play when making a swing.

Again, this one is close. But based on the stellar fit, I’m going to have to go with the goodr sunglasses here. It’s like a hug for your head!

Round 4 goes to goodr.

And the Winner Is …

You. Yes, the consumer is the winner in all of this. 

Whether you want to spend as little as possible on a pair of sunglasses that get the job done or you’re looking for something premium to match your more expensive taste, you have plenty of great options. 

Think of it this way: As the low and high price outliers start to move closer and closer to the middle of the performance curve, you’re left with a healthy marketplace with options galore. 

As for me and my head? I’m rocking with goodr. That thing I mentioned about relative value? It’s just that. What’s important to me is great fit and durability (I’ve sat on a few sunglasses in my day). 

But that’s the point. What’s valuable to you may be different. In any case, whether your budget is $35 or $600, you can’t go wrong with goodr or Uswing.