• You need to be a registered member of Barbel Fishing World to post on these forums. Some of the forums are hidden from non-members. Please refer to the instructions on the ‘Register’ page for details of how to join the new incarnation of BFW...

Best under £100 polarised glasses

Fortis, esp and fox glasses are all good and cheap. I've also owned the silly priced ones ie Bolle and costas. Really not worth the extra as the difference in polarisation is negligible. I would say the only real difference is the amount of swearing when you step on and shatter a pair.
 
Stuart Linton said:
Fortis, esp and fox glasses are all good and cheap. I've also owned the silly priced ones ie Bolle and costas. Really not worth the extra as the difference in polarisation is negligible. I would say the only real difference is the amount of swearing when you step on and shatter a pair.
Click to expand...
I disagree with that. I always used the lower priced fox, daiwa, shimano types of glasses for years and they are ok and do the job but I stepped up into the world of Maui Jim earlier this year and just wow!!!! The optical clarity is incredibly noticeable through the glass lenses and so much better than plastic lenses you get on other cheaper glasses.
I personally wouldn’t look at another type now.
 
Richard Isaacs said:
I disagree with that. I always used the lower priced fox, daiwa, shimano types of glasses for years and they are ok and do the job but I stepped up into the world of Maui Jim earlier this year and just wow!!!! The optical clarity is incredibly noticeable through the glass lenses and so much better than plastic lenses you get on other cheaper glasses.
I personally wouldn’t look at another type now.
Click to expand...
The clarity of the glass may be better but not the polarisation. I pay hundreds of pounds for glass filters for my landscape photography because of the clarity and lack of colour casts and also a circular polariser which also has great clarity and lack of colour cast however the polarisation is much of a muchness compared with cheaper brands.

If I thought I missed one fish due to lack of clarity, I would hand over £200+ for a pair of glasses immediately. I have tried cheap and expensive side by side.

Glass is more scratch resistant and the clarity better although slight. Glass is also heavy and I found, slipped down my nose more readily on those hot summer days.

There are certainly some lens colours that seem to gather light more than others.

Just my opinion.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I have ESP Stalkers in amber, The Third Eye in brown and a pair of Korda ones in grey, all as good as each other depending on the light conditions. all around about the same price.

The Third Eye ones are the most comfortable so these are my default choice. Think they were a little over £25.

Try various ones in your local tackle shop and see which are the most comfortable.
 
Had fortis glasses might as well wear a blindfold… the old optix cormorants were good fox not bad but none of them come near to my maui jims absolutely worlds apart
 
I wear varifocals, thus the cost of polarised glasses is prohibitive (to me, at least). I bought a set of four (different colour) clip ons from Amazon for a tenner earlier this season. They do the job. Has my thrift caused me to miss a fish? I really couldn't say. 🤣
 
Get a pair of fortis switch that change with the light. Have glass costas, a pair of maui jim’s and a pair of oakleys (i’ve been a polaroids tart for years always thinking the expensive ones will make me see everything underwater). Have spent hours side by side on lakes and rivers with a friend and all the glasses comparing one after the other. Polarisation is almost identical with the fortis than the others however they were only £35 from memory. The others a lot, lot more.
 
This is the one item that by spending £100s does not guarantee a better product than costing a fraction of that. Designer frames come at a cost.
 
I am a spectacle wearer and over the years owned prescription Polaroids in the mid-range (Oakley) as well as optilabs and spec savers ranges…all were good. But by far the best I have ever owned are a pair of the fortis overwraps, I wear these over my prescription glasses (varifocals) and it is like lifting the lid on a new undiscovered world ! All for £35. Never tried top end ( Maui Jim) so can’t comment on them but find it hard to imagine how they could be better, possibly but I wouldn’t risk the outlay to test it
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top