Does anyone have any experience of the ridgemonkey polarised glasses. I'm interested in them as I believe they have a glass lens.

I'm colour blind so I have to use the amber colours to get much benefit. I've used the Fortis ones for years and thought they were ok. I tried a pair of the Costa ambers that a mate had at the weekend and switching between the two, there was a big difference in quality with the costas being a big improvement. Only trouble is I think they were over £200 if not pushing £250.

So I was wondering if anyone has feed back on the monkey glasses or uses any other glass lensed polarised that are a bit more sensible money.

Thanks in advance

In reply to Post #1
Once you're talking companies who specialise in glasses and produce a lens with good clarity there's no difference.
Ray ban are affordable and I'm chuffed with all mine. Fortis, esp, fox etc all gave me a headache, they're all 2 Bob petrol station quality ones though.
Good sunglasses could last decades in the right hands, though my preferred RB frames come with a polarised plastic lens, which I like because the glasses are so light and safer at work. But they get marked really easy and aren't cost effective to replace with kosher lenses
I wouldn't piss on anything ridgemonkey if it was on fire, not a single thing

In reply to Post #1
For that much money
I agree buy proper glassses

I have sets from Oakley ray ban Maui Jim and optics
You Can buy a set of decent Polaroids from boots for around 30£ and they will do a better job that the fishing brands.
Pop into an opticians and they will be able to help you

However
Out of the fishing brands I like the esp sight line for a plastic lens but can't buy them anymore unless you search.

https://www.tackleuk.co.uk/Shop/ClothingSunglasses/ESP-Sightline-Polarised-Sunglasses.htm

In reply to Post #1
Just get a pair of Oakleys. Anything that originates from a fishing tackle company, like Ridgemonkey - I'd steer well clear of. I have two pairs of Flak 2 XL's for fishing - both polarised prizm lenses, one polished black, the other is mirrored green. Mega comfortable to wear, look great and most importantly the lenses - optically superior just about covers it. You can see so much further into the water with them and they work well in bright and overcast conditions. Just awesome.

In reply to Post #1
Vision express do sunglasses including Oakley, Rayban etc. The plus is they also do a return policy if prescription so if they don't work with what you want them to do.

I wouldn't buy optician made rods so wouldn't buy carp company sunglasses, but thats just me.

In reply to Post #4

In reply to Post #2
Spot on.

I wouldnt use any of the budget glasses even if they paid me to wear them. I suffer with bright lights and wear sun glasses all the time even when its not sunny and ive used maui jims for as long as i can remember and ive found nothing better. They are superb and ive got them in all three tints now rose, brown and grey and i wouldnt use anything else. I did try oakleys but my head is massive and none of them fitted. The maui jims just pipped the oakleys for clarity when i tried them side by side but everyones eyes are different so go try a few pairs on.

Thank you for all your suggestions.

So do you think it's not so much that the lenses were glass that made all the difference but the fact that the fortis plastic is cheap crap.

Is it fair to say then that plastic lenses can also have good clarity as long as they are quality?

In reply to Post #9
Most of the big names ie oakley, maui jim etc have plastic lenses. They are much lighter as mentioned below and much more comftable to wear all day than glass lenses. Its how the lenses are made and how the coating is applied that gives you the superior clarity and uv protection for your eyes. Sunglasses should be left to the experts that specialise in sunglasses not some two bob fishing outfit.

In reply to Post #9
The diff between crap plastic (most of them) and good plastic lenses is quite stark.

Best bang for buck i have found is polaroid. These would be top of my list for the lower price bracket.

Other makes (plastic or glass) i have had and were v good were Orvis / Costa's / Habervision .

A long peak cap and blocking out light from both sides at least doubles the effectiveness.

In reply to Post #9
Imo glass makes a massive difference mate. If I were you I'd hold out for a review from someone that's actually used the RM's before writing them off based on the advice from lots of guys that haven't. Polarizing is polarizing but you can get good or bad lenses that are polarized. If the RM glass lenses are even half decent the price is very, very good.

In reply to Post #12
Oi.. this is the place people come for a biased or uninformed opinion
None of that open minded nonsense in here 🧐

Have you ever seen an unbiased review of a ridgemonkey product though. They have this strange fan base that believe ridgemonkey single handedly invented hot food.

In reply to Post #13

In reply to Post #12
SO far zero ridge monkey kit and I doubt I will ever own any of it, so far imo nothing they have produced is worth my while.

