Polarized Sun glasses

[Jim Almquist]

I have a prescription pair of RayBans with glass lens that are very nice for driving and 2 pair of Costa's for fishing when I wear my contacts. the second pair I got for half off when Gander moved. I am not sure if there is such a thing as a bad pair but I know when I forget them just how much strain it puts on my eyes. I like the amber color best for site fishing and gray for driving.

[bassNspear]

i have 3 pairs of oakleys and love them. there light weight and work awesome for fishing! Know what they say, cant fish good, gotta look good!

[traveler]

I origially got my Costas on a 1/3 off sale as well. And glass lenses all the way. They're a little heavier, but stay scratch free.

[itchmesir]

I got a pair of Native Eyewear earlier this year.. and absolutely love them.. great glasses... can see clearly into the water and they have little vents up top to help reduce fogging.. not 100% effective but more effective than my cheapos i have

PS: campmor has ridiculous clearance sale on Smith and Native Eyewear right now.. you'd be a fool not to jump on the savings

[Tator2k]

I got 3 par of costas on sale last spring. All three different lens types, just so I could compare. The basic polycarbonate lens were a nice upgrade over my cheapies. But jumping to the 400s and then the 560s in glass, there no comparison. If you haven't tied pair in sunlight you really won't know what the difference is.

I my case I have huge halo and glare problems since I had Lasik 6 years ago. So I wear sunglasses every chance I can get.

[magnum mike]

Like SkunkedAgain, I once had terrific vision. After my last flight physical a few years ago I had 20:10 and 20:7 vision. Every time I add a candle to the birthday cake, things get worse. I now wear glasses at work. The sun is hard on EVERYTHING including your eyes. I have always believed in good sunnys. I started with Vuarnet Cat's Eyes back in the early 80's. I now wear Costa 580s in bright sun and have found no equal. They are heavy and spendy. They are also durable, comfortable and provide superior protection for my eyes. Like anything else, buy the best quality you can afford and take care of it and it should last for many years.

[mrklean]

i like my oakleys that's the only sun glass i ever owned 2 pairs have lasted me almost 15 years, i might look for another pair pretty soon. There are tons of great brands out there though

[FWA]

I went and tried several Costa del Mar and Maui Jim glasses at Richard's and none of them fit very well. A pair of Ray Bans fit great, so I went home and bought them on ebays for 30% less.

[Tator2k]

Sierra Trading post will usually have some Costa's and other on sale for 50% off in the spring.

[BigSling]

Anyone have a hands on comparison between the Costa 580 glass and 580P poly lenses? I prefer much lighter shades and Costa seems very confident in how much more scratch resistant the 580P is over other poly lenses. Haven't had a chance to test out the 580P in person myself yet.

[Duffman]

Never pay full price for a pair of sunglasses. There are too many great deals on nice sunglasses both in the stores and online to ever pay full price. I used to be a cheapies guy, now I just buy decent pairs for cheap. Problem is, those type of deals (75% off) only seem to come around every few months, and I'm casually keeping an eye out for them constantly.

It's not the type of thing you do if your searching for sunglasses for this weekends trip, you have to plan ahead while also having a "impulse buy" attitude. If you're in the market, or will be in the next few months, don't pass up a killer deal.

The problem with better shades is they last so much longer than the cheapies, I've passed up on some Costa glass polarized shades in the $45 range within the past year. I kick myself somewhat, but I really didn't need them.

And no, even though I've seen my sources mentioned on HSO, I'm not mentioning them, y'all are the competition.

[401TE]

I went from Native's to Costa's recently and there is a HUGE difference between the plastic lenses i had in my Natives and the 580 Green Mirror glass in the Costas. Like seeing things in HD versus regular tv. You can find Costas on e bay for $150 shipped that retail for $249. My Natives cost me $150 in a store. Get the Costas and don't look back.

[bASS_BLASTER]

" One I left in a rental car, the other fell out as I reached for a fish near the stillwater bridge and one was destroyed by ex-girlfriend "

Was that before or after you guys broke up????? :)

That was before. Funny thing is, I miss my sunglasses more then I miss her.

I think Fox 9 or Kare 11 did a story on this a while back and some experts did say say $200 + polarized are just as good as the $30 - $70. For the extra money you're only paying for the name brand and high tech materials, such as flex plastic, titanium, etc. The polarized coating lens do not cost $300.

After owning high price polarized glasses to using low end prices, I do not see a difference. Only way I see is brown/orange lens make everything look HD, black ones darkens everything and works great for the very sunny days, blue just intensify everything and less of a naturally view. That being said, Polarized is Polarized so I think its all in the head.

[traveler]

I won't argue polarized=polarized (I would have, but I'll give your evidence the benifit of the doubt) but...

