Good polarized sunglasses in the $50 range?

Burt Dagger

Burt Dagger

I’m just here so I don’t get mined
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I’ve never had a decent pair of fishing sunglasses. For one thing I’m cheap, for another I have a horrible habit of reaction-jerking my fly away if I can actually see a fish chase it.

However, every time I fish with someone who’s wearing decent sunglasses, I get horrible FOMO. And now that I’m fishing from a boat I can stand in, there’s even more opportunity for sight fishing. I think it’s time to indulge.

Any recommendations for a low-to-mid budget pair of polarized glasses that have worked well for y’all? I suppose I’d buy a decent condition used pair off someone if they were willing to ship.
 
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oof, that's bargain basement range.

For me, the difference between the cheap ones (Suncloud, for example) and once I went with a pair of glass Smith's was like night and day. The Suncloud's were ok, but I wanted better than just ok. The standard glass lenses I had in those Smith's weren't heavy at all for all day use. Now, I currently wear Smith Rx polarized sunglasses with plastic lenses (with my rx, glass would still be far too thick....lol) and absolutely love them.
 
clarkman said:
oof, that's bargain basement range.

For me, the difference between the cheap ones (Suncloud, for example) and once I went with a pair of glass Smith's was like night and day. The Suncloud's were ok, but I wanted better than just ok. The standard glass lenses I had in those Smith's weren't heavy at all for all day use. Now, I currently wear Smith Rx polarized sunglasses with plastic lenses (with my rx, glass would still be far too thick....lol) and absolutely love them.
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@clarkman for your Rx, are you doing the bifocal style sunglasses or the progressive style? About a year ago I suddenly found myself needing reading glasses (thanks pandemic for leaving me in my basement work office staring at monitors all day every day for a few years). I currently don’t have rx sunglasses and am just pulling out my readers, taking off sunglasses, tying on the tiny midge I would otherwise not be able to manage anymore, then swapping glasses again. Pain-in-butt.
 
I have two pairs of smith-optics both in Amber. One pair is 15+years old, been dropped in a camp fire and slightly melted on the right side, been stepped on crunched, broken, and now held together by super glue, hence the second pair I bought a couple years ago on sale because that first pair has a death wish. 😆
I love both pairs. I have a couple pairs of sunclouds and while not the same as the smiths they are adequate.
 
Bugmeister said:
@clarkman for your Rx, are you doing the bifocal style sunglasses or the progressive style? About a year ago I suddenly found myself needing reading glasses (thanks pandemic for leaving me in my basement work office staring at monitors all day every day for a few years). I currently don’t have rx sunglasses and am just pulling out my readers, taking off sunglasses, tying on the tiny midge I would otherwise not be able to manage anymore, then swapping glasses again. Pain-in-butt.
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neither, just standard rx. I probably need progressives, but I just tip my glasses down when necessary for the super close up stuff.
 
I’d actually recommend the opposite of what Peyton said, get glass. I own three pairs of Costas and my glass lenses look mint still. I treat all them very well, but it’s inevitable some micro scratches get on the plastic lenses over time.

However at $50 not sure you can find a glass pair. The weight difference is negligible imo. Checkout eBay!

Also use a neck strap.
 
There is one thing that matters more than brand, or lens material, or lens color, or weight, or all other factors.

Get frames that fit your face/head.

If polarized glasses don't fit snugly and comfortably, they are largely useless. I can't even begin to count the number of anglers I've fished with glasses that "look best" or were "what all the pros wear"...then struggle to see because of light leak or misalignment.

Go to a place which offers a wide variety of glasses and try them on until you find the ones that fit best. Those are the ones for you.
 
fave in progressive Rx are Drivewear Transitions from Costco in brown polarized. Have owned Smith, Maui Jim, few other spendies, and prefer Drivewear for their lightness and varied light usability. Driving, fishing or general knocking about outside, always on my face.

"Transitions Drivewear polarized lenses incorporate photochromic dyes designed to shift between a lighter and darker density by reacting to changing light conditions. Transitions Drivewear activate behind the car windscreen, which was not previously possible with traditional photochromic technology."
 
