Sunglasses lens tint/color for PNW fishing, what do you like?

Hmm, for decades I have been wearing these edge safety glasses. Great sun glasses and at $40 they have lasted a decade or more. They also come in yellow or amber for western Washington residents.

https://edgeeyewear.com/products/kazbek-xl-xl-safety-glasses?variant=40265624977463

However, I just read on their website the difference between tactical and safety eyeglasses. Since my outdoor exposure is very fast moving fishhooks and shotgun pellets I am thinking switching over to the tactical eyeglasses for a little bit more money.

Scroll down and read the difference between tactical and safety glasses.

Do the fashionable glasses meet any chemical or ballistic safety standards??
 
Zak said:
I haven't used those brands, but I like polarized brown/amber for everything.
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Me too. My polarized Amber brown are great for driving (even in low light), of course fishing, and I've been skiing in them also. Great all around lens.
 

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Tom Butler said:
Me too. My polarized Amber brown are great for driving (even in low light), of course fishing, and I've been skiing in them also. Great all around lens.
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I have those same new style Rayban Wayfarers. Love 'em. They look good on you, Tom!
 
For fishing the Puget Sound, a knowledgeable member suggested Costa sunrise silver. I absolutely hated the yellow color at first. But after awhile I got used to them, and now I use them 99% of the time. They cut glare and polarize the light but are not too dark in low light situations. That is key. In bright blue sunny skies there are better options, but in the complex sunlight of the Puget Sound, things are different. Semi overcast skies where the sun can be behind the island, or in your eyes, where the glare is intense but the skies are cloudy, when it's sort of too bright, etc...IMHO, I think that anyone fishing in Western Washington should just plunk down the money for the Costa sunrise silver.
 
I would like to add, that I do have a pair of darker glasses on hand as well. Often times in the Puget Sound, I will encounter sun glare from hell. Especially in the winter months. These dark sunglasses are often required to safely pilot the vessel. These sunglasses are pricey, but I take care of them and they last for years. We have logs floating around here...we don't want to hit them. The right sunglasses help with that.
 
I feel like the quality or at least longevity of Costas has gone down. And I’m a fan. But I think my next pair will be Smith glass.
 
Bugmeister said:
Dredging up this thread in hopes of some intel before end of day today.

Context: my company offers a vision benefit that gives me up to two pairs of glasses per year - -$200 off of each. Options are not unlimited, but they do have some Maui Jims as well as the Smiths Guide Choice (but sadly the polarchromic lenses not available on this…..).

I already have some Maui Jims with the HCL Bronze, smith low light, etc etc. so I’m not hurting for options but given the good price, I was thinking about picking up a pair with the “Maui Green” lens or just their neutral grey. I also have choice of Smiths Guide choice in chroma pop polarized gray green, or chroma pop glass polarized brown. Anyone try it/use those and if so thoughts?
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Update: I ended up getting the Maui Jims Local Kine frame with the Maui Green lens. At $69, feels like a worthy experiment. Again, I already have some amber/bronze/brown options so thought I’d change it up. My hypothesis is they will be good for full sun days. I can also break them out as a good new option when I’m traveling for surf (think ocean, boats, glare).

I like Smiths too, but the offer I had didn’t include any of the Smiths Guides Choice options with glass lens so nope. If I change my mind, my 2026 employee discount plan just rolled over so I’m eligible for up to 2 new pairs at a steep discount again. The plastic lens smith guides choice polarized chromapop are only $37. I wish they offered them with the little cheater magnifiers at bottom for a discount - that would be nice.
 
Yep, Maui Jim for the win! I've tried a bunch of different brands and I like MJ's better than them all.... I've still got the other ones and loan them out when a buddy shows up without a pair.
If low light is a concern then you have to try the HT lenses.... game changer. Can where anywhere, anytime.
 
Way back in the 1990's my buddy let me see through his Maui Jims. I was sold. I liked my Varnets but the patented seven layer, polarized lens, designed to cut the glare to see the reefs, was something special. A few years ago I bought some Maui Jims that were not made of glass. They are light, nice tint, but they got scratched. I meticulously took care of them. But now I am thinking about the Maui Jim HT lenses with the thin glass. A green tint instead of my yellow tint for lowlight sunglasses might be nice. Thanks MarlinMark for the input.
 
Costa Whitetip rx progressives here, although the silver sounds more appealing on the sound. Will buy again.
 
I am an amber/copper/bronze lens person, because I was always under the impression you wanted the lens color to match your background. For a long time I wore Hobie's and they worked. Recently, I got a pair of smith's on closeout and there is a noticeable difference in color contrast.

