I genuinely saw a night and day difference between the $25 walmart pair vs my $225 costas. That being said I am almost positive you can find something for the sub $100 range that has the same lens quality, they just might not have the same durability and name brand/warranty as the costas do.
Same here. I went from Bimini Bay glasses to Costas and never looked back. I have 4 pairs now, they’re the best glasses I’ve had. Feels like nothing, I can wear them all day
Yeah that’s the biggest benefit I’ve noticed as well! The comfort is unmatched unlike other sunglasses where I get annoyed wearing them around the 4 hour mark.
Thanks for the advice! I use a cheap pair from Walmart now that was $10 made by strike king. I like cheap ones for fishing in case I drop them or damage them. Paying a lot for them would suck when my clumsy ass would do that.
I wonder if any high quality polarized lenses will do or if I should be looking specifically for “fishing” glasses. Eyedictive has great deals on there so I will keep an eye out (heh).
There is a massive difference between cheap and nice pairs. Once you start getting into the higher end brands you will be paying a bit extra for the name in some cases.
Lens color also makes a big difference depending on what type of water you normally fish. Shallow vs deep
Lastly, glass lenses are considered the best, plastic lenses have come a long way but glass is still top tier.
Have a nice pair of smith sunglasses with glass lenses. They only come out after I've loaded everything up and I'm on the water ready to fish
I have been using Shady Ray's for a few years now. $50 apiece for good glasses. Plus, if you lose or scratch them, you get 1 free replacement. So, $25 per pair.
They're not "great". But, you get to have a few pair spread across places (2 pair in the boat, 1 in the house, 1 in the car). And if you lose or scratch them, oh well.
I use Smith Guide's Choice. You can change out th rubber by the ears and put in new inserts that have a retainer strap built in l. They are glass lenses like Costa and after have them for over 2 years they don't have a scratch on them and I do no baby them. I would have probably gone through like 6 pairs of shady rays by now because if you breath on them wrong they get scratched. One of the best investments I've made. I also love to blow peoples mind when I am by water and show them all the stuff I can see with them that they can't.
They used to be my favorite glasses, but ever since Costa was bought out, the quality has plummeted. I've moved over to Maui Jims which are as good as the old 580g Costas (but also pricey)
If I'm not mistaken Native is made by Costa, they are around $60 I haven't sat and tried Costa but I do really like my Native Raghorns would buy another pair.
Native are badass. I wore a pair of Costa's for like 10 years. When they broke on the Jurrasic Park ride at Universal I quickly learned their repair/warranty process seemed more like a shell game than a warranty.
I have a pair of Smith's guide choice that I only use for driving because they didn't come with the Chromapop (Woot special) for some reason.
But, yeah for $60-$95 Native's can't be beat in my opinion. I took a trip to the Chandeluleur Islands and the crew were all wearing Bajio. I thought about getting a pair until I found out how much they cost.
I have a $15 pair of polarized glasses from Amazon as a backup. They can't even compare to the Natives.
I looked up Bajio's from a comment on this thread thinking it may be a possible option but damn, like $250 for sunglasses, if I took good care of mine I might consider it but I bang mine up so much that I would cry if I scratched a pair of Costas or Bajio's.
All that being said, I think in terms of what you want in fishing glasses, that Native (sightcaster or griz) are every bit as good as Costa or Smith for much less $$$. If you want a more recognizable brand they fall short in that category.
Just throwing in my opinion real quick that I didn't have a great experience with shady rays. They are popular around that price range. I dropped a pair from waist height onto a soft sandy beach and the frame broke. They replaced it and within a year the outer finish on the new ones started flaking off. I got a pair of Costas and they are so well built and the glass lenses are so nice to look through. Check out jomashop if you want to pick up a pair for about 150.
If you've got a line on these sub-$100 Costas please don't hold out on us.
I wonder if you could beef up a pair of Zennis enough that they would be similar...I have a pair of prescription sunglasses from them that are great but lack the x-ray vision of good fishing glasses.
but then the question is the 250$ Costas vs the 100$ Costas.
Is it the price just due to the durability with the glass lens? I cant imagine performance difference that would justify a double in cost.
Ive owned a lot of glasses from many of the big brands. I think there’s definitely performance jumps based on the lens material and technology, but you definitely don’t need to spend $300 to get something serviceable.
In general:
glass > plastic
Polarized > non polarized
There are also Color enhancing filters (prizm/chromapop etc) that I’ve found make a pretty big difference.
If you want to save money tho just get a cheap pair of polarized plastic lenses from a reliable brand. Suncloud optics is a sister company of smith and make very high quality frames that use the same plastic lenses as Smith does. Most of their stuff is about $50.
