CostaDelMar

My cheapo pair of glasses is all scratched up and it’s time to buy a new pair. I am thinking of buying a pair of Costa’s and would appreciate some input from you guys. I liked the way they fit my head the best out of the different brands I tried on. Unfortunately the guy at Cabela’s couldn’t answer many of my questions. I do a lot of stream fishing for smallmouth and from walking through the woods my lenses would get scratched. I would like a pair that won’t scratch too easily. Here are my big questions. What is the difference between the polycarbonate lenses and glass ones? Does one scratch a little easier, does one cut down on glare better, etc. I noticed that some frames had 580 lenses and some had 400’s. Is the clarity that much beter with the 580’s? Is it worth the price difference? I’ve heard that Costa isn’t very good at standing behind their lifetime warranty and it’s like jumping through hoops to try and get them fixed. Has anyone had any first hand knowledge of trying to get their glasses fixed? I’m just trying to decide if it is really worth spending the extra $$$.

I really appreciate the feedback guys!

F.S.

Go with glass lenses. I’ve got a pair of glass 400 lenses that are going on 5 years and there’s not the tiniest scratch on them. The 580s are nice, but if you want to save the money, the 400s are still nicer than dang near anything out there. I also have a pair of Smith’s, which I like, but the Costa’s are a better lens, IMHO. My wife has Costas with poly lenses, and they scratch way easier than the glass.

I have not heard any complaints of Costa’s service, but I have never broken a pair yet, so I have no first hand experience.

While I can not offer any feedback on the warranty (they do not warranty specs that are on the bottom of a lake ) I can say that the glass is better than the poly as far as scratch resistance. I have dropped mine on cement floors, they sat unprotected in motorcycle saddle bags, and got knocked, scraped etc walking through woods.

Only thing I didn’t like about them is that the polarizaion made it hard to see my GPS and any GOOD polarized glasses will have this problem.

Best pair of glasses I’ve ever owned and only brand i’ll ever buy again…

Go with glass lenses. Costa Del mar makes a good product but look at other companies. Ray Ban, and Maui Jim are great glasses also, try them all and make your own choice.

I have a pair of the 580s that I’ve had for a long, long time. Maybe 5 years or a little longer. The glass is in perfect shape still but the padding is almost gone off the bows and the hinges are really loose so I’m going to be testing Costa’s customer service here real soon to see what they can do for my aging pair. Overall I would give them very high ratings for comfort, clarity and durability on all components except for the padding on the bows.

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I have a pair of the 580s that I’ve had for a long, long time. Maybe 5 years or a little longer. The glass is in perfect shape still but the padding is almost gone off the bows and the hinges are really loose so I’m going to be testing Costa’s customer service here real soon to see what they can do for my aging pair. Overall I would give them very high ratings for comfort, clarity and durability on all components except for the padding on the bows.

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I have that same issue on one of my pairs. I’ve learned that bug spray destroys the padding on the bows rather quickly. I have two pairs, so I’m going to send in the ones that are messed up and get new bows put on them and be careful with the bug spray on my other ones.

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I have a pair of the 580s that I’ve had for a long, long time. Maybe 5 years or a little longer. The glass is in perfect shape still but the padding is almost gone off the bows and the hinges are really loose so I’m going to be testing Costa’s customer service here real soon to see what they can do for my aging pair. Overall I would give them very high ratings for comfort, clarity and durability on all components except for the padding on the bows.

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James which frames do you have, the problem I run into is finding a pair that do not fit me too tight and press on my temples and as a result gives me a headache. I guess I must have a fat head.

I have a pair going on 4 years now. I sent them in about a year ago due to the padding coming off the bows. I filled out their warrenty claim online and sent them in.

I got them back in about a week, and the paper said, all covered under warrenty. They also fixed the 3 or 4 scratches that I put in them from dopping them on the concrete more times than I care to admitt.

I have to say my experience with them has been great so far!!!

I would recommend the 580’s. I have never had the 400’s but I have had many pairs of cheaper brands and they all fail miserably when compared to the 580. I have had my Costa 580’s for two+ years and the lenses still lock brand new.

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James which frames do you have, the problem I run into is finding a pair that do not fit me too tight and press on my temples and as a result gives me a headache. I guess I must have a fat head.

