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Posts: 39
| I just recently got a pair of Costa Man O War glasses with the 580 lenses. They seem like the perfect glasses for fishing but I was wondering what color lenses others like for muskie fishing with costas? These have the amber lenses but is there a better color option for muskie fishing? Thanks for any info! |
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Posts: 20231
Location: oswego, il | Mine are the fathoms with green mirror amber lenses. Best I have used. |
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Posts: 540
Location: Leech Lake, Walker MN | X 2 on todd m reply don't EVER LEAVE THE DOCK WITH OUT THEM !!!! |
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Posts: 39
| Actually I have copper lenses. Just wondering if any other color is better.. |
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Posts: 540
Location: Leech Lake, Walker MN | IMO Amber for every day use. |
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Posts: 230
Location: St Paul, Minnesota | I have the Tuna Alley frames with the Sunrise (yellow) lense and I love them. I used to work for Oakley and have several pairs of those but when I saw the Sunrise lenses I knew I had to have them. Reason being is that the lense has the highest light transission rate which means I can see better during prime time fishing (sunrise, sunset, overcast) conditions. I will say that during a bright cloudless day the lense is a little too light and you can get some eye strain, but under any other lesser glair conditions these lenses will beat out all of Costa's other lenses in visibility.
With all that said, they are not the "sexiest" lenses to wear in public, so I will probably be investing in a second pair with the green mirror for bright days.
Rock on,
C7 |
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Location: Contrarian Island | sunny to partly sunny Fathom w Blue Mirror lense...cloudy or low light hard to beat the H30's w a polar Clear lense |
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Posts: 8797
| Costa Fathom's here. Blue Mirror for saltwater/bright sunny days, green mirror for everything else. The Green mirror lenses are great for all except the period right before sunrise and after sunset. Seems silly to have a $250 pair of sunglasses that you only use for an hour at each end of the day, but my next pair will probably be clear or maybe a sunrise lense. Tried a few other styles here and there, but the only ones I can wear comfortable all day are the Costa Fathom's.
Edited by esoxaddict 12/26/2014 1:46 PM
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Posts: 20231
Location: oswego, il | I have used a bunch of lens colors. Blue mirror/grey lense was good on very very bright days. Just this summer I took a kid fishing who had costas with that lens and they would not cut the glare. My green mirror amber lens did very well. I have a sunrise pair of costas too. I find they don't cut glare during low light most of the time like my green mirror pair does. I do remember one time on a cloudy day in clear water where the yellow lens outperformed the green mirror lens. A plain amber lens is very good too. |
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Posts: 307
| Test I did awhile back.
Grey was actually the best option in more cases than you might think, except low light and overcast. Below were my findings in lens color.
Recently I decided that it was time for a new pair of sunglasses. I have always felt that high quality sunglasses were worth it over the $20 gas station specials. Of which I've owned my fair share, both high and low end and have been wearing a pair of cheapies regularly for the past year. Costa Del Mar have been touted as the best of the best by many in the fishing industry. I researched them heavily and found a dizzying array of lens colors; green mirror, copper, amber, silver mirror, etc. So I went to the Costa site and ordered several pairs and did the same with Maui Jim, and gave them a head to head comparison. What follows is my review of the pairs that I ordered. I should note that this is a generally for low light/amber colored glasses, as I do own a pair of grey lens Maui Jim's from my flying days.
This test was performed on lake Alexander MN, which is a pretty clear lake with green vegetation just starting to grow up due to the late spring. I tested all glasses in shallow water with weeds, without weeds, with a decent choppy wind, and dead calm. I generally would anchor to where I could just barely see weeds dropping off into deep water and switch between glasses to see just how well/deep I could see the weeds. I also cast several lures out to see how they were affected by the lens' color and wind. The day started bright and sunny with a few puffy clouds. When the sun dropped lower in the horizon it also dropped behind heavy clouds giving more of an overcast feel to the light, then finally low enough where it could be considered very low light near dark.
Maui Jim Grey glass lens - This is very good bright sunny day lens, to be honest I was surprised how low in the horizon the sun could be and grey would still out perform the amber colored lenses. Unless the sky is actually overcast or heavily cloudy I think you will see better performance out of a grey lens rather than any amber/copper lens in sunny or partly to even mostly cloudy conditions.