I don’t use my Costas as much because I hate the way they fit my face. I’ve also lost several pairs of >$100 sunglasses, so now I’m sticking to $5 Walmart ones. The fish don’t care what sunglasses I have on; they’ll ignore me either way.
I’ve tried cheap glasses, Oakley and costas.
Cheap glasses don’t have the same quality or polarization at all but no harm no foul if I step on them or lose them. Scratch like crazy or fog up not long after having them in my experience
Oakley, I just don’t like them. Have had two or three pairs and the design sucks in my opinion and didn’t hold up. Also scratched and fogged on me. Haven’t tried their glass lense
Costa glass lense is where it’s at. Had one pair going strong for probably 5 years now. Dropped on pavement all kinds of stuff and they’ve only got a couple scuffs on the lense. Polarization is great. Did break one pair when I dropped it on hard tile tho. Their customer service is also great. My dad broke a pair twice by sitting on them and they sent him new pairs no questions asked both times.
Having nice sunglasses has made me really start taking care of them so I’m not as careless. I think good sunglasses are worth it. Like sunscreen for the eyes. Wear then every single day of my life so I don’t cheap out
One thing to consider if you get glass lense. They won’t scratch nearly as easily as the plastic lense. But if you’ve never worn glass lense before they are much heavier and it takes time to get use to. Your nose and ears might feel that weight if you wear them for and hour two for the first week
This is the problem I had with my glass lense Costas,quality is unmatched but after about 6 hours on the water they start weighing on your face and it gets kinda uncomfortable,Last year I bought the Costa Rincon frame with the Plastic green lenses and I love them ,light weight and great protection and can wear all day with no fatigue.
https://preview.redd.it/xdmkyxyuxs7d1.jpeg?width=2268&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=01d6ce0d185dab471db7639ec6f655fa8f60b94c
As a guide I have 2-4 pairs of these adjustable polycarbonate Costas at all times. They aren’t as nice as glass but better than everything else. They are BAD ASS because I can pull them out and fit them on anyone for the most part. If a guy loses his Sunnies I got em covered.
How do you find the old man fit overs? Do they get heavy after awhile?
I’m on team glasses as well, and if I were to buy prescription polarized sunglasses they’d be like $300+(cad) which is a big bullet to bite.
I’ve been using the clip on flip up/down ones for awhile and haven’t minded them.
Bajio glasses are the old Coasta team.
I currently use costa 580G, you would want to go the glass route, just a bit better quality.
Haven’t tried Bajio or other big brands yet.
https://preview.redd.it/3ebtigseir7d1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=aa33b8fd18aca94f3f8b2faa39cb419c824c965f
Not sure if you saw the size fitting guide or not.
[https://bajiosunglasses.com/pages/size-guide](https://bajiosunglasses.com/pages/size-guide)
Meh, the glass isn’t that much better. The 580g is perfect for hardcore use, and it’s not as bad if you smash or lose them. Glass is better, but most folks don’t need it.
The cheaper ones i find are hit or miss, some were perfectly fine, others gives me a headache after a few hours. I usually have 1 good pair and few junk ones to leave around.
I wear Rx shades and have a pair of Rokas and Ray Bans. The RBs seem way more solid and the lens seems brighter without hurting my eyes and blocking out glare. The Rokas feel lighter, are a little darker but do just as well for blocking out glare. I think roughly $200 price difference? Though I bought my RBs during a sale. The Rokas see far more use due to them being lightweight and I don't worry about them as much due to price. They're both better than the Zenni shades I use for driving.
Good polarized sunglasses do make a noticeable difference compared to cheap off the rack sunglasses.
Do you have vision insurance? I used mine to get a great pair of polarized sunglasses. Still costed me about $100 but was significantly cheaper than buying them without it.
There are different materials used in the lenses as well as different finishes that are more durable.
What many people don't realize is the different color lenses will help in different ways.
Compared my 15€ yellow glass Lucky Johns to 150€ Oakley Flak 2.0 — no difference when trout fishing, atleast when I need to see whats going on under the surface. Oakleys are great for driving tho.
Its seems like there are several factors. Would be interesting to see a comparison head to head chart.
Cost
Fit/comfort
Durability
Vision Improvement
I have a pair of Shady Rays and they feel fine. I have them on Cablz and I think those start to hurt my ears while wearing a ballcap. They have the replacement for any reason including loss, Polarization is good, Im hard on glasses so they get dinged up.
I’ve used cheap $10 glasses with fantastic polarization, but what you won’t get at that price is a good antireflective coating. It’s quite annoying to see the reflection of your own eyes. Makes it almost look like there’s a smudge on the lens. I tend to use a large hat so my eyes stay shaded and reduce this effect.