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I have an enormous head and the Wavekillers are designed for us

I have tested Costa’s warranty and didn’t have the best expierence,but not the worst either. I had the padding on frame above the ear basically wear down/peel off to the point of just the plastic piece cutting into my ear. So I filled out the RA form and sent them in. 3 or 4 weeks later I finally received notification from them acknowledging my sunglasses and someone will be getting back to me shortly, well about another week or so and I called to check status, took a while to get intouch with a live person. My warranty didn’t cover the normal wear and tear my glasses were from 2003 so I understand, I had the fathom frames with the plastic lens, to which were scratched a little bit, due to my error. So due to slow customer service they offered a pair of the 580 glass lens into my fathom frames as a discounted price, still 100 bucks. Since then I have been very happy with the new lens.

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James which frames do you have, the problem I run into is finding a pair that do not fit me too tight and press on my temples and as a result gives me a headache. I guess I must have a fat head.

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I have an enormous head and the Wavekillers are designed for us

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Thanks Ryan I will have to try on a pair and see how they fit.

So what is the most popular lens color for us fishermen?
I see that on the CostaDelmar Website all of the different 580 color choices are a glass lens. The 400 lens have some glass and some not. Anyone know what the CR 39 lens is and how it compares to a glass lens?

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Anyone know what the CR 39 lens is and how it compares to a glass lens?

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My wife has a pair of Swordfish’s with the CR39 lenses. I really can’t wear them because they are way too small, but the optics are good on them. The problem is that they scratch where as the 400 glass and 580 glass lenses are tough as heck to scratch. The glass lenses are slightly heavier, but if you want a pair of glasses that will last, glass lenses are the way to go.

I have both the 400’s with the cheaters built in for my 50 year old eyes and love them. I have the 580’s and love them as well. Ultra clear vision and UV blocking with the 580 Fathoms. I have had to replace limbs as well for breaking one, and what James is experiencing. (They are discontinuing the padded limbs by the way…)They get replaced with the new solid limb. They wanted to charge me $15 but I fought it and they ate it. They claimed that it was not a structural failure. But they did honor it. Now I have to send in my 580’s for repair. I will advise how that goes.

Thanks again Ryan

I would also like to hear what color lens everyone has and why did you pick that color?

Amber’s on both by a recommendation by Dean for low light use as well as bright sunshine. I love them for that! Great suggestion Dean!

I’ve got green mirror finish on amber lenses. I love em and were them all the time. My wife makes fun of me for wearing sunglasses when it is cloudy, but my eyes get tired and sore.

Great post, I’m in the market for another pair as well. I owned the 580 Fathoms, but they were too small for my head as well. Thinking on the Man o wars, Brine, or Wavekillers.

Dean knows what he’s talking about in terms of amber/copper 580s. Amplifies the contrast big time without dulling or darkening like you have in almost all other lenses, such that you get the advantages of the polarized lenses earlier in the morning and later into the evening when shallow water bites are typically best anyway. Even if you’re not pitching to fish up shallow, these are great for all things fishing like seeing underwater obstructions or boats on the horizon.

Like most poly, the CR39’s scratch and I’m too hard on stuff to own these. That said, has anyone tried the new ? 580 Poly Lenses? Lighter, $80 cheaper than the top of the line 580 glass, but does it perform like the 580 glass?

I’m looking for the green mirror as that’s an amber based lens also, so I’m probably going to stick with the 580’s instead of the 580 P’s, but has anyone tried these out?

Joel

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Amber’s on both by a recommendation by Dean for low light use as well as bright sunshine. I love them for that! Great suggestion Dean!

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amber mirrored

best dang sunglasses I have ever owned bought my first pair in 2001 had them till 2005 when Dean talked me into a new pair of 580’s based on the scratched plastic lenses and they are still perfect today without a scratch

Great discussion! Keep the feedback coming, I’d love to hear it!!

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That said, has anyone tried the new ? 580 Poly Lenses? Lighter, $80 cheaper than the top of the line 580 glass, but does it perform like the 580 glass?

Joel

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I have ordered a pair Joel…very nice & light weight. For us fishing fanatics….not comparable to 580 glass IMO. Be happy to let you demo them to check out for yourself.

In my opinion the amber really is outstanding in low light situations and cloudy days.My days steel heading proved to be a huge difference maker.A big asset when trying to read current seams. Bright days they get the job done as well. They are outstanding when driving the last hour of daylight when your headlights dont quite come into play.

So I went to Cabela’s today to try on some differnt frames of the Costas, The Wavekillers were to tight on my head, and so were the Fathoms. Found that for me the most comfortable was the Harpoon with the hinged spings on the stems. Also found out that Cabelas has limited choises avalable on lenses compared to ordeing from a dealer like Everts or on the Costa Website.

Anyone know what the differnce is between glass lens and a 580 glass lens? In the Harpoon with ambers lenss you can get 580 Polly or the glass but not the 580 glass.