# Polarized Fishing Sunglasses



## KingDan

In short, I need new sunnies.

Well having worn prescription glasses most my life and getting laser eye surgery a few backs I am pretty new to wearing sunglasses. I have gone through a number of pairs over the last 3 years; cheap pairs, oakley and my favorite - mangrove jacks. The mangrove jacks have been great, for $50 they have lasted a year but now nearly dead, a few scratches and lenses popping out.

I want a good pair, hoping to pay $100-150. I am looking for advice on brands, where to buy (ebay-USA?). Ideally I would like to try before buying but that is hard with brands that are not stocked in aus.

Thanks
Dan


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## FishinDan

Spotters are good sunnies. Can't go wrong with them. Get your chequebook out though.... They're about 200-300 I think.

There's also Maui Jim. Roughly the same pricing.

I'm sure if you look online, you'll find them cheaper though


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## TheFishinMusician

How about supporting one of our lovely sponsors.....
viewtopic.php?f=50&t=42793
Looks like they're in your price range.


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## mangajack

Go to BCF and try on a pair or 3 of Spotters to decide on the ones you like, then go home and search the best deal on them. Occasionally i have seen spotters going for about $100 or so, regularly for $150 a pair.


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## spooled1

About 3 weeks ago I bought a pair of schmicko spotters on sale. On Saturday I put them in my PFD for the surf zone and somewhere along the way I popped a lens which was lost forever when I unzipped the pocket and grabbed the sunnies.
Based on yet another direct kayak fishing experience, I can only recommend cheap polarised sunnies for offshore sessions.


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## scater

I have had 2 pairs of polarized oakleys and they're crap. Clarity etc are beautiful when they're new but if you get the slightest scratch or nick then the coating on the lenses will start to peel and it's the beginning of the end. Worst durability of any sunglasses I've experienced. I'm using the flying fishermans I got from the caption comp now and so far, so good.


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## KingDan

FishinDan said:



> Spotters are good sunnies


Yes I heard they are too, will try them out in BCF first too.



The Fishin' Musician said:


> How about supporting one of our lovely sponsors


I would love to, is there somewhere in sunshine coast I could try them out? I find it hard to get a pair that fit snug to my head.



fishnut said:


> http://www.habervision.com/


, thanks fishnut, I had a look, can't see anywhere stocked in aus to try out first.



mangajack said:


> Go to BCF and try on a pair or 3 of Spotters to decide on the ones you like


Great idea mangajack, will be good to try them out.



scater said:


> slightest scratch or nick then the coating on the lenses will start to peel and it's the beginning of the end


 Scater, I had the same issue with mine, loved them, I got charged by a lion and then dropped off and got scratched, long story but the sunnies were never the same.

dan


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## feel the sting

Just another few quick points to add

1) Make sure they fit well. That is, when on, they aren't loose, and don't sit to close to your face or they'll fog up especially on cold mornings. (ideally not touching your cheeks when on)
2) They wrap around so they provide eye protection.
3) Obviously they should be polarized. And for salt water a grey lens is best.

Maybe best to have professional advice on these 3 points, especially the fit.

cheers


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## KingDan

KingDan said:


> And for salt water a grey lens is best


Thanks, I have always had an amber lense but was wondering what is best for saltwater. And finding a pair that fit is important, I have found my head is a bit narrower than most and getting a pair to fit nicely is alot of trial and error.

Dan


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## Davey G

lens colour will also depend on what the conditions are like (bright sunny day, partial cloud cover, very cloudy). I find amber is great in sunny conditions but prefer gray in less light, other people may prefer different things. As mentioned, you need to find a pair that fits your head and doesnt cause too much pressure behind your ears or on the bridge of your nose as you're wearing them all day.


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## craig450

spooled1 said:


> About 3 weeks ago I bought a pair of schmicko spotters on sale. On Saturday I put them in my PFD for the surf zone and somewhere along the way I popped a lens which was lost forever when I unzipped the pocket and grabbed the sunnies.
> Based on yet another direct kayak fishing experience, I can only recommend cheap polarised sunnies for offshore sessions.


Dan, did you claim it on warranty?
A mate of mine had the same thing happen and they sent him out a new pair no questions asked.

