Oakley lenses for fishing?

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hung-solo

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i have a set of Half Jacket XLJ's and i have the original grey polars that came with it (roughly 8-10 yrs old). i also bought some "shallow blue" fishing lenses for it (shallow blue allow quite a bit of light through and they are best for fishing in very cloudy or shady areas). they quit selling those types of lenses. so my question to you guys that fish and have oakley glasses, which color lense? obviously they have to be polarized. i contacted oakley and they gave me these two to research

VR28 polars (allows 16% of light to go through with good contrast)
Gold irridium polars (for very bright sky approx 9% light goes through with good contrast)

i need lenses that block a lot of light for open water fishing. i need to be able to sight fish in the shallows on very bright days. i was told the above two were very good for that. both colors allow for contrast. which is what i think i need. the greys are too dull. yeah i can see in the water but colors blend so sometimes its hard to dictate between a stump and a large bass sitting.

i am not interested in any other brand of glasses for now.
 
If you change your mind and become interested in any other brands let me know, cause you've pretty much described what I was going to recommend. How much are the new lenses going to cost?
 
ndeezl said:
If you change your mind and become interested in any other brands let me know, cause you've pretty much described what I was going to recommend. How much are the new lenses going to cost?
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ok recommend........cannot spend over 150-175. must be polarized and damn good glasses. i really didnt want to spend over 100. new lenses can be found from 50-80 bucks. the ONLY reason i am buying new lenses is bc the greys are shot and i really do not want another pair of sunglasses.
 
Browner colors offer better contrast. But for polarized lenses, Maui Jims have the best optics out there. There is a pretty clear consensus about this among optometrists, and I really can see the difference in mine. Serengeti and Costa Del Mar (which is actually geared towards fishing) are almost as good, and Revo trails the three a little bit more in my experience. Glass lenses will offer better clarity and scratch resistance than polycarbonate; they just lose in impact resistance and weight. Also, I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but there are two Italian brands that own almost all the other sunglass brands out there. The bigger one is Luxottica, and every time they buy up a smaller company, the quality goes down. They did it to Ray Ban, and Oakley is a newer sufferer. Other than Revo, the four brands I mentioned are independent IIRC, so they have a higher quality in the frames and lenses than I've seen in my Luxottica affiliated shades.
 
I'll agree with Tsujigiri that Maui Jims have by far the best optics and lenses out there. I own two pair and can't imagine that I would ever buy another brand of sunglasses for everyday use. They are leaps and bounds above anything else I've seen. That being said I think there are better glasses out there for fishing. Costa's are one, but to get their really good lenses you're gonna be around Maui prices which is way more than you want to spend.

Check out Kaenon glasses. Their copper lenses are amazing and the grey are great as well. I have a pair of Rhino's with the lightest copper tint and have worn them on the water many times for flats fishing; they're superb. If I had to do it again I'd get the regular copper lenses. Anyway Costa's have a good reputation and I've used them on the water; they don't dissapoint. But for fishing I recommend Kaenon 100% of the time, the clarity and depth is spot on. Try them on locally if you can then buy 'em online, they should be in your price range.

Actually man I don't fish hardly ever anymore so I don't wear mine. Check 'em out and if you're interested shoot me a PM, I'd need to see what condition they're in.
 
If you have an iDevice (iPad, iPhone, iPod) download the oakleyview app. I'm pretty sure it's free, and it lets you virtually try on different lens types in different environments, including fishing. From aforementioned app, I recommend tungsten iridium polarized.
 
thanks guys very informative!! i will be doing some research.. i have checked out oakley's view thing online. and the copper/ gold colors are nothing but contrast and thats what i wanted. i am going to look into maui jims as well.

anyone with experience with Wiley X? or is that too similar to other polycarb lenses? again thanks guys. big help

solo

edit: wow maui's are pricey.. tell you what they do turn me on lol. i might have to get a pair for xmas. in the mean time i ordered the oakley VR28 black irridium polars. they seem to have the best in water contract of all the colors they have. i need the irridium bc it lowers the % from 16% to 10% which will help me in very bright light. so i think this SHOULD cover my wants ( contrast with little light penetration).. ill report when i get them next week and fish with them. the bass are moving shallow.
 
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hung-solo said:
thanks guys very informative!! i will be doing some research.. i have checked out oakley's view thing online. and the copper/ gold colors are nothing but contrast and thats what i wanted. i am going to look into maui jims as well.

anyone with experience with Wiley X? or is that too similar to other polycarb lenses? again thanks guys. big help

solo

edit: wow maui's are pricey.. tell you what they do turn me on lol. i might have to get a pair for xmas. in the mean time i ordered the oakley VR28 black irridium polars. they seem to have the best in water contract of all the colors they have. i need the irridium bc it lowers the % from 16% to 10% which will help me in very bright light. so i think this SHOULD cover my wants ( contrast with little light penetration).. ill report when i get them next week and fish with them. the bass are moving shallow.
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Wiley X isn't really famous for clear, polarized optics. They're meant more as protective eyewear for the military, bikers, etc. I have a couple that I like, and while they aren't as nice as my Oakleys, they are more utilitarian. The lenses are actually thicker and stronger than Oakleys (You can see strength tests of Oakley's on their site. But while what they can do is impressive, they just comply to ANSI standards like pretty much all the other polycarbonate lenses out there. The flagship Wileys are built to different, military impact specs). I use my Wileys for shooting or labs, mostly.

Maui Jims are more expensive, but the clarity is really excellent. They have a bi-gradient mirror that cuts down the light without darkening what you're looking at as much, and the tints are well balanced (There are some good Oakley tints, by comparison, but a lot of them like my fire iridiums are more hey-look-at-this-crazy-color than practical. And some are applied unevenly). The brown Maui lenses are dark enough for a bright day in southern California, but they make things pop at the same time. Look around on ebay and you should be able to find some for a decent price (sometimes without the box or with minor scratches on the frame). If you're willing to spend some time sifting through the listings, the discontinued models that less people are looking for can be cheaper. I recently got a glass lens pair of Kaimanas with a couple of frame blemishes (but pristine lenses) for under $60. Costa del Mars are a little too specialized for good discounts, but you might be able to get a good deal there, too. Serengetis seem to be discounted a lot on ebay, but they're oriented more towards driving and flying than water. They do have a neat photochromic technology in their lenses that changes the darkness, though, and their beta titanium frames are extremely comfortable.
 
i can recommend oakley's g30 polarized lenses. they came with my fast jackets and i can't wear anything else since i tried them. everything is bright and crisp, they have a yellowish tint to them and the polarization cuts so much glare.
 
update on my purchase of VR28 black irridium polar lenses.. they are almost exactly what i am looking. these are the darker VR28's. allows only 9% of light through. i can see through the water with pretty good clarity and can easily identify objects. the contrast is superb compared to the neutral grey lenses i have. very pleased so far.
 
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