High End Glasses

[Quarry Man]

I am currently fishing with a beat up pair of grey polarized ray bans. they have a flat face and i believe they are called the wayfarer. new or old i don't know. i also have a pair of brown smith parallel max. I do a lot of sight fishing in very clear water. I am also looking for a pair of glasses i can wear around.

 

I am currently looking at the Costa Bloke in gray/black and blue mirror made of glass.

 

Any advice would be helpful

 

will not be buying until december

[Cgolf]

I am sure some will chime in and say the expensive glasses are the best, but my one experience so far says not necessarily. I have a pair of solar bats that are basically still new because I found my cheap strike King and Del sol glasses worked as good as the bats and were more comfortable. The cheap ones have lasted quite a few years. 

 

Saying that I do have a pair of Nines on the way and I will see how they work out. 

[papajoe222]

I have a pair of Costas with the 580G green glass that I wear for driving and fishing. They're not as dark as most grey or brown lenses soI can wear them indoors without having to remove them, yet they're still dark enough to eliminate staining my eyes in direct sunlight.  The only other glasses I've worn are a pair of Wiley-X. Not as pricey, but not the resolution you get from glass.

[huffman1988]

I have a pair of Oakley with the deep water prism polarized lenses and really like them. 

[smalljaw67]

I use to have Maui Jim glasses, the optical quality from glass lenses is amazing but they are heavy and you begin to notice that weight when you are in the heat and sweating. The polycarbonate lenses are slightly better in high end glasses but not enough to justify the more than $100 in my opinion. I think Costa Del Mars are one of the best made but you need to go to a place that carries them and try them on, their frame sizes differ between lines, I have a big head, they make 1, yep, 1 frame in an extra large that actually fits comfortably that isn't squeezing my temples to the point of headache and it happens to be a line that only has 2 types of polarized lenses. You can special order but they you have to add an addition $100, just not worth it so keep that in mind, if you need larger frames Costas need to be tried on first. Oakley and Maui Jims are the only other high end ones I have experience with, for fishing I'd say Maui Jims aren't what you want, Oakley glasses are the best bet, their polycarbonate lenses aren't as good as the Costas but their frame sizes and the comfort is a lot better than Costa Del Mar.

[fishballer06]

Buy a pair of Costa's that fit your head well, and make sure they have the 580G lenses in them. You'll never be happier on the water.

[the reel ess]

I want a pair with 1.5X readers in them. I'm not going to order any expensive ones without trying them on. So I'll just do without until I can find a place with some good ones.

 

BTW I was in Sunglasses Hut the other day and they had no glasses with readers and didn't offer to get me any. But the did tell me there were "stick-on" readers I could try out if I wanted to give them a go. Has anyone tried these?

[WIGuide]

As far as color the Costa Green Mirror lenses are probably the best lens for freshwater. Be sure to try the different styles on before you order as fitment is key to a good lens. The more light can get in on the back side of the lens, the less effective the lens itself will be. 

[Chance_Taker4]

I have 7 pairs of Oakley (I had an addiction) and they are great glasses but I use them more for golfing, being outside or on the motorcycle. When in fishing I use the Strike King S11 and Love them.

[mllrtm79]

my local retailer that carries Costas didn't have any frames that fit me comfortably, so I have settled on a pair of Oakleys this time around (shallow water lenses). I have worn Maui Jims for the past few years, but have relegated the two pairs I have of them to driving. I wear a yellow lens spiderwire pair of polarized glasses ($5 Walmart) for fishing 90% of the time right now that will be replaced by the Oakleys in the next month or so.  

[Quarry Man]

7 hours ago, fishballer06 said:

Buy a pair of Costa's that fit your head well, and make sure they have the 580G lenses in them. You'll never be happier on the water.

 

I notice a lot of people saying 580g. what does this mean exactly? thanks

[middletonbass]

580 is their newest lens...designed to block more yellow. The G stands for "Glass." You'll also see 580P -- or Plastic. I have a pair of the 400G -- they are a step below the 580, but they are fantastic. The glass is scratch resistant and easy to clean, but they weigh more than the plastic lenses. The plastic, of course scratches easier but are a lot cheaper. If you sight fish, you'll want the green mirror. The blue is designed for off shore -- or get both!

 

[Quarry Man]

11 minutes ago, middletonbass said:

580 is their newest lens...designed to block more yellow. The G stands for "Glass." You'll also see 580P -- or Plastic. I have a pair of the 400G -- they are a step below the 580, but they are fantastic. The glass is scratch resistant and easy to clean, but they weigh more than the plastic lenses. The plastic, of course scratches easier but are a lot cheaper. If you sight fish, you'll want the green mirror. The blue is designed for off shore -- or get both!

