How to choose polarized glasses?

[sneak_e_pete]

Hi everyone, it has been a long time since I have been on the site (new baby, etc, etc.) but I was wondering if you could share your advice/opinions on polarized glasses.

 

I would like to invest in a good pair this year to help me see more underwater structure when bass fishing. I am looking for something below $100.00. The only brand name I know is Solar Bat, but have heard mixed reviews about them. I also am not sure where to buy polqarized glasses. I live near Hamilton.

 

Please post your thoughts, price, brand, etc.

 

Thanks in advance for your help!

[Headhunter]

Well, for many years I have been recommending Maui Jim glasses to anyone who will listen! That being said, they are definately out of your price range!

After reading numerous posts regarding sunglasses over the years, you'll definately get several opinions, here's mine!

I forgot my glasses at home last fall for the Quinte GTG. After reading many posts about sunglasses, I had DanC's comments in the back of my mind, so off I trotted to CTC and picked up a pair of Rapala Sunglasses for under $20.00. Are they the best glasses I have ever worn or owned... nope! Do they work... yup! I can stand on Cooks Bay all day in the glaring snow and not have eye fatigue at the end of the day. Yes they are polorized, but remember that polarization is only a film attatched to the lense and in-proper cleaning will wipe that film off!

I still love my Maui Jims... but for $20.00 you just can't go wrong!

HH

[walleyejigger]

i second cheapies like the rapala ones,

 

not that i dont know there are better ones out there, i'm just fed up of leaning over the boat and hearing sploosh, or sitting on them or losing them, at 20 bucks a pop it doesn't hurt as much as over 100 bucks a pop, although it doesn't seem to happen as often anymore

 

i'm very unlucky with sunglasses, glad i don't need regular glasses............yet

[Mike Pike]

I was gonna recommend H-2 Optics but I payed over $100 bucks for 'em over 10 years ago! Having said that, they're a great polarised pair of glasses and I've had 'em for a looooooong time and only spent once. I'd personally try spend the extra if ya can.

[dheitzner]

i would try H2-Optix - around 40 buck will get you a great pair of glasses. the rapalas were okay but really hurt my head by the end of a day on the water.

darc

[Ramble]

i also imploy the "walleye jigger" method and just go with cheap old raps, because i'm hard on them.

 

That said Blue Water glasses are pretty awesome. A freind had a pair and there was a definate differance between the them and the Rapalas i had on. http://www.bluewateroptics.com/ They have a pretty nice warrenty as well.

 

-R-

[wallyboss]

You can always try wallyMart, that's where I bought my Bluewater optics Indy's for under 95.00

Edited March 26, 2008 by wallyboss

[cranks bait]

I wear Tifosi Dolomites http://www.tifosioptics.com/. They are polorized as well as phototec, meaning the lens darkens as it gets brighter, and vise versa, while it is a light tint to look through at all times. I like these ones because they cover the corners of they eye really well. These retail for $129.95 in our store. I have been wearing several different glasses from this company and really like them. Another pair I have is Peppers, they are at least 12 years old and out of business now I think?

[addy79]

I just bought a pair of Hugo Boss polarized glasses with a titanium frame (hopefully this will increase the normal life expectancy for my glasses) and they work great! tested them out at lake o yesterday.

They set me back about $200 but well worth it, I compared them to my old polarized glasses ($20pair) and the difference was very noticeable.

the store i bought them at had a huge selection of polarized glasses from Rayban that ranged in price from around $25 to $150. I went to pacific mall at steeles and kennedy, LOTS of optical shops there all willing to bargain!

 

check it out if your in the area

[bassman]

Ditto for Bluewater Optics. Available at LB or Walmart

[kickingfrog]

For me all sunglasses are disposable. A broken, lost or swimming $20 pair hurts a lot less than an expensive pair. At the lower price point you can keep a pair in your boat, in your vest, tackle box, car, truck, wife's car, girlfriend's car. etc. etc.

[BillM]

My eyes are sensitive to glare, most likely from staring at a computer screen for the last 14 years or so... I picked up a pair of Bolle Habu's for everyday use, but noticed on the really bright days on the water they work great. I am thinking of picking up a cheaper pair of polarized glasses with amber lenses for the not so bright days..

 

Edited March 26, 2008 by BillM

[kickingfrog]

Ditto on the different tints for different conditions.

[fishinfool]

I have to agree with BlueWater Optics, great glasses.

I have two pairs the same because I thought I lost a pair and the wife got me a new pair for Xmas, then lo and behold they appeared in my raingear pocket. (Bonus!!)

They can also be had at Tightlines on Brock in Pickering although they are probably cheaper at WallyWorld. lol

[Mark Kulik]

I've worn many different pairs of glasses over the years, I currently use Solar Bat in mossback green, the Wake pair are the most comfortable I've ever worn, I've owned some of the others and many times at the end of the day you take them off and think -thank God-no more pain! for the $100 range they are the best out there.

[setomonkey]

For people who wear glasses like me, and don't want to get prescription sunglasses, you can get polarized sunglasses that go over your regular glasses. The brand I use is called Fitovers, you can get them at MEC.

 

You won't look cool on the water but they are comfortable and your eyes will thank you after a long sunny day.

 

Mike

[Seaweed]

I recently was in this same decision over shades... polarized ones for better fishing.

 

They were a gift so right off the bat price was important... although they are for my son so... I could spend a bit.

 

I wear glasses and use Fitover Polarized Shades for fishing that go right over my normal glasses... what a great idea for us folks that wear glasses. I love these things and they are really affordable and in a variety of shades.

 

Back to my picking shades for my Son though....

