By now we have all noticed photos of Joe Biden wearing a pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses.
According to an article in The Washington Post by Chris Cillizza on August 16, 2014, the first time people noticed Joe’s Ray-Ban’s was on February 12, 2009, at an event in Boise, Idaho.
The article is titled “A man and his Ray-Bans: The story of Joe Biden’s sunglasses“, along with some very interesting comments.
Joe Biden Joins Instagram
You can find his Instagram account at vp44. Here you will find lots of images, many of which show President Biden wearing his Ray-Ban sunglasses.
But, what do Joe Biden’s Ray-Ban sunglasses have to do with this blog post?
Well, in my humble opinion Randolph Engineering has a better version of tear-drop-shaped sunglasses than Luxottica’s Ray-Bans!
Betty’s Ray-Bans
As most of you know, I am a pilot, and for many years I taught a lot of people how to fly airplanes.
Back in 1976, I was asked by the owner of a Fix Base Operator in Mason, MI to take on a very attractive young woman as a student.
Her name was Betty Alicia Muscott, and unlike most of the young women who came to me for flying lessons, this young woman really did want to get a pilot’s license.
Many of the girls back in the day would take lessons until they soloed, and then they never completed their training to get the Private Pilot’s license.
But not this young woman!
As a reward for earning her Private Pilot license, the first thing she did was to buy a pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses.
Now she felt like a real pilot!
1987 Arrives
As it happened, both Betty and I found ourselves single in 1984, and 3 years later in 1987, we were married.
Here is a photo of us beside her J-3 Cub:
Years earlier I learned about aviator sunglasses when I learned to fly back in 1960 when I earned my Private Pilot license.
I took flying lessons while I was in the USAF at a local airport flying Cessna 172 aircraft in San Angelo, Texas.
I quickly understood how important sunglasses were, and so I went to our PX (Post Exchange) where I discovered American Optical Original Pilot and American Optical General sunglasses.
Back then the sunglasses were around $ 20, as I recall.
Over the years I found myself replacing them as the sweat from my head interacted with the temples. This caused them to turn an ugly green which was difficult to get off.
Randolph Engineering, Inc. Sunglasses
Back in the 1980s, I became aware of Randolph Aviator sunglasses, so I decided to give them a try and see if they were better than my old AOs.
I tried on the Randolph Aviators, which were very similar to the AO Eyewear Original Pilot sunglasses, and decided to give them a try.
The rest, as they say, is history. I signed up and became a Randolph dealer and have been for the last 20+ years.
But, I remain an AO Eyewear dealer as well and have been for more than 30 years.
The Ray-Ban Aviator
I became familiar with the Ray-Ban aviator when my wife and I married, and the first thing I found was that the temples are very thin, almost like wire.
The frame also is quite thin, and it is very easy to bend the temples and the frame.
This can be annoying, to say the least.
And now manufacturing of Ray-Ban sunglasses has been moved offshore to either China or Italy for the Ray-Ban Aviator.
Luxottica has been buying up a lot of sunglass manufacturers and provides sunglasses for a lot of well know names like Versace, Dolce & Gabbana, Michael Kors, Oakley, Persol, Prada, and many more.
All of their sunglasses are made either in China or in Italy now.
The Randolph Engineering Concorde
When you compare a pair of Ray-Ban Aviators with the Randolph Concorde sunglasses you will immediately notice the difference in the frame and temples.
Now take a look at a pair of Randolph Engineering Concorde sunglasses with the Ray-Ban Aviator and note the differences.
As you can plainly see both the front frame and temples are much more substantial, making them more difficult to bend or twist.
Because Randolph Engineering Concorde sunglass frames are made with 18% nickel silver eyewire the temples (those arms that go back from the front and over your ears) are much stronger than those flimsy temples you can see with the Ray Bans.
The Concorde is Made in the USA by Randolph Engineering, Inc., an American Manufacturer located in Randolph, MA.
My wife has a pair of older Ray Ban sunglasses and she is frustrated by how the temples keep getting bent and misshapen. She replaced them with a pair of Randolph Engineering Aviators which she loves, and now only uses her Ray-Ban sunglasses when working out in her garden.
She found the Aviator to be more comfortable on her face than the Concorde.
Watch A Video On Randolph Concorde Sunglasses:
Get A Pair Of Concorde Sunglasses
You can find your very own pair of Randolph Concorde sunglasses on our Randolph Engineering Concorde page.
In the meantime, keep your eyes safe and focused on what’s ahead of you Hersch!
