Costa Del Mar Jose 580P Sunglasses

When the topic of polarized sunglasses comes up among fishermen, the sides are usually drawn in the sand immediately.  You are either from the side that believes sunglasses should be inexpensive, easy to replace and not cost over a certain amount, or the other side will hold the belief that you need to protect your eyes at all cost and buy the best pair you can afford.  No matter where you stand on the issue, you have to admit polarized sunglasses are an essential part of fishing.

I recently received a pair of Costa Del Mar Sunglasses in the new 580P lenses to review.  If you are not familiar with the Costa lineup, they come in a wide variety of styles and colors, but also in the type of lenses that are available.  Lenses can be glass, polycarbonate or CR-39 (lightweight plastic).  In addition to the lens materials, the lenses also come in whats called 580 and 400.  Without getting to scientific, the 580 reduces yellow light, while the 400 is a great quality lens at a lower cost.  Last year was the first time I tried Costas for myself.  I started with a pair of glass lenses in the 400 with the Man-O'-War frames. I decided against the 580 at the time due to the cost.

Now that the 580 lenses are available in the Polycarbonate lenses (they call it 580P), the price is lower.  I like a glass lens, but it does have it's drawbacks.  One of them is the overall weight.  After fishing all day, the heavy sunglasses add to any body fatigue you have from casting all day.  The Polycarbonate material in the 580 lenses helps to reduce weight while not sacrificing the quality of the lens.

The pair I have are in the Amber lens, probably the best all around color lens if you plan to do any shallow water fishing or sight fishing.  I was really pleased with the performance and clarity of the 580P and would recommend them to anyone looking at picking up a new pair of sunglasses.  

Scoring for the Costa Del Mar Jose 580P Sunglasses

Price/Value: 3

At $179.99, they are much less expensive than the $230+ for the 580 Glass lenses.  While the old saying "you get what you pay for" is certainly true, they are still a $180 pair of sunglasses.

Durability: 5

I have had these glasses for two months and have fished them pretty hard and worn them every single day driving and doing my daily activities.  So far, not a scratch or blemish to be found (and I'm pretty hard on sunglasses)

Performance: 5

The 580 lenses are far and away the best I have ever used.  I know the lenses helped my sight fishing this season...without a doubt!

Innovation: 3

It's pretty cool that they were able to put that much quality into a polycarbonate..but the 580 has been around for a while now.

Availability: 2

While looking around for material for this review, it was pretty difficult to see them mentioned.  I see Bass Pro carries them, but haven't found any other major outlets carrying them (yet)

Total: 18 - Good Buy!