Maui Jim Amber glass lens - This is an excellent lens for lower light conditions. In fact I would consider this pretty much a tie with the Costa silver mirror 580G lens.
Costa Silver Mirror 580G - Excellent lens for lower light conditions, and more or less tied with the Maui Amber for ability to view weeds and lures the furthest distance from the boat, when compared to other amber/copper lens'. In brighter conditions grey is still your best bet.
Costa Green Mirror 580G - This was the surprise to me since I see so many people with this lens. In my opinion it was the worst lens for ability to see lures or weeds from a distance. The lens color is a bit darker than the Costa silver mirror, but it is higher contrast. I think the trap that people may fall into with this lens is that when trying it on in the store the color definitely gives more "pop" to items that you are looking at. Unfortunately I did not feel that this "cooler" looking color actually translated to being able to see farther into the water. The small wavelets that form on bigger waves in a choppy wind I feel have more glare than with the Costa silver mirror lens or MJ amber. That being said it is still an excellent lens, and this is a very critical review.
Costa Sunrise lens 580P - This was the only plastic lens tested out of the group because it is available in plastic. This is a yellow colored lens specifically meant for low light to very low light conditions. In bright light it was better than no sunglasses since it is still polarized, but it was just far too bright. If you want a pair of glasses specifically for that last 20-45 minutes this is the one for you. I watched small baitfish circle around the boat and they really did pop out better than the other amber colored glasses. Their downside is that I feel the peripheral glare on the water is maybe a bit higher than the Maui Jim green lens.
Maui Jim Green high contrast lens glass - This was the surprise out of the group, and it's ability to see in the water. It's a fairly light colored lens, lighter than all the other lens' with the exception of Costa sunrise. Even in bright conditions it worked pretty well, but not as well as the true grey lens. This lens also worked very well in low light conditions, I could see the small baitfish very well, and it had better peripheral glare reduction over the Costa sunrise lens. In the last 10-15 minutes of extreme low light conditions the sunrise lens did outperform the Maui green lens, but not by a lot. So if you are looking for a good low light lens that can double in any light condition should you forget your other pair this is an excellent choice. If you are looking for the best you can get in the last few minutes go with the sunrise lens.
Cheapie $20 amber lens - Polarized lenses are obviously better than nothing and they do a very passable job of seeing into the water. They are not as good as the high end glass lens' though, especially the peripheral glare.
Conclusion - None of these high end lens' are so much better than another to be considered a magic bullet, or see feet deeper or farther into the water than the other. In my opinion Maui Jim is right there with Costa as far a ability to see, and anyone who says different I think has some brand bias going on. I went into this expecting that Costa would win on pretty much every level, which just wasn't the case. So go with whatever fits your face the best, and do not count grey lens' out in bright/semi-bright conditions. I know Amber/copper lens' are the hot item right now, and I like them as well, especially for everyday wear, but when it comes to seeing fish, weeds, and your lure, grey does a better job in many cases.
As far as me, I think I am going to keep the Maui Jim Amber lens, I just happen to like the Maui style a bit better than the Costa, it could have easily gone the other way. I'm also keeping the Costa Sunrise lens for extreme low light, and I already own a pair of Maui Grey lens' that will do the job for that regard.
