Glasses
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Buzzard Breath
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- Jul 31, 2006
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Costa with 580g. Worth every penny if you do any sort of sight fishing.
East TN Bowhunter
Well-Known Member
I have Costas that I bought a couple years ago at Richard's and are blue mirror finish and are nice when using livescope but when looking into direct sunlight they arent worth a dang. I have a tinted pair of Milwaukee shades from home depot that work better when looking directly into sun. Oh and they were $6 lol
East TN Bowhunter
Well-Known Member
My Dad used to have a pair of Costas he bought back in the early 2000s and they seem a whole lot better than my pair and mine are 580G. Both blue mirror finish. I got mine at a reputable dealer as well so its my belief they def don't make them like they used to. His you could look directly at the sun and mine you cannot.
UCStandSitter
Well-Known Member
I like Costas a lot but are pretty dang high. I have light colored eyes and wear sunglasses year round even on lighter cloudy days so I go through sunglasses pretty quickly. 1-2 yrs per pair max. After taking out a 2nd mortgage to buy Costas a few times I started looking at other options. I've found that polarized Oakley Frogskins tend to work just as well for me and I can usually find the basic colors on Amazon for between $70-$90 if I'm not terribly picky on the color. For half the price I'll take it. Also, in warmer weather I prefer the frogskin style because more air gets in which prevents sweat/fog. Costas wrap a bit more and are hot on me.
I have a pair of Costa 580g and I really like them but when it's really hot the sweat/fog issue is definitely aggravating.
Glass lens Smith Optics for me. Their low light igniter lens are a game changer for early and late in the day, and all day on overcast days.
Brown glass lens for bright times.
Brown glass lens for bright times.
UCStandSitter
Well-Known Member
Costa are the house hold name and I own a few pair. they work very well and have a good warrenty, however for pure lens view and tech Smith are better IMO. I wish Smith offered better frame options but their lenses are absolutely amazing.
Setterman
Well-Known Member
Costas are good, as are Maui Jims. Only buy glass lenses though, plastic lenses are not ideal or long lasting
The last thread here about sun glasses spurred an experiment for me. I went and bought several models of each of the most popular brands listed by people and gave them all a fair shake. Brands tested were: Costa, Maui Jim, Smith, Oakley, and WileyX. Now, for kicks and giggles, I brought all of them along on my May trip to Arkansas and between me, my brother inlaw, and our guide, we wore all those pairs to try out and evaluate. My wife tried them as well. Between the results of 4 people, I can guarantee you this....everybody's eyes are different because none of us chose the same pair or lenses as our favorite...even when you ruled out the overall fit...just basing it off the lenses: ability to knock out sun glare and overall seeing distance into the water. None of us picked the same pair as our #1. So take that into consideration when polling forums.
I had the blue and green mirror 580G lenses in the Costas. I had the Maui Green and Blue Hawaii in the Maui Jim's. I had the ChromaPop glass lenses in blue and green mirror in the Smiths. Oakley I had 3 lenses in the Prizm series...Deep Water, Shallow Water, and Ruby.
The Smith and Maui Jim...by far the best construction of frames. The Smiths...I had them in the Guide series...and they were too big for me. I hate glasses that want to sag down and rest on my cheeks. I could see into the water best with the Smiths by far. Our fishing guide loved them and they fit his face well. He was wearing a pair of Costas of his own and he couldn't believe the difference between his pair and the Smiths so I gave him the Smiths as part of our tip for guiding. I don't think they make a frame that will fit me though. Maui Jim's are light as a feather. Very stylish but I felt like they had the least of protection from bright sun...I found myself having to squint some while out in bright sun with them on. Now...this is where the difference in people come into play. My brother inlaw liked those the best and had no trouble with brightness.
My favorite though...came as a whim buy. I already had the Oakley Flak 2.0 frames and really like them...and had the Prizm lenses for those. But when I saw Midway USA had a pair on sale in Prizm Ruby lenses for $50 I couldn't pass that up. To my surprise...the Prizm Ruby is the best for me as far as knocking out sun brightness. I can't see as clearly into the water vs the Smiths but for a heck of a pair for every day use...driving, etc that Ruby is awesome.
My wife likes the Blue Mirror Costas the best...she said those were the best for sun brightness for her. She said the Smiths made certain colors "pop" and were vibrant but said she would have to have a hat on to knock some of the glare down. She didn't like the Maui Jim's at all.
So there ya go. My top one is the Oakley, followed by Smith, then Costas, then Maui Jim, and WileyX last. I think everybody had WileyX last on their rankings...but I will say the WileyX Omega frame fit my face the best of all of them...just wasn't too crazy about their lenses.
I had the blue and green mirror 580G lenses in the Costas. I had the Maui Green and Blue Hawaii in the Maui Jim's. I had the ChromaPop glass lenses in blue and green mirror in the Smiths. Oakley I had 3 lenses in the Prizm series...Deep Water, Shallow Water, and Ruby.