I got mine on sale for $150, rrp of $290


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## BIGKEV

craig450 said:


> spooled1 said:
> 
> 
> 
> About 3 weeks ago I bought a pair of schmicko spotters on sale. On Saturday I put them in my PFD for the surf zone and somewhere along the way I popped a lens which was lost forever when I unzipped the pocket and grabbed the sunnies.
> Based on yet another direct kayak fishing experience, I can only recommend cheap polarised sunnies for offshore sessions.
> 
> 
> 
> Dan, did you claim it on warranty?
> A mate of mine had the same thing happen and they sent him out a new pair no questions asked.
> 
> I got mine on sale for $150, rrp of $290
Click to expand...

Yep, if they were genuine spotters with a genuine reciept then you should have no problems with warranty, I have a pair and they are near bullet proof, had them for over 3 years now and they were over $300 at that time. I bought my wife some after her laser eye surgery about 12 months ago and didn't get much change out of $400. Probably could have got them cheaper hunting online but can't be guaranteed of getting a genuine article and I am a big fan of buying from small specialised retailers and getting propper service and not just a sale.

Kev


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## mudpat

I recently picked up a great pair of polaroids from Bass Fisher Penrith. The neat thing with these is they have a clear corrected spot at the bottom so blind old farts like me can still tie knots, only set me back $50 so not too much grief when I eventually lose them. The corrections are from 1.5 to about 2.5 so there is a pair for everyone.


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## eagle4031

anyone tried fluglies
they are not dear but i was wondering whta they are like


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## KingDan

eagle4031 said:


> anyone tried fluglies


Is that fuglies? Love their catchphrase; "Sunglasses made to fit your fugly head", looks like they would suit me. I haven't tried them before.

Dan


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## kikid

Hey Fishnut - have a pair of Habervision Nice design on the way at the moment - looking forward to trying them out!!


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## paulo

Ive been using these for a few years, Dan. I dont seem to lose too many. Not too expensive either.
http://macleanoutdoors.net.au/index.php ... asses.html


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## KingDan

Thanks for all your advice guys, I tried on a lot of different makes and styles and ended up getting a pair of Arctic Spotters, with the copper polycarbonate lenses. Very happy with them so far, fit nice and not too heavy.

Dan


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## Barker

hi,

i ordered a pair of Mako's from Justsunnies. Price wise they weren't too bad and free shipping if you order over $150. I had the sunnies in 3 days.

Mako's - really good very happy with them.

http://www.justsunnies.com.au/m_mako_sunglasses/?gclid=CJaMqLyR9agCFc2DpAodHXJWRw


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## warren63

Just got a pair of Makos and they are great. I do agree with the Oakley comments above, they are great sunglasses but dont handle the abuse of kayak fishing too well.


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## kikid

Darren you are dead right about the Habervision being good - just received them - also 6 days from the States to KI and the price was great. Always a bit skeptical about sight unseen but they fit well and the clarity and sharpness is fantastic!! The photochromic effect is very efficient, now to see if they allow me to catch more fish.


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## Tommo

I bought some glarefoil $30 sunnies from the local sunnies shop in the mall

INterestingly I spoke to my eye surgeon when I had my eyes layered.
He told me there is no difference in the protection value for a cheap or expensive sunny.
As far as the polarisation goes put on the sunny and look at your cellphone or the fishfinder display in BCF and if you see those funny patterns on the screen put the sunny done and try another one. Those funny patterns you see is due to misaligned polarisers and will be useless on the water

I concur with the other guys. On the yak cheap is king as far as sunnies goes.
I will not be donating another pair of spotters to the Davie Jones.

Cheers


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## spork

Old thread I know, but still relevant.

I ordered a pair of Habervision sunnies. Fotr the price i couldn't find any other brand with the features I wanted:
Polarized (for fishing)
Photochromatic (suit full light through to lower light use)
Glass lens (Polycarbonate scratch too easy for me)

aLL THIS FOR $90 (CHEAP!!!)
+ postage ($35 - 40. not so cheap...)

I paid the $40 to get express post, but the glasses were slow to arrive.
I contacted Habervision by email, and the very next day got a reply saying "We apologise, were sent priority, not express. Full shipping charge refunded".
Needless to say I was totally satisfied with this.

Now, the sunnies are here.
First impression: 
They fit me well. Others have said this model (Bellargio) doesn't suit their head. I have a bit of a pinhead and thef fit me great!
Optic clarity - awesome. Much better than my cheaper (and not so cheap) sunnies I've been wearing.
Photochromatic lenses: They "Photocghromatize" really well. Tint adapts quite quickly. Almost clear indoors, nice and dark outside in the sun.
Weight: My last glass lens sunnies were a pair of Ray Ban wayfarers. These are HEAPS lighter than they were. I had to double check that mine were infact glass and not poly lenses.