Hope this helps some people. |
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Posts: 111
| I love the Smith Action Optics Photochromic Clearwater Copper Glass lens. Adjust darkness with light intensity. Leave them on till it's dark. I got to have glass I'm hell on polycarbonate lens's. |
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Posts: 54
| Does any know if I have a pair of fathom's, and I want to put different color lenses in them do you have to send in, or do they just pop out( I have the 580 glass)?? I have the blue mirror, but kinda like the green amber lenses. Thanks! |
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Posts: 142
Location: Appleton, WI | Since the Costa-del-mar warranty policy has excessive charges I looked for a better solution. Hopefully the link is allowed but fuse lenses is the company and they make aftermarket lenses for all the big brands. Tons of lense color options, polarized, mirror, whatever you want. Prices range from 25-40 for Costa and they fit the frames perfectly. For guys that want amber on the water and mirror in public this is a great option. I've ordered twice and have yet to be disappointed. One lens from Costa results in 125 bucks and replacing both, this is just another option if people want to save a little or turn one frame into multiple lens choices.http://www.fuselenses.com/costa-del-mar/fathom.html |
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Posts: 187
Location: West Metro, MN | I love my 2 pairs of Costas. I typically wear my amber lenses on overcast days and grey lenses on sunny days. I also considered the blue mirrored lenses, which I think are pretty darn good too if you like the mirrored look better. |
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Posts: 34
Location: New Carlisle, IN | I had a pair of Smith glasses a while back. I loved them. I've had Maui Jim and Costa's as well. Can't really go wrong with any 3 of those brands. I got a pair of polarized Oakelys to test out from an Oakley rep and I hated them. I prefer amber lens for everyday use and they are a little more versatile IMO. |
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Posts: 265
Location: McGuire AFB, NJ | Costa warranty=awesome. Broke a pair two weeks ago (my fault). Sent them in, cost me $11.00. Had them back within 10 days. |
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Posts: 142
Location: Appleton, WI | Did you break the lenses or frames? |
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Location: Western PA | Tortise fantail with green mirron 580g for me. Freaking awesome glasses. Would recommend the vented models as well. |
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Posts: 200
Location: Twin Cities | Blue for offshore fishing...aka ocean fishing
Green for shoreline fishing...aka usual lake fishing |
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Posts: 265
Location: McGuire AFB, NJ | Frame Peon. Had them in my front bibs pocket when I jumped out of the boat. |
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Posts: 20231
Location: oswego, il | Seen those fuse lenses in their site awhile back. Look pretty interesting. |
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Location: Grand Rapids, MI | Fuse lenses in my costa's too. The G15 is about as good as it gets for an all around color. I wear them on cloudy rainy days and well after sunset.
http://www.fuselenses.com/costa-del-mar/fathom.html?gclid=CNCm6YfG_...
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Posts: 20231
Location: oswego, il | How hard is it to put lenses in a fathom frame? |
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Posts: 142
Location: Appleton, WI | I have fuses in a fathom frame and they were easy, directions are included. Really happy with the fuse service, can't stand costas lens policy. |
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Location: Grand Rapids, MI | Super simple to replace. I swapped out my scratched glass for the fuse lens and it took less than five minutes, half of which was watching the how to video:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=aASHJTFMBfA
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Posts: 20231
Location: oswego, il | I bought the amber rose F30 lenses for low light to replace my yellow lenses in my fathoms. The yellow lens never cut glare. The yellow lenses are glass. Wow were they hard to get out. I broke the first lens getting it out so I hit the other lens with a hammer against cement as it would not come out per direction. Installing the new fuse lenses was quite easy from there. Can't wait to try them.
One thing I wish they did is explain the differences in their lens options.
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Posts: 373
Location: On the River | I have a pair of Ocean Wave green mirror amber lens been wearing them for 15 years they are awesome |
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Posts: 1828
| How great is the difference between the 580G and 580P lenses? The poly's are way more attainable at discounted prices. Just wondering if it's worth it to pay extra for glass. |
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Posts: 410
Location: one foot over the line | I think that the clarity and sharpness of the glass lenses are superior to the poly, however, the polys are still a tremendous lens and also quite a bit lighter. I have blue mirror 580g and sunrise 580p. I can easily wear my polys all day but i like my glass for cutting glare. might have to look into those fuse lenses. |
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Posts: 20231
Location: oswego, il | Something to think about, glass does not flex, I am sure this is why those lenses broke when replacing them. I am sure I would have the same issues putting glass in. Poly flexes. |
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Posts: 20231
Location: oswego, il | Tried the F30 lenses out today, I like them alot even under bright conditions. Good in low light will have to try them around dark. They cut the glare very well.
Another thing, on the way home.we encountered a bad storm, every underpass was full of cars waiting it out. Those glasses cut the rain glare and still let in enough light to drive. I was impressed. |
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Costa Sun Glasses