The officially unofficial performance sunglasses thread

[WiskyDan]

You’re most welcome.

I bought a second pair of Costa’s and will be posting some info on them as soon as I’m home for longer than a couple of days:

Saltbreak Polarized Sunglasses in Green Mirror | Costa Del Mar®

Shop the Costa Del Mar Saltbreak Polarized Sunglasses in Green Mirror with 100% UV Protection at Costa Del Mar online store. Free Shipping & Returns. Prescription Available.

www.costadelmar.com

I wanted something other than a black frame and blue mirror this time.

 

[212s]

After trying a set of Maui Jim's that's all I'll wear now...same for the wife (she actually suggested them to me).

 

[212s]

From what I’ve read here it looks like I’ll be going with Costa sunglasses for their high quality and excellent customer service.

Fit is important...I went through several brands, frame styles, and lenses before I found some that fit my face, gave good wrap around the eyes and coverage, and the right lense material and colour/tint for everyday use. Settled on bronze which has good tone and colour rendition, not too dark for later in the day but dark enough for full sun on the water.

The best way is to trial your sunglasses - most brands and locations offer at least 30-day return no questions asked so you can try a pair in your daily life to find the ones that work best.

 

[octavio3311]

I am also an Oakley junkie.
There’s 15 pairs in this drawer, with another 2 floating around in the bedroom and my truck.
Matter of fact - before seeing this post, I was shopping for a green lens pair to add to the drawer.

 

[Ronnie]

I didn’t read all the posts on the string but am leaning towards some Oakley’s since i need prescriptions lenses with all the options. I will just put a floating lanyard on it when boating because I’ve sacrificed many sets of sunglasses and more expensive glasses to the river and lake gods over the years.

 

[Gonzalo]

I use prescription sunglasses so I do them at Warby Parker for a reasonable price. This is the model I use:

Barkley Sunglasses in Antique Shale Fade | Warby Parker

Barkley Sunglasses in Antique Shale Fade. The Barkley frame manages to look at once midcentury and contemporary and totally stylish on everyone.

www.warbyparker.com

BUT: Since they come polarized as standard ... I had to especially order a NON polarized pair for the boat, because I need to see the display of an Android tablet where I run the Navionics app. (If you want to see my tablet setup, check my post from a couple of days ago)

G-

 

[WiskyDan]

I now get Costa, Ray-Ban, and Oakley sunglasses at a pretty hefty discount through our corporate parent dispensary in Dallas so my sunglass obsession is likely to worsen as summer approaches.

Going to get a pair of Ray-Ban‘s for sure.

 

[NewBoater]

Just bought a pair of Flak jacket 2.0 Prizm Polarized Deep Water H2O. Hope they are as awesome on the water as they are claimed to be. I’ve been using them in the car also driving around. So far so good!

 

[Chatt_Jetsetter]

When I was a younger man I worked for a large outdoor outfitter. We sold a lot of the top brands for the day - Maui Jim, Oakley, Bolle, etc. I have lost or broken so many nice pairs of glasses that like a lot of others I just buy cheap ones.

However several years ago I found a new brand called Tifosi. I purchased them for cycling, and they came with a frame and 4 lenses (clear, yellow, mirrored, and tinted), along with a hard case and cleaning cloth. They were well under $100. Over the years I've purchased several styles of Tifosi's and have always been happy with the quality and the value. I just looked them up; it looks like they make a LOT more styles now, and they are still inexpensive. Might be worth a look.

Tifosi Optics Sport Sunglasses

Tifosi Optics is the leading sport sunglass brand in running and cycling markets with robust golf, hiking and lifestyle collections. Check out our performance sport sunglasses online or at your local retailer.

www.tifosioptics.com

 

[WiskyDan]

Costa "Saltbreak" - first impressions

So I got a second pair of Costa's and decided to go with a completely different colorway. I lean towards dark frames and blue mirrored lenses so I decided to go with a silver-ish frame and a green mirror. The "Saltbreak" is similar to my "Jose" model from a shape standpoint but just a bit more pointy on the temple side.

Saltbreak Polarized Sunglasses in Green Mirror | Costa Del Mar®

Shop the Costa Del Mar Saltbreak Polarized Sunglasses in Green Mirror with 100% UV Protection at Costa Del Mar online store. Free Shipping & Returns. Prescription Available.

www.costadelmar.com

Costa has a convenient sizing tool that you can access by scrolling down to the "Sunglass Specs" option shown on the page above. The "Saltbreak" is a "Regular" fit (normal sized noggin) while the "Frame size" is considered a "Large".

I decided to go with the glass 580g polarized lenses but you can also save some money by going with the 580 polycarbonate lenses instead. I like the glass because the optics are better and they will hold up better to the elements. I've only worn these a couple of times outside but not on the boat. They seem to be a little heavier than the Jose even though they are relatively the same size. Not sure if that will effect how comfortable they will be over extended periods of wear but I will report back. The frames have a rubberized type coating on the temples that help them grip your head which is good for water sports. These don't float so I would strongly recommend a lanyard when on the water.

