The officially unofficial performance sunglasses thread

[motomandan]

Been a Costa wearer for a long time. Was Oakley but tired of the easily scratchable plastic lenses. The Costa 580g are durable, Hydrophobic, Clear.
Great deals on costa on www.govx.com if you qualify

 

[HangOutdoors]

I wear Costa 580g as well. Fantastic glasses.

 

[adrianp89]

Only use ShadyRays here.

 

[Farny]

So I’m kind of a sunglasses guy and after buying my first boat last year I started looking at water sports specific performance eyewear. I’ve worked in the optics field my entire life and the parent company that I work for also owns Oakley, Ray Ban, and Costa. I‘ve owned sunglasses from all three manufacturers over the years but Oakley has been my go-to brand for the most part. I‘m also very familiar with Maui Jim as they’re a customer of mine and make amazing sunglasses.

I’ve been wearing a pair of polarized Oakley Fives Squared sunglasses when I’m on the boat but the form factor is a bit small for water usage and allows quite a bit of glare in from the sides. In order to provide more UV and glare protection, I decided to focus on sunglasses that are designed specifically for water activities. After looking at quite a few different options I decided to purchase the following:

* The “Jose” from Costa. The frame is matte grey and the blue mirrored polarized crown glass lenses utilize Costa’s “580“ technology. Costa also makes polycarbonate lenses that utilize the 580 technology but they aren’t as durable and they have more chromatic aberration than crown glass. The glass lenses are heavier but I’m fine with that if they’re more durable and the optics are better.

* The ”Split Shot” from Oakley. The frame is matte black and the blue mirrored polarized polycarbonate lenses utilize Oakley’s “Prizm“ technology. Oakley doesn’t make glass lenses so I’m not counting on them being as durable as the Costa’s but they will be lighter.

Follow-up posts in this thread will have photos, initial thoughts, and on-water info from each of the Costa and Oakley models listed above. Feel free to chime in with other sunglass options that you have experience with.

I wish Oakley still made the original sweep lenses and frame!! Loved those when I was playing golf for a living. Enough coverage to keep distracting light out of the sides

 

[Julian]

So I'm not a sunglasses guy....and I didn't read the whole read (confession). I did get a pair of Raybans once...and I liked them until they were scratched (which was about a year or two). I recall watching a 60 Minutes piece on the cost of glasses and the margins (crazy high), and just bought my first pair of prescription glasses online from Eyeconic - they work fine - the primary downside is not having someone to "fit" them to my face (I'll go to a local place to have them adjusted).

So my question is - are these "performance" sunglasses the same? Are there online budget places that sell great sun glasses with no name brands?

 

[adrianp89]

So I'm not a sunglasses guy....and I didn't read the whole read (confession). I did get a pair of Raybans once...and I liked them until they were scratched (which was about a year or two). I recall watching a 60 Minutes piece on the cost of glasses and the margins (crazy high), and just bought my first pair of prescription glasses online from Eyeconic - they work fine - the primary downside is not having someone to "fit" them to my face (I'll go to a local place to have them adjusted).

So my question is - are these "performance" sunglasses the same? Are there online budget places that sell great sun glasses with no name brands?

This is why I use ShadyRays. I can get a pair on-sale for like $30. They get damaged or lost and they replace for free (minus shipping charge). I think it might be free shipping if you have pictures of them damaged. They are polarized and I can't tell the difference from high-end glasses.

 

[Crob83]

Only use ShadyRays here.

Me too. I've dropped 2 pairs into the lake and free replacement

 

[Taylorman]

This is why I use ShadyRays. I can get a pair on-sale for like $30. They get damaged or lost and they replace for free (minus shipping charge). I think it might be free shipping if you have pictures of them damaged. They are polarized and I can't tell the difference from high-end glasses.

Have you ever tried Costa with the 580g lens? I’ve used a number of budget polarized sunglasses and a few brands over the years. None compare to Costa with the 580g glass lens sunglasses. I have seen them on Amazon for as much as half off too. Be careful to select the right pair but they’ll let you try them before you buy them as well. Worth it if you haven’t tried them IMHO.

 

[adrianp89]

Have you ever tried Costa with the 580g lens? I’ve used a number of budget polarized sunglasses and a few brands over the years. None compare to Costa with the 580g glass lens sunglasses. I have seen them on Amazon for as much as half off too. Be careful to select the right pair but they’ll let you try them before you buy them as well. Worth it if you haven’t tried them IMHO.

I probably have not. At the rate I lose and damage sunglasses, I will not pay a premium for them.

 

[RobbieO]

My wife got me a set of Oakley's for the boat. So I bought some chums in case I drop them in the water.

https://www.amazon.com/Chums-Floating-Eyewear-Retainer-Yellow/dp/B003CK3QEC/ref=asc_df_B003CK3QEC/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=167132320688&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=12799519302248429091&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9032034&hvtargid=pla-311363723725&psc=1

 

[HangOutdoors]

Have you ever tried Costa with the 580g lens? I’ve used a number of budget polarized sunglasses and a few brands over the years. None compare to Costa with the 580g glass lens sunglasses. I have seen them on Amazon for as much as half off too. Be careful to select the right pair but they’ll let you try them before you buy them as well. Worth it if you haven’t tried them IMHO.