I think theres more to it. I've been wearing my Costas for close to 10 years. (Don't leave home without them, seriously.) But still...I find myself somewhere without them occsionally. Then I end up borrowing/buying a cheap pair cause my eyes are pretty used to shades. SOMETHING is different, and it isn't my imagination. My eyes get tired/weird. Plus, years ago, before I'd ever heard of good shades, I was always rubbing my eyes after a day of bright sun with the cheapo's I had then.

I'm thinking distortation is the culprit. My glass lensed Costas are likely just better glass (I don't know how else to put it)

Cheap plastics bend, flex...?? and are more prone to lots of little scratches...not enough to toss them, (need those occasional backups) but they can't help visability.

Day to day, I'm pretty darn sure my Costas are better for my eyes, and it isn't the brand name or the titanium.

[zamboni]

I've own many oakleys in the past. One I left in a rental car, the other fell out as I reached for a fish near the stillwater bridge and one was destroyed by ex-girlfriend.

1995, USS Holland, Guam- walked up to the quarterdeck, removed hat faced flag, requested permission to come aboard, heard Oakleys make a splash landing into the Pacific. Glasses were on my hat brim. $%#@!!!!!!!!!!!

[Swimmer]

My sympathies for your losses.

Beware of the real cheap models. They can artificially open your pupils and let in unfiltered UV rays.

I agree the Costa's are great glasses. You can't beat the cool factor of the green lenses...gives the deep sea flare. I have, however, a problem with heavy lenses/glasses...they press down on my nose and/or squeeze my temples and I get headaches. So personally, I now go with Smith Action Optics polarized that have smaller high tech lenses and super lite titanium frames (on sale at Thorn Bros for $150...still a good ouch!). I've wrecked two pair and Smith sends me new ones upon request...no questions asked.

[bASS_BLASTER]

Quote:

a problem with heavy lenses/glasses...they press down on my nose and/or squeeze my temples and I get headaches.

This was one of the reasons why I switch from Oakley to Maui Jim. Maui's are ultra light, you won't even feel a thing at the end of the day.

No lie, expense glasses do feel better.

[dobiel]

Maui Jim all the way. I have a pair with their newer Evolution poly lenses and there is just no comparison in comfort to glass lenses. The slight advantage you get with glass lenses is negated by the weight factor. Once you put on a pair of quality poly lenses you'll never go back to a glass lense again. Why do you think that Costa came out with a poly 580. Twice the comfort for 10% less lense clarity makes poly lenses the only choice for fishermem who wear their sunglasses for 10-12 hour days. It makes a huge difference in fatigue. At the end of a long day the comfort factor is all that matters.

[LightningBG]

Not to pick on LightningBG, but he pays on average $75/year on the $30 dollar glasses. Over 6 years, that's $450. We spent about $180 on each of ours. If you can take care of them it is definetly worth buying the quality sunglasses.

I cant take care of them. I lose them, break them, scratch them like its nobody's business. I wear them almost every day of the year, so they take some abuse getting put into coat pockets and whatnot when I go into stores, dropped into lakes, sat on, scratched by branches, etc. You name it, its happened to my glasses.

And I'm not buying the super knockoff $6 gas station glasses. I've had some of those over the years that strained my eyes. It was almost like they had a slight prescription. What I get for $30 are decent branded sunglasses from a sunglass store (sunglass world in Albertville)

[BigSling]

Anyone tried H3O glasses? I'm curious how easy it is to damage/break the poly lenses when changing between colors.

[tunrevir]

LBG, for 75 bucks you can still get your Costas repaired after a scratch or break versus the brand new cost. I did an experiemnt this year and baught the Big C brand and the Costas at the same time. BigC is going to be my work glasses for out in the woods ect. Costas for the times when I am out enjoying myself.

Tunrevir~

[Tator2k]

I have one pair for the everyday stuff. but keep two pairs of Costsa jsut for fishing, nothing else.

[OnAFly]

I've got some H3Os I got about 4 years ago. They weigh nothing, are comfortable, and have good polarization on the lenses. They came with 3 sets of interchangeable lenses (gray, amber, yellow) so I use them for pretty much everything.

For $100, I'm happy with them.

[dan z]

I have never found a pair that passed the pair of Polareyes I had a few years back. I forgot them at valleyfair on on of the gift shop ledges outside I have had many cheap pairs and now I'm going back to a great pair again this spring. IMO spend the money and you will take care of them. think about it two pairs of cheepo's twice a year every year or a great pair every 3-4 years...

[LightningBG]

LBG, for 75 bucks you can still get your Costas repaired after a scratch or break versus the brand new cost. I did an experiemnt this year and baught the Big C brand and the Costas at the same time. BigC is going to be my work glasses for out in the woods ect. Costas for the times when I am out enjoying myself.

Tunrevir~

Unfortunately that wont do me much good when I lose them.