I went out on my deck and the optics are crisp and clear - just like the lenses in the "Jose".

Costa has jumped to the top of my favorite sunglass manufacturer list and the "Jose" looks like a fine addition to my on-water arsenal. However, I brought home a pair of Maui Jim's today and I expect them to jump to the top or be serious contenders at the very least. I'll be posting my initial thoughts on them shortly.

The sunglasses come with a heavy duty case, cleaning cloth, owners manual, and white Costa sticker:





The mirror is green but depending on the angle of view it can appear blue as well.

 

[WiskyDan]

Maui Jim "Local Kine" - first impressions

Came home with my first pair of Maui Jim's this week and I'm very excited to get them on the water. I went with the "Local Kine" model - black frame with blue polarized lenses:

Local Kine Polarized Sunglasses | Maui Jim®

Nothing compares to the lightweight durability and beautiful lens clarity of the Local Kine polarized sunglasses from Maui Jim. Check them out!

www.mauijim.com

The lenses are glass but they are ground thinner to make them lighter - Maui Jim calls this "SuperThin" glass. From a shape/size standpoint they are almost identical to my Costa Jose's but they feel a smidge lighter so maybe the "SuperThin" lenses do make a difference. The Local Kine's are definitely lighter than my Costa Saltbreak's but the Saltbreak is a bit bigger so it's not an apples to apples comparison.

The Maui Jim has a filtering tool on their website that will separate the frame sizes into four groups: small, medium, medium-large, large. The Local Kine is considered a "large" but I have a normal size head and they fit me fine.

The Maui Jim lens tint color on these is a bit more on the grey side while the Costa's are a bit more brown. This effects the color hue as you look through them but the optics are crisp and clear just like the Costa's.

I will need to wait for my on-water test but the Local Kine may leapfrog my Costa Jose as my favorite pair of sunglasses. They are almost identical aesthetically and are a smidge lighter.

The sunglasses come with a case that fold flat (neat) when you're not using it, a cleaning cloth, and an owners manual.





The frames are comfortable and sturdy - the blue mirror is brilliant.

 

[Peelz]

Havent been around for a bit, but we have been very bad about new sunnies lately.

Probably 4 pairs of new Maui's this year. lol

BUT THEN.... my wifey got me these. Cool project, good cause. WAAAAY cool sunglasses.

The Ocean Cleanup Sunglasses | Now Out of Stock | The Ocean Cleanup

products.theoceancleanup.com

 

[WiskyDan]

I didn’t read all the posts on the string but am leaning towards some Oakley’s since i need prescriptions lenses with all the options. I will just put a floating lanyard on it when boating because I’ve sacrificed many sets of sunglasses and more expensive glasses to the river and lake gods over the years.
View attachment 144512View attachment 144513

I missed this earlier but most of the major sunglass manufacturers make many of their frames to be "RX'able" so that prescription lenses can be put in them so if you find a frame that you like look it up on the company's website.

 

[CaTiRo]

My wife wears Maui and I wear Costa. Both are really nice glasses.

 

[HangOutdoors]

Picked up these in Myrtle Beach for myself as a souvaneir Costa Jose 580g Green luns

 

[CaTiRo]

How do you like the green lens? I have a pair of Costa Brine's with the green lens being shipped to me. Just waiting for them to get here. I have a pair with the blue and one with the copper. This will be my first set with green.

 

[HangOutdoors]

Decent. Havent had them on fresh water yet, just murky ocean.

 

[CaTiRo]

I fish a lot of creeks, rivers, and lakes so really looking forward to testing the green lens out.

 

[WiskyDan]

Picked up these in Myrtle Beach for myself as a souvaneir Costa Jose 580g Green luns

Love my Jose’s - my favorite at this point.

 

[tdonoughue]

So, I am one of those guys who buys the safety glasses at Home Depot as his sunglasses. But I was reading this thread and thinking....

And then I figured out that at work I had a bunch of these reward points (they hand them out for anniversaries and such). And I did a search and they have sunglasses for which you can redeem them. And they are sitting there doing nothing for me. So, why not?

So I picked up a pair of Costa (Tuna Alley) and a pair of Oakley (Split Shot) as reviewed above. The former for the truck; the latter for the boat.

Now, it's been raining constantly basically and everything is flooded. So I have not been able to try the boat ones (other than putting them on here in the house, and while I can tell they are comfy and all, I don't consider that a real test), but I wore the truck ones today for the first time when we got some sun.

I must say I am impressed. Much like when I took the board's suggestion on flip-flops and was impressed, I am again impressed. I see now what you mean about the clarity of the optics. No wiggle at all looking in any direction or turning your head or anything. And the way the polarization and mild tinting is designed is truly primo. Doesn't make everything look fake, but does really make a difference.

My compliments to all the input here, especially to @WiskyDan . Thank God I have another thing on which I now have to spend money (when these 2 pair wear out...).