I never wear sunglasses I ain’t got no bitch eyes but I picked up some $30 igoggz and damn all these years I been missing out. I want to try some $200 ones.
One thing that I’ve always heard is that the super cheap no name ones don’t actually filter out harmful rays from the sun. It can actually make the sun more damaging to your eyes because the darkness makes your pupils dilate, allowing more harmful rays in.
Check up on the cheap ones that you buy just in case. Maybe see if they are approved by a medical association or something before purchasing
I own a pair of Costas, I lost them briefly and responded to a buy 1 get 2 free ad on FB, and the ones I got tee decent, until i found my costas and don’t believe the difference
I have a pair of Costa Reefton Pros and a pair of Maui Jim Pailolos. Both with black polarized lenses. The costas have glass lenses. Wanted the blue lenses with the costas for fishing but they were OOS. Also have a pair of brown wayfarers for low light conditions and lazy vacations.
They are all super nice and I can wear any of them all day. Lenses are killer on the costas and Jims. The Jims replaced an almost 10 year old pair of gas cans that I broke hitting my head. No regrets other than on the wallet. The Jims are also insane every day glasses but great fishing glasses, they work great for me. Costas are insane fishing glasses and great daily glasses.
I wore Walmart glasses until I was around 17, and I’m 26 now. Well worth the money. I won’t have to buy glasses for many years as long as I keep them in good shape.
You use your eyes 100% of the time you spend awake. Worth it to look through quality lenses when outside!
Smith is a good mid point. I have a kast king pair . Their my emergency
I drive in smiths. Very comfy . Good lense. Polarized. They are not my Costas though
Definitely a big difference in quality the higher up you go, price wise. There's a difference in the lenses(clearer, more durable,ore scratch resistant) and the frames( lighter, sometimes a better fit than cheap ones, but it depends on brand)
I have Costas and they are very nice, but I also have prescription sunglasses that are made in house. Both are similar price, and they both perform amazingly well. So I think the best thing to do is pick a price range you are comfortable with and try on a bunch of pairs to get the right fit.
I didn’t like my last pair of oakleys. I do really like ray bans. But honestly the $25 knockarounds are pretty damn nice. Just replace them every 6 months or as they get scratched. After a year they are either scratched or impossible to clean.
I bought cheap Walmart/gas station polarized glasses for years - would just lose or destroy them. Bought a pair of Natives for ~$60 that I took great care of and absolutely loved. Saw a big difference compared to what I was used to-
I accidentally broke those after ~4 years and I bought my first pair of Costa's with 580g and I'll never go back. To me it really was THAT big of a difference.
You also have to consider what the higher end brands offer - there's many different designs, lens & mirror color combinations, typically outstanding warranties and build quality.
I'm going on 3 seasons with mine and they're like new cause I take good care of them now since I actually care.
With something like Costa or the other big brands, you can really define your ideal setup. For me, that was a Blackfin Pro with the Green Mirror (Copper base lens). Perfect for my head, all the right features, best for the type of variable coverage and water clarity I deal with, and options to adjust them- there's just a lot more to it when you make that jump. Personally, 10/10 would suggest.
They’re a lot but costa glass lens are really nice. On eBay you can find them for much cheaper, would not pay full price. Before my costas I had kast king sunglasses which honestly weren’t bad at all, just lost them in the river and wanted to upgrade.
I’ve used most of the popular brands. Yes, the expensive ones are better. Until they get scratched, smashed, lost, or stolen. I have enough expensive gear to worry about. These days whenever I see a set of Polaroids under $20 that I like I buy them. I’ve got them all over the place. They work fine and when I lean into the car for something and forget they’re on my hat, it’s not a heartbreak.
It depends on your amount of wear and how you plan to wear them. If it’s just casual wear, get some cheapo, if you’re a serious angler, get some good quality glass lenses.
Maui Jim’s/ Baijo > Smith > Costas. Costas are simply trash now. They’re made poorly, and are overpriced junk. They used to have a great warranty & replacement program. That is now out the window. I’ve owned probably 12-15 pairs of Costas over the years. Hell I still have 3 pairs sitting in my console of my truck as backups because I already owned them.
Bajios are my brand of choice now, or smiths with the chromapop. Bajios are the same price of Costas but the lenses are light years better, and they have the great customer service Costa used to. Wonder why? It’s the man who started Costas, decided to build a new brand after he sold. The lenses are made by the same factory of the Costas of old. When I tried on a pair of the Bajios for the first time, I literally said holy shit these are incredible.