At that price, Suncloud are about as good as you are going to get (Outdoor emporium / sportco have them for $35 ish). Go with brown lenses, not gray. Costas, Smiths etc are better, but if you have never been into polarized glasses before, anything is a world of difference.

If you fish a lot of early mornings, photochromic polarized lenses are kind of awesome because you then don’t have to carry two pairs of glasses (I have some Smiths). I would prefer a pair of yellow polarized for early mornings, but have never found any good ones.

And listen to G-smolt. They have to fit. Some manufacturers have measurements on their online stores these days, which helps, but there’s really no substitute for trying them on.
 
When I went from cheap sunglasses to Okley's bike racing it was surprising the difference quality eyewear made. If I had cheap glasses I'd of left them wherever they were the other day, but like Clarkman I really like my prescription shades. Ya gotta see the water to read the water. You fish enough, just treat yourself.
 
I'm a glass guy, and IMO it's not even close. I hear the "glass is heavy" argument frequently and I just don't get it. I live in Costa Fantails with 580g lenses and have never once felt any difference in weight over plastic.

What I have noticed is that plastic scratches. Glass doesn't. I have three or four pair of glass Costas and they are all a minimum of 5 years old, and the lenses are flawless. Can't say the same about any plastic I've ever owned.

And I totally agree with @G_Smolt regarding frames that fit. Absolutely crucial.

I can't provide much insight into budget brands to consider, though I have heard decent things about the Sunclouds. I'm a die hard Costa fan myself, mostly because the Fantails fit me better than anything I've tried. I have green lenses for the sound, blue lenses for offshore, a pair of copper lenses for GP, but the last several years I've worn the Sunrise Silver Mirror pretty much exclusively for everything. They are hands down my favorite lense of all time.
 
I really like my Maui Jim’s, and I had progressives put in. Makes a huge difference, but not cheap. My backups are cheap, though. I got some of those cocoons fit overs because I’ll need something I can use with my glasses.
 
Bugmeister said:
IMG_3882.jpegIMG_3881.jpegIMG_3880.jpeg@clarkman for your Rx, are you doing the bifocal style sunglasses or the progressive style? About a year ago I suddenly found myself needing reading glasses (thanks pandemic for leaving me in my basement work office staring at monitors all day every day for a few years). I currently don’t have rx sunglasses and am just pulling out my readers, taking off sunglasses, tying on the tiny midge I would otherwise not be able to manage anymore, then swapping glasses again. Pain-in-butt.
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Coyote sunglasses . They have I think two or three models , could be more with bifocals . Been wearing them for years . One of the good thing about them is their $25 replacement cost . These are the BP-7 Tortoise with 2.5 bifocals with brown lenses. I believe they are under $70 on Amazon . I have some Oakley’s , Smith , and Costa , that I no longer wear after getting these Coyotes. For the money, hard to beat.
 
Thanks everyone. Lots of “nice-to-haves” in here that I am dog earing for a later date when I have more pocket change. The pretty clear non-negotiable was to try before you buy to make sure the frames fit the face, so I did a quick REI run. I almost swung a left to my local fly shop, but I have not shown the ability to get out of there for under $200, and the goal was to stay under $100.

The selection didn’t blow me away, but I found a pair for $100 bucks made by Sun & Ski that cover my weird shaped eye sockets pretty good. We’ll see how well they work on the water - I’m sure it’ll be vastly better than what I’m used to!
 
I love mi
SurfnFish said:
fave in progressive Rx are Drivewear Transitions from Costco in brown polarized. Have owned Smith, Maui Jim, few other spendies, and prefer Drivewear for their lightness and varied light usability. Driving, fishing or general knocking about outside, always on my face.

"Transitions Drivewear polarized lenses incorporate photochromic dyes designed to shift between a lighter and darker density by reacting to changing light conditions. Transitions Drivewear activate behind the car windscreen, which was not previously possible with traditional photochromic technology."
Click to expand...
I love mine. I opted for progressive bifocal.
 
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