I normally wear Costa glass which I love because they are highly scratch resistant. Seen some good looking Smith glasses and I am curious how the lenses stack up to Costa?

I had a pair that my wife bought me. I really liked them. Then my puppy ate them. That's all I got.

I like the Smith Chromapop lense much much better than the Costa lenses.

what about the Smith glass vs regular chromapop polarized

I made the switch and am really pleased. I have a pair of Deckboss w/ plastic chromapop lenses and a pair of Guides Choice glass chromapop.

I dont really think you would notice a difference between Costa and Smith lenses unless you are on the water 7 days a week and could discern some nuances.

Can't tell any difference in weight from Costas with glass lenses.

Smith have my favorite lenses. I like the polarchromic for shaded areas

I wear Smith when I'm fly fishing.

I switched from Costas to Smiths about 2 years and loving them.

I switched to Smith glasses a few years ago because I got tired of sending Costas in for warranty stuff. The Smith glass is lighter than Costas, and it's held up much better than any pair of Costas I've had.

I highly recommend them.

Edit to add: on the lighter glass, that was me trying both brands on and I could feel a noticeable difference in the weight.

Just finally retired my pair of Smiths. Got them in 2013. One set of replacement lenses. Zero repairs to the frame.

Really, really good sunglasses. Would recommend.

I was sponsored by Costa. Was a huge fan and advocate for years. I spend my money on Smith now.

On my 2nd pair of Smiths. I have always used the amber/brown plastic lens with an Rx. I don't think chromapop is available with a prescription, but I have no problem spotting fish before my friends that use more expensive brands.

Having said that, my friend has Costas that have a much brighter view.

StoneCold99 said:

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Just finally retired my pair of Smiths. Got them in 2013. One set of replacement lenses. Zero repairs to the frame.

Really, really good sunglasses. Would recommend.

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As far as I'm concerned, 10 years is a damn good run for a pair of sunglasses. Especially for every day wear. I've had some go longer but that's rare.

If they run near $200, that's $20/year for great protection and performance.

Smith Parallel Max 2 is what I like. They even come with replacement lenses. Very light and tough. Light is most important to me after RK on my eyes 30 plus years ago, I always have sun glasses on or in my pocket. Can't stand heavy or uncomfortable glasses.
Have MJ and Costas but prefer Smith.

Others that like Smiths, which model do you prefer?

Mas89 said:

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Smith Parallel Max 2 is what I like. They even come with replacement lenses. Very light and tough. Light is most important to me after RK on my eyes 30 plus years ago, I always have sun glasses on or in my pocket. Can't stand heavy or uncomfortable glasses.
Have MJ and Costas but prefer Smith.

Others that like Smiths, which model do you prefer?

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I like the Barras

I've had my Smith's so long the model number has rubbed off. So I don't even know which one I have.

Has anyone actually taken their smiths and costas out on the water and compared them side by side? I don't care abt weight, warranty, etc… I just want the absolute best glass for finding and sight casting fish. I've always used costas, but I'd buy some smiths or Maui Jim's in a second if the lenses are truly noticeably better. I see so many different opinions I'm hesitant to spend money on a new pair to see for myself.

It's a really personal question. What works great for one person may not be the best for another.

I sight cast skinny water on the fly for redfish so seeing fish shallow is my game. Have zero blue water needs.

I have costas amber w green mirror and smith glass amber w green mirrors. They are about the same, glass lenses are just a little better.

But I'm color blind (blue/green) and the game changers for me are the Smith low light igniters. Like fishing in a completely different world. They work so well at showing me fish in clouds and low light that I wear them 90% of the time. Only on full sun no cloud days during peak light do I switch to the amber lenses. Those days arent they common so my igniters get most of the workload.

FYI RCIs are supposed to be a really good (they advertise in Tail magazine), and I'll probably try a pair of Bajios.

Smiths have been my go to for 20 years. Like costas, but Smith offer a great product at a great price. No matter what anyone tells you Oakleys suck, I get them for free and still wear my older Smiths.

My son switched to Smith. All we owned before was Costa.
Until he graduates, he works during the summer as an offshore deckhand.
The frames seem lighter than Costa.
Costa warranty gets tougher every day, and I feel like that attributed to their quality on the decline. Their Hydrolite
Co-injected lining is crap. Every single pair I've ever owned has had that lining break loose. I think the chemical makeup of sunscreen breaks down the glue that holds the rubber onto the plastic.

ATX_AG_08 said:

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Has anyone actually taken their smiths and costas out on the water and compared them side by side? I don't care abt weight, warranty, etc… I just want the absolute best glass for finding and sight casting fish. I've always used costas, but I'd buy some smiths or Maui Jim's in a second if the lenses are truly noticeably better. I see so many different opinions I'm hesitant to spend money on a new pair to see for myself.

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Yes, but difficulty is that the lenses are a slightly different tint so everything is still subjective. I have a relatively good sample size for comparison. IMO MJ is the best followed closely by Smith (Hooksets not pictured) and both are better than Costa. You say you don't care about weight, but wear a pair of MJs all day and then put on some Costas and get back to me.

I wore the frameless MJ model above for many years before switching to Smiths. I broke several pair and the lenses scratched easily. But they are the lightest no doubt.

Apples and Oranges. The frameless MJs are polycarb lenses I keep in my car and wear almost exclusively for driving. Any plastic lens will scratch easily regardless of brand. I use Smith Reverb for shotgun sports and treat them with kid gloves because they are poly

My oldest pair of MJs is a pair of aviators I got on an awards trip back in '07 and they are like new. My green mirror MJ Local Kines are my go-to fishing glasses that I've been hard on and they are still flawless. My green mirror Smiths are great as well and get plenty of use so flip a coin or pick whatever fits best.