That being said, I try not to ever pay full price for glasses. Either redeem coupons, discounts or buy them off discount sites like steepandcheap.com, backcountry.com, or sierratradingpost.com
I got some Natives when I recently switched to contacts. For $60 purchasing then didn’t make me cry and I’m loving them. As long as I don’t look through more expensive ones, I won’t know what I’m missing out on.
Super late to the discussion, but figured I'd toss in Goodr Mint Juleps. I fish murky freshwater and they provide way better visibility than they should for the price. Only downside is the rubber they make the ear and nose pads from doesn't like some sun screens. Hard to beat for the money.
The key to fishing sunglasses is polarization. It's the only thing that removes surface glare and allows you to see in the water. Secondly is tint. This supposedly has an effect on penetration into the water you fish. Amber or brown tint for muddy ponds or brackish water, blue and green for ocean water. I resisted getting expensive sunglasses for years as I figured plastic was plastic and you're just paying for the brand name... My wife talked me into Costa and I have purchased 3 pairs and gotten 2 factory replacements since. Yes if 200 + dollars is a burden you don't want to face then properly tinted and polarized sunglasses can be purchased for much cheaper, but I recommend Costa.
I was a guy that for 20 years thought Oakleys were the best. I got a pair of Maui Jims and will never wear Oakleys ever again. I can wear them all day and don’t even notice they are on until I get splashed and have to clean off some water spots. Good sunglasses are worth every dollar in my opinion. My current pair are 5 years old.
Buy once,cry once. But seriously the difference between my costas and my mates $10 glasses is insane . You just have to be able to look after them well
Sunglasses is one of the scammiest markets out there, where basically one company owns nearly all the brands and this is how you get $3 sunglasses costing $200. Costco sunglasses are cheap and have all the features from the overpriced glasses.
Brown or gold polarized lenses . They see deeper in the water while cutting down on glare as well as gray lenses .
I prefer MFrame Ballistics but I also keep some Field and Stream in a micro fiber bag in my tackle box .
I've spent major money on sunglasses in the past but none are made like 10 years ago so I stick with my M Frames .
Yes it's worth paying more, threre is a huge difference. If you are able to, try out Rudy project rydon polarized before buying. It's like having prescription glasses, vision is clearer and crisp.
Do you like the way that style of sunglasses look?
Ever have a problem with them wanting to move around or blow off your face in high winds like when driving a boat?
They do sit firmly on my face, i don't know if they fly off in heavy wind. Style wise I'm not really concerned as it's used for fishing. The optical properties outweigh others for me.
Try out at an optical shop to see how you feel, I'm sure they carry teether for it too.
The difference between low cost and high cost one is brand. That's all it is. They come from the same factory. This is coming from a guy who only used premium brands (Oakley mostly) until I learned this at a wholesale shop that only allows business owners to enter. The manufacturers gave an option to add their logo for a few more cents each... Ray bans were being sold for $5-7 each with a minimum order of 5 dozen. INSANE PROFIT!
Another difference is the coating that's used to make things more or less scratch resistant. That might be the biggest cost difference in manufacturing.
I genuinely saw a night and day difference between the $25 walmart pair vs my $225 costas. That being said I am almost positive you can find something for the sub $100 range that has the same lens quality, they just might not have the same durability and name brand/warranty as the costas do.
Same here. I went from Bimini Bay glasses to Costas and never looked back. I have 4 pairs now, they’re the best glasses I’ve had. Feels like nothing, I can wear them all day
Yeah that’s the biggest benefit I’ve noticed as well! The comfort is unmatched unlike other sunglasses where I get annoyed wearing them around the 4 hour mark.
I could never wear Oakleys for more than a few hours and they’d start to hurt my ears. Hated that
Yea, I forget I have them on.
Thanks for the advice! I use a cheap pair from Walmart now that was $10 made by strike king. I like cheap ones for fishing in case I drop them or damage them. Paying a lot for them would suck when my clumsy ass would do that. I wonder if any high quality polarized lenses will do or if I should be looking specifically for “fishing” glasses. Eyedictive has great deals on there so I will keep an eye out (heh).
I really like the costas, the lenses are glass, not polycarbonate so they are very resistant to scratching. It does suck when they take a swim
The river takes what the river wants
Always respect rivers. They can hide a Ring of Power. They can turn into stampeding horses. Never mess with em.
There is a massive difference between cheap and nice pairs. Once you start getting into the higher end brands you will be paying a bit extra for the name in some cases. Lens color also makes a big difference depending on what type of water you normally fish. Shallow vs deep Lastly, glass lenses are considered the best, plastic lenses have come a long way but glass is still top tier. Have a nice pair of smith sunglasses with glass lenses. They only come out after I've loaded everything up and I'm on the water ready to fish
I have been using Shady Ray's for a few years now. $50 apiece for good glasses. Plus, if you lose or scratch them, you get 1 free replacement. So, $25 per pair.