In reply to Post #12
Glass breaks and is heavier, hmmm - I've lost count the number of times I have sat down on my shades with semi flexible plastic lenses and they've been OK. The lens quality on my Oakleys is that good, I doubt anything could be much better. Just look at their website and see the technology that goes into their design and manufacture. the latest Prizm/Polaroid lenses that I have on mine is amazing. The clarity, the fact that reduce glare, yet somehow seem to brighten your view, is amazing. I even have a couple of Prizm, non polarised Flak 2's for general wear, driving, etc. What ever Ridgemonkey are selling, they'll have been sourced in China and most of what you'll be paying is their mark-up, which will be huge. It's a bit like these Korda walking boots - feck me, for the same price you can get a pair of Berghaus boots, think I know where my money would go.

In reply to Post #17
I mean I don't disagree entirely guys..... I wouldn't touch them personally. I use Costas but Wayne has specifically asked for options that cost significantly less than that (which the RM's do). I remember seeing an interview with Levey and he talked them up really well (which he would do..... he works for them lol). I'm just saying that if they've sourced half decent lenses they might be a hidden gem at the price. Doubtful, but worth waiting for a proper review at least.

Glass is indeed heavier than polycarbonate/plastic but the optical advantages are worth it for me. As for breaking when you sit on them.... stop sitting on them

In reply to Post #13
😂😂😂

In reply to Post #18
Glass is obviously better optically mate, otherwise glasses would be plastic.
If you're lure, fly, float or lead fishing you really don't want any of those hitting a glass lens in front of your eye. That's why I prefer plastic for work and outdoor stuff. Plus they're lighter

In reply to Post #20
Hey each to their own buddy. I don't think lures and leads mix with eyes regardless of what you're wearing

In reply to Post #17
My Oakleys were crap, I was reaching for a 40 quid boots pair in preference. Lenses just as good, frames more comfortable and they didn't scratch as easy

In reply to Post #22
Personally i'd go for a pair of oakleys. I'm a sunglasses tart and fishing wise had costas in green, brown in glass and sunshine in plastic. Saw a pair of Oakleys with shallow prize lenses down to £80 on ebay and they're brilliant. Much better than the costas i feel when i try them one after the other. Maui jim's are the next ones i want to try.

In reply to Post #3
Always bear in mind expensive sunglasses are one of the easiest things to steal,

Over the years I've had 2 pairs of Oakleys stolen and now my £270 Costas has mysteriously gone missing too.

Starting to think cheaper may be an option

In reply to Post #24
How are they getting stolen? Ive never had a pair of sunglasses stolen in my life.

Buying oakleys from ebay sounds like a bit of a risk, theres a lot of obvious fakes on there, and id imagine a lot of not so obvious fakes.

In reply to Post #25
One pair from inside my porch.
One pair out of the van
The Costas...who knows ?

Oakley =designer brand with designer price.

When I spent a year in Oz ciir 95 I purchased a set of Ray-bans and Bolles Both Polaroid's the later where certainly a better lens.

In reply to Post #1
Ive got a pair of the brown/amber glass lens RM glasses. Not found anything wrong with them. Good clarity with the added bonus of spring loaded hinges which make imo for a good fit.

In reply to Post #12
I wholeheartedly agree when I bought my 580g glass lensed Costas the clarity was just on a totally different level, I've dropped mine on a number of occasions and not broken the lenses yet, they cost me £280 at a shooting show, I'd happily buy another pair, I like the poly lenses but they do tend to scratch up and I'm fairly anal about looking after my kit! I think I've had mine 4 plus seasons now and look like new, it's a shame costas have stopped trading in the UK

In reply to Post #31
The 580G is the one man

I have owned numerous pairs of Oakley still got one pair,I have also got Costa's and the R.M ones.The costa are plastic lense and are still quality but for the price I paid for the RM they are very good.They are heavier than my Costas but are comfy and the clarity is superb on them

In reply to Post #33

In reply to Post #28
Uninformed crap. The two pairs of Oakleys I use for fishing have angling specific lenses and were both around £130 a pair. That's a bit of bargain considering the technology that has gone into the lens and frame design/material and performance. Take your head out the sand pal.

In reply to Post #36
What technology has gone into them

In reply to Post #28
But you can wear them all of the time because they are decent sunglasses.

Ive had a pair with their prizm p lenses for about 5 years and not only are they decent polarised glasses, they are decent sunglasses full stop that you can wear without being that guy that wears his c**p cheap fishing glasses all of the time

Yeah they're expensive but they serve two purposes for me and they're worth every penny imo

In reply to Post #38
Oakley are not expensive when compared to Costa's but Costa's are in a different league.Im just in process of buying some more as I want the 580G lense on my new ones

In reply to Post #36
Totally agree.

In reply to Post #37
Super advanced advertising algorithms

In reply to Post #41

In reply to Post #39
One company owns pretty much all the brands being discussed - EssilorLuxottica.

