Best Polarized Sunglasses

[Scott M]

I'm a polarized sunglasses lover. Once you figure out that you can use them to sight fish, there's no other sunglasses that I wanted. I'm a substance over style kind of guy.

I used to buy whatever cheapies I found on the revolving rack, but you always got what you paid for and in time I'd lose them or wreck them. I never tried the expensive Costa Del Mars or Oakleys, even though they have good replacement policies, only because I'm just as apt to lose them as I am to wreck them.

Recently, I had pretty good luck with a pair of Field and Stream mirrored lenses on a sporty frame that I found at Sam's Club. They lasted me a couple years before I scratched them up a little too much. The case they came with was pretty nice. For $25, the price was right for as much as I used them. I bought another pair and they are even made a little bit better as I've noticed the lenses have hardly scratched with the same amount of wear. I can recommend the F&S sunglasses, but what I came here to post about was the workwear glasses I got at Grainger.

I bought a pair of scratch resistant, ANSI approved, mirrored, sporty, polarized sunglasses for about $40. They have been absolutely bulletproof for a couple years now. Edge Eyewear is the maker. They have a little better quality material in the frame and the hinges are tough as nails. They are right at my top end for sunglasses (since I'm one misplaced pair away from a tantrum), but man have they been good.

If you are a sunglasses user and are looking for a pair, I hope this thread helps.

[luckydog25]

Thanks! I have been an buying a new pair of Oakley's every 2 to 3 years because I always end up scratching the carp our of them. I will be happy to try a much less expensive pair that hopefully holds up better.

[delcecchi]

You can buy replacemtn lenses for your oakleys. Outrageous, but cheaper than new.

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

Outdoor Life, May 2013 issue, page 14. They tested several.

I'll have to check out the ones you recommended. Thanks!

[DTro]

I'll have to check them out. A little on the high end for my price range as I like to "throw" mine in the river, step on them, sit on them etc etc.

Sunglasses are my nemesis, I still remember my $250 Maui Jims whizzing through the air at about 30mph on the river one night. At that point I said NO MORE. Now its $15 Fleet Farm specials for this guy.

[Nhamm]

Campmor.com. I am one of those step on drop in lake or scratch the lenses to ell kind of guy too but you can pick up some nice glasses for cheap. Got some Natives for $40 originally $110 and can't tell you how awesome they are compared to the cheapies I bought for years. Will never go back. Be careful and look at the sizes before ordering most are usually the small and large sizes that didn't sell in store.

[delcecchi]

costco has some maui jims for 70 or 80 bucks. non current models, I believe.

Also Ray-Bans.

[setterguy]

Costas. I've tried them all and these are by far my favorite so far.

[BoxMN]

Luxury once tasted becomes a necessity. Maui Jims

[hardcore365]

Well whatever you choose cheap or expensive spend the 12$ on a leash for them. Saved mine more times that I can remember.

[shooter_mcgavin]

The rubber nose piece disconnected from the frame on my first pair of Costas after about a year. My second pair, the rubber piece is starting to wear. Could be sun exposure from leaving them in my car. I will say the glass lens quality is very good.

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

Outdoor Life, May 2013 issue, page 14.

"Amber lenes are good for sandy bottoms on partly cloudy days, while dark amber, or copper is better when targeting fish in grass and weeds on bright sunny days. Gray lenses simply reduce overall brightness."

[TSchultz]

"Amber lenes are good for sandy bottoms on partly cloudy days, while dark amber, or copper is better when targeting fish in grass and weeds on bright sunny days. Gray lenses simply reduce overall brightness."

I found none of that to be the case when I did a test myself between Costas and Maui Jim as far as lens color is concerned. Grey was actually the best option in more cases than you might think, except low light and overcast. Below were my findings in lens color.