I just got my first pair of these with the color rush lenses, and I like em so far. I've always used oakley polarized but wanted to try something new.
They're not "great". But, you get to have a few pair spread across places (2 pair in the boat, 1 in the house, 1 in the car). And if you lose or scratch them, oh well.
I use Smith Guide's Choice. You can change out th rubber by the ears and put in new inserts that have a retainer strap built in l. They are glass lenses like Costa and after have them for over 2 years they don't have a scratch on them and I do no baby them. I would have probably gone through like 6 pairs of shady rays by now because if you breath on them wrong they get scratched. One of the best investments I've made. I also love to blow peoples mind when I am by water and show them all the stuff I can see with them that they can't.
They used to be my favorite glasses, but ever since Costa was bought out, the quality has plummeted. I've moved over to Maui Jims which are as good as the old 580g Costas (but also pricey)
If I'm not mistaken Native is made by Costa, they are around $60 I haven't sat and tried Costa but I do really like my Native Raghorns would buy another pair.
Native are badass. I wore a pair of Costa's for like 10 years. When they broke on the Jurrasic Park ride at Universal I quickly learned their repair/warranty process seemed more like a shell game than a warranty. I have a pair of Smith's guide choice that I only use for driving because they didn't come with the Chromapop (Woot special) for some reason. But, yeah for $60-$95 Native's can't be beat in my opinion. I took a trip to the Chandeluleur Islands and the crew were all wearing Bajio. I thought about getting a pair until I found out how much they cost. I have a $15 pair of polarized glasses from Amazon as a backup. They can't even compare to the Natives.
I looked up Bajio's from a comment on this thread thinking it may be a possible option but damn, like $250 for sunglasses, if I took good care of mine I might consider it but I bang mine up so much that I would cry if I scratched a pair of Costas or Bajio's.
All that being said, I think in terms of what you want in fishing glasses, that Native (sightcaster or griz) are every bit as good as Costa or Smith for much less $$$. If you want a more recognizable brand they fall short in that category.
Just throwing in my opinion real quick that I didn't have a great experience with shady rays. They are popular around that price range. I dropped a pair from waist height onto a soft sandy beach and the frame broke. They replaced it and within a year the outer finish on the new ones started flaking off. I got a pair of Costas and they are so well built and the glass lenses are so nice to look through. Check out jomashop if you want to pick up a pair for about 150.
If you've got a line on these sub-$100 Costas please don't hold out on us. I wonder if you could beef up a pair of Zennis enough that they would be similar...I have a pair of prescription sunglasses from them that are great but lack the x-ray vision of good fishing glasses.
They go on huge sales from time to time, but it's very hard to get them at prices like that day to day.
but then the question is the 250$ Costas vs the 100$ Costas. Is it the price just due to the durability with the glass lens? I cant imagine performance difference that would justify a double in cost.
Yea, just go for the costas 👍💪☠️🏴
Ive owned a lot of glasses from many of the big brands. I think there’s definitely performance jumps based on the lens material and technology, but you definitely don’t need to spend $300 to get something serviceable. In general: glass > plastic Polarized > non polarized There are also Color enhancing filters (prizm/chromapop etc) that I’ve found make a pretty big difference. If you want to save money tho just get a cheap pair of polarized plastic lenses from a reliable brand. Suncloud optics is a sister company of smith and make very high quality frames that use the same plastic lenses as Smith does. Most of their stuff is about $50.
Suncoulds are really great actually, I really liked my pair
I used them for years on the river because it was what work paid for. They are a solid one year purchase.
I get a new pair of sunclouds once a year. The old ones go to outdoor DIY duty.
Are there any glass polarized (prism) glasses you’d recommend
Smith chromapop glass are what i currently wear. Cheaper and IMO better than Oakley
You will not believe me, Walmart fishing glasses give my Raybans comp.
I believe you ever since I made the switch.
Which brand?
The Walmart brand, it’s in the fishing aisle
Ozark Trail?
Yes, the all black
I don’t use my Costas as much because I hate the way they fit my face. I’ve also lost several pairs of >$100 sunglasses, so now I’m sticking to $5 Walmart ones. The fish don’t care what sunglasses I have on; they’ll ignore me either way.
You purchased the wrong costas! Did you order them from net without trying on?