I bought my first pair of costas with 580g lens inmyrtle beach april 2021. I have been very pleased. I want to get another pair or two with different color lens, for different water sooner or later.

 

[adrianp89]

At $267 you got me messed up lol. There is no way they are worth 5x more.

 

[Taylorman]

At $267 you got me messed up lol. There is no way they are worth 5x more.

I would never pay full price. Just a couple weeks ago they were half off. They will be again I’m sure. But your point on losing them is valid. If that’s a common occurrence I’d agree it doesn’t make sense. I know some guys that go through multiple pairs a year every year for various reasons. They’ll never pay more than $30 or so because of that and it makes perfect sense.

 

[adrianp89]

That’s me lol. In the past year alone I left a pair on a Disney ride and somehow lost a pair jumping up and down at a Bucs game. I leave them at peoples houses all the time but usually get them back when that happens.

 

[ACRDSPORT14]

At $267 you got me messed up lol. There is no way they are worth 5x more.

they are 130$ on amazon 10x a year. set up an alert on camelcamelcamel to get a pair. you have a 80k boat but won't buy a nice pair of sunglasses. lol

 

[Taylorman]

they are 130$ on amazon 10x a year. set up an alert on camelcamelcamel to get a pair. you have a 80k boat but won't buy a nice pair of sunglasses. lol

In adrianp89’s defense it’s a lot harder to misplace a boat than it is sunglasses lol. My typical sunglasses cycle is I get a nice pair and then at some point lose them (thankfully not quickly). Then I swear off nice sunglasses and buy cheap pairs until I get frustrated with them and buy nice ones again. To each their own.

 

[adrianp89]

they are 130$ on amazon 10x a year. set up an alert on camelcamelcamel to get a pair. you have a 80k boat but won't buy a nice pair of sunglasses. lol

As @Taylorman said. Even at $130 I would have to really sample them to be sold... and then they still would be boat only. I don't think I have lost a pair to gulf yet. It would probably happen with these on the third outing.

 

[HangOutdoors]

Am I the only one whom uses sunglass straps when I am boating?

 

[adrianp89]

Am I the only one whom uses sunglass straps when I am boating?

I bought a set a few months ago. I should have years ago lol

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

I bought a pair of Costa Blackfin Pro glasses last year with the Green Glass lenses -high contrast lenses, I’m very happy with them. At that time the second pair was 50% off and I wish I had bought another pair with the blue lenses -very bright conditions. The lenses are made by luxotica, who makes a lot of the markets lenses. The lenses are glass, and I’m pretty sure the mirrorized is behind the glass so it won’t scratch.

The Blackfin pro glasses have a rubber nose perch and rubber pads at the end of the arms. They really grip my head behind the ears so I do not feel the need to use one sort of strap.

I used to buy nothing but Revos back in the day. Then switched to the Amazon Torge brand of safety glasses, luxotica makes these lenses as well but are not the same quality as the costas. The costas make images so sharp, it’s pretty incredible actually, and the side arms are wide, and the frames snug up to your face leaving very little room for light leaks. Light getting around the frames onto the backside of the lenses is exceptionally bad as your iris is dilated, which allows the UV rays to enter unimpeded.

The most important investment you can make is in your eyes, wearing eyeware that is not the best quality, especially while on the water will lead to bad things in the coming years. I was outside a lot when I was a kid, spent a fair amount of time on the water and managed to burn my eyes a couple of times, if you’ve never had your eyes get sunburned I’m glad for you. I was also around arc welding as a kid and was a ASME certified welder for several years. All of these things resulted in the onset of cataracts in my late 40’s. By the time I was 55 I had to get cataract surgery on both my eyes, not a terrible experience, not a great experience either, and it brought my vision back to the 20/10 of my youth. My point of sharing this with all of you is to implore you to wear the best eye protection you can get. If you don’t think it’s worth it, try taking a clear pair of safety glasses, fog the lenses and see what it’s like to have cataracts. It’s like looking through a foggy bathroom window, and the only solution is surgery. Granted the surgery is nothing short of amazing these days and they now use corrected acrylic lenses instead of cadaver lenses. Yes I said corrected lenses, they measure your eyes and put the correct lens in your eye. And the surgery is not cheap! Roughly $7000 per eye, so roughly $20,000 for both eyes by the time it’s all said and done. That buys a lot of high quality sunglasses.

Do I wear my costas when I’m cutting wood, and working on things outdoors? No, but I do wear good safety glasses with good lenses that are rated for UV A & B, as well as infrared. And I do wear my costas the rest of the time.