Costa Broadbill Sunglasses Review
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The Costa Broadbill Sunglasses are one of the latest offerings from Costa del Mar. Costa is a powerhouse when it comes to designing sunglasses made for bright days around water. Most of their products are rooted in watersports, such as ocean fishing, fly fishing, and boating and have the design features to make it a great day on the water.
The company Costa Del Mar has taken their love of the ocean a step further than the design of products for watersports by becoming a champion of our aquatic ecosystems and the people around them. Programs such as Ocean Search, Untangle our Oceans, and Onecoast were all created to give back to the people and ecosystems that surround the aquatic environments.
My last few weeks of fishing and playing around water have been spent in the new Costa Broadbill Sunglasses. It has been a great start to summer by traveling the Oregon Coast and fishing the Rocky Mountains with these new Broadbills.
About the Costa Broadbill Sunglasses
The Costa Broadbill Sunglasses were made for being around water. The design of these glasses lend themselves to protection in bright and glaring days.
The frames of the Costa Broadbill Sunglasses have a wrap around style. The wrap around style is made to keep the frames close to the face so that stray light does not sneak in. Even the best sunglasses won’t work if light is getting in around the frames.The frames come in three different colors matte gray, midnight blue, and matte reef.
Along the same lines as the wrap around the design, the lens of the Costa Broadbill Sunglasses are large. Large over sized lens are key in watersports. This design feature when paired with the wrap around frame fully keeps light out so that it is easy to focus on the activity of the day.
Costa Broadbill Sunglasses Front View
The 580G Lens
The Costa Broadbill Sunglasses have many lens options that allow a person to tailor their sunglasses to the specific type of activity. The Broadbills can be purchased with either 580G, light wave glass, or the 580P, polycarbonate, lens material. Each lens material has its distinct advantage and for my set of Costa Broadbill Sunglasses I chose the 580G glass lens in the gray coloration which is designed as solid all around lens for a variety of activities.
The 580 Lens line up was named after the light it blocks out. 580 nanometer light is yellow which is hard on the eyes. By blocking the yellow out and boosting the rest of the color spectrum the 580G lens makes spending time in bright light easy.
Other Features
Some additional features of the Costa Broadbill Sunglasses are the temple tips holes. These holes on the ends of the temples allow for the attachment of a retainer so that sunglasses can be worn around the neck when not on the face. Another feature is the ported nose piece. The ports add a bit more comfort by allowing air contact with the nose.
Each pair of Costa Broadbill Sunglasses comes with a hardsided case and lens cloth.
Costa Broadbill Sunglasses, Case, and Lens Cloth
Field Testing the Costa Broadbill Sunglasses
I have to admit I am a sunglasses addict. I am not sure if it started with my optometrist father or the fact that I spend all of my free time outdoors and appreciate the subtle nuances of each pair of sunglasses. That being said, I am not sure if anyone can have enough quality sunglasses.
The Costa Broadbill Sunglasses will fit perfectly within my arsenal of sunglasses. These really are a nice pair of sunglasses with solid features that make them an ideal choice when choosing sunglasses for watersports.
Wearing the Costa Broadbill Sunglasses
The shape of the frame and lens designs are the most critical aspects of sunglasses for my use. I always prefer wrap around style glasses with large oversized lens. The blockage of stray light allows me to get the most out of the lens. The Costa Broadbill Sunglasses really hit the nail on the head with both fit and lens size. Very little stray light comes in to disrupt the image being seen. The temples of the Costa Broadbill Sunglasses are snug, but not overly, and really keep the sunglasses in place. I could easily go for a run while wearing these and there would be very little movement.
Green Design
One really cool design feature of the Costa Broadbill Sunglasses is that the frames are made from the Bio-Resin Raw Materials Process. During this process castor oil is processed to make a plastic used in the frames of these glasses. This green technology helps reduce the carbon footprint of Costa Broadbill Sunglasses and follows the Kick Plastic Initiative that Costa is spearheading.
The View
With such a great fit and design the benefits of great lens really come into play. The Broadbill sunglasses have six different lens options split evenly between the polycarbonate 580P and the glass 580G lens. For the pair of sunglasses that I chose I went with the glass lens in the gray coloration. Each lens type has its benefits depending on your preferences. I went with the glass option for the sole purpose of being a little more scratch resistant.
Costa 580G Lens
The Costa 580G lens has a pretty amazing design to it. These lenses are composed of six different layers in order to create a glass that is thin and light weight. Compared to other glass lens I have worn, these are light!
The 580G lens are outstanding with exceptional clarity. I found the gray lenses to be a great choice for all around activity. This color has been outstanding at the beach, fishing, and everyday use. If I was spending more time on the blue water or fishing the flats I may change my color choice to a blue or green but for my purposes the gray is solid.
Fishing with the Costa Broadbill Sunglasses
These Sunglasses Stay in Place
The rubber along the nose piece and temples do a nice job of keeping the glasses in place. I really like how much anti slip rubber is used on the temples. Costa did not skimp on this and these glasses really stay in place. One gripe I do have is that the holes on the ends of the temples are places for clips to attach. Although Costa does carry the clips they do not come with the Costa Broadbill Sunglasses. For high end glasses that do have a hefty price tag, including a $10 leash would be a nice addition.
Specs on the Costa Broadbill Sunglasses Taken Directly From Costa del Mar Website
- MSRP $269
- Bio Resin Frame
- 580G Glass Lens
- Frame Width 141mm
- Bridge Width 18.1mm
- Lens Width 60.9mm
- Lens Height 44.5mm
- Temple Arm Length 118.0mm
Final Thoughts on the Costa Broadbill Sunglasses
The Costa Broadbill Sunglasses are high end sunglasses packed with some incredible features. Design features like the technology packed 580G glass lens, the Bio-resin designed frames, wrap around frame, and oversized lenses make the Costa Broadbill Sunglasses a winner when deciding on the next pair of sunglasses. The Costa Broadbill Sunglasses do come with a hefty price tag of $269, but for someone who will spend a significant portion of their lives near water these are a great choice.
For more information on the Broadbills and other Costa products, visit amazon.com/costadelmar.
