Best polarized glasses?

[troutbum33]

A couple fisheries I frequent can be fantastic for sight fishing. A good pair of polarized shades is a must.........I'm looking for every advantage I can get spotting these fish.

I currently have a pair of Natives, and they are pretty good. I've heard the Smith Chromapops are pretty sweet. What do you guys think? Any of you done a side-by-side with different shades?

Thanks,
Brian

 

[benjohnson41]

Never done a side by side comparison, but I love my Costas. They have been a valuable tool for me since I purchased them. I honestly don't know how I ever fished without them.

 

[fredaevans]

You can spend any amount of money you want, lookin' cool too.:thumbsupu But you can't buy better than these.

Cocoons Eyewear - Fitover Sunglasses and Low Vision UV Filters For us that need 'eyeware' these things are the 'Bee's Knees.'

fae

 

[darkshadow]

I look for a few things in polarized eye wear and Oakely fits the bill.

1. Light. Nothing like dragging around metal frames and glass lenses around all day.

2. Polycarbonate. I fish conventional sometimes, and having a 1/2 ounce tungsten jig flying back at your face and shattering glass lenses doesn't look like much fun. And since my glasses also double as my baseball sunglasses, having glass is a big no no during my use.

3. Clarity. Most people will opt with glass to get the clarity that one needs, but I've tried Costas, Ray Bans, etc and nobody does polycarbonate like Oakley does. The clarity is unmatched, although the polycarbonate does have the tendency to scratch easily.

4. Style. My dad loves aviator type lenses. I prefer not to rock the same style as my pops, god bless the man.

My choice? Oakley's Half Jacket. The best part is interchangeable lenses. In the morning when you need more light penetration? Done, with the Fire Iridium lenses. Middle of the day when the light is right above you? No problem, with the Ice Iridium which blocks more light than the Fire Iridium. Your dog ate your last lenses? No problem, just buy a replacement pair of lenses and you're not having to buy a brand new pair of glasses. Driving at night? Get the high-vis yellow lenses and you're ready to go. Have a baseball game and prefer not to have a 80 mph fastball hit your glass lenses and send you to the emergency room? No problem, lenses are polycarbonate.

You basically have 3 types of sunglasses at your disposal.

 

[ten_fiver]

My eyes are very sensitive to light, so you won't catch me outside without sunglasses on. I've tried all the usual brands, so I'll give my two cents on a few.

Oakley- good clarity, but all of my lenses scratched way too easy. For the money, I prefer other brands for this reason.

Smith- Awesome lenses, and their frames fit me the best. Some of their frame finishes can peel after long term use.

Costa- This is what I currently have. The lenses are outstanding and durable. Frame is light and seems durable so far.

I love my Costas, but prefer Smiths simply due to their frames fitting my fat head a little better. You can't go wrong with the lenses of either.

---------- Post added at 08:12 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:08 PM ----------

Just to add, if you have the cash for the chromapops, I'd go that route. Those lenses are just ridiculous

 

[fredaevans]

My eyes are very sensitive to light, so you won't catch me outside without sunglasses on.

God can I 'relate!' My first issue lenses were just 'black.' Like really-really black. From that point on all my duty was after dark. Eye Guy: "You have the eyes of an owl, nothing but night duty for you from this point forward."

Amazing what you could see on Puget Sound/Canadian Water's if you paid attention. Moving lights, shore lights, Plot's, movement .. 'This could get interesting and on the radio to CG 13 in Seattle or Radio Vancouver.

Loved the old "AM" radios, you could talk to the world, the FM's were a pain in the butt.

 

[ten_fiver]

God can I 'relate!' My first issue lenses were just 'black.' Like really-really black. From that point on all my duty was after dark. Eye Guy: "You have the eyes of an owl, nothing but night duty for you from this point forward."

Amazing what you could see on Puget Sound/Canadian Water's if you paid attention. Moving lights, shore lights, Plot's, movement .. 'This could get interesting and on the radio to CG 13 in Seattle or Radio Vancouver.

Loved the old "AM" radios, you could talk to the world, the FM's were a pain in the butt.

Ha, yep that sounds familiar. I'm always the go to night driver, and I was Mr. Night shift during my time in the service. Owls really aren't that bad.

 

[coastrider]

I'm a Smith guy, great clarity and fitment is awesome. Even a bit heavy they are comfy

 

[oldskewl808]

I fish Costas mostly, but also like Maui Jim, and smith. All glass lenses. The best lenses I have ever fished were my glass Neptunes. They are not made any more, but if you can find them someplace buy them. Also not made any longer are the original wrap around style Arnet Ravens. Arnette was "Arnet" when they first started. He was a designer for Oakley before starting his own company. Those original glass lens Ravens were outstanding. Now all that being said sometimes I go poly lens. I have a couple pairs of poly Costas, Arnettes, Ray Bans, and Mosley Tribes. Now I gotta plug props for Native. I love the Native Endos. I just got another pair a few days ago and fished them for the first time. This time it was the grey mirror lens. It was like x-ray vision. great for spotting fish on a super sunny day. In summary, more often than not I have my Costa Del Mar Blackfins with 580G amber lenses on or its either pair of my Native Endos depending on the conditions. I wish I could find those Neptunes. I mean I have a pair lost in my house someplace.