 

I was at the BassPro shop in Auburn NY.... yeah I know we have a Bass Pro in Canada.... but this one is actually closer to Ottawa for us folk up here.

 

There were four... count them four revolving racks of shades to choose from... man what a tough task to pick just one pair. The prices varied from.... Oh MY God expensive to really afforadable... like twenty bucks a pair... and when it came right down to the final choices.... the leaning towards cheaper models far excelled the more expensive pairs... but what can I say they were just more comfortable and some were even floating models. The fish take right beside the rack also helped to visualize what a difference the polarization was like too.

 

So do you really want to make a choice on what shades you want.... then hit the Bass Pro shop and try on some pairs and stroll over to the fish tank and try them out. Enjoy.

 

My son will be happy with my choice... and I also got him a lanyard to keep him from losing them in the drink or sitting on them in the truck or stepping on them in the boat... I wish I had a nickel for every pair of shades that have met an evil end due to people not thinking that wearing a string on them around your neck is cool enough for them....

[huntervasili]

I personally have 4 pairs of polarized glasses... 2 of them are Maui Jim's (one amber lens the other in smoke) and then a pair of cheap sunglasses, strike kings I believe, which run about $20 a pop in both amber and smoke... I have yet to break the Maui jim glasses and have had em for a couple years and use em on the water ALOT and they no doubt outperform the 20$ pairs, which I have broken/lost 3 pairs in the past year and a half. It all has to do with how you treat them, If you care about them you will go out of your way to protect them and they will serve you a long time. If you have cheapies you dont care about well heck you'll toss em here and there, no second thought if they fall unprotected out of your pocket onto the gravel. Thats just how it works. Now as for quality Vs. price, I think that you definitely have to look at the law of diminishing returns because it holds true... you can start to pay for style this and that material etc. and you will find what you want and dont want. Remember though some people are fully satisfied with their $20 optics while others wont touch them because they know what they'll be missing. One thing though I would suggest is TRY THEM ON I have gives some of mine away because they press too hard on my temples and after the day hurt like an dude, ya can't very well adjust the plastic frame. As well consider the TYPE OF FISHING you are doing. If you are going to be doing mainly deepwater trolling and the like, you need protection from the Uv rays and sun, whereas if you are sight fishing for bass or checking out structure on the rivers you need to have a quality pair of glasses. Hopefully you got something from this long winded response. Good luck in your search!

[Canuck2fan]

I started out with a pair of south bend Walmart cheapies and they were polarized and did work fine. I saw a pair of uvex polarized glasses at Costco for 39.99 I asked to try them on and they fit great the optician even helped adjust them making them even more comfortable. I said I will take them. She then took out a box and opened up.... For the 40 bucks I also got another two pairs of lens and a carrying case.... All the lens are polarized, grey, amber and rose. So on the low light days I put in the amber and on the really bright days the grey and I just haven't used the rose yet (supposed to be great for driving though) but they are there if I ever need them.

 

I found out later that Uvex specializes in safety glasses which probably explains why these glasses are so tough. I have had my buddies do the branch in the face trick many times. I have dropped them on rocks, sand, ice and asphalt and I have yet to see a scratch on any of the lenses...

 

Also if I lose them or break them I can live the price.

Edited March 26, 2008 by Canuck2fan

[Bernie]

I also need regular glasses for reading (and tyeing up fishing line). Recently found out that safety glasses are now available with bifocals. So I checked to see if they also came shaded. Low and behold--they do. So I ordered 3 pair in varying focal strength. For the tidy sum of $6 bucks each.

They fit pretty good. Fully adjustable like most safety glasses.

 

Now if could just convince them to polarize them.

Edited March 26, 2008 by Bernie

[Fishnfiend]

I started out with a pair of south bend Walmart cheapies and they were polarized and did work fine. I saw a pair of uvex polarized glasses at Costco for 39.99 I asked to try them on and they fit great the optician even helped adjust them making them even more comfortable. I said I will take them. She then took out a box and opened up.... For the 40 bucks I also got another two pairs of lens and a carrying case.... All the lens are polarized, grey, amber and rose. So on the low light days I put in the amber and on the really bright days the grey and I just haven't used the rose yet (supposed to be great for driving though) but they are there if I ever need them.

 

I found out later that Uvex specializes in safety glasses which probably explains why these glasses are so tough. I have had my buddies do the branch in the face trick many times. I have dropped them on rocks, sand, ice and asphalt and I have yet to see a scratch on any of the lenses...

 

Also if I lose them or break them I can live the price.

 

That sounds to be about the best deal going. Off to Costco I go.

[Zubris21]

Thanks for starting this thread! I appreciate all the info. I've heard lots about polarized glasses and never really thought much about it. However after hearing some of the reviews I think I'm going to go get a pair of the cheap rapala's to keep in my tackle box.

 

My question to all of you, is how do polarized glasses compare to standard sun glasses (for example I have Oakley's) in terms of protecting your eyes from UV damage.

 

I know that you get what you paid for, but does the polarization filter interfere with the UV filters? Or are they combined even on the lower end products?

 

-fwf

[GBW]

I just have a $30.00 Extreme Optiks pair that my 4-year old daughter picked out for me, they fit well and they work well too! I got them from BPS...

[BillM]

I am going to have to take a trip to CostCo! I love the fact of having one pair of glasses with multiple lenses...

 

Thanks for the info guys!

[muskymike]

I am going to have to take a trip to CostCo! I love the fact of having one pair of glasses with multiple lenses...

 

Thanks for the info guys!

 

I second that. I will be there tomorrow to have a look.