The officially unofficial performance sunglasses thread

[WiskyDan]

I think that quality mirror coatings hold up better but I don’t think that a mirror on a glass lens will be any more durable than the same mirror on a polycarbonate lens. As you would expect, a glass lens is much more abrasion resistant than a polycarbonate lens which is pretty soft.

 

[Peelz]

i found on the maui jim site you CAN search by lens name. there are 69 styles that I can get in the maui rose color. at the top, just pick lens drop down, and pick that shade.



last day on the boat down in osage beach, I swapped with my wife and wore hers. the lenses... SO good.

 

[WiskyDan]

These will be mine.......Maui makes “SuperThin glass” lenses that are lighter - I’m guessing glass with a high refractive index:

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

Black with blue mirror or black with green mirror??

 

[WiskyDan]

Went out on the boat yesterday and there was some of the neon’ish green algae blooms on the lake. I was pointing them out to my girlfriend but she said that she didn’t see anything. I could see the blooms plain as day with the Jose’s or Split Shot’s on but if I took them off the blooms were almost invisible. She slipped her Maui Jim’s on and she was like “wow”!!

 

[MissScarlet]

Bomber’s for the boat for me. They float. I have lost a pair of my favorite Oakleys on the water before. Never again.

Ice Blue Mirror Sunglasses with Matte Black Frame

Designed with polarized safety lenses, these ice blue mirror sunglasses keep your eyes safe both indoors and outdoors. Order your protective eyewear today.

www.bombereyewear.com

Huge fan of Bombers!!

 

[WiskyDan]

Interesting that many of the Bomber models are safety glasses as well..........

 

[Daren and Heather]

I love my Bomber sunglasses, and can attest to the fact that they do float. Here's the ones I use:

White Frame and Polarized Blue Lens Sunglasses

Inspired by the late Jeff "Mana" Walthall, these white and blue sunglasses feature tribal designs on the temples. Order these polarized sunglasses today!

www.bombereyewear.com

 

[Canuckjetboater]

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.

@WiskyDan ......AWESOME.....bought one of the first pairs of Oakley glasses in Canada back in 1986 - M Frame Heaters for me and Sweeps for the Admiral. I have a collection of about 6 Oakley frames and 10 Oakley M Frame Heaters. Love them, the lenses go right down to the cheek bones prevent reflected UV rays from getting under the sunglasses' frames and entering the eyes, causing cataracts. For evening wear I have the original Ray Ban Aviators with the pearl anti-sweat bar (not the cheapie knock-offs). Have spent most of my life on the slopes (black diamond skier) and the summers slalom skiing and boating.....have donated several pairs of Oakley, Ray Ban and Vaurnet to the slopes and seas....tried to grab them on the way down.....

 

[jetboater4life]

For water sports I really likes these. Spex Amphibian Eyewear water sport goggles pwc kiteboarding

 

[Crob83]

Not "designer" or "expensive" but Shady Rays all day for me. All polarized, and 2 replacement pairs a year if you lose or break. Broke a pair last year and lost a pair on the lake during a storm a few weeks ago. Already have my free replacements in hand!

 

[LeeFlan7]

@WiskyDan Ive tried on basically every pair of costa's and not found a pair I can wear for more than a couple of hours. I actuall prefer the costa styling but Maui jim went just that bit wider!

 

[JWExperience]

I’ve had Oakley and Nike for somewhat expensive sunglasses but for the best fit/comfort, quality and still having polarized lenses, I buy Edge blade runners for $25. They last longer and clarity is as good imo. I get a couple pairs each time on amazon and I’ve broken my nose so they suit my wider bridge and big head just fine. Edge also has xl sizes that are wider if you have a xl head. Sometimes you pay for what you get but sunglasses don’t come close to registering on that scale. Not like a rifle optic.

 

[WiskyDan]

@WiskyDan ......AWESOME.....bought one of the first pairs of Oakley glasses in Canada back in 1986 - M Frame Heaters for me and Sweeps for the Admiral. I have a collection of about 6 Oakley frames and 10 Oakley M Frame Heaters. Love them, the lenses go right down to the cheek bones prevent reflected UV rays from getting under the sunglasses' frames and entering the eyes, causing cataracts. For evening wear I have the original Ray Ban Aviators with the pearl anti-sweat bar (not the cheapie knock-offs). Have spent most of my life on the slopes (black diamond skier) and the summers slalom skiing and boating.....have donated several pairs of Oakley, Ray Ban and Vaurnet to the slopes and seas....tried to grab them on the way down.....

I‘m an avid snowboarder and have had several pair of Oakley goggles - love em. Currently have a pair of Flight Decks with the Prizm rose flat light lens and a pair of A-Frames with the high intensity blue (yellow) lens. Still have my favorithe goggles - Oakley Wisdom’s - but the lens is scratched up.

I plan on heading to Colorado or Utah in mid-February on vacation - can’t wait!!

 

[WiskyDan]

@WiskyDan Ive tried on basically every pair of costa's and not found a pair I can wear for more than a couple of hours. I actuall prefer the costa styling but Maui jim went just that bit wider!

I was under the impression that Costa has several models for those with larger heads. Which Maui Jim model did you end up with?

 

[mkbcaptain]

My new Oakley Split shot H2O deep water shades came in. Must say I am very impressed with them. Caught them on sale for $167.99

 

[BakedZiti]

Im on my 2nd pair of Costa Motu...dropped the first ones in the lake Before i ordered a new pair I did try several other brands just to compare and didnt find any of them stacked up(some of this is personal preference of course) so I bought another pair and since they are being phased out I even bought a backup pair. These are the 580G lenses, they are super clear amd almost impossible to scratch. Highly recommended.

 

[WiskyDan]

My new Oakley Split shot H2O deep water shades came in. Must say I am very impressed with them. Caught them on sale for $167.99

I have the black frame Splitshot and they’re nice - I love the way that Oakley integrated the leash into the ends of the temples.

 

[WiskyDan]

Im on my 2nd pair of Costa Motu...dropped the first ones in the lake Before i ordered a new pair I did try several other brands just to compare and didnt find any of them stacked up(some of this is personal preference of course) so I bought another pair and since they are being phased out I even bought a backup pair. These are the 580G lenses, they are super clear amd almost impossible to scratch. Highly recommended.

My Costa Jose’s are my current favorites - the 580G lenses are about as good as it gets.

Bought my girlfriend a pair of Costa South Point’s with 580G lenses and she hasn’t worn her Maui Jim’s since.

 

[jamilalam]

this is the kind of round shape glasses and people know that these are so expensive. however there are some alternatives like steampunk sunglasses and i hope you guys would love them.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Great posts from everyone in this thread! Thanks to WiskyDan for starting this thread !

CanuckJetBoater makes a fantastic point about sunglasses fitting in such a way that UV light does not leak in from the edges of the sunglasses causing cataracts. While modern eye surgery is awesome, I’d rather not have to have cataract surgery.

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