Lens Color Help

[LEWITH]

Hey guys,

 

Quick question im looking to get a pair of polarized sunglasses and not looking to have a bunch of different lens colors because im on a low budget atm.  My question is what color lens do you guys suggest that would be good all around color for most bass outings?  Some people are telling me brown while others tell me grey.

 

Thanks,

LEW

[BrackishBassin]

Best for freshwater (high contrast but not as good for blocking glare as other colors) would be a brown/amber lens with or without a green mirror. That color also works great for run of the mill stuff like driving. 

[Mike L]

For bright days I like blue mirror, for overcast ones amber works best. 

 

 

Mike

[long island basser]

I prefer amber for all conditions.

[scaleface]

Brown .

[Catt]

2 hours ago, long island basser said:

I prefer amber for all conditions.

 

I personally prefer amber in all conditions, with no mirror.

[A-Jay]

 

These seem good. 

A-Jay

[Smokinal]

4 hours ago, Mike L said:

For bright days I like blue mirror, for overcast ones amber works best. 

 

 

Mike

This is what I prefer as well but.....

4 hours ago, long island basser said:

I prefer amber for all conditions.

.....for one lens color I would pick amber.

[junyer357]

Green mirror/amber for freshwater. 

[TnRiver46]

I use whatever color you call this for all around. Blue mirror for super bright low humidity days in winter

[J Francho]

Mirror serves no function at all.  It's just for looks.

[Spankey]

I wear prescription lenses. Have experimented over the years with different ones. Brown by far is the best for me. Great for fishing and shooting sporting clays. My not work well for others. Experiment. 

[BrackishBassin]

19 hours ago, J Francho said:

Mirror serves no function at all.  It's just for looks.

The mirror actually reflects light away from the surface of the lense instead of absorbing it (tint only). Believe it or not, depending on the density of the mirrored coating it can reduce light transmission through the lens anywhere from 10-60%. Ever seen the visors in the helmets astronauts wear? I doubt that mirrored coating is for looks. Although, you never know when you might meet some good looking extraterrestrial. Need to stay looking sharp. 

[J Francho]

My info is from an employee at Maui Jim.  The mirror is for appearance only.  The reduction in light is balanced with the tint, but it serves no practical functional purpose.  Meaning a non mirror lens can and does perform as well as a mirrored lens.  In the application of sunglasses, mirror is for appearance only.

[Troy85]

I prefer Amber

[TOXIC]

Do you sight fish?  Do you bed fish?  Are you going to use them for driving as well?  As is with most things, a jack of all trades is a master of none.  Meaning, the more you narrow down what the intended purpose is, the more you will be satisfied.  I was in your same position but knew I wanted a "quality" pair of mixed use glasses.  My problem was that I decided to go with my first prescription pair.  Up until then, I just used off the shelf medium quality fishing, polarized sunglasses (Solar Bat).  I found that bed fishing on Lake St Clair, I was not seeing the same detail my fishing partners were.  They were spotting fish on beds where I was just able to see the bed.  I knew it wasn't the glasses fault so I figured it was my need for a prescription.  Once I started checking into prescription quality sunglasses, I was floored at the prices.  I was griping about my experience at a show I was working and come to find out one of the guys I regularly worked shows with who was a reel rep, had a day job as a lense manufacturer in a lab.  I got an education that day.  Let me sum it up:

 

1. Cheap sunglasses are cheap for a reason.  Don't skimp on your eyes.

2. Only very, very, few manufacturers make their own Rx lenses.  Some that may surprise you that do not are Costa, Maui Jim, and a lot of others.  Once you go Rx, they pull their lenses out, send the frames to a lab and you get the quality of the lense the lab produces.  So you have just paid big bucks for a designer name stamped on the frame!!

3. In our freshwater fishing applications, NEVER go with glass lenses.  Yes, the optics are better but a 1/4 oz weight or jig that hits them will put glass into your eye.  Shatterproof or not. Not worth the risk.   

4. Best "overall" mixed use color is grey.  Get specific and the color choices change.  Yes, amber will be best for low light but wear them on a bright sunny day and you'll be disappointed.  Dark grey will allow you to almost look directly into the sun and would be great driving into the sun but will be like night fishing on a cloudy day.  That's why I went with medium grey.  

5. Get frames that fit your head.  There is nothing like the headache you will get from bad fitting sunglasses after a day on the water.  

 

I ended up with a pair of Rx Oakley that once I picked out the right fitting frame, got sent back to Oakley for them to make the lense.  This was after they put clear lenses in the frame and used a sharpie to mark all of the proper points on the lense for my prescription (progressive). I got a medium dark grey with a blue mirror. I use them for driving and fishing and do not know how I ever got along without them.  

[J Francho]

I have three pairs of sunglasses, each for progressive amounts of brightness.

[Kyhokie]

Green mirror amber is what I use for most freshwater applications 

6 hours ago, J Francho said:

My info is from an employee at Maui Jim.  The mirror is for appearance only.  The reduction in light is balanced with the tint, but it serves no practical functional purpose.  Meaning a non mirror lens can and does perform as well as a mirrored lens.  In the application of sunglasses, mirror is for appearance only.

Bro, your source is wrong. Mirroring absolutely cuts down on light penetration. 

[zeth]

copper or amber for all around

 

[J Francho]

I'm waiting to hear that the color of the mirror matters.

[Kyhokie]

Eh, forget about it. Not worth arguing.

[J Francho]

Let me elaborate, since the concept escapes you.  When you put a mirror deposition on the lens, they will reduce the amount of tint.  Color of mirror doesn't matter, color of tint can have an effect.  I have a pair of non mirror grey off shore glass shades, and they're darker than any mirrored Costa or Oakley I've owned.  So, when you look at mirrored or non mirrored in the same line up, it makes NO DIFFERENCE.  Pick what you think you look pretty in. 

 

Also, who here fishes in space?  With no atmospheric filtering of sunlight, I'd think they'd be designing screens with just about every thing they can use and still be able to see.

[bigbill]

My Best Buy’s on sunglasses have been at Walmart during their winter markdowns. I perfer amber but any mark down glasses will do.

 

try amber color glasses for night driving. I been using them for decades on the motorcycle at night. It cuts down the glare of the on coming headlines.

[CTBassin860]

On 1/28/2018 at 1:07 PM, BrackishBassin said:

Best for freshwater (high contrast but not as good for blocking glare as other colors) would be a brown/amber lens with or without a green mirror. That color also works great for run of the mill stuff like driving. 

Second this. Amber is my favorite for all around. The amber and amber/green mirror are the same visually looking through. However,the green mirror look pretty sweet. 

[TOXIC]

Copper, orange, yellow/amber and brown lens tints make an environment appear brighter and are commonly used in low-light conditions. These lens tints significantly block blue light and enhance contrast and depth perception making them helpful for overcast, hazy and foggy conditions.  Drive into the sun with this color and you will be disappointed.  Not a good all-around color.  That's why I suggested medium grey.  

 

Here is a good chart.  https://www.vsp.com/lens-tints.html