Best Sunglasses?
 

I am ready to buy my 1st set of good sunglasses. Looking online at reviews has drove me nuts and no closer to best selection. I have seen this topic on here before but cannot find it. Can someone point me back to previous thread or chime in.
1. Brand/Model?
2. Color lens?
3. Poly or glass?

Thanks

i have costas 580 lenses. I love them. I've never tried any other brand so really cant compare them to others. My advice is go somewhere with a good selection and try on several pairs untill one fits right on your face.

At the rate that I lose them, break them, and otherwise have bad experiences with the expensive ones, I now buy $5.00 Walmart specials, 4-5 pairs at a time.

That is me also, buy 4- packs, thought maybe at 57 years old, if I paid a bunch, I might take better care.

Whatever you get, make sure they are polarized. I find most of the Bolle or Costa options between $30 and $50 are pretty good, and if you're going to take them fishing and get them covered in salt and slime, you don't want to spend more than that. Better to buy those mid tier models, and then you don't mind replacing them in a couple of years. And, if they get lost or broken, it's not a big deal.

I've had a bunch of people tell me about their awesome sunglasses. I've tried them all, and I've owned a few of them. They are no better than my $30 Bolle pair. It's just a fad and a fashion statement... nothing else.

kaenon or ocean waves...thank me later.......
If you fish more inshore go green offshore go blue
poly is lighter
glass is easier to clean.....when offshore that is a big deal

I like Costas 580's. The glass lenses don't scratch as easily and are not that heavy to wear all day. Make sure whatever brand name you get, that they fit and feel well on your face. Hate buying glasses and my ears or nose start hurting after having them on for more than 3 hrs.

Check out Action Specialties, New Iberia, has the best selection and many styles, to try. Inshore, would recommend the green mirror, really does the trick in low light and great for sight fishing. I drive with mine and love them, and wear them around the house much more than I would have thought. Also have the blue mirror they are great too but in low light I dont wear them as much. Get the 580 glass, clarity is spot on, the 400 are good, but not as good.
Costas are just hard to beat!!!

I have costs and Maui Jim prefer Maui Jim a little more than costa

I like my Costa fantail 580G green lens.

I also have a pair of 580G Costas and they are great. The glass lenses simply dont scratch. Ive had this pair about 2 years and not a single scratch on the lenses. Also Costa's warrenty is awesome.

Thanks for all the great fast feedback.

Costa's 580 green mirror lenses or hard to beat. I still enjoy watching my friends' reactions when I let them wear them for a second. If you've never tried them, they will kind of blow you away with clarity


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Maui Jim and Costa... Amber/green mirror for inshore grey/blue mirror for offshore. I like glass better than plastic

I went to Cabelas today to try on the costas. The fantail model seem to be a little bit snug and slightly small but seemed to block out more light from getting around the frame. The blackfin seemed to be slightly larger and just a hair loose but seemed to be more glass to give you more seeing area but did allow a little more light to come in around the frames. I am going with the green mirror 580 Glass. Just trying to find which model I think fits best. Shouldn't be so picky just a lot of money to spend and I want to get it right the first time with no regrets. Thanks for all the advice

I have the brine model by costa. I agree with yigodiver, action specialties have the best selection I have seen.

Costa's my preference. Just buy quality sunglasses that block 100% UVA/UVB rays. Otherwise the sunglasses actually harm your eyes by dilating your pupils and allowing more of the harmful rays in, which in turn leads to cataracts etc.

Costa 580 glass green or blue lens iMO if you can dang near look directly at the sun without squinting says it all! Probably the most durable glasses I've ever had as well.

this was me too but after several years I found if I go way up to the $25 pairs that specifically say "polorized" because you need that. they last a lot longer and don't get scratched as easy. something about a harder plastic lens then the $5 specials have plus the frames fit better and are stronger.

if I don't drop them or toss them down anywhere they last a good year or two before getting "dulled" from cleaning the fish slim/salt film off them after fishing. even treating them rough they are very scratch resistant.

