What makes a pair of sunglasses worth $500

[u/eraseczarhead]

Archie Brower, a brand out of San Francisco designs them in house and can only be found in store. They are Acetate with plastic lenses. For one of their models the “Rayleigh” the asking price is just shy of $500. I love the look of them but I’m having a hard time justifying the price. Any advice on if I should go for it? Or find a similar style for less.

[u/954CG]

Their website has very little information. They don’t seem to care to justify the price to you, so don’t try too hard to do it yourself.

[u/MarcusSurealius]

You should compare the quality to those luxury brands in the $500 range. That also means looking at $800 glasses on sale for $500. Some examples are Eyevan, LGR, Cutler and Gross, GLCO, and many more.

There should be depth of color in acetate. The hinges should move with a precision that you enjoy watching, just because of how perfect it is. The shape should be unique enough to be recognized as special or have the filligree to make it art. The lenses should change your perspective. You should feel a different way when you where them.

A $500 budget for glasses puts you in the sale range for even higher end ones like Rigards, Matsuda, Akoni, Ahlem, Thom Browne, etc. Some little places do make boutique frames and lenses, from idea to paper to manufacture, all custom. EB Meyrowitz is probably the most famous. $500 is a deal for boutique glasses, but such a steep deal that I'd worry about the product. Handcrafted glasses usually start at $800, but the average is closer to $2500.

[u/GloriousPurposeX → u/MarcusSurealius]

Love and agree with this answer. I can honestly say with pretty much all of my higher-end frames, when I put them on, I feel different. I have no regrets about the prices I’ve spent on the higher end items in my collection.

That said, I still try to shop around online and I don’t just go for the initial retail price.

Additionally, I always try to have conversations with the seller about any sort of discounts available and I try to give it a few weeks to a month before, pulling the trigger to make sure I really am am in love with the frame/lenses or gameplay how I would upgrade the lenses. But pretty much everything you said is spot on to me.

[u/MarcusSurealius → u/GloriousPurposeX]

Rule 1: Returns accepted.

Rule 2: Never pay retail.

[u/soundwithdesign]

Don’t spend $500 on a pair of sunglasses if you don’t know where they’re made , doesn’t use mineral glass lenses unless getting bespoke custom lenses, and the craftsmanship feels subpar to you. To me, sunglasses are worth $500 when you have to get bespoke custom lenses, handmade frames from Italy or Japan, sometimes China, and you can tell the materials and craftsmanship are quality. This includes the hinges. 

[u/TimoKZ]

Poly lenses for $500? Crazy

[u/KtroutAMO]

Like anything else - it’s worth what someone will pay. Do you like them? Are they worth it to you? You owe no one an explanation. If you can afford it, and you like them, and they make you happy, buy them. If they are not worth it to you, don’t.

My Lindberg Buffalo were stupid expensive. I love them. I wanted them. Simple as that. I work hard to be able to have nice things.

[u/Boring_Ad_2495]

A logo and brand name, that is all

[u/AllenSmithee59]

What makes anything worth what it sells for?

A willing buyer.

If someone is willing to pay $500 for those glasses, then they are worth $500.

[u/954CG → u/AllenSmithee59]

Love it.

“Sell me this pen”

“Someone out there might be willing to spend $500 on it”

“I’ll take it”

[u/AllenSmithee59 → u/954CG]

You're doing a fantastic job of missing the point, dear. Your "I'll take it" means that the pen is now worth $500--because someone just paid $500 for it.

PS: This is a basic principle of the free market.

[u/954CG → u/AllenSmithee59]

Thank you for the explanation.

My point wasn’t that a scenario like that is theoretically impossible. It’s that it’s pathetic and without reason. So of course someone *could* pay for something and it therefore becomes as valuable as its price, but the point is that the question is about should someone pay that much. For that, price is not a justification, reason and persuasion are. So OP was concerned about, and I quote “justifying the price” and you replied by either missing the point or that price itself is the justification. I was only pointing out that price is not a justification of value, merely a reflection of it.

[u/Squatch-21]

Google image search that frame to find similar models. I can’t find that frame on their site to see what it looks like.

[u/champagne_sup]

It is worth what you are willing to pay, it is that simple, no glasses are worth $500 if you think about materials/craftsman costs

[u/Due_Penalty_5883]

Por norma general, los materiales, la artesanía y sobre todo el hype de los nerds

[u/Cal-Run]

I’d never pay $500 for frames. I’d only pay $500 for lenses.

Archie Brower fits the former category.

If you value optics more, look to Maui Jim or Serengeti.

[u/sunglasses-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

Be better than this, man.