Pros and Cons on Costa

Saltwater Inshore Discussion
1

I would like to get some pros and cons on Costa Del Mar shades. Is there a big difference in the glass verses the polymer lenses? I have heard that the glass lenses shatter easy.

Reading on the Costa website, the amber or bronze lenses seem to be better for inshore site fishing. Does the color really make that much difference?

Thanks

18’ Hewes Bayfisher/115 4 Stroke Yamaha/6’Powerpole, etc

2

I like Amber for inshore fishing. Good contrast. Blue mirror for offshore. Green mirror also gives good contrast and is good for inshore fishing.

3

I got the glass lenses and love them. My understanding is that the glass lenses are higher quality but can shatter on impact. I don’t get ‘impacted’ much anymore now that I don’t bar fight so I choose to go that route.

I got the blue mirror lenses and love them for both inshore and offshore. The ‘advice’ on the Costa site overlaps so much on which color is best for different areas that I got confused. I ended up searching this site and found a number of threads that had personal experience. I based my decision on those threads and could not be happier.

4

I got the glass lenses because they are more resistant to scratches…so I’m told.

17.5 Searay

5

I have the blue/green polymer and always fish inshore. I used to use whatever cheap glasses I could find and after getting these I wont get anything else. I haven’t tried any other lenses so I cant tell you witch work the best. I have dropped em hundreds of times and only a few small scratches. Worth the money IMO.

6

I love mine when I’m fishing or not moving. When I’m running the boat they push up on my face and eyeballs a bunch. I wish I’d taken that into consideration more. I literally take them off sometimes when running across the water because it becomes so annoying.

Other than that, I have the amber lenses and love how they fish. I would take note of how far they push up on the bridge of your nose before buying, though.

Vinman
“Every saint has a past, every sinner a future”
www.summervillesaltwateranglers.com
2011 Carolina Skiff 178DLV
90 HP Honda

7

I had a pair of costas with the 580 glass lens. First time i dropped them (hardwood floor) one of the lenses shattered. I would agree that the optics were outstanding, but im dropping stuff all the time, and those things arent cheap to repair. Switched to maui jims. I think their frames are much higher quality, the fit is better (my noggin is ginormous), and the optics with polycarbonate lens are nearly indistinguishable from the costa 580g.

8

Have a pair with glass and a pair with poly. The glass is 580 with green mirror. The poly pair is just plain grey lense. Same frames for both. The glass does have a better optical quality but I wouldn’t say anything bad about the poly either. I haven’t noticed any significant difference in the scratch resistance. I actually wear the poly pair when boating since they clean off a lot easier when you catch some salt spray. The mirror coating seems to smear more when you wipe them and harder to clean the salt water off without rinsing or using a solution. I can just wipe the poly pair clean with a clean (soft) cloth/towel/shirt with no issue for several years now. Again, I think that has more to do with the coating than the lense material itself.

9

I really appreciate all of the info. I like the blue and green mirror lenses, but I didn’t know if there was much difference between them and the amber or bronze lenses.

18’ Hewes Bayfisher/115 4 Stroke Yamaha/6’Powerpole, etc