Polorized sunglasses

[mike rousseau]

Hello everyone

 

I know this has been discussed but hey... It's still cold out and what else do we have to do? Lol

 

I'm looking for some decent quality polorized sunglasses... I usually use walmart cheapos for $25-$30 but I was told cheap sunglasses are bad cause you fully open your eyes but the lenses don't protect your eyes from the sun

 

So now I'm looking for a higher quality pair of sunglasses

 

Looking at max $300 range

 

I like the feel of oakleys but I find the straight arms hit my hat behind my ears and then they lift at the front and push hard on my ears...

 

I'm gunna check out costas and Maui Jim's

 

Something I won't know by trying them in a shop is what lenses are best for clear water?

 

Any input is appreciated

 

I had some Oakley "Valve" sunglasses on yesterday and they felt great other then the arms touching my hat

[Garnet]

Amber is the best all around lenses. Check Blue Water Optics.

[FloatnFly]

have a look at sundog and costa del mar. with Costa being highly rated

Edited April 3, 2016 by FloatnFly

[GBW]

I really like the amber lens for clear water and for regular use on days use too. I have had the following, Maui Jim's, Ray Ban, Ryders (SAIL for $70) and yesterday I got a set of Blue Water Optics ($100 at the sportsman show) and yet to water test but like them. I sold my Maui Jim's for the same reason with the hat even though they were thin arms they just felt too long. My only grey lens are the Ran Ban's and I find they fall off VERY easy if you take them off and put them on the bill of your hat.

[FloatnFly]

https://www.costadelmar.com/shop/sunglasses/mens

[hunteronwheels]

i thought this might prove useful

http://www.today.com/style/debunking-9-common-myths-about-sunglasses-2D80554300

[porkpie]

My last set was Maui Jim. I wore them for nearly 7 years and they are excellent sunglasses. I still leave them in our pickup truck for those times I forget my new ones. I cheaped out this time and paid $64 at Costco for a pair of Hobies. So far I'm very pleased with them and the lenses are great for the dollar value. Time will tell if they hold up. I only buy amber lenses.

Edited April 3, 2016 by porkpie

[grizzlybri]

I'd suggest Oakley, Pete suggested them to me, even let me try one of his pairs on a trip. I got myself a pair back in November at the outlet and use them for both fishing and while out on runs. They are by far the best ones I've owned and they come with a warranty

[Big Cliff]

This is a great thread, I have been wanting a good pair of polarized glasses for a couple of years now but I have a hard time spending a lot of money for a brand name unless there is truly value in the name. keep the reviews coming!

[SylvanOwner]

I got a pair of Smith Optics "Parallel Max" a few years back and really like them. They have interchangeable lenses and came with 3 sets, only 1 was polarized but I've used the others (clear and a light rose) for night skiing as I don't like goggles and like the cold air on my face. By having them interchangeable it gives you options on different colors for different sky conditions and also means you can just replace the lense if you get a scratch rather than the whole pair of glasses.

 

Don't give up on the cheapies though, if you're tough on glasses or accident prone I've had several pairs over the years that I thought were just fine.

 

Beware of just how much you are paying for the "brand" and not necessarily much improvement in quality. I'm not exactly sure how you do this short of pooling the OFC Community.... . Is there such a thing as an unbiased optician, they are going to push the product they have in their store. Maybe an optometrist who doesn't also retail?

Edited April 3, 2016 by SylvanOwner

[hunteronwheels]

i am one of those people who go thru glasses

so i only get cheapies or else i cant buy reels rods and other " necessities "

and i found this article that helped me

http://www.fieldandstream.com/articles/fishing/2014/04/sunglasses-under-30-shades

[huddy]

I've had a couple of pairs of Peppers, and while they are not top of the line, found them pretty good.

[porkpie]

This is a great thread, I have been wanting a good pair of polarized glasses for a couple of years now but I have a hard time spending a lot of money for a brand name unless there is truly value in the name. keep the reviews coming!

I will say one thing about Maui Jims, my son at 2 years old snapped the frame in half on my Mauis. I walked in to the Mississauga Maui Jim office, told them what happened and asked if I could pay to have the frames replaced. They gave me a brand new pair free of charge. That was pretty good in my books. But you pay a price for that kind of service.

Edited April 3, 2016 by porkpie

[FrankTheRabbit]

I did some decent amount of research looking for a pair of shades for fishing purposes and I too went with SmithOptics. I had an older pair of Smiths that was exposed to salt water (I was in Bermuda for a week) and the metal hinges started to corrode and the lens developed weird spots. I sent them in for warranty and I received a new pair of Terrace shades. Customer service might be worthwhile to consider and I've had nothing but good things about them. On their website, they have measurements of the different models so you will have a better idea how well they will fit.

Oakley's, Maui Jims, and Costas all have really good lenses.

