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Posts: 54
| Looking to purchase a pair of Costa sunglasses (Fathom), just wanted some input on what color lenses work the best for on the water. Thanks! |
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Posts: 865
| I have the Blue and Like Them, their are quite a few options, and new ones yearly...... Matter of preference |
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Posts: 180
| Pretty sure green mirror is recommended for fresh water! |
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Posts: 17
| I've been using the 580 Glass, Green Mirror Fathoms and they are spectacular. Hard to go wrong with those. |
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| Is there a noticeable difference between the glass lenses (580G) vs. the polycarbonate lenses (580P)? |
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Posts: 175
Location: Tonka, MN | I don't believe so...they have very subtle differences. I have Green Glass, Blue Glass and Gray P. The Gray P's are the clearest I own but for some reason I prefer my Green glass over them all. |
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Posts: 230
Location: St Paul, Minnesota | A lot of things to think about but here's what I think you should consider:
Light Transmission: The amount of light the lens lets through or simply put how dark the lenses are. Dark sunglasses are around 10% and lightest are around 30%. I've been fishing with a buddy on the same side of the boat around sundown and I saw a follow right below us that he couldn't. We were standing right next to each other watching the same lure. He had darker lenses and couldn't see down as far into the water because of them.
Lens base: You hear people say I have the blue or I have the green but that's just the outer finish, what the lens base color is will make the greatest difference and I'm speaking in terms of neutral vs contrast. Neutral lenses (grey) don't change the color of what you see, it just darkens things. Contrast lenses (pink, amber, etch.) change the colors of what you see and can increase depth perception in certain light conditions. If I'm sight fishing or looking for a follow against a backdrop of weed beds I'd prefer a contrast lens.
Poly vs. Glass: Both are clear but all you really need to know is glass can shatter poly can't but poly scratch and be hurt by chemicals (bug spay/sun screen) as where glass won't.
I myself have Oakley's Shallow Blue iridium lenses are contrast lenses with a 20% lens transmission, and I wear them from sun up to sun down. I'm not saying to go Oakley over Costa, but look for lenses offered by Costa around those specs. Go function over fashion. Performance lenses don't always look the best or have the coolest mirror, you might be able to see your eyes a little behind them, but they will allow you to see more while protecting your eyes from UV light.
Good luck,
-C7 |
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Posts: 54
| Thanks everyone for the input! Sounds like theres a few options! |
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Posts: 133
| I have the Man o War's in blue mirror, these are nice in bright conditions with the added side covers. Another option for you to consider. |
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Posts: 134
| I have both poly and glass, though different brands ( costa poly and Smith Glass), there are some differnces. As cloud7 said there are tons of difference options available for lens color and finish. I started out with cheapo gas station polarized rims that i wasn't overly worried about if they didn't make it home. Eventually found my costa Tropic Star (discontinued) interchangeable poly lenses. Love those glasses, especially because of the different lense options, grey, amber, yellowish, all in one frame. Long story short, i thought i had lost them on my wedding day and went without a pair of good glasses for about 4 months. Oh how i missed good lenses during that time. i too was looking into costa glass last year... ended up with a pair of smith touchstones because i was able to score a deal on them. Ended up with Green Mirror finish with amber/brown base color. Glasses are incredible, more coverage than my costas but thats a difference of fit.
According to my research, as cloud7 said, the base color is what gives the contrast or tinting, i wanted most contrast possible to see those silhouettes in the water following behind a bait or laying in cover. Glass setups typically weigh more and can fatigue the contact points more so than poly making 12 hrs uncomfortable if they don't fit perfectly. On the other hand my experience is that the glass is much more durable/scratch resistant. I love both and keep them in boat/tackle bag with me at all times for change of pace or conditions if necessary. Price point is different also, glass is typically more. All said and done, i wear the glass 90% of the time. Good luck. |
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Posts: 54
| MuskyMike51 - 1/23/2014 10:20 AM
I have both poly and glass, though different brands ( costa poly and Smith Glass), there are some differnces. As cloud7 said there are tons of difference options available for lens color and finish. I started out with cheapo gas station polarized rims that i wasn't overly worried about if they didn't make it home. Eventually found my costa Tropic Star (discontinued) interchangeable poly lenses. Love those glasses, especially because of the different lense options, grey, amber, yellowish, all in one frame. Long story short, i thought i had lost them on my wedding day and went without a pair of good glasses for about 4 months. Oh how i missed good lenses during that time. i too was looking into costa glass last year... ended up with a pair of smith touchstones because i was able to score a deal on them. Ended up with Green Mirror finish with amber/brown base color. Glasses are incredible, more coverage than my costas but thats a difference of fit.
According to my research, as cloud7 said, the base color is what gives the contrast or tinting, i wanted most contrast possible to see those silhouettes in the water following behind a bait or laying in cover. Glass setups typically weigh more and can fatigue the contact points more so than poly making 12 hrs uncomfortable if they don't fit perfectly. On the other hand my experience is that the glass is much more durable/scratch resistant. I love both and keep them in boat/tackle bag with me at all times for change of pace or conditions if necessary. Price point is different also, glass is typically more. All said and done, i wear the glass 90% of the time. Good luck.
Going to check out the green mirror lenses before I make the purchase! Thanks for the input! |
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Posts: 20227
Location: oswego, il | I have found the different lenses work better at different times. On super bright days I really liked my grey lense blue mirror costs fathoms. Lost those and my standard grey and amber paired ones, doh!
right now I have amber lense.green mirror and a yellow lense costa fathom. I find in almost every instance the amber lense works better than the yellow lense. The yellow lense rarely cuts glare even at last light. I did once have an issue with my green mirror not cutting glare on a cloudy day in clear water and the yellow lense worked perfectly. |
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Location: sneaking out to get on the water ;-) | Another vote for green mirror especially if there is any stain to the water. |
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Posts: 8788
| I've got the Fathoms in Blue mirror/Grey base, and Green lens/Amber base. The mirror green lense is much better in darker conditions, but there comes a point after sunset when you just can't see into the water. I use them for 90% of my fishing. The blue mirror lens is fantastic if you do any saltwater fishing. The glare from the sun reflecting off miles of water on a bright sunny day can be brutal.
Bot of mine are the glass lens, so I can't say much about polycarbonate. I think the advantage to glass is that they don't scratch as easily?? I have a few tiny scratches on mine after 8-9 years of use, but other than that they have been great. Most comfortable glasses I've worn. |
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