Polarized Sunglasses

[New Bass Man]

We just had an interesting story on our local NBC4 station about cheap sunglasses.  Here's the link.

http://www.nbc4.com/money/4795178/detail.html

Enjoy!

[Max-in-Mn]

I have auto adjusting glasses that I use for both hunting and fishing. I spent $300 on them but I have had them for nearly 8 years now, very well worth it. I don't screw around with the sun so spending alot on glasses does not bother me. I would rather not, but mother nature makes that call :-/

[SBM-RL]

i have some cheap ones from walmart but i think i might get some costa del mars or oakleys real soon

[atoms]

I wear bolle's.

I love the frames and the lenses are great.

I wear shades from thier "metals" line and they are ROCK SOLID.

[Guest hydrillagorilla]

I used to own part of a small chain of flyshops in Colorado.  KU is right, big difference- but the value is very situation dependendt.  If you are not sight fishing bass, I would guess it is not as critical.  When fishing trout/salmon in streams or flats fishing in salt you have a much better chance of spotting fish, therefore you usually see the fish first before you cast.  In this situation a person can tell a difference between high end glass and a laminate.  

the best way polarization was explained to me was they work like tiny levelour blinds <you know the kind- you can pull a string and they can get pretty dark or pull it the other way and the blinds let light in>  that is what is in the lenses or coating.  They allow light from the top but block all light coming to the glass from an angle from below (blocks reflection coming up from the water).  This allows you to look into the water with less glare.  

most high end glass is comparble in quality with some exceptions.  OAKLEYS ARE THE WORST HIGH END GLASSES I HAVE EVER USED.  

My .02  good luck to all.  

Different strokes for different folks- thats what makes this crazy world go round!

[bass109]

Strike king has great ones. ;D Polarized sunglasses help you alot to see the fish and structure.

[bassdocktor]

I have a nice pair of the Solar Bats, but unfortunately they discontinued my model. They are part of an interchangable lens system. They are very nice, except you need to be careful with them because certain lens may feel loose. In reality they are not at all loose.

[Kendammit]

hey guys, new here...sorry to be digging up an older post.

I've been thinking about new glasses myself, but after reading the article posted by New_Bass_Man, I think I'll stick to buying those from wal-mart.  My amber Renegades work well, I was just thinking of a darker pair for brighter days, glad I found this discussion.

[bass master]

I had some cheap ones now I just got some Cocoons. The Cocoons have much better lenses and are way more comfortable.

[bassackwards]

anyone tried the mossy oak sunglasses?  supposively their mossy oak green is their best color to see into the water.

if anyone has used them, how much do they go for?  and what do you think about them?

[MoBassFishN]

hey guys, new here...sorry to be digging up an older post.

I've been thinking about new glasses myself, but after reading the article posted by New_Bass_Man, I think I'll stick to buying those from wal-mart. My amber Renegades work well, I was just thinking of a darker pair for brighter days, glad I found this discussion.

I Wish they would have done a test on the polarization. I know that it is extremely innexpensive to block UV, but the polarization is the issue that has escaped me. Do the cheap glasses with the sitck on polarization work as well as the more expensive glasses with the polarization built within the lense?

[Hillbilly_Hooker]

I love my Oakleys and I wouldn't leave home without them!!!  I drive a ton (1,000 miles a week) with my job and I often wear my Oakleys all day long.  My eyes don't get fatigued and I don't get headaches like I sometimes do with the cheap sunglasses.  Oakleys claim to be optically perfect, no distortions.  The polarization allows me to see way better when I'm on the water fishing.  Another plus, at my age,  to wearing sunglasses is that they give me a platform to mount my magnifier glasses to so that I can still tie small lines   8)

[strick9]

I have had a pair of Maui Jim's for a couple years and really like them. I too use the bronze (amber) colored lenses. Here is an option for those of you that wear glasses and even if you don't. www.sportbrimz.com

[Madhouse27]

I have a pair of cheap Renegade wrap arounds that must be part of their World Wrestling Federation line. I got them at WalMart when I was in a pinch and they've actually made it through this season in pretty good shape. The best ones I've ever owned were a pair of amber lensed Costa Del Mar shades that just seemed to light up the bottom. They were great but really pricey. There's gotta be a happy medium out there in the fifty dollar range.

[Dyas]

Im with ya on the Renagades. Had mine for 2 years and I got out weed eating with em yesterday and a rock flew up and knocked a chip out. Got some Strike King's and I am realy pleased with them. They are light and they have great polarization.......

[Ben]

I like my Mauie Jims I got at BPS. Granted though not everyone wants to dish out $180 for a pair of sunglasses. However, I would not recommend cheap sunglasses either, they can actually be more harmfull to your eyes than not having any on.

As someone mentioned, not all polarized glasses are created equal. Bassmaster's had an article about them a while back, both guys in a boat had on good polarized glasses, one could see a nice big bass on the bed and the other couldn't, they swapped glasses and both could see it. Pointing out even in good glasses, different polarizations work different for different people. Recommendation was to try them before you buy them. With the cheap glasses, it doesn't matter, they all just have a polarized film stuck over them and they all pretty much work the same, about half***.

To answer ones question do cheap polarized work as well as expensive one, no shape form or fashion. There is a world of difference in the polarization between cheap and high quality lenses. There are many ways of polarizing a leans, cheap lens use the cheapest methods and just barely rate as polarized. When you try a few of the high quality lenses against the cheap lenses you will readily see the differences.  I've got a set of $90 RayBans I keep in the boat as spares and there's noticable difference between them and the Maui Jim's.  I used those until I tried a set of MJ's.

[Kendammit]

I'm sorry but I just can't buy that you need to spend 100+ dollars to be able to see fish in the water and to protect you from water glare.  Better be some good scientific testing and not some sponsored guy saying it before I spend that much

[jcrazy]

has anyone used Hobie glasses?

[Grey Wolf]

Check out the LURE-EYES sunglasses for 120.00 at www.lureeyes.com.

[IneedAnewScreenName-93875]

I agree with Glenn (on the LureEyes)

I have 2 pairs.  The first pair I have had now for over 4 years.  

They weigh less than an ounce and are very, very durable.  So durable that I have worn them fishing, driving on long trips (15 plus hours), and played pool volleyball several hundred times.

For the $100 plus dollars invested, I'm down to a cost of about  $25.00 per year so far.  I think that's pretty cheap sunglasses.

I bought my second pair on ebay for about $45.00

http://www.lureeyes.com

[Max-in-Mn]

Hey, what the?? Last time I checked the Lure eyes were $89 for each pair..I better get some quick I guess!

[AZ_IDontFishEnuf]

A while back I bought some polarized glasses at Costco Wholesale that I really like. They're fairly inexpensive, and the frames are very light and have a cheap feeling to them, but the lenses are the best for the money that I've found.

They're made by UVEX, and the exact model name I can't remember. They come with 3 different colors of lenses, all of which I've found useful in different situations.

They were about $25 when I bought them.

[boneman]

i've got a pair of solar bat's with moss green lenses and a pair of bolle's with amber and i find i see alot more underwater under all conditions with the bolle's even though the solar bat's were marketed especially for sight fishing.

boneman