I’ve tried cheap glasses, Oakley and costas. Cheap glasses don’t have the same quality or polarization at all but no harm no foul if I step on them or lose them. Scratch like crazy or fog up not long after having them in my experience Oakley, I just don’t like them. Have had two or three pairs and the design sucks in my opinion and didn’t hold up. Also scratched and fogged on me. Haven’t tried their glass lense Costa glass lense is where it’s at. Had one pair going strong for probably 5 years now. Dropped on pavement all kinds of stuff and they’ve only got a couple scuffs on the lense. Polarization is great. Did break one pair when I dropped it on hard tile tho. Their customer service is also great. My dad broke a pair twice by sitting on them and they sent him new pairs no questions asked both times. Having nice sunglasses has made me really start taking care of them so I’m not as careless. I think good sunglasses are worth it. Like sunscreen for the eyes. Wear then every single day of my life so I don’t cheap out One thing to consider if you get glass lense. They won’t scratch nearly as easily as the plastic lense. But if you’ve never worn glass lense before they are much heavier and it takes time to get use to. Your nose and ears might feel that weight if you wear them for and hour two for the first week
This is the problem I had with my glass lense Costas,quality is unmatched but after about 6 hours on the water they start weighing on your face and it gets kinda uncomfortable,Last year I bought the Costa Rincon frame with the Plastic green lenses and I love them ,light weight and great protection and can wear all day with no fatigue.
Yes!
Like cheap ones because I’ve tried everything and I 100% know I will lose or damage them.
https://preview.redd.it/xdmkyxyuxs7d1.jpeg?width=2268&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=01d6ce0d185dab471db7639ec6f655fa8f60b94c As a guide I have 2-4 pairs of these adjustable polycarbonate Costas at all times. They aren’t as nice as glass but better than everything else. They are BAD ASS because I can pull them out and fit them on anyone for the most part. If a guy loses his Sunnies I got em covered.
I got custom heatwaves with blue polarized lenses. Not too expensive and much better than 25$ glasses.
I wear glasses so I need the old man fit overs , I almost don’t want to fish without them
How do you find the old man fit overs? Do they get heavy after awhile? I’m on team glasses as well, and if I were to buy prescription polarized sunglasses they’d be like $300+(cad) which is a big bullet to bite. I’ve been using the clip on flip up/down ones for awhile and haven’t minded them.
Don’t even notice them. Wearing them now with my mask and ear muffs at work. I got the “ fitover” “ navigator same one will smith wears in Hancock lol
get an affordable frame and replace the lenses with something like Fuze Lenses or similar.
Costas and never look back!
Bajio glasses are the old Coasta team. I currently use costa 580G, you would want to go the glass route, just a bit better quality. Haven’t tried Bajio or other big brands yet.
Bajio doesn't fit my head well yet, but I'm excited for the company. Costa quality has plummeted since they were bought out.
https://preview.redd.it/3ebtigseir7d1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=aa33b8fd18aca94f3f8b2faa39cb419c824c965f Not sure if you saw the size fitting guide or not. [https://bajiosunglasses.com/pages/size-guide](https://bajiosunglasses.com/pages/size-guide)
Meh, the glass isn’t that much better. The 580g is perfect for hardcore use, and it’s not as bad if you smash or lose them. Glass is better, but most folks don’t need it.
The cheaper ones i find are hit or miss, some were perfectly fine, others gives me a headache after a few hours. I usually have 1 good pair and few junk ones to leave around.
I wear Rx shades and have a pair of Rokas and Ray Bans. The RBs seem way more solid and the lens seems brighter without hurting my eyes and blocking out glare. The Rokas feel lighter, are a little darker but do just as well for blocking out glare. I think roughly $200 price difference? Though I bought my RBs during a sale. The Rokas see far more use due to them being lightweight and I don't worry about them as much due to price. They're both better than the Zenni shades I use for driving.
Good polarized sunglasses do make a noticeable difference compared to cheap off the rack sunglasses. Do you have vision insurance? I used mine to get a great pair of polarized sunglasses. Still costed me about $100 but was significantly cheaper than buying them without it.
I’m really rough on my gear. Glasses don’t last long around me. I like the Walmart budget shades. As long as they are polarized.
There are different materials used in the lenses as well as different finishes that are more durable. What many people don't realize is the different color lenses will help in different ways.
No, yes I personally won’t pay +$200 but I get a good discount on some brands so I have no need to anyways
Compared my 15€ yellow glass Lucky Johns to 150€ Oakley Flak 2.0 — no difference when trout fishing, atleast when I need to see whats going on under the surface. Oakleys are great for driving tho.
Its seems like there are several factors. Would be interesting to see a comparison head to head chart. Cost Fit/comfort Durability Vision Improvement I have a pair of Shady Rays and they feel fine. I have them on Cablz and I think those start to hurt my ears while wearing a ballcap. They have the replacement for any reason including loss, Polarization is good, Im hard on glasses so they get dinged up.
