Well after all the great feedback from everyone on this forum post and after trying them on in the store today I went with the Costa Del Mar 580 Glass "Zane" model in the Matte Black frame with Green Mirror lense (recommended lense for freshwater fishing). I'm pretty pumped to get them and should be seeing them in the mail in 2 days. Just in time for my OH Ivie outing next week! Here's a link to them: http://costadelmar.com/store/BVModules/P...d8-76e348261e2f

Take note, these are about $220+ at any retail store with the 580 Glass lense (Polycarbonate or 400 Glass- much cheaper). I rolled the dice a bit and ordered from a website (vs. in a retail store) but the site appears to be very reputable/authentic reseller and they had them for $155 out the door. I'd be happy to provide feedback to anyone who's interested in how they work. Will know after I try them next week.

Well I got the Costa Zane sunglasses however after wearing them for 2 quick outings I realized they are a bit heavy and put a lot of pressure on the side of my head and I do not like how they fit. Visually- what I see in the water is amazing- I've never seen through the water so well, even in murky water on bright sunny days. But comfort is extremely important. I don't like how they are 'heavy' feeling on my head and with a hat it's just too much pressure.

I thought the 580 Glass was supposed to be the ticket but it seems like for supposed better quality lens, you have to sacrifice that heavy feeling which I don't like.

I tried a bunch of Oakleys in the store today but I didn't like how they were so thick on the sides. Can anyone recommend any other glasses besides the Costa Del Mar 580 Glass shades I bought? Also, are the 580 Polycarbonate as good as an Oakley? Are Oakleys just as good? I just like the idea of a lighter feeling on my head, especially when I fish 6+ hours a day. I tried on my buddies' Wiley Xs and was not as nearly impressed as I am visually by what I see with the Costas. Oakleys seem to be very good too from what I saw trying them at store/outside- but never experience on the water...

I use a $5 pair of Berkley glasses I found at Walmart this past winter. I have a pair of Oakley polarized and I see the same with the Berkleys as I do with Oakleys. I have tried on Costa's but don't like how they fit. In my opinion sunglasses are a dime a dozen. If they are polarized they will fit the purpose prior to buying them. I have seen no difference other than longevity on my Berkleys, vs Oakleys, vs Costas. I see the same fish in the same depth with my $5 Berkleys vs my $200 Oakleys.

Sorry for the double post but my buddy that has a pair of OSHA approved polarized lenses caught his biggest bass to date (5lbs) with me spot fishing and telling him where to cast. Who was to think that working mans glasses that cost over $30+ (small territory to cover I know and do not mean any flame) are overwhelmed by my $5 pair. He asked me to use my cheap pair of sunglasses vs his polarized sunglasses that cost quite a bit more.

If you will email me I will give you some info on NUMA that I think you will like. And I don't want to take a beating on here from the Costa guys reddirtoutdoors@yahoo.com

Anyone else?

I have Costa 580 and 480 very good! And some Oakly hammer heads and I always seem to wear the Whiley X Jakes. I just like them the best for almost everything!! Price is by far the best too. I also have some solar bats and I hate them.

This is a bummer the Costa $200+ shades I bought hurt the side of my head after wearing them for more than 2 hours ugh! It's nice that they are snug and don't slip off, but come on, they need to be comfortable too! Going to the fishing shop today that has a ton to choose from and they are right on the water- hoping they may exchange it out for me.

I need wide frame sunglasses and I found Maui Jim Banyans (Polarized Plus 2) are extremely comfortable and light. They run about $180.00 and I like them better than the Oakleys I had before. If you are going back I would at least try them on and give them a consideration.

OK So after hitting up 3 different speciality fishing/sunglass stores I found a shop that was willing to work with me on swapping out my glasses even though I didn't buy them there= happy about that. We discovered that the sunglasses aren't too tight, it's that the stems/arms on the frame are too LONG. So where it curves is way too far back on my head, thus around my ears it doesn't curve and instead goes straight, causing a lot of pressure on my temple. So the solution was to get a smaller frame- so I went from the Zane to the Faintail which is a newer version- very similar, but slightly smaller. The store was nice enough to order me the 580G AND the 580P so I can try them both on (thinking maybe the P lighter weight will feel better). So they come in next week and I'll see how that works.

Bottom line though- I tried some Oakleys, Ray Ban, Spy, etc. today actually looking at the water and the Costas are far superior quality visually/clarity wise and being able to see in the water. I now believe the 'hype'.

i asked shaw grigsby about this once..his answer was essentially this "in one way,no the price dont make a difference in how much you can see.frame quality,durability and lens material is what guages the price.glass lenses cost more tham polycarbonate..but the glass will last longer" im paraphrasing but thats the jist of what he told me,for that reason,i just get comfortable,more practical price range glasses.the aes vicious glasses are a good deal at 50 dollars. hope this helps.

Dakicka, what was the name of the glasses shop and where is it at?

Ky- The shop is out here in San Diego, CA. Real helpful place- they stock a ton of Costa glasses. I guess they can just re-sell them since I didn't use them but for 2 hours and are in mint condition. I'm just happy I'm able to swap them out!

I'm probably going to go with the 580p, I really don't like how heavy it feels with the glass, plus if a 1/2 oz tungsten weight comes flinging back to me, I wouldn't look forward to getting hit with glass shades on vs. polycarbonate!

i go with the walmart ones bc i tend to loose them atleast once a month...

You guys are going to hate me lol. OK So the Lord worked it out for me to get the swap out of Costa glasses which is good, and things are even better now. I have a dad who just signed his son of for one of my football camps and I noticed in his signature something about xyz optics. So I e-mailed him telling him how I've been on the hunt for the 'perfect sunglass'. Long and short of it, he actually manufactures the 'shields' used for Oakley's products so he is going to be able to get me a pair of Oakleys for free. Basically he said tell me which frames/lenses you want and they're yours! LOL. So I will now have a nice set of Oakleys to have as a second or maybe as my more 'versatile' pair. I think I'll stick with the Costas staying in my fishing bag but use the Oakleys for driving/outdoor football coaching. Any recommendations for nice lenses/frames? I like the amber/bronze type that brighten everything up. I'm not a fan of the dark grey or real dark brown lenses...