Most of the manufacturing is done in Italy and China.

In reply to Post #43
This is true but they are each their own entity that've been acquired by EssilorLuxottica over many years. It doesn't mean they're all the same thing by any means (not that you suggested they are ).

In reply to Post #37
Their prizm lens just for starters, then the materials they use to construct the frames and a lot more - I wonder how many people were aware they produce angling specific products... anyway, all details are on their website... https://www.oakley.com/en-gb/collections/watersports

In reply to Post #45
I have a pair of Oakley in collaboration with orvis that i think were for fly fishing purchased from the US and a pair of gascan I think that are specifically for sea fishing (deep blue lenses) both really good. Then a few pairs of prizm and older polarised too

In reply to Post #45
Nothing comes close to glass lenses for clarity,Costa's and Maui Jim's are far better than any Oakleys I have had and I have tried alot of Oakleys.I used to only buy Oakley but after I tried a pair of Costa's out I won't go back to Oakley.My prescription Polaroid sunglasses are better than the oakleys I still own.The RM have glass lenses and offer better clarity and for what I paid for them were well worth the money

In reply to Post #47
I'm after some new glasses, but can't do Costa money as I mostly fish from a boat and will either drop them in or tread/sit on them at some point. I was looking at the Oakley Prizm Polarised, did you have a set of these and if you did how did they compare to the glass RM?

In reply to Post #48
The RM are alot heavier than the Oakley due to glass lense but the clarity is far better on the RM.Im not a huge RM fan but the glasses are very well made just a shame they did not have the glass lenses thinned on them like Costa and Maui Jim's but they are over twice the price.

In reply to Post #48
The issue I have with costa's is the styling, most of them look utterly sh1t. Also, they're too heavy. That would really get on wick after a long day chucking lures from the boat.

Oakley really nails it on the styling front and in terms of comparison, feck all, it really is. I have tried Costas (pal of mine has a pair) and good as they were, I could not tell you which had the better lens, but I could tell you which I found more comfortable and looked best... I suspect anyone who owns them is always going to justify buying them over Oakleys, which hit the spot on so many levels and that includes price. Costa's are frankly not worth it IMO and plastic lenses are the way to go if you're using them in an environment where they will invariably get sat on, dropped in the water, etc. I've sat on my Oakely's a few times, no harm done. I actually have five pairs now, all Flak 2 XLs, two for fishing which have the Prizm Polaroid lens and then three pairs that are non polarised, Prizm lenses for driving and general wear. I also like the fact you can get replacement Oakley lenses and frame parts - handy if you scratch a lens for example.

In reply to Post #50
How can you say about styling then say you own 5 pairs of them monstrosities.I bet you have got some coloured mirror lense ones for when you're in your motors,I have got some pitchman carbon Oakley as prescription glasses and wished I had not bothered.The Splitshot are a nice fishing specific design

In reply to Post #51
I think those frames are alright....





If you're a 19 year old base jumper named Chet

In reply to Post #52

In reply to Post #50
That would really get on wick after a long day chucking lures from the boat

Braders fishes for carp.
Stop sitting on your shades buddy

In reply to Post #51
I think you need to understand the concept that other people have opinions that differ from yours. The Flak 2.0 XL is just perfect for me, which is why I have several of them. I also had two pairs of Bottle Rockets, which after ten years of ownership, sold for nearly 80% of the original purchase price which tells you something about their longevity AND popularity. Most of the Costa frames, in my opinion, make the people wearing them look like a retired Elvis impersonator. But hey, each to their own...

In reply to Post #54
I catch carp, therein lies the dichotomy

In reply to Post #55
Your first line is quality and I think you need to understand the same.To prove a point you could tell us all about your amazing life again because we are all so envious of you

In reply to Post #57
So instead of maintaining a cogent argument, you instead resort to making personal insults Like I said, it's pretty obvious from the toxicity of your posts that you struggle with the concept that other people have different opinions to yourself. Pretty sad IMO.

In reply to Post #58
so when you are involved in an argument you have to resort to telling everyone about your material things and how wealthy you are.Now that is pathetic and sad imo

Girls. Please.

I only asked about glasses.

Play nicely or you won't be allowed any more sleep overs.

In reply to Post #60
Spoil sport

In reply to Post #61
I think I'll try the ridgemonkey glasses, they can't be more disappointing than the Oakleys and they're half the price.

I'll be working near farlows(not that one) in a couple of weeks, might check out the costas in there

In reply to Post #62
Good choice,glass lenses are always going offer better clarity over a plastic lense no matter what technology a company says they have put into them

In reply to Post #63
That may be true but the quality of the glass used in the lens makes a big difference and this is more pronounced in low light conditions but you probably won't be wearing shades in these conditions.