Recently I decided that it was time for a new pair of sunglasses. I have always felt that high quality sunglasses were worth it over the $20 gas station specials. Of which I've owned my fair share, both high and low end and have been wearing a pair of cheapies regularly for the past year. Costa Del Mar have been touted as the best of the best by many in the fishing industry. I researched them heavily and found a dizzying array of lens colors; green mirror, copper, amber, silver mirror, etc. So I went to the Costa site and ordered several pairs and did the same with Maui Jim, and gave them a head to head comparison. What follows is my review of the pairs that I ordered. I should note that this is a generally for low light/amber colored glasses, as I do own a pair of grey lens Maui Jim's from my flying days.

This test was performed on lake Alexander MN, which is a pretty clear lake with green vegetation just starting to grow up due to the late spring. I tested all glasses in shallow water with weeds, without weeds, with a decent choppy wind, and dead calm. I generally would anchor to where I could just barely see weeds dropping off into deep water and switch between glasses to see just how well/deep I could see the weeds. I also cast several lures out to see how they were affected by the lens' color and wind. The day started bright and sunny with a few puffy clouds. When the sun dropped lower in the horizon it also dropped behind heavy clouds giving more of an overcast feel to the light, then finally low enough where it could be considered very low light near dark.

Maui Jim Grey glass lens - This is very good bright sunny day lens, to be honest I was surprised how low in the horizon the sun could be and grey would still out perform the amber colored lenses. Unless the sky is actually overcast or heavily cloudy I think you will see better performance out of a grey lens rather than any amber/copper lens in sunny or partly to even mostly cloudy conditions.

Maui Jim Amber glass lens - This is an excellent lens for lower light conditions. In fact I would consider this pretty much a tie with the Costa silver mirror 580G lens.

Costa Silver Mirror 580G - Excellent lens for lower light conditions, and more or less tied with the Maui Amber for ability to view weeds and lures the furthest distance from the boat, when compared to other amber/copper lens'. In brighter conditions grey is still your best bet.

Costa Green Mirror 580G - This was the surprise to me since I see so many people with this lens. In my opinion it was the worst lens for ability to see lures or weeds from a distance. The lens color is a bit darker than the Costa silver mirror, but it is higher contrast. I think the trap that people may fall into with this lens is that when trying it on in the store the color definitely gives more "pop" to items that you are looking at. Unfortunately I did not feel that this "cooler" looking color actually translated to being able to see farther into the water. The small wavelets that form on bigger waves in a choppy wind I feel have more glare than with the Costa silver mirror lens or MJ amber. That being said it is still an excellent lens, and this is a very critical review.

Costa Sunrise lens 580P - This was the only plastic lens tested out of the group because it is available in plastic. This is a yellow colored lens specifically meant for low light to very low light conditions. In bright light it was better than no sunglasses since it is still polarized, but it was just far too bright. If you want a pair of glasses specifically for that last 20-45 minutes this is the one for you. I watched small baitfish circle around the boat and they really did pop out better than the other amber colored glasses. Their downside is that I feel the peripheral glare on the water is maybe a bit higher than the Maui Jim green lens.

Maui Jim Green high contrast lens glass - This was the surprise out of the group, and it's ability to see in the water. It's a fairly light colored lens, lighter than all the other lens' with the exception of Costa sunrise. Even in bright conditions it worked pretty well, but not as well as the true grey lens. This lens also worked very well in low light conditions, I could see the small baitfish very well, and it had better peripheral glare reduction over the Costa sunrise lens. In the last 10-15 minutes of extreme low light conditions the sunrise lens did outperform the Maui green lens, but not by a lot. So if you are looking for a good low light lens that can double in any light condition should you forget your other pair this is an excellent choice. If you are looking for the best you can get in the last few minutes go with the sunrise lens.

Cheapie $20 amber lens - Polarized lenses are obviously better than nothing and they do a very passable job of seeing into the water. They are not as good as the high end glass lens' though, especially the peripheral glare.

