New product lines for pilots here at Aviator Sunglasses

Well, there have been a lot of changes here at Aviator Sunglasses, not all of which are ones that I had anticipated nor appreciated.

They say change is hard to take, and after having a Retailer Agreement with Randolph Engineering, Inc. for some 20 years, they decided to terminate mine. I don't know if they have terminated anyone else's Retailer Agreement, but they did terminate mine. It seems that their CFO decided to change their marketing model from Wholesaler and Retailer to a Direct-To-Consumer model.

In other words, they are going to be the only one really selling their products. I don't know whether that is going to work out in the long run. In researching the subject on the internet, it turns out most of the companies who try it don't stay on that plan. Time will tell, I guess.

Many of my faithful Randolph sunglass customers appreciated my ability to help them with not only new Randolph sunglasses, but in addition, I was allowed to sell parts to my veteran and military customers. Somehow, the CFO (Johnathon Gillim), felt that my selling parts for Randolph sunglasses somehow diminished the value of their product. I disagree with that impression, and many of us are quite capable of making small repairs to our sunglasses.

Instead, they decided to allow Randolph sunglass owners to call or email Randolph's Service Department, relay to that department what parts they needed, and then wait for Randolph to send them an cost estimate to fix the problem for the Customer. The last time I looked there was a minimum $ 69.00 charge for the service, plus parts, to get the sunglasses back into like-new condition.

And, if any of you have ever called Randolph, you are well aware that they do not really have a Customer Service staff to talk to you on the telephone. It makes me sad to see such a great company like Randolph take this course of action.

I have been encouraging any of my former Customers to contact the owner of Randolph Engineering, Inc., a very nice gentleman by the name of Peter Waszkiewcz, by sending him an eamil at Peter Waszkiewcz.

As a result of this change, I have now been connecting with the very best companies who specialize in pilot, sports and high quality sunglasses. I have been slowly getting my Retailer Agreements in line, working on rebuilding my website to offer these new sunglass lines, and writing articles and making videos to familiarize all of you with these new companies and their product lines.

This has been an ongoing effort on my part, but we are slowly making progress, and I think all of you will find the new offerings to be ones that you will not only be interested in, but that may fill a gap in your sunglass collection.

Below is an image depicting some of the companies I am now able to sell for:

Each of these companies are looking at specific markets, and a number of them have broadened their offerings. While there are similarities between each of these product lines, each one tries to reach very specific markets through offering different lens and frame combinations.

AO Eyewear was originaly part of the American Optical Company which was founded back in 1833. Througout the years American Optical provided all kinds of optical devices like microscopes, bomb sights, prescription lenses, precscription frames and many other products. In recent times American Optical was sold off in pieces, with their Original Pilot and General Pilot lines eventually owned by Europa Eyewear, Inc. in Chicago, Illinois.

While AO still offers the Original Pilot and General Pilot sunglasses, they have ventured into more fashion styles like the Saratoga loved by President JFK, to more modern frames designed for women and men looking for a "new" look for their wardrobe.

Eagle Eyes has a large range of products they  specialize in like night driving sunglasses, pilot sunglasses, sport sunglasses, computer glasses and more. In addition, their pricing structure is very competitive in todays market, and they have upgraded their pilot aviator sunglasses with hinged bayonet temples for more comfort and security. Whether you need glasses for working on your computer, strong sports sunglasses for your favorite outdoor sport, or sunglasses for pilots or glasses for helping your eyes while driving at night, Eagle Eyes has you covered.

Flying Eyes, for eample, has a number of lines that are specific for pilots with ultra-thin frames for comfort under headsets and noise free communications with ATC, sports specific sunglasses for sports like sport shooting, motorcycling for under new helmets, and for any outdoor sports activity you can think of.  Flying Eyes also provides not only a one year warranty, but they also provide replacement lenses, prescription frames and lenses, and  they can do prescription lenses as well. Their spare parts like lenses are available at a very reasonable price of $ 69/pair.

Method Seven specializes in non-polarized pilot sunglasses specifically designed for pilots, and in particular, specialized frames and lenses designed especially for women. Their sunglasses are designed for Pilots, Trail enthusiasts, Grow buildings and just Life in general. They use two different types of lenses: Notch-Filtered polymer and polycarbonate, combined with either Titanium or TR90 frame technology.

Scheyden is a high-end line of pilot sunglasses with high-end, quality crown mineral glass or high-contrast polarized RZR lenses which are great for boating and fishing. In addition, Scheyden has an exceptional line of specialized Golf sunglasses, as well as sunglasses for skiing and other winter activities. The frames are made of Titanium or TR90 polymer for strength, durability and comfort.

My plan is to create blog posts about each of the offerings of these companies which will detail the benefits of each line, as well as background as to the materials used in their construction. There are lots of differnt ways of treating lenses, and we will be discusing that along with materials used in the frames and temples as well.

If you peruse what we already have up, and are looking for more information, please send us a message or give us a call. We are usually available, and if not we will respond to you as soon as we can.

So, until next time keep your wings straight and level.

I hope you enjoyed this blog post about Sunglasses for Pilots and Aviation Enthusiasts. If you enjoyed this trip, and if you are new to this blog, sign up to receive your own weekly blog post here: Subscribe here!