Now I just have to try them out on the water...


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## RedPhoenix

Unfortunately, due to the change in ownership of this web site and the lack of response by the owners to my requests to remove my email address from all administrative-level notifications and functionality, I have decided to remove my posts on AKFF. Thank you for the great times, the fantastic learning experiences and the many many fish. If you are desperate for the old content of this particular post, it is available below base64 encoded and bzip2 compressed.

Red.

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## keza

RedPhoenix said:


> Caveat: Love my spotters..
> But it's nice to have something that's a little cheaper for those situations where you're more likely to scratch, drop or mangle your sunnies.
> 
> Do a search for polarised SAFETY glasses. Rather than paying $200 bucks, you can pick them up for under 50. They're generally mass produced, and long-term runs that go for years; hence the low price.. but lens quality is usually very good.
> http://www.maximumsafety.com.au/SearchR ... =polarised
> http://www.esidirect.com.au/SearchResul ... =polarised
> 
> Red.


I do this for my bike riding glasses.
Mine are Bolle, same specs as their expensive glasses but cost a 10th of the price on ebay from the UK.


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## anselmo

Davey G said:


> lens colour will also depend on what the conditions are like (bright sunny day, partial cloud cover, very cloudy). I find amber is great in sunny conditions but prefer gray in less light, other people may prefer different things. As mentioned, you need to find a pair that fits your head and doesnt cause too much pressure behind your ears or on the bridge of your nose as you're wearing them all day.


I prefer it the opposite!

Grey for really bright days and amber/brown for dull days
I also like a nice bright yellow lens for freshwater and low light conditions

When I did more more flats fishing I found a green lens was the best (although hard to find)

I'm using Oakley Juliets at present - the frames are bombproof and the lenses are interchangeable so if I scratch a pair ,I can change them
that said the current lenses have been in 2 years and no changes needed (I bought the Oakley H2O protection spray which is great)

Another pair of glasses I've used is the H3O's: http://www.h3opolarized.com/
3 polarised lenses (grey, amber and yellow), hard case, tether/lease, couple of different styles - they're pretty hard to beat for the price
http://hipwader.com/2005/h30-tsunami-sp ... ses-review


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## SharkNett

Due to having a high/wide bridge on my node I find it realy difficult to find glasses that fit. Always sit too high.
Been wearing the same type of Mako frame for around 10 years but as others have said they don't stand up well to abuse. My current pair was made from the undamaged parts of 3 older pair. These frames are no longer made tho not sure what I will do when they are dead.
Have heard good things about Habervision so hoping I can see them in person when we go to the states next year.


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## Guest

The only lenses that will stand up to the salt are glass. I used to wear makos when they had glass option for almost all of there frames but alas no more.
I am currently wearing Maui Jims which are polycarb lens which I will get them replaced with glass ones soon as after 6 months they are trashed. Maui offer liftime replacment on there frames and new lenses are $100 But they are a good quality lens. Thats my 2 cents


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## Dave73

+ 1 for cheapies...

On my umpteenth pair of Cancer Council polarised, decent lenses, wide range of styles and around $50 is affordable. 
Sunnies I view as a must have everyday item that get used heavily, occasionally scratched and sometimes lost.
On a kayak offshore, salt water spray, wind, launches etc - the last thing I want to be fussing over is a fancy pair of $300 Mako's or Maui Jims.

Cheers Dave


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## poppyd

I brought a pair of Barz optics polarized sunglasses. These are a FLOATING type even in the wash zone. Australian company ,easy to deal with. $100 and they are the transitional type (get darker in daylight).
Spotters are awsome but expensive and I wanted a pair that floated without straps or floats on them. 8) 8) 8)


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## dru

Dave73 said:


> + 1 for cheapies...
> 
> On my umpteenth pair of Cancer Council polarised, decent lenses, wide range of styles and around $50 is affordable.
> Sunnies I view as a must have everyday item that get used heavily, occasionally scratched and sometimes lost.
> On a kayak offshore, salt water spray, wind, launches etc - the last thing I want to be fussing over is a fancy pair of $300 Mako's or Maui Jims.
> 
> Cheers Dave


Can't go past cancer council for cheapies that do actually work.


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