What a polarized lens does, in one paragraph
Light that bounces off a flat surface, a wet road, a car bonnet, water, glass, a pale pavement, comes back as glare, a bright sheet that hides what is under it. A polarized lens has a filter that blocks that bounced light and lets the rest through, so the road shows its surface, the water shows its depth and the colours under the glare come back. A plain tinted lens dims the glare and everything else by the same amount. The what are polarized sunglasses guide explains the filter, the polarized versus non polarized guide covers when the difference matters, and the driving sunglasses and fishing sunglasses guides cover the two places it matters most.
What you give up under $100, and what you do not
What you do not give up: the filter itself. A polarized lens at $69 cuts glare the same way a polarized lens at several times the price does; the filter is a layer in the lens, and it either works or it does not. You do not give up sun protection either, which is a separate property of the lens material and its treatment, and which the UV400 sunglasses guide explains; a polarized lens and a plain lens from the same maker protect the same.
What separates a good pair under $100 from a bad one is everything around the filter. The frame material: polished acetate or metal that holds its shape, against a moulded plastic that goes soft in a hot car; the acetate sunglasses guide and metal frame sunglasses guide cover the two. The hinge: a proper hinge with screws you can tighten, or a screwless one, against a pin that works loose. The fit: nose pads or a bridge cut for your nose, against a one-size saddle. The return window, so a pair that does not fit can go back. And the honesty of the listing: a pair that says polarized on the product page and has the tag to match. Those are the things to pay for; the filter is not the expensive part any more.
How to check a pair
Before you buy, look for the word polarized on the product page itself and a filter or a tag that says so, not only in the title. After it arrives, the screen test: hold the pair in front of a phone or laptop screen and turn it slowly; a polarized lens goes dark at one angle and clears at another, and a plain lens does not change. The how to tell if sunglasses are polarized guide has the test with the variations. If a pair sold as polarized fails the test, send it back.
Fit matters more than the price
A polarized pair that slides down the nose is a worse buy than a plain pair that stays put, because the filter only works where the lens is, and a lens that has dropped below the eye line is filtering your cheek. The checks are the same as for any sunglass: the frame reaches the sides of the face, the eyes sit near the centre of each lens, the lower edge clears the cheeks when you smile, and the frame stays put when you look down. On a nose that does not rise much between the eyes, a frame cut for a lower nose bridge, or a metal frame with adjustable pads, keeps the lens where it should be; many of our frames are cut that way, and the low bridge fit sunglasses collection lists them. The how should sunglasses fit guide has the full set of checks, and the how to clean sunglasses guide covers keeping a polarized lens clear without scratching it.
MUJOSH polarized sunglasses under $100
Ten pairs from the polarized sunglasses collection at $99 or less, with polarization stated on each product page, by price. Every one is acetate, metal, TR90 or titanium, every one ships from US stock with the store's return window, and nine of the ten have a lower bridge cut or adjustable nose pads. Prices as listed on 27 October.
- Cinnamon, $69: an oversized flush-mount acetate square, polarized, cut for a lower nose bridge, in dark tortoise or black. The lowest priced polarized pair in the range and the place to start.
- Jasmin, $79: an oversized cat eye in Italian acetate, polarized, low bridge fit, in black or red. The women's classic; the polarized cat eye sunglasses guide has the rest of the cat eyes.
- Maga KC, $79: a metal flat top square with flush-mount polarized lenses, nose pads and a low bridge fit, in a blue gradient mirror or a second colourway. The sharpest shape at the price.
- Ban Habit, $79: an oval cat eye with a defined brow line, polarized on both colourways, low bridge fit, in amber brown. The everyday soft cat eye.
- Flashback, $79: a square with an acetate front and slim metal temples, polarized on every colourway, cut for a lower nose bridge, including an orange gradient on a pale crystal front. The fashion pair with the filter.
- Vintage Narrow, $89, in BB: a narrow black acetate cat eye, polarized, low bridge fit. The sixties shape.
- Techon, $89: a compact cat eye in ultra-light TR90, polarized, three colourways. The lightest pair here and the one for a small face.
- Lix, $99: an oversized acetate square, polarized, low bridge fit, in black or two translucent greys. The big square for men and women.
- Dixrea, $99: a polished acetate square with polarized grey lenses and small rivets, low bridge fit, in burgundy, black or grey crystal with a silver mirror. The polished one.
- Pearl-Accented, $99: a rimless diamond-cut lens on titanium temples with a pearl accent, polarized, adjustable nose pads, in a lilac gradient or silver with grey. Titanium and rimless under $100.
The polarized sunglasses for men and polarized sunglasses for women guides sort the same range by who wears it, and the sunglasses collection has the non-polarized pairs beside them.
The bottom line
Polarized sunglasses under $100 give you the whole filter and the whole protection; what the price decides is the frame around them, the hinge, the fit and the return window, so buy the pair that says polarized on its product page, passes the screen test, is made of acetate, metal, TR90 or titanium, and sits level on your nose. In the MUJOSH range that is ten pairs from $69 to $99: Cinnamon to start, Jasmin, Maga KC, Ban Habit and Flashback at $79, Vintage Narrow and Techon at $89, and Lix, Dixrea and Pearl-Accented at $99.
Dark and polarized are separate properties; the dark sunglasses guide explains which one a bright day needs.
The price led version, with the non-polarized pairs and what any pair under $100 should give you, is the affordable sunglasses guide.
Frequently asked questions
Are cheap polarized sunglasses any good?
The filter is the same at any price; what varies is the frame, the hinge, the fit and whether the listing is honest. A pair under $100 in acetate, metal, TR90 or titanium, with polarized stated on the product page and a frame that sits level, is a good pair. Check it with the screen test when it arrives.
Are expensive sunglasses worth it?
Not for the polarized filter or the sun protection, which do not improve with price. A higher price can buy better materials, a better hinge, a better fit and a design you prefer, and those are worth paying for up to a point. Past that point you are paying for the name.
How do I know if cheap sunglasses are really polarized?
Hold them in front of a phone or laptop screen and turn them slowly: a polarized lens goes dark at one angle and clears at another, and a plain lens stays the same. If a pair sold as polarized does not change, return it.
Which MUJOSH polarized sunglasses are under $100?
Cinnamon ($69), Jasmin, Maga KC, Ban Habit and Flashback ($79), Vintage Narrow in BB and Techon ($89), and Lix, Dixrea and Pearl-Accented ($99), each polarized per its product page.