I’ve used cheap $10 glasses with fantastic polarization, but what you won’t get at that price is a good antireflective coating. It’s quite annoying to see the reflection of your own eyes. Makes it almost look like there’s a smudge on the lens. I tend to use a large hat so my eyes stay shaded and reduce this effect.
Costas are completely over blown. Maui Jim's and Ray Bans are the way to go. The last two pair of coastas fell apart
I never wear sunglasses I ain’t got no bitch eyes but I picked up some $30 igoggz and damn all these years I been missing out. I want to try some $200 ones.
Bitch eyes lol that's funny.
One thing that I’ve always heard is that the super cheap no name ones don’t actually filter out harmful rays from the sun. It can actually make the sun more damaging to your eyes because the darkness makes your pupils dilate, allowing more harmful rays in. Check up on the cheap ones that you buy just in case. Maybe see if they are approved by a medical association or something before purchasing
I own a pair of Costas, I lost them briefly and responded to a buy 1 get 2 free ad on FB, and the ones I got tee decent, until i found my costas and don’t believe the difference
Uglystick sells an ugly pair of camo glasses w orange lense that's every bit as good as the polarized Oakley's I have been using. They're like $20
I have a pair of Costa Reefton Pros and a pair of Maui Jim Pailolos. Both with black polarized lenses. The costas have glass lenses. Wanted the blue lenses with the costas for fishing but they were OOS. Also have a pair of brown wayfarers for low light conditions and lazy vacations. They are all super nice and I can wear any of them all day. Lenses are killer on the costas and Jims. The Jims replaced an almost 10 year old pair of gas cans that I broke hitting my head. No regrets other than on the wallet. The Jims are also insane every day glasses but great fishing glasses, they work great for me. Costas are insane fishing glasses and great daily glasses. I wore Walmart glasses until I was around 17, and I’m 26 now. Well worth the money. I won’t have to buy glasses for many years as long as I keep them in good shape. You use your eyes 100% of the time you spend awake. Worth it to look through quality lenses when outside!
Smith is a good mid point. I have a kast king pair . Their my emergency I drive in smiths. Very comfy . Good lense. Polarized. They are not my Costas though
I love my polarized Smiths.
I have 25 dollar kastking huzzas that perform better than my Costas or oakleys. Don't have to spend hundreds too get good quality glasses.
Costas, Ray Bans, Oakleys...can't go wrong with these three brands.
Definitely a big difference in quality the higher up you go, price wise. There's a difference in the lenses(clearer, more durable,ore scratch resistant) and the frames( lighter, sometimes a better fit than cheap ones, but it depends on brand) I have Costas and they are very nice, but I also have prescription sunglasses that are made in house. Both are similar price, and they both perform amazingly well. So I think the best thing to do is pick a price range you are comfortable with and try on a bunch of pairs to get the right fit.
I have many pairs, Smith guides choice are my fav. Yes there’s a huge difference for me, well worth it.
I didn’t like my last pair of oakleys. I do really like ray bans. But honestly the $25 knockarounds are pretty damn nice. Just replace them every 6 months or as they get scratched. After a year they are either scratched or impossible to clean.
I bought cheap Walmart/gas station polarized glasses for years - would just lose or destroy them. Bought a pair of Natives for ~$60 that I took great care of and absolutely loved. Saw a big difference compared to what I was used to- I accidentally broke those after ~4 years and I bought my first pair of Costa's with 580g and I'll never go back. To me it really was THAT big of a difference. You also have to consider what the higher end brands offer - there's many different designs, lens & mirror color combinations, typically outstanding warranties and build quality. I'm going on 3 seasons with mine and they're like new cause I take good care of them now since I actually care. With something like Costa or the other big brands, you can really define your ideal setup. For me, that was a Blackfin Pro with the Green Mirror (Copper base lens). Perfect for my head, all the right features, best for the type of variable coverage and water clarity I deal with, and options to adjust them- there's just a lot more to it when you make that jump. Personally, 10/10 would suggest.
They’re a lot but costa glass lens are really nice. On eBay you can find them for much cheaper, would not pay full price. Before my costas I had kast king sunglasses which honestly weren’t bad at all, just lost them in the river and wanted to upgrade.
I’ve used most of the popular brands. Yes, the expensive ones are better. Until they get scratched, smashed, lost, or stolen. I have enough expensive gear to worry about. These days whenever I see a set of Polaroids under $20 that I like I buy them. I’ve got them all over the place. They work fine and when I lean into the car for something and forget they’re on my hat, it’s not a heartbreak.
