Things WORTH importing

Legion said:

American Optical original pilots glasses.


I'll start with this one, which is a recent discovery, thanks to the B&B enablers in the Haberdashery section.

I had never heard of this brand, and as far as I know, they are not imported here. The girls in the Sunglasses Hut and David Jones didn't know what I was talking about when I asked, anyway.

For the price, these things are great. I would put them on a par with the Rayban aviators, except the squared frames look better on my face. These glasses seem to be popular issue to American Military, and you can find pictures of them on everyone from Douglas MacArthur to many of the early astronauts. And Tom Cruise.

The ones I got have grey glass lenses, and are not polarised. You can get polarised, but I got the non because a) they are cheaper, and b) they are more traditional. Pilots tended to not want polarisation as it can make the instruments in the aircraft hard to read, and maybe seeing out of the canopy as well? For me it makes it easier to read my phone. Top Gun.

But the lenses are very good, and the metal frames seem well made. They have bayonet arms, rather than ones that wrap over the ears. I thought this might be an issue, but they seem comfy and secure enough.

The thing that I cannot test yet is how durable to dropping and squashing they might be, and how easy they bend back into shape. This is important, as I am pretty hard on sunglasses. I also do not yet know how the materials will hold up to me sweating all over them when I cycle in the summer. Time will tell.

But I got them for about $60US posted, so I figured they were worth a punt, and they were. They look pretty sharp, actually. While they may not be the ideal cheap cycling glasses I bought them for, they will suit sitting outside coffee shops and perving on women walking past, and that is important as well. Especially since I now look like Don Draper. Well, close.

Click to expand...

johnmrson said:

Japanese Mandom aftershave. I think Luc put me on to it. Really hard to find but it's great. A subtle light citrus based scent.

Click to expand...

Mark1966 said:

I gave in!

Looked at Amazon but shipping was calculating at the same cost as the glasses! Ended up buying through the same sellers' eBay store - $USD55 posted so $AUD65. Not a bad price. I got the black frame with grey non-polarized lenses.

Looking forward to seeing what they are like

Click to expand...

Lifes a Peach said:

Been using shampoo bars for ages. Can't find any decent ones locally so I purchase from the U.S. Postage being a killer I buy as many as a prepaid box will fit.
I've tried a few but Chagrin Valley Soaps is my regular.

Click to expand...

Legion said:

How does a shampoo bar work? Is it just a stick of soap you rub on your head?

Click to expand...

Lifes a Peach said:

Pretty much. Rub the bar on your wet hair and lather up with your hands. Same fashion as you would use a shave stick and brush.

Click to expand...

Legion said:

Cool. I got the matt silver with the grey lenses.

Click to expand...

Robster said:

Let's see them on then.

Click to expand...

Luc said:

That's an old picture Mark!

Click to expand...

Mark1966 said:

Yeah, but I haven't aged Luc!

Click to expand...