Great Sunglasses for $100 (More or Less)
Eyewear is a very personal choice for sun worshiping boaters. Everyone prioritizes glare reduction and reduced light transmission, but there the common preferences end. Fashion can take precedence over eye coverage. Those big eye lenses can look sort of senior citizeny and round lensed John Lennon style look cool but offer scant eye coverage especially in glare filled watery surroundings. Even polarized lenses won’t do much for clarifying the view over and under the water if they don’t fit the face well. Getting the right combination of fashion, glare reduction, durability and comfort can give sticker shock at $200 to $350 a pair.
Which brings me to my question: Do you really have to spend $300 to get quality glasses? If you are the type that loses or breaks them frequently, you probably shouldn’t and no, you don’t have to spend that kind of money for quality eye protection.
First, all fashion sunglasses must, at minimum, meet ANSI Z80.3-2018 standards for impact resistance. The impact test involves dropping a 1-ounce ball from one meter onto the lens—without breaking it. They must also filter UVA(99% filtered) and UVB(95% filtered) light for eye protection from these damaging rays.
Ansi Z80.3 promulgates other standards, as well. Those pertain to consistent curvature and thickness of the lenses. Uneven curvature can be allowed if it is outside the area of visual use. ANSI standards also require accurate light transmission that does not interfere with distinguishing, for instance, traffic lights in their true color.
What else goes into quality sunglasses?
Features like cam lock or spring loaded hinges that positively snap open and closed. Sturdy frames of metal or nylon or other polymers. The best sunglasses boast coatings on lenses that protect them and the eyes. Oleophobic coatings resist adherence of oil to the lenses making it easier to wipe off sunscreen or oily sweat. Hydrophobic coatings prevent water spotting and even shed water, sort of like RainX on your windshield, so the lenses offer a clear view under windy spray. There are glare dampening coatings, usually used on the inside of the lens to reduce glare from light sneaking in behind the lens and reflecting off the face. Lastly, but very importantly, there are polyfluoride coatings, a polymer compound, that increase lens hardness and resistance to scratching. Without them, often just the act of cleaning them with a lens tissue can abrade them.
But there is one more test, important to boaters. When looking at a GPS or sonar screen, does the polarization black out the MFD screen? Some do. We tested these and found differing results.
So to help a fisherman out, we asked who can meet the Ansi standards, live up to the fashion expectations of a picky public and provide the visual clarity of the best sunglasses. And, can anyone do it for under $150? We found there are a couple brands that do it well and a newer, even less expensive line from Salt Life, that exceed the typical discount store glasses and still only sting the wallet for $50 or less.
Here is what we found.
Island Optics (islandoptics.com)
Island Optics aren’t new to the industry, but we’ve recently discovered them making inroads into the boating and fishing market place with some outstanding offerings. We’ve tested several pairs and, after doing so, we feel like they compare favorably to higher priced (not necessarily higher end) brands. In fact, at their low entry price point, they have all the hallmarks of premium brands. Their frames are fashionable, practical with good eye coverage and their polarized lenses held up well to constant outdoor use. If you like the price tag of standard sunglasses, you’ll be very interested in their prescription program that runs hundreds of dollars less than premium or optician brands.
Island Optics Noord, $98
These are my faves. Eye coverage is excellent for boating and fishing but the shape is still centered on fashion. Frames come in wood grain, matte black, matt blue aqua tortoise and translucent grey. Six lens colors include green mirror, brown for inshore, grey, blue mirror for offshore and red sunset mirror to make a statement. Frames have cam loaded hinges, gator grip molded in rubber friction bars on the temple and nose pieces all to add secure fit and comfort. The OX2 lenses have premium coatings for water and oil repellency, scratch resistance and glare reduction. And in our comparison, these also provided curvature consistent with the most premium glasses.
Island Optics Angler, $98
Designed specifically for the angler, these lenses have broad coverage from brow to cheek bone from the temples to the nose piece. In addition, the temples themselves block side light from above while allowing peripheral vision. Blue mirror lenses over a grey base are most popular among offshore boaters, while some anglers prefer green mirror over brown base lenses.
Hobie Eyewear (hobieeyewear.com)
Hobie is legit. The brand, which is produced by licensee Eyeking LLC, has been in fashion glasses for watermen and surfers for decades. They have dozens of styles from wire rim aviators to … well, round lenses like John Lennon’s. They have sharp looking performance eyewear that hug the face and shield the sides from allowing light in over the cheek bones. Many of their frames float and do so without any telltale visual cues as to how the sleek frames do it. A new line of recycled polymer frames are made from recycled cutaway hatches and parts from Hobie rotomolded kayaks.
Hatch Float Series (Up Cycled), $119.99
These floating frames are made from Hobie kayak hatch cutouts, ground and upcycled into attractive, lighter than water frames. The large frames give good eye coverage, minimizing intrusion of side light and the design also helps stop light entering from below the lens. Hobie’s lenses are coated with what they call Hydrolean 360 oleo- and hydrophobic coatings to reduce water spotting and oily smears. A tough scratch protective coating gives the lenses a durable finish. Hull Float is available in a Satin Black frame and lens colors include Copper w/ Sea Green Mirror, Grey w/ Cobalt Blue Mirror, Grey, and Sightmaster Plus.
Read Next: Sunglass Lens Color Comparison
Commander or Broad Aviators (Wire Rim), $89.99
Aviators have been popular as long as pilots held the yoke in their hand. The wire rimmed glasses cover the eyes well, weigh very little and look pretty sharp. The Commanders are square-ish shaped and the Broad Aviators are traditional teardrop shaped. Either are great for driving, boating and fishing and are available in gunmetal with grey lenses or satin gold frames with copper lenses.
The BoatingMag.com crew will be looking at sunglass prescription programs and OTC sunglass readers in an upcoming story.