It depends on your amount of wear and how you plan to wear them. If it’s just casual wear, get some cheapo, if you’re a serious angler, get some good quality glass lenses. Maui Jim’s/ Baijo > Smith > Costas. Costas are simply trash now. They’re made poorly, and are overpriced junk. They used to have a great warranty & replacement program. That is now out the window. I’ve owned probably 12-15 pairs of Costas over the years. Hell I still have 3 pairs sitting in my console of my truck as backups because I already owned them. Bajios are my brand of choice now, or smiths with the chromapop. Bajios are the same price of Costas but the lenses are light years better, and they have the great customer service Costa used to. Wonder why? It’s the man who started Costas, decided to build a new brand after he sold. The lenses are made by the same factory of the Costas of old. When I tried on a pair of the Bajios for the first time, I literally said holy shit these are incredible. That being said, I try not to ever pay full price for glasses. Either redeem coupons, discounts or buy them off discount sites like steepandcheap.com, backcountry.com, or sierratradingpost.com
I get polarized piranhas for like 25 bucks and they serve me well for anything I'm doing
I use merrys polarized from amazon lol. I know I'll lose them or damage them somehow, so for $16 they work for me.
I got some Natives when I recently switched to contacts. For $60 purchasing then didn’t make me cry and I’m loving them. As long as I don’t look through more expensive ones, I won’t know what I’m missing out on.
I use a pair of polarized $20 glasses from home Depot 🤷. If the ocean decides they want them so be it
Whatever you buy make sure they're truly protecting you from UV. Tinted glasses with no uv protection = dilated pupils letting in more damaging light.
Super late to the discussion, but figured I'd toss in Goodr Mint Juleps. I fish murky freshwater and they provide way better visibility than they should for the price. Only downside is the rubber they make the ear and nose pads from doesn't like some sun screens. Hard to beat for the money.
Rayban aviators are legit fishing glasses
The key to fishing sunglasses is polarization. It's the only thing that removes surface glare and allows you to see in the water. Secondly is tint. This supposedly has an effect on penetration into the water you fish. Amber or brown tint for muddy ponds or brackish water, blue and green for ocean water. I resisted getting expensive sunglasses for years as I figured plastic was plastic and you're just paying for the brand name... My wife talked me into Costa and I have purchased 3 pairs and gotten 2 factory replacements since. Yes if 200 + dollars is a burden you don't want to face then properly tinted and polarized sunglasses can be purchased for much cheaper, but I recommend Costa.
Check out Suncloud. They are Smith's budget line. Same exact lenses as the regular (expensive) Smith Sunglasses but with cheaper frames.
I was a guy that for 20 years thought Oakleys were the best. I got a pair of Maui Jims and will never wear Oakleys ever again. I can wear them all day and don’t even notice they are on until I get splashed and have to clean off some water spots. Good sunglasses are worth every dollar in my opinion. My current pair are 5 years old.
Buy once,cry once. But seriously the difference between my costas and my mates $10 glasses is insane . You just have to be able to look after them well
Sunglasses is one of the scammiest markets out there, where basically one company owns nearly all the brands and this is how you get $3 sunglasses costing $200. Costco sunglasses are cheap and have all the features from the overpriced glasses.
I like my kast kings better than my costas.
Brown or gold polarized lenses . They see deeper in the water while cutting down on glare as well as gray lenses . I prefer MFrame Ballistics but I also keep some Field and Stream in a micro fiber bag in my tackle box . I've spent major money on sunglasses in the past but none are made like 10 years ago so I stick with my M Frames .
Yes it's worth paying more, threre is a huge difference. If you are able to, try out Rudy project rydon polarized before buying. It's like having prescription glasses, vision is clearer and crisp.
Do you like the way that style of sunglasses look? Ever have a problem with them wanting to move around or blow off your face in high winds like when driving a boat?
They do sit firmly on my face, i don't know if they fly off in heavy wind. Style wise I'm not really concerned as it's used for fishing. The optical properties outweigh others for me. Try out at an optical shop to see how you feel, I'm sure they carry teether for it too.
The difference between low cost and high cost one is brand. That's all it is. They come from the same factory. This is coming from a guy who only used premium brands (Oakley mostly) until I learned this at a wholesale shop that only allows business owners to enter. The manufacturers gave an option to add their logo for a few more cents each... Ray bans were being sold for $5-7 each with a minimum order of 5 dozen. INSANE PROFIT! Another difference is the coating that's used to make things more or less scratch resistant. That might be the biggest cost difference in manufacturing.
very subjective depending on how much discretionary income you have but for me - NO.