“I don’t like you because you’re dangerous!”

Your pair of sport wraps are great, but they are not appropriate eye wear for every situation. Boating? Playing whiffleball? Ya Sure. Nice date? Your sister’s wedding? Ehh, not so much. Wire framed glasses are your friend in these situations, and the classic aviator frame is a great place to start.

Pretty much every manufacturer of sunglasses makes some variation on the aviator design. Some are cheap. gas station models and some are “luxury” brands that require a bailout from TARP to finance. Either way, when done right, they’re a classic style of shades that deserve a place in any guy’s repertoire (Regardless of Eric calling them cliché).

[continued after the jump]Randolph Engineering happens to be one of the few companies still making aviators where form follows function. Hardly surprising, seeing as they’ve been providing the military and NASA with these exact sunglasses for over 30 years. The time tested square frames are surprisingly hat/helmet friendly, and they are still built to military spec right in Randolph, MA. They offer multiple frame finishes, lenses, and temples (ear things); I chose the Matte Chrome, Grey Polarized lenses, and Bayonet temples, in case you were wondering. They even have a lifetime guarantee on all the solder joints of the glasses.  Reliablity - check.

In fact, Randolph is so confident that you won’t need to use their warranty service that they send a Maintenance Kit with each pair, providing extra nose pads, screws, and a mini screwdriver key chain. You won’t get as complete a coverage with these as you do with your wraps, but you’ll look sharper and still get great performance.

Editor’s Note: I’ve been wearing these shades a lot, and they truly are Mil-Spec. They look and feel far more durable than any other brand I’ve handled. Rember, Randolph’s tag line is “Serious Equipment” and, so far, I’d say they mean it.

Cost: $99-$139

Also See: Maui Jim Peahi | Ray-Ban Highstree RB 3218