Does anyone use a different color than a brown tint for summer sun in your preferred canyon east of the cascades?
 
Brian Miller said:
Obviously polarized is a must.
I had some Smith (prescription) sunglasses with photochromic lenses that IIRC were kind of a rose color in low light, darkening to copper. They were OK.
My current sunglasses are amber to copper to brown photochromic. Very versatile; good in low light to bright sunlight, have protected my eyes from UV, and work well for me.
BTW, here is an article for fishing sunglasses
www.sportrx.com

What's the Best Lens Color for Fishing?

Not sure which is the best lens color for fishing? Find out which factors to consider when choosing your fishing sunglass lenses!
www.sportrx.com www.sportrx.com
However, if you're fishing forested streams, you might want to look for "hiking" sunglasses.

What is the Best Lens Color for Hiking Sunglasses?

No pair of hiking sunglasses is complete without its lenses, so read SportRx's guide to which lenses work for hiking.
www.sportrx.com www.sportrx.com
Amber, copper, & brown tints seem to do well in both categories - for inshore fishing, and sunny-to-shady hikes; enhancing contrast yet are still dark enough to protect the eyes from the brightness of the sun.
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BTW they also work well to remove what is a surprising amount of glare on cloudy days from raindrops on a windshield.
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Continued...
I had cataract surgery 2 weeks ago and probably don't need prescription glasses anymore. I can't get my final vision test for another week.

In the meantime I have no problem with light sensitivity that some have after the surgery but I am using non-prescription polarized sunglasses with polarized brown lenses on sunny days. They work OK but I REALLY-REALLY MISS the Transitions tint adjustment.

I tested 20/20 in each eye and 20/15 with both eyes the day after the 2nd eye was done. If I don't need prescription lenses I can and will gladly get 2 pairs of "plano" (non-prescription) Drivewear again even though insurance won't cover it.
 
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I use green tint Oakleys. After my cataract surgery, I didn’t wear prescription glasses but soon realized that I needed a small correction. When I’m doing outdoor activities such as skiing or fishing, I wear contact lenses, so the Oakleys work fine. Looking at this thread, I really need to look for some other sunglasses
 
For anyone interested there was another "Sunglasses" thread back in March where I had dug up some specs on photochromic Transitions Drivewear and found on paper their full activation light transmission and polarization efficiency was right up there with Costa, MJ, and Smith. I admit I have only had Smiths and that was over 20 yrs ago so I can't make direct comparisons. But the Drivewear tri-color tint - light adjustment by visible light really sets them apart from fixed tint and (most or all) other photochromic lenses.
I am kinda excited I get to use my Ray Ban (Men In Black) Predator frames again without the very frustrating spherical aberration - astigmatism that ruined closeup depth of field making threading every fly difficult.

Post in thread 'Sunglasses'. https://pnwflyfishing.com/forum/index.php?threads/sunglasses.12834/post-287652
 
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Eastside said:
I use green tint Oakleys. After my cataract surgery, I didn’t wear prescription glasses but soon realized that I needed a small correction. When I’m doing outdoor activities such as skiing or fishing, I wear contact lenses, so the Oakleys work fine. Looking at this thread, I really need to look for some other sunglasses
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A couple weeks ago Engee stopped by, we were sitting on the deck shooting the breeze when he took off his Smith Optics sunglasses with Chromapop lenses. I tried them on and decided it was time for me to buy a pair. I called Smith Optics to ask about fit of their "Guide's Choice" frame and ordered a pair of prescription (progressive bifocal) sunglasses with polarized brown Chromopop lenses. They arrived yesterday, they fit perfectly. I haven't tried them fishing (yet) but I know they're going to be great (especially for capr fishin' as the frame design blocks sunlight from the sides of the glasses.
 
Buzzy said:
A couple weeks ago Engee stopped by, we were sitting on the deck shooting the breeze when he took off his Smith Optics sunglasses with Chromapop lenses. I tried them on and decided it was time for me to buy a pair. I called Smith Optics to ask about fit of their "Guide's Choice" frame and ordered a pair of prescription (progressive bifocal) sunglasses with polarized brown Chromopop lenses. They arrived yesterday, they fit perfectly. I haven't tried them fishing (yet) but I know they're going to be great (especially for capr fishin' as the frame design blocks sunlight from the sides of the glasses.
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Hi Buzzy, I have the discontinued Smith Chief’s with brown lenses and really like the fit of the frame. I’m thinking about getting a new pair and am interested in the Guides Choice frames as they look like they provide the most coverage like the Chief’s did. Can I please ask which specific Guides Choice model you chose? Thank you, Josh
 
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