Sunglasses - Costa Vs. Wiley X

[n8cas4]

Costa 580 which lens ? Green or silver? Are those better than the pair of wiley x p17 amber green mirror I dropped in the lake? I fish in CT and need a new pair ...I liked my wiley x lenses but I might want to uprade to costa 580s - green or silver lenses. Thanks for the quick input.

[Mr. Swabby(aka westtennessee1)]

I own the green 580's and completely love them. Although a bit on the "heavy" side, the clarity and color are astounding when out on the water. The reason I chose green is the similarity to the habitat that I was using them in (bass fishing). While green may look a bit obnoxious, the advantages far outweigh the appearance! Good luck!

[Bass Dude]

Just something to think about. Your wiley's are actually an amber lens, not green. Just the mirror coating is green, the actual lens is an amber. The costa might be an actual green lens

[WRB]

You should choose the lens color based on the predominate availble light conditions that you normally fish under. Low light; light amber will brighten the contrast the darker background, the brighter the light the darker the lens should be.

Light green is very similar to yellow or light amber. Medium amber to dark amber is similar to blue and grey lens, except better background contrast.

Everyone has his/her personal choice, what is best is what works for you.

Tom

[BASSclary]

Costa for sure. Wiley's are nice but the optical clarity of the 580 Glass lenses can not be beat. And no, the Costa Green mirror lenses are not green They are copper/amber with green encapsulated mirrors.

I have a pair of Tortoise Permit Frames and man are they comfortable, a(and not to mention stylish). I have the Green mirror 580 glass lenses because the copper/amber base makes everything contrast more, Which I like for sight fishing especially, And then the green mirror helps filter out a bit more green light ( The color of most fresh water).

However you may also like the blue mirror lense. It looks pretty cool. but the key difference is the base color. The Blue mirrored lenses are a grey base lense, which leaves color in tact, (not making every thing contrast) and makes everything just a bit darker. This is probably a good choice if you only fish in blue bird sunny sky days with no clouds. The blue encapsulated mirrors also filter out a bit more blue light.

For an all around lense though, green mirror will probably be the best. You can wear them in lower light (ie. Overcast) and still be able too see.

Also worth mentioning is that Costa's mirror is encapsulated in the lenses. It's not a coating like other cheaper lenses. Im not sure if Wiley's are coated or encapsulated too. I think the quality and styles are better on costa too.

Make sure to go to your local BPS or Costa Del Mar retailer also. Every frame fits different so your going to want to pick one that fits your head. Once you found a pair you like and fits nice, you can either buy them there, or go on ebay. Just make sure the seller has %100 feedback, and has a nice return policy.

The way to tell if they are fakes according to a lady I spoke with at Costa is there is a little 580 emblem on the lense. If you can see it from the inside of the lense they are real. Also, compare the frames thoroughly. I saw a pair recently on ebay and upon further review they were curved where it should have been angled. Also, Make sure they ship in the original box with the case and warranty card. If they dont ship with that and just a generic sunglasses sleeve. They're probably fakes.

But the risk is worth the reward in my opinion. I got mine for $160 when retail is $250

Dont go by the color of the lenses on Costas site either. The lenses look neon on their site and look nothing like that in real life. Look at the images on ebay to get a good idea of how they look.

Also, get a good pair of retainers so you dont lose your investment again! I got a pair of "Costa Keepers" and they work great. Yes, they do look a bit goofy but i'd rather look goofy then see $250 dollars sink...

[BigMoneyGrip]

I have the 580's in copper and can't immagine it getting any better.

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

Good info BASSclary especially the fit from one pair to another pair of same frame.

[jdw174]

I recently purchased a pair of the Costa 580's in green mirror and love them. I picked the green after emailing the factory and asked their advice for a lens that would work both in bright sunlight and overcast as these were Rx lenses and I just couldn't afford two pair. They suggested the green which is copper with the green mirror. Only thing was that I couldn't get the glass with "reader" lenses installed and had to go for the plastic. Great glasses.

[bocabasser]

Costa for sure. Wiley's are nice but the optical clarity of the 580 Glass lenses can not be beat. And no, the Costa Green mirror lenses are not green They are copper/amber with green encapsulated mirrors.

I have a pair of Tortoise Permit Frames and man are they comfortable, a(and not to mention stylish). I have the Green mirror 580 glass lenses because the copper/amber base makes everything contrast more, Which I like for sight fishing especially, And then the green mirror helps filter out a bit more green light ( The color of most fresh water).

However you may also like the blue mirror lense. It looks pretty cool. but the key difference is the base color. The Blue mirrored lenses are a grey base lense, which leaves color in tact, (not making every thing contrast) and makes everything just a bit darker. This is probably a good choice if you only fish in blue bird sunny sky days with no clouds. The blue encapsulated mirrors also filter out a bit more blue light.

For an all around lense though, green mirror will probably be the best. You can wear them in lower light (ie. Overcast) and still be able too see.

Also worth mentioning is that Costa's mirror is encapsulated in the lenses. It's not a coating like other cheaper lenses. Im not sure if Wiley's are coated or encapsulated too. I think the quality and styles are better on costa too.

Make sure to go to your local BPS or Costa Del Mar retailer also. Every frame fits different so your going to want to pick one that fits your head. Once you found a pair you like and fits nice, you can either buy them there, or go on ebay. Just make sure the seller has %100 feedback, and has a nice return policy.

The way to tell if they are fakes according to a lady I spoke with at Costa is there is a little 580 emblem on the lense. If you can see it from the inside of the lense they are real. Also, compare the frames thoroughly. I saw a pair recently on ebay and upon further review they were curved where it should have been angled. Also, Make sure they ship in the original box with the case and warranty card. If they dont ship with that and just a generic sunglasses sleeve. They're probably fakes.

But the risk is worth the reward in my opinion. I got mine for $160 when retail is $250

Dont go by the color of the lenses on Costas site either. The lenses look neon on their site and look nothing like that in real life. Look at the images on ebay to get a good idea of how they look.

Also, get a good pair of retainers so you dont lose your investment again! I got a pair of "Costa Keepers" and they work great. Yes, they do look a bit goofy but i'd rather look goofy then see $250 dollars sink...

well said kid!