I just cant see paying high dollar for disposable items like sunglasses but then I don't go out on the water every single day like the charter captains do

Costa's ... 580 glass.

As others have mentioned to try them for fit so your not bothered by the end of the day.

Warranty second to none !

Cleaning and edge to edge clarity is simply amazing.

If you haven't worn a set of 580g's for a whole day and just tried them at the counter you just really wouldn't understand !

glass
 

i have a cheap pair of strike kings and the polarity is ok, fit decent on my larger than normal head, but i don't know if it is subconscious cause i know they are cheap, but i can tell the difference from my costa man o war shades i had before

http://www.saltycajun.com/forum/show...ght=sunglasses

I disagree. If you can't spend a couple hundred dollars to protect your eyes what else is more important? You only get 1 pair of eyes.

It's kind of like spending a little more money to eat healthy food rather than eating the cheaper junk food. If it helps you live healthier it is worth it everytime in my opinion.

Agree x10000, take care of your eyes and feet. Never go cheap on sunglasses or shoes

No doubt!

I found that the more I spent on glasses the more careful I was with them, I used to be against spending money on something I'd break or lose. That was only because I was careless and threw them around like a pack of gum or a receipt in my truck.

Not anymore, protect your eyes.

Costa's Brine with 580 green or charcoal lenses. Easy to wear all day, durable, holes to vent heat away from lenses and prevent fogging.

Maui Jims or Smith's both with polarized glass lens, color depends on the water you fish, spend the money on a good pair its helps, but if you can't keep up or take care of your own gear then choose according to your habits...

color
 

how much difference does the color of the lens help, and what difference does it make, my last pair had a dark grey lens, but now i am looking at getting the copper color lens

I've had the green and the dark grey and the difference is minimal. I think the Grey is better for all around. I fish river, inshore and offshore with my greys and can't tell the difference from my green. Blue is slightly better when I'm offshore, but not enough to make it a game changer.

Totally agree with you. I will also sayI can't tell much of a difference between the 400 and the 580. I have a big head and have trouble finding glasses to fit off-the-shelf. I went on the coasters website and did a search for large and extra-large fit models. That may help you out. I have a pair of green 580 Fisch's and a pair of grey 400 Harpoons. 8 out of 10 times I wear the harpoons. The Fisch's weigh a ton. I had a pair of Man o wars that were stolen but my eyes sweated and they fogged. I only wear the Fisch's cause I paid 280$ for them and don't want to feel like an idiot.


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I ended up buying the Fantail 580 glass in green mirror. The overall suggestions for inshore was green mirror but like many of you say, not a big difference than other colors. I wanted white frames but found silver frames on Amazon for $168.00 vs $240.00 for white. Maybe silver wasn't selling but I like the color. Thanks for all the advice. Now I put them on the shelf, don't trust myself to wear them. I will break them out in a couple days when I get on the road.

You'll like them. The biggest reason I prefer the green is fishing i n cloudy weather or in shaded areas. The blue lens with my old eyes just wouldn't cut it. With the green, I'm still able to see.

maui jims, get the frame that fits your face with the bronze polarized lenses... that's my favorite. I also have the dark and green lenses... but i always go back to the bronze. i like my costa's as well... but the lenses on the maui jims are far better. i use them of fishing, shooting sporting clays and just daily... always have them on me.

In order to keep your glasses protected, I would get a very inexpensive lanyard to put on them. I use the kind that I can tighten. There are times that I pull the lanyard tight and wear the glasses close around my neck to prevent me from breaking them when leaning over an object such as my tailgate. My glasses stay around my neck all the time. If you have never tried driving in the rain or fog with them you should. Polarized lenses block intense reflected light which allows your eyes to see past the reflection. This is why you can see better when looking into the water. It is amazing when you wear them in rain or fog, allows you to see much farther.

Rudy project Zyons. Grey polarized. Has an adjustable and replaceable nose piece.

I've adjusted mine to meet the contours of my nose bridge. Try doing that will glasses that have the nose piece molded into the frames.

Has anyone ever sent back costa's for new lenses or repairs? How much is it to send them off for new lenses when they get scratched and scuffed?

