Belay glasses for cheap.
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I just did a quick search looking to buy a pair of belay glasses and noticed that they all seem to come to around $80-100. However, a bunch of reading glasses with the prisms facing downward (whereas belay glasses face upward) came up as well for about $7. Has anyone tried flipping the prisms in cheap downward-facing reading glasses? |
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TeeJay Heaslip wrote:I just did a quick search looking to buy a pair of belay glasses and noticed that they all seem to come to around $80-100. However, a bunch of reading glasses with the prisms facing downward (whereas belay glasses face upward) came up as well for about $7. Has anyone tried flipping the prisms in cheap downward-facing reading glasses? Or, do you feel self-conscious looking like the dude from Star Trek and want to send me your old pair of now-unused belay glasses?http://belayglass.blogspot.com $39.95 |
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Y&Y belay glasses are good and fit over normal vision correcting or sun glasses. About $60. |
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I second Mark's recommendation of Mike's Belay Glasses. They are well made and work great. |
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Ebay has lots of them for under $40 |
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We have Belay Shades Belay Glasses now at blicard.com/products/belay-…. |
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The prisms are fixed in the reading glass, but you can take the legs off and swap them to get the glasses to fit upside down. Then file the bridge down to comfortize it where it fits on your nose. |
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TeeJay Heaslip wrote:Has anyone tried flipping the prisms in cheap downward-facing reading glasses?Yep. I used a dremel to cut them out flip and glued in with modeling glue. ~$8 and about 20 minutes. They look kinda ghetto, but are functional and cheap. |
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Genius |
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Leave it to the Chinese! They'll produce anything for any market nook or cranny. |
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amazing how expensive those belay glasses are! I will eventually get around to making some out of the cheap reading glasses. |
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Anyone tried the ones that are ~$6 on eBay? |
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I bought the "bed specs" from amazon ($18). Then I unscrewed the arms and switched right for left (which turns them upside down). I filed the (wide) arms down a bit so that Chums (or other retainers) could slip over them, so that you can have them around your neck when not in use. They ride high, due to the shape of the upside down nose piece, but I find this to be an asset rather than a disadvantage (easier to see what is in front of you). |
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I converted the $7 glasses. I cut off the prism with a steak knife and glued them into the new angle. They worked great |
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Just look up!!! You don't need glasses. |
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I've tried the DIY ones, they just make the job and you don't see the rope and the floor. |
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interesting that all DIY belay glasses are the same... and therefore whatever you are trying to sell us is better. |
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IMHO, converting cheap reading glasses into a pair suitable for belaying is a great idea for giving them a try. Theres no point paying £50+ for gear that you're unsure about. They save a lot of people from belayers neck pain but I've heard others complain of dizziness and are reluctant to use. |
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I bought the le piret glasses and the angle is good only if you are standing back quite a ways from the base or you still have to look up a bit which still engages the muscles that get tired in your neck. I'm not sure if the more expensive ones have a better angle. I would rather be looking down just a bit then if you are lead belaying on overhanging climbs you are looking straight ahead. |
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Marc Syrene wrote: Y&Y do, I can stand right against the wall and barely tilt my head at all. 5 feet away from the wall I look straight ahead. |