Conclusion - None of these high end lens' are so much better than another to be considered a magic bullet, or see feet deeper or farther into the water than the other. In my opinion Maui Jim is right there with Costa as far a ability to see, and anyone who says different I think has some brand bias going on. I went into this expecting that Costa would win on pretty much every level, which just wasn't the case. So go with whatever fits your face the best, and do not count grey lens' out in bright/semi-bright conditions. I know Amber/copper lens' are the hot item right now, and I like them as well, especially for everyday wear, but when it comes to seeing fish, weeds, and your lure, grey does a better job in many cases.

As far as me, I think I am going to keep the Maui Jim Amber lens, I just happen to like the Maui style a bit better than the Costa, it could have easily gone the other way. I'm also keeping the Costa Sunrise lens for extreme low light, and I already own a pair of Maui Grey lens' that will do the job for that regard.

Hope this helps some people.

[ozzie]

wow that is a crazy and pretty good test but I will stand behind the Costa 580G lenses all day long!!! Not only are they scratch "proof" they are tough as nails. I have dropped my sunglasses and had many instances that my old glasses (Bolle and Oakley) would have been scratched without a doubt and have yet to scratch these lenses!! I wear the glasses for everything and recently I was playing softball and had a hard grounder jump at my face playing shortstop and I was able to get my teeth out of the way but the ball hit me right in the side of the head on my frame of the sunglasses and to my surprise they held up to the punishment...the impact was so hard that the frames had the stiches of the ball on them and my head is still swollen and tender but the sunglasses held up!! I won't go with another brand or type of lens after the last 2 years wearing Costas.

[FYGR8]

I have two pair of Edge Eyewear and so far they have been very good without breaking the bank.

[Mid-Lake Rock]

Costa 580 fan, myself. At ICAST, a company named Gill released a new light of polarized glasses that float. Checked out their HSOforum and the are $80-$90 depending on the model. They look like most other shades on the market. The floatation is why I'm interested. Anyone have an info on Gill products?

[RuKiddingMe]

I have a pair of Peppers green mirror amber lens that float. My main glasses are, Tifosi photochromatic green, native dash ss sliver mirror/gray, native dash ss amber and the peppers.

Solarbats - greem mirror/amber where really good also but I managed to scratch up the mirroring.

[mnguy152]

i got a pair of costa very nice first real pair i ever bought i wear them every day and love them.

[picksbigwagon]

I used to cringe everytime I bought replacement lenses for my oakly's....last summer I switched to Sundog's Photocromatic Polazied lenses. Only glasses I will ever buy again

[ZachD]

I have a pair of "kaenon - arlo" love them

[PerchJerker]

Another fan of Costas here. I wear the polycarb lenses because they're a bit lighter and more comfortable, but when you're out in natural light I think the glass lenses are a bit sharper and more crisp. Hard to complain about the 580P lenses though ......

[Craigums]

Did you guys buy your Costa's online? I'm looking for some 580G's in Silver Mirror (Harpoon frame) and nobody local seems to have them. I'm not opposed to buying online but I'd like to have them for this weekend.

[bassfshin24]

I bought mine on the bay of E for $70 cheaper than what they are online ;-)

[Chris Haley]

Alright so here's one for ya! I'm 50 and need cheaters to get the line through a jig head/hook. Can't find a quality polarized lense with a 1.5 - 1.75 lens at the bottom. Anybody ever run accross a quality pair with cheater lenses?

[Chris Haley]

Oh, and I can get all the polarized/cheaters I want from L&m Fleet for $20-$25. Just would like to get a higher end lense.

[Shorelunch]

Alright so here's one for ya! I'm 50 and need cheaters to get the line through a jig head/hook. Can't find a quality polarized lense with a 1.5 - 1.75 lens at the bottom. Anybody ever run accross a quality pair with cheater lenses?

Chris, Costa has reader lenses. I'm looking at a pair of Fathoms on their HSOforum with a 1.75 lens.