 

Awesome! thats exactly the info i was looking for! thanks to everyone else as well. I think ill go with 580 glass in green mirror, the lifetime warranty makes me comfortable to spend that much. will definitely be worth it!

[BuzzHudson19c]

Walmart $15 polarized (strike king, spiderwire, whatever...) Unless you need a prescription, take all that money and spend it n tackle.

[TxHawgs]

I've had lots of high end glasses over the yrs and hears my .02. I've owned several Costas and Maui's as of late and know that I no longer like a glass lens because of the weight. After fishing all day they are just too heavy for me, anyway. I agree that u should go somewhere like bass pro, Cabelas ect that has a large selection to find what's comfortable on your face and astetically pleasing to you. I am about to buy a 2 pair of Costa Permits probably one in Copper and the other in Sunrise Yellow for morning dawn and overcast days. Anyway there is a chart obviously explaining what each color lens is best for and how much light transmission that lens let's through. There expensive glasses go for about  $189 in the plastic vs $249 for the glass as the Permits do. You can order them from Costas site as they are the same price as the retailers and there is no extra fee or $100 up charge fee for choosing the frame you want the color of it and which lens you want in them. 

[smalljaw67]

9 hours ago, Quarry Man said:

Awesome! thats exactly the info i was looking for! thanks to everyone else as well. I think ill go with 580 glass in green mirror, the lifetime warranty makes me comfortable to spend that much. will definitely be worth it!

 

Try a pair with glass lenses on first, as I said before, the optical quality is unbeatable but if you sweat while fishing they will become annoying because the weight, and glass lenses weigh noticeably more than the polycarbonate. The Maui Jims that I had made my nose so sore after a full day fishing that I could wear sunglasses for a week, and Costas frames aren't the same across the lines. Costas have some of the best lenses and optical quality but try them on, the large size in one series is different that the large in another line and it is the same with all their sizes. The guy at Bass Pro Shops told me that Costa uses the same dimensions for each size across all lines and unfortunately a slight variance in shape changes the way they fit, so if you don't have a deal close by to try them on go with a different brand, I wanted so bad to buy a pair of Costas but the only frames that fit me didn't come with the lenses I wanted unless I special order them.

[Hez]

The only problem I have with my glass lenses - is when I sweat...it fogs my glasses up....and I have to either take them off or stop fishing and give them a wipe down.  It gets annoying.

[BrackishBassin]

Said it in other threads, but I'll toss it in here too. Do those of us that require prescription glasses a favor and buy non-Luxottica owned sunglasses. Avoid Costa, Oakley, Ray Ban, etc. Not going to go into all the specifics as it just seems to stir up trouble. A quick Google search will tell you everything you need to know about Luxottica and what they do. So, my advice is to find a good pair of glasses that fit you will from an independently owned brand. 

[everythingthatswims]

Walmart 4.99 Yum sunglasses are what I fish with after my costas flew off my head this winter while running my boat. I doubt I will ever buy costas, my reason for having them was because I won them in a tournament. Glasses are valuable, but not nearly as valuable as all the other expensive equipment needed to bass fish.

 

I will say that I have my glasses on far more than most when bass fishing, I don't understand how some guys fish without having them on. Sure you might not be bed fishing, but I bet there is a chance you will move past a stump that you otherwise wouldn't see, or spot that fish following your bait while it is still far enough away for you to have a chance at making it bite, etc etc!

[CTBassin860]

Costa Fantails with the 580P lenses in Amber. Great for fishing and driving.

[fishwizzard]

I have a pair of Costas in the discontinued yellow lense and a pair of Smiths in their pink "ignitor" lenses.  I got them both from online deal sites so nighter of them fit especially well, but I like them both a lot.  I am still looking for a pair that actually fits me well, but I found that I really prefer lenses with high contrast and high light transmission.  

 

To me the main advantage of the more expensive glasses is the scratch resistance.  I have like a dozen pairs of cheaper polarized glasses and they all have scratched super easily, while my two nice ones have had the same level of treatment and use and are still both completely clear.  

[Steveo-1969]

It's already been mentioned but can't be stressed enough - go to a retailer and try on the glasses before you buy! Before I bought my Costas I tried on lots of frames at a BPS until I found the frame that was really comfortable and (let's be honest) looked good on me! ha-ha

 

Then I ordered that specific frame and the lens color I wanted from Amazon and saved about 70 bucks from retail price.