The Smith and Maui Jim...by far the best construction of frames. The Smiths...I had them in the Guide series...and they were too big for me. I hate glasses that want to sag down and rest on my cheeks. I could see into the water best with the Smiths by far. Our fishing guide loved them and they fit his face well. He was wearing a pair of Costas of his own and he couldn't believe the difference between his pair and the Smiths so I gave him the Smiths as part of our tip for guiding. I don't think they make a frame that will fit me though. Maui Jim's are light as a feather. Very stylish but I felt like they had the least of protection from bright sun...I found myself having to squint some while out in bright sun with them on. Now...this is where the difference in people come into play. My brother inlaw liked those the best and had no trouble with brightness.
My favorite though...came as a whim buy. I already had the Oakley Flak 2.0 frames and really like them...and had the Prizm lenses for those. But when I saw Midway USA had a pair on sale in Prizm Ruby lenses for $50 I couldn't pass that up. To my surprise...the Prizm Ruby is the best for me as far as knocking out sun brightness. I can't see as clearly into the water vs the Smiths but for a heck of a pair for every day use...driving, etc that Ruby is awesome.
My wife likes the Blue Mirror Costas the best...she said those were the best for sun brightness for her. She said the Smiths made certain colors "pop" and were vibrant but said she would have to have a hat on to knock some of the glare down. She didn't like the Maui Jim's at all.
So there ya go. My top one is the Oakley, followed by Smith, then Costas, then Maui Jim, and WileyX last. I think everybody had WileyX last on their rankings...but I will say the WileyX Omega frame fit my face the best of all of them...just wasn't too crazy about their lenses.
I think a lot depends on the type of water you fish. I mostly fish fast moving water watching tiny objects on the surface and the Costa 580g in green works great for that application. Or at least they do for me.
agelessssone
Well-Known Member
What about us old guys that wear prescription glasses?
What should we look for?
What should we look for?
i have to wear script glasses. revelation glasses with the included magnetized add ons.
I wear costas blue mirror 580 glass. Just ordered a grey lens to try out. My wife works at eye Dr so I get a hell of a deal on them so I doubt I'll be changing as long as she works there.
That is exactly why I use green (Costa). I've tried blue but they are way to dark. However, anything lighter than green doesn't cut the glare of fast wafter. Once again, at least for my eyes.
TheLBLman
Well-Known Member
Low light yellow lens is still available. I would bet it's very similar although I've been out of the serious fishing game for 5 yrsApparently, Smith no longer makes the igniter lens
They may have been re-named, but, it looks like the Guide's Choice still have them. They have never been available in all of the frame styles.Apparently, Smith no longer makes the igniter lens
Amazon is showing two different styles available on their site.
Costa 580G green mirror lenses is what I always wear in the brine frame.
Zenni Optical is your friend. Got a prescription pair for about $130 about two months ago and really like them on the water. Tons of lenses and combos.
I am thinking of ordering a pair of Solar Bats just to give them a try too. I have a few of these other pairs I tried left over if anybody might be interested in them...at Crow's blowout prices. 1 pair of Maui Jim for sure.
Ive used some cheap ones that were just as good. I have to have the amber lens. Yellow would be my second choice. I don't sight fish in lakes or oceans much, just rivers. Best bang for the buck were some cheapos at an outdoor store just on the cheap rack. Polarized with the amber/brown lense.
Try the Redding frames in the Smiths. They are a better fit for a more narrow face.
If you ever find yourself in Nashville, stop in at FlySouth Outfitters. There are probably 10-15 different frame styles in the Smith glasses, about as many in Costa, and a bunch in the new Bajio and Breaklines, and several in Kaenon. There are three large cases of premium glasses to try on and choose from. If you find a frame that you like but need another type/color of lens, they are more than happy to order and ship if needed. It beats guessing while ordering online.
That was my problem: locally there wasn't any place to go try them on. Costas are everywhere but the others...not so much. I did do a swing and miss on the Smiths....like I say, I liked their lenses for seeing into the water. The Guide's Choice was too big but I saw they had a Guide's Choice S version...a smaller version of the Guide's Choice. I gambled on it being a better fit and ordered a pair of those but they ended up being too small and I missed the trial window to return them too. The Redding does appear to be "in between" the two Guide's Choice frame sizes. I'll definitely have to try a pair. I also just went ahead and ordered a pair of the Solarbats in Mossyback color lenses.
moondawg
Well-Known Member
Y'all can have your pretty little Costas and whatnot. I have custom made sunglasses! (Enter Ric Flair's WHOO!). From the finest glasses shop in town.
Ok, so they are actually prescription polaroid sunglasses that I got on a package deal with my regular glasses.
But doesn't custom made sound better?
Ok, so they are actually prescription polaroid sunglasses that I got on a package deal with my regular glasses.
But doesn't custom made sound better?
Oakley's with progressive prescription plastic polarized lens …. That enough p's for you? I left out pricey which they were!
Bought them thru LensCrafters
Bought them thru LensCrafters
I don't spend hundreds of dollars on polarized sunglasses. For me, a $30 pair is enough. That being said, I don't spend hours on a boat either. I don't worry about scratching or losing my cheap glasses.
To each his own
To each his own