 

[acorad]

This is a great discussion and has made me think a lot about sunglasses.

Fashion aside, I'm leaning now to styles that have no frame on the bottom of the lens, as that could block vision - both fish and the slippery-a$$ rocks I'm wading on.

Also, in the Sierras where I fish, there are plenty of hours in the AM and PM when the sun is at a low angle such that I'm fishing completely in the shade of the mountains, but I do still need polarizing, so I'm now looking for clear, or nearly so, polarized lenses.

Andy

 

[troutbum33]

Good replies so far guys, thanks.

I found a pair of Smith's on Amazon that have the Chromapop polarized brown lenses for much less than the usual $200......Everything I've read about these lenses has been good. I think brown is a good all around lense......But like Acorad mentioned, a good "specialty" low light lense can be very useful. I think copper or amber are typically considered low light lenses.

I have more thoughts, gotta go back to work.......later.

 

[darkshadow]

This is a great discussion and has made me think a lot about sunglasses.

Fashion aside, I'm leaning now to styles that have no frame on the bottom of the lens, as that could block vision - both fish and the slippery-a$$ rocks I'm wading on.

Also, in the Sierras where I fish, there are plenty of hours in the AM and PM when the sun is at a low angle such that I'm fishing completely in the shade of the mountains, but I do still need polarizing, so I'm now looking for clear, or nearly so, polarized lenses.

Andy

I'm glad somebody else has mentioned the fact that having one lens may not cover all situations.

That's the main reasons I stick with my pair. The ability to swap out lenses on the fly to match the lighting conditions is crucial, and I don't have the finances to buy 4 pairs of polarized lenses, let alone carry 4 pairs of glasses on every trip.

Does anybody know if other companies offer the ability to swap lenses on the same frame?

 

[clay tonian]

Costas and Ocean Waves for fishing...Suncloud for cutting the grass

 

[ten_fiver]

Good replies so far guys, thanks.

I found a pair of Smith's on Amazon that have the Chromapop polarized brown lenses for much less than the usual $200......Everything I've read about these lenses has been good. I think brown is a good all around lense......But like Acorad mentioned, a good "specialty" low light lense can be very useful. I think copper or amber are typically considered low light lenses.

I have more thoughts, gotta go back to work.......later.

I'm not a fan of multiple lenses, but that's just my preference. I usually go with a copper or brown lens. They are dark enough in the sun, but perform decently in low light conditions too.

 

[duker]

+1 for Costas. As an "old guy" who needs reading glasses these days, one of the best pieces of fishing gear I've bought in the last couple of years has to be my bifocal Costa polarized glasses. I think they're the Fathom model; I got the +1.75 power lenses. So convenient--now I don't have to take off my sunglasses and replace them with my reading glasses when I need to tie on a fly or do other fiddly-type work.

Scott

 

[jcw355]

I have costas which are great but wanted bifocals sunglasses. Got a special deal on some suncloud polarized bifocals for $ 9.95 so I got those too.

 

[troutbum33]

I'm not a fan of multiple lenses, but that's just my preference. I usually go with a copper or brown lens. They are dark enough in the sun, but perform decently in low light conditions too.

I'm not a fan of glasses you switch out lenses either. I assume that's what you were referring to ten fiver? I have a pair of Native Grips.....full frame, interchangeable lenses...The lenses unseat easily...I never use them because of this....I like a solid pair of glasses...I'm kinda hard on gear, I like stuff that can take abuse.

I think I could reasonably justify carrying two pairs of glasses, especially when I know I'll be sight fishing.....One general use, or bright conditions pair, and one low light conditions pair.

I see a lot of people like Costa's on here......I'd like to compare the Costa Sunrise's with say the Smith polar yellow lense......sounds like both are good for low light. Are the Sunrise's glass?

@ Darkshadow....Check out the Smith Approach. No bottom frame....Has a brown lense, and ignitor lense (low light), and a clear lense.....good for huckin streamers or mice in the dark!! I've never handled em, so I cant say anything more about em....But Smiths have a good rep. Pretty good deal on Sierra trading post, and they always have an extra 30% off kinda deal or something

 

[troutbum33]

Figured out the Costa lense thing.......I'm goin with a some Costa's with 580p sunrise lenses for low light conditions.

 

[oldskewl808]

Figured out the Costa lense thing.......I'm goin with a some Costa's with 580p sunrise lenses for low light conditions.

If you can afford it I would recommend the 580G.

 

[sweetandsalt]

As a sight fishing, Rx using guy in a range of environments and with some knowledge of optics; I use real glass lenses ONLY, CR 39 distorts and polycarbonate, well it is not optical grade material. I use Smiths but like Costa's equally well but Smith will do your Rx for you if you e-them your Rx with pupillary distance measurement (important). I use photo-cooper in general but own amber too for lower light or cloudy conditions and I have heard there is a new tint optimized for really low light like dusk that is at least partly polarized...anyone know about this?