In reply to Post #64
I wear shades in bed,I love my glasses

In reply to Post #65
How do you hook them over your ears in a gimp mask?

In reply to Post #64
Apparently there is not much perceptible difference between good glass and good polycarbonate and even less people can see the difference.

That said, everyone has a choice and eyes are different so different horses for courses.

Glass has no inherent UV protection so still needs a film adding for that and the polarisation properties. Poly has a layer for scratch resistance but has UV blocking properties.......

Oakley is a known sports brand that has specialised in sporting items for many years...... I guess they are far more than just the mentioned fashion statement in here lol.

Each to their own people can buy what they want and like, doesn't bother me as I have tried loads of glasses and know what I personally like and works for me

In reply to Post #64
True, but also true of plastic lenses. The only glass lenses I have are some night driving glasses, polarised but with a very slight pink tint, hardly even noticeable.

With any glasses if I can't turn my head side to side while looking at a fixed spot without the world distorting I'm not buying them, this has always ruled out 90% of tackle company glasses, if the ridgemonkey pass this test they look good value


It's been a long time since I bought non polarised sunglasses, I don't see the point in them, polarised is just better in any situation I want sunglasses

I thought I'd grab a pair in the tackle shop while stocking up on bits for the river but they aren't stocking them as they have to buy trade packs of 10 and they already got burnt on 80 quid fortis glasses they couldn't shift

In reply to Post #66
Got slots in my mask that hold the arms in place

In reply to Post #60
No worries, it's just another forum monkey, don't mean nothing, not a thing

In reply to Post #70
coming from bull**** Bill.4th June love a reel 6th buy them while you can,14th June avoid like the plague as had issues with mine after lockdown and sold them.Talking to a bloke on st Ives who had issues with magseal on a reel that was not even out yet

Glass is still the material of choice in all the high end camera lenses and rifle scopes as far as I'm aware.

In reply to Post #62
Was really impressed with the Costa lenses, but didn't like any of the frames, ended up with ray bans lol.

Do the ridgemonkey frames wrap around or are they pretty flat?
Tried loads of glasses recently and I'm finding most that look good on me are too flat and leave that open area at the side which I hate

In reply to Post #73
They wrap around

In reply to Post #74
Cheers

Definitely worth a punt at £50

I can only guess these haven't been good sellers as AD seem to be clearing them

Anyone familiar with the Smith optics brand? I quite liked one pair of these but didn't want to spend that much when I've never heard of the brand

In reply to Post #76
Yeah I had a pair of Smiths for snowboarding. They've been around years, a well established snow brand. Very good for protection. Light, hardwearing. The ones I had were pricey for plastic lenses but really good glasses. Couldn't comment on using them for fishing applications though I'm afraid mate.

In reply to Post #77
Good to know mate, I'm done buying glasses for this year barring accidents but I'll check them out next time round.

I'm actually quite impressed with these glasses, the lenses are very good, pretty comfortable to wear, don't feel significantly heavier than my ray bans.

For a £50 pair of goggles for fishing I'm happy, at full retail I'd probably swerve them tho. I don't like the look, and mine have a matt khaki/olive coloured frame. I say matt, but a slight bit of sweat or grease gets near them and you get shiny patches. I can see these looking really shabby in no time

In reply to Post #79
Wear mine alot and still look fine,a quick wipe with a cleaning cloth and like new again

In reply to Post #80
Good to know
Most similarly matt finished stuff I've had ends up with a sort of semi sheen when oils get on them.
At a third of the price of Oakleys tho these are brilliant!

I'm slightly gutted I didn't take the punt and grab the Amber pair as well while ad still had them. If I see them below £70 I'll probably get them

At the risk of restarting the bickering over oakley glasses, i have a pair, that were a gift before anyone starts, blue lenses outside, but i believe its an amber lense with a coat maybe. They are polarised. Cant remember the frame style but i look like a helmet in sunglasses of all styles. Weird shaped head maybe. Anyway, i recently purchased a pair of fortis glasses, on offer in totla fishing, amber lenses and tortoiseshell type frames. They are much more comfortable than the oakleys, and the lenses seem considerably better to me. Cant say id buy myself a set of oakleys to be honest. Raybons, from the looky looky men, now thats a decent set of glasses

In reply to Post #82
Oakleys are massively overrated imo.

I really liked the Smith optics ones I tried, had a nice comfortable frame, not a tightly fitted wrap around but had magnetic light baffles you could stick in at the sides to block the light out
I just didn't fancy dropping 200 on a brand I've never heard of