Gear Review - Island Optics Angler Polarized Sunglasses

Overview:

I wear sunglasses all the time – in fact, I almost feel naked when I'm not. I find them especially critical when I'm fishing (which is often). Over the years, I've tried out most of the well-known brands of polarized eyewear: Costa, Native, Smith, Bajio, Orvis, etc and have found things I like and dislike about each.

Recently I was introduced to a company called Island Optics out of Boca Raton, Florida. It was the first time I'd heard of them, but they are by no means new – in fact they've been around for over 100 years. Being the sunglasses junkie I am and always looking for good alternatives, I spent some time on their website and eventually ordered a pair of their Angler Polarized glasses with the Green Flash Mirror poly lenses (which are optimized for enhancing contrast and visibility for sight fishing in bright sun).

The Anglers feature ultra-lightweight nylon frames, Island's proprietary OX2™ polarized optics with premium coatings, and a no-slip fit from what they call GatorGrip™. The frames are offered in five different colors/patterns, and the lenses are offered in both glass ($198) or poly ($98) in six different color alternatives, each being best suited for specific scenarios. The Anglers can also be specified with prescription lenses which are custom built and ship in about 1-2 weeks.

Over the course of the summer I've run my Anglers through the paces on my local Michigan rivers and lakes, on a three-day float-and-fish trip through Colorado's Gunnison Gorge, and most recently on a fly fishing outing on Slovenia's Soca River.

Here are my thoughts.

What I Like:

Before I get into the specifics of what I like, I need to provide a little context and also point out that, much like hiking boots or running shoes, every brand and style of sunglasses will be best suited to an individual – what might be perfect for me, might not be for someone else. For example, I have a smaller noggin, so certain brands, frames, and models just work better for me. Lens choice too is subject to how you will be using the glasses most often – for me it's most frequently river fishing.

That all being said, one of the tests I did over the course of the summer was a side-by-side comparison of the Island Anglers and three different brands that I own and use: Costa, Bajio, and Smith. It should also be noted that the lenses in the other models I tested are glass whereas the Islands are poly.

In broad terms here is what I found: For me, the Smiths had the best lenses (Chromapop) but they fit big on my face and the frames fit looser than what I would prefer (which I why I don't wear them often). The Bajios are "okay" (I find the lenses and frames to be "good" but nothing special) but they get very uncomfortable to wear after extended periods (so they also don't get out of the case much). The Costas tend to be my go-to, with frames that fit me well and really solid lenses.

For me, the Anglers were closest to the to the Costas in terms of fit and function. They have similar styling, are comfortable to wear for extended periods (and don't slip), and offer great lens clarity...BUT they come in about $100 cheaper than Costas when comparing similar models IE glass to glass and poly to poly.

What I Don’t Like:

Honestly, there's not much to complain about with the Island's other than I wish I would have found them sooner.

One thing to note is that after using the regular model of Anglers and liking them, and now reaching the point in life that I need to wear "cheaters" to get the 6x through size 20 flies, I went ahead and ordered a prescription pair with progressive "readers" and I struggled with them a bit.

The reader portion works well when I'm trying to tie on small flies or doing "close-in" work (even reading on the beach) but the progressive nature was difficult for me to adjust to. In fairness, I've never had progressives before this and I'm sure the issue has far less to do with the glasses themselves as it does with me needing to get used to wearing lenses like that.

Summary: The Island Optics Anglers fit me perfect, feature high-quality lenses, and are very comfortable not to mention and affordable. I came away from the test extremely impressed. They basically offer everything I like about my favorite Costas but at a more approachable price – they might just become the new go-tos.

Perfect For: A perfect choice for fishermen who want a comfortable, high-quality pair of polarized sunglasses at a reasonable price. Even the poly lenses provide exceptional clarity and come in sub $100 - that's a pretty darn good deal in my book.

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

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