I did three comparisons to test the polarization of different lenses: Two pairs of SmithOptics (plastic and glass lens) and one pair of H20ptix Baja shades. When my wife wears the H20ptix, she feels that there's a big hole effect beneath her feet. I'm guessing the lens don't taper enough (or at all) and it distorts her field of view. I didn't seem to have a problem with them.

H20ptix Baja (polarized plastic lens, light grey): Got these ones on sale for $26, reg $49 from Gagnons. As you can see in the 3rd image, there's a bit of a "rainbow" effect, but the edges seem a little consistent.

SmithOptics Terrace (polarized plastic lens, dark grey lens): Pretty consistent polarization through and through. On the 2nd and 3rd image, it may look like an uneven spot on the right lens, but it's just the reflection of the light source behind me.

SmithOptics Touchstone (polarized glass lens, amber lens): Same as the other pair, both consistent for me.

Edited April 3, 2016 by FrankTheRabbit

[GBW]

This is a great thread, I have been wanting a good pair of polarized glasses for a couple of years now but I have a hard time spending a lot of money for a brand name unless there is truly value in the name. keep the reviews coming!

Yeah, Maui Jim's got a GREAT warranty! We had a thread on that a year or so ago...

 

But even the $70 one's I got at SAIL (Ryders) I had zero issues with for 3 years till I got a bad scratch on them a week ago. For $70 over 36 mths = $1.94 a mth for a decent product. They were also my daily wear glasses over 80% of the time. I really liked the soft rubber inserts in the arm so they stayed on my face in the boat at 60+ MPH and on my hat when not wearing them.

[GBW]

FrankTheRabbit, where did you get the last set of Smith's on your post? I like the look of that frame is all

[tomkat]

Maui Jim are great glasses. I have the Neutral grey and the bronze lenses. The grey are best on the water if it is sunny I like the bronze for driving or hazy days. I always go for the glass lenses the trade off for the best optics is they get heavy on the nose but they are also more scratch resistant. I'm cheap when it comes to buying clothes but I don't mind buying expensive sunglasses 1 full day in the boat and the value of quality sunglasses is very obvious to me.

[cram]

Have a couple of pairs of Smiths with the polarchromic lenses (the tint changes to match brightness of day). They are definitely better than the cheapies that I used to have, but no idea how to compare with Mauis, Costas, etc. The Costa 580G lenses are pretty famous for being amazing.

 

Two notes that may help:

- bigger is better.....make sure they're big enough to properly cover your eyes/face

- bronze/copper is good all around on ontario lakes, but the saltwater guys (on clear water) almost always have greens, I think. May be worth looking into that.

Edited April 3, 2016 by cram

[manitoubass2]

Im horrible.

 

I have like 20 pairs of berkley and rapala cheapies.

 

I cant go without sunglasses and I have so many they are stashed everywhere???

 

They work and if they break or go for a swim oh well

[Raf]

Costa del mar with the 580 glass lenses are the best I have tried.

[FrankTheRabbit]

FrankTheRabbit, where did you get the last set of Smith's on your post? I like the look of that frame is all

 

I got lucky and found them on eBay. The frames are called "tortoise" lol

 

Cram made an awesome suggestion about lens colour. I've tried dark grey lens for river fishing and at times, they were too dark. I switched to amber lens, and they made a noticeable difference. Definitely match the lens colour to the body of water that you will be fishing.

[kickingfrog]

Something to consider. Prescription eye glasses are an almost complete scam as far as price goes. Style names costs more, quality doesn't. Eye glasses, with individually ground lenses, and individually fitted, are marked-up hundreds of dollars. That doesn't mean that a $15 pair of sunglasses are what you should get, but you can get everything you need without spending a couple of hundred... unless you need to say I spent a couple of hundred on these sunglasses.

 

Rarely is this a popular point, since once you've spent a couple of hundred you kind of feel that you need to justify it.

[Old Ironmaker]

After some lengthy discussion here about good quality glasses some time ago I broke down and got a pair of Maui Jim's with prescription lenses last spring. I'm afraid I am going to lose them every time I put them on though. I used to get 10 to 15 pair for that price. I do see the difference between cheap and not so cheap. A huge difference.

[chris.brock]

unless you need to say I spent a couple of hundred on these sunglasses.

 

Rarely is this a popular point, since once you've spent a couple of hundred you kind of feel that you need to justify it.

 

Yep!

 

For some guys, if they spend decent money on something, it's automatically a great investment.

 

I can admit I've wasted money on some expensive crap.

[cram]

Something to consider. Prescription eye glasses are an almost complete scam as far as price goes. Style names costs more, quality doesn't. Eye glasses, with individually ground lenses, and individually fitted, are marked-up hundreds of dollars. That doesn't mean that a $15 pair of sunglasses are what you should get, but you can get everything you need without spending a couple of hundred... unless you need to say I spent a couple of hundred on these sunglasses.

 

Rarely is this a popular point, since once you've spent a couple of hundred you kind of feel that you need to justify it.

Any brands you like that have great quality and low price?