I'll never get poly lenses again. Just wiping them with a cloth causes scratches.

This! I bought my first pair of maui jims a few weeks ago and they are fantastic. My costa 580's now sit at home. Also have a pair of kaenon's which are good glasses but not near as good as the maui jims.

I have the Costa Man-O-War frames with amber/green coat poly's. I wear bi-focal so they are not available in glass. I love the glasses, but would like to hear others who have prescription bi-focals. I don't know if it was the eyeglass place or Costa, but i had to try 3 times to get the bi-focal right. its ok, now but not great, they put the bi-focal almost to the edge of the glass. Also don't know if it is the Man-o-war frames with the rounded lens or what, but they get me dizzy when I look down at where Im stepping, or turning my head while driving. Anyone else have that trouble with any prescription costa's or Jim Maui's? After insurance, I paid $500. Sure thought I'd get a better set of glasses.

If you are looking for Plano or non prescription Costas are excellent, but if you require rx or prescription lens maui jim is the best I've ever handled, but be ready to pay for them single vision can run 350 to almost 500 and bifocals can be north of 650

That $500 price tag for script shades is CRAZY. I've been experimenting with moderate priced clip-ons and have found a fairly good set they sell in the optical area at Sams. This brand stretches via a spring in between the lenses and has two hooks on the outside edges of the lenses that slip over your prescription glasses. I fish mostly inshore so my clips are bronze. The polarization with these clips is adequate and they don't fall off when jarred. If anybody has clips they really like, chime in please. Oh yea, the price was $29.00. :D

Thanks. Next pair I'll look at JM.

if you're happy with you $29 clip ons that's great, the man asked what was the best, however I do agree with you that $700 is an awful lot to pay for some sunglasses but if you look at the meticulous detail that Maui Jim goes to you would understand why there is such a great cost, I have sold several pair no one has complained about the cost they enjoy and appreciate the product

Prescription Costas
 

I bought a pair of prescription Costas (progressive bifocals). They are the 580p lens in the mirror green for inshore fishing. They are absolutely the best pair of glasses I've ever owned. I can see better with those glasses than any other pair I have ever owned. They totally block out all of the glare.

I just bought the 580 glass in the green mirror. I wonder if I can take them to get a prescription cut on the glass without having to buy the glasses from the doctor. They are advertised as being prescription ready. I bought the fantail model but I realize now that maybe I should have bought one of the other models that had the 1.75 or 2 power already made into the glass.

Costas 580 on sunny days and Salt Life Optics on cloudy days

What's different about the salt life that makes them better for cloudy days?


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Robert, my wife works for a local eye Dr. she says if the frames are in good shape, you can bring them to any Dr office that is a Costa distributor and they can order the lens. The lens HAVE to come from Costa, so the frames will have to be sent off to Costa. Usually takes 2-3 weeks for the glasses to be returned. It's not cheap. My progressive bifocal lens were about $750 on top of the price of the frames. But I gotta say....well worth it.

Most salt life post ever.

Get this man an award!

If you don't need the latest style steepandcheap is a great place to buy from. I bought an extra pair of Costas 580P to keep in the boat for $58. Regular price was $198. If bought from these folks in the past and glasses are the real deal and the shipping is fast. Also a good place to buy raingear from but you have to keep an eye out for the sales. http://www.steepandcheap.com/gear-ca...d#?brand=Costa

Below is an excerpt from the Salt Life Optics website. They had me sold at Salt Life Attitude! I think they left one part out though...I would imagine these sunglasses give you the instant urge to cover your truck in decals.

Live the Salt Life in fashion eyewear! These Salt Life sunglasses feature Zeiss lenses and will protect your eyes with stylish looks and serious Salt Life attitude. These Salt Life Largo mens sunglasses feature polarized polycarbonate lenses with Ri-pel front and AR5 back of lens treatments, a Salt Life logo on the side of the frames, perfect for the beach or boat. Zeiss lenses Polarized polycarbonate lenses with Ri-pel front and AR5 back of lens treatment. Tortoise frame color. Select lens color below