sunglasses for fishing

crusier

Are polarids worth getting for angling or will ordinary sunglasses be nearly as good?

mikeweed

Quick answer yes and no. Polarids are great much better that sunglasses but like everything in fishing the more you spend the better they are.

breakemall

Depends on what you want them for. If it is to see beneath the glare on the water then polarised lenses beat non-polarised lenses hands down. Quality counts and Ray Bans are hard to beat but be careful because not all sun glasses are polarised.

Boskowski

Go for polarised glasses as for fishing the most important thing is to reduce the glare of the water surface. They don't have to be Polariods of course and as another poster mentioned them, RayBans are ok but nothing to write home about. They have a big name and sell for style but they're not known for their quality lenses necessarily. Not saying they're poor but you get glasses for a fraction of Ray Ban money that are just as good or better.
Fishing, hunting or general outdoor shops usually have a decent selection of polarised glasses. They even pop up in Lidl every now and then.

breakemall

Boskowski wrote: »

Go for polarised glasses as for fishing the most important thing is to reduce the glare of the water surface. They don't have to be Polariods of course and as another poster mentioned them, RayBans are ok but nothing to write home about. They have a big name and sell for style but they're not known for their quality lenses necessarily. Not saying they're poor but you get glasses for a fraction of Ray Ban money that are just as good or better.
Fishing, hunting or general outdoor shops usually have a decent selection of polarised glasses. They even pop up in Lidl every now and then.

It is true RayBans are far from cheap, and I doubt most anglers buy them for the style but I cannot knock the quality and all I know for certain is that they work for me and a lot of the people I fish with. And I have also found that in life you usually get what you pay for (if you are lucky) and when buying cheap you often end up buying twice?

The question asked is if polarised lenses are better for fishing than non-polarised? The simple answer is yes. How much you want to spend is down to the individual?

Boskowski

If you're prepared to spend Ray-Ban money go for Vuarnet instead. Much better lenses and you get something not everybody has. Not that anyone would notice but still, you got the better lenses.
I really don't think the Ray-Ban lenses are any better than what you'd buy for 25 quid in an outdoor shop. Most of the Ray-Ban price tag goes towards the brand name rather than quality. If you love them fair enough but its not a case of 'I spent €200 they gotta be the best'.

popsy09

Just because its expensive does not mean its better that's nonsense , I agree for some things the more you spend the better but fishing gear is not one of them in my opinion

When I went to buy a pair of glasses I didn't mind about the brand I tried on nearly every pair on the rack with yellow lense that's just my preference , and the pair that fit the best and left no light in I went for and turned out they were 24.99 and I have used friends glasses that were 5 times the price but I always come back to the cheap set , they are well made and have a nice case , can't remember name now but they were a brand some bass fisherman endorsed his name is on them I'll try look later for ya

SeaFields

It's too late / early for the OP but something worth noting that a lot of retailers (I dont mean tackle shops) dramatically reduce their sunglasses after the summer season is over. Oct / Nov can be a good time to pick up quality Polaroids at good discounts.

Good sunnys are essential for fishing, aside from seeing into the water Id be more concerned about protection for your eyes.

Ive used Maui Jims for a few years and find them very very good.

crusier

Thanks for the replies, there are Polaroids for sale on sports direct (Matt Hayes) for @ €24 reduced from €55 with a strap, I think I'll chance them with my record of losing stuff I'd better start on the cheaper side of things, thanks

.red.

crusier wrote: »

Thanks for the replies, there are Polaroids for sale on sports direct (Matt Hayes) for @ €24 reduced from €55 with a strap, I think I'll chance them with my record of losing stuff I'd better start on the cheaper side of things, thanks

Most tackleshops stock "eyelevel" sunglasses. Their very good and start at about €15/20. I had a pair of polarised raybans for a few years for driving and i liked the eyelevel ones so much i bought a 2nd pair. One for the car and one for fishing.
Mine are a blue lens and i find them very good for floatfishing off the rocks on a sunny day when your pretty much staring at the water all day. Their the same as the snowbee ones that are here, just an eyelevel brand. Works out cheaper than sportsdirect too and its from an irish company.
http://www.tackledirectireland.ie/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=72&zenid=9es77nh6luq085fqppn7o6pm23

twin_beacon

i got a pair of Polaroids that fit outside my glasses around 3 years ago, cost around 20 euro, and its probably the best 20 euro I ever spent! they never leave the car, very handy when driving too. Very handy for fly and lure fishing, as you can see the flies and lures a lot easier. I wear them for most of my coarse fishing too, as the glare on the water in the summer can be blinding at times

viper123

crusier wrote: »

Thanks for the replies, there are Polaroids for sale on sports direct (Matt Hayes) for @ €24 reduced from €55 with a strap, I think I'll chance them with my record of losing stuff I'd better start on the cheaper side of things, thanks

I personally would never buy sunglasses without trying them on first. There's nothing worse than getting some quality glass that don't fit correctly. You'll find yourself continually correcting them on your head because of sun getting over the top of the glass or in at the sides. They need to fit your head properly. For €24 you could take a chance but just saying...

niallon

I tried various Polaroids over the years and never saw that much of an advantage from them, though I didn't spend a whole lot so that is likely a factor.

As I'm a glasses wearer now though I'm stuck with prescription shades and I specifically went for a medium/light tint which I swear by now, given how often the sun tends to bounce back and forth between cloud in Ireland I find it extremely useful to not have to swap between shades and my ordinary glasses all the time.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

As a glasses wearer, I had transition tints so I never have to even think about sun glasses. They are polaroid, UV protection etc and darken to the light and clear in the shade.

endacl

All brands mentioned so far are actually manufactured by an Italian company called Luxottica. They're all essentially the same product, with each brand selling a different image, at a different price point, to different people. These days, a pair of RayBans is a pair of Maui Jims is a pair of Vuarnet is a pair of...

Also, if you buy them from Sunglasses Hut..... yes, Luxottica own that too.

So, the rambling point I'm getting at is, quality at any price point is down to subjective perception. Any of those brands are as good or as bad as each other. Find a pair you like at a price point you like and go for it. Polarised lenses will cut glare and allow you to see beneath the surface, but this will depend on your position in relation to the angle of glare. Polarised lenses will do nothing at all if your favourite regular spot and time doesn't put you in the position where the lenses can function.

Oh, and blue/green for sea fishing. Yellow/brown for coarse.