Costa Del Mar Luke Sunglasses Review
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Costa Del Mar Luke Sunglasses
The Costa Del Mar Luke Sunglasses
Costa, long known in the fishing world for great sunglasses, decided to re-invent their classic “Hammerhead” sunglasses for country music singer Luke Bryan. I should say I know nothing of country music – but Luke must be pretty kick a*s to get the Costa Del Mar Luke named after him. A quick check of the Hammerhead shows that this wasn’t just a half-baked update – this was a full on retooling of one of Costa Del Mar’s most popular look.
A medium/large fit and updated styling mark the Costa Del Mar Luke.
Testing the Costa Del Mar Luke Sunglasses
The main thing I loved about testing the Costa Del Mar Luke (and any Costa product – see our review of the Tuna Alley) is the quality of the optics. Costa Del Mar prides itself on optical clarity, and they really hit the mark with the Costa Del Mar Luke. As you can see in the photos, I tested the wood fade frames with the 480p amber lens.
All of my reviews of Costa Del Mar products prior had been with glass lenses, so I was curious to see if there was a marked weight difference between the glass and plastic – boy, was there ever. From the minute I slipped these on, I could tell it was going to be a completely different experience from a glass lens. They are feather light in comparison. I’m not sure how you’ll get to do a side by side comparison like I was able to do (I wear the Tuna Alley quite a bit still), but needless to say the glass lenses have some heft to them in comparison. This translates into a bit of getting used to for those who don’t wear glasses on a regular basis – but the plastic lenses provide comfort in their lightweight fit that is just completely different, and really provides for all day comfort. Especially for those who (unlike myself) don’t wear glasses all day regularly.
The 480p (plastic) Amber lens on the Costa Del Mar Luke is lightweight.
The tradeoff here is that glass tends to lend itself to greater optical clarity – the main reason I requested plastic from the great people over at Costa is as follows: I wanted to see if their company promise of precision optics holds true for plastic as well as glass. The answer is a resounding “yes” – so much so that I didn’t believe they were plastic at first. I’ll be the first to admit, I don’t have 20/20 without my glasses on – but I pass all driver’s tests without glasses, and have one of the lightest prescriptions one can get. The optical clarity in the plastic lenses on the Costa Del Mar Luke is something I haven’t seen from any other sunglass company to date. I’m sure there are rivals out there, but I haven’t found them.
The grips on the arms of the Costa Del Mar Luke keeps them firmly in place for all “active” endeavors.
Comfort and clarity are great – but are the Costa Del Mar Luke truly active sunglasses? My answer would be yes – wear them for any activity. As of right now, I’ve worn them daily for a week for all “normal” activities – driving, couple of walks around the neighborhood, etc. here in colorful Colorado, and the Amber lens is great for all conditions. Costa takes their lens colors seriously, so it was nice to test a truly “all around” lens such as the 480p in Amber. Blue and Gray are truly for the brightest conditions – they work especially well on water or when dealing with fresh snow pack on a bluebird day – but the Amber is excellent to take with you everywhere. I haven’t had them fly fishing (yet), but polarization quality of the lens seems to be completely on par with the blue or gray. What I have had them on is three outdoor runs of distances up 10 miles, and two outdoor pedals of distances up to 30 miles. Problems with comfort are greatly magnified when running/cycling, and I had zero complaints about the Costa Del Mar Luke for either activity. The underside of each arm has a distinctly different type of material – as opposed to smooth plastic, it seems to get a bit grippy when wet. This adds to the comfortable fit, and keeps them pretty firmly in place, even when trail running. I got truly sweaty during a really hot 10 mile trail/mixed surface run (yes, I can run to trails – it’s awesome) today, and can tell you they stayed put the entire time.
Optical clarity – promised and delivered in the Costa Del Mar Luke – and from a lightweight, plastic lens even.
Final Thoughts on the Costa Del Mar Luke Sunglasses
The Costa Del Mar is a great choice for those looking for a pair of sunglasses that can go anywhere, do anything – and not sacrifice optical clarity from a plastic lens. The UV blocking and Polarization in the lens are both excellent, and the weight of the frames with the lens is comfortable enough to wear all day. At a price point of $169.99, they are a great buy with an Amber lens as they will fit the bill for all outdoor activities in all lighting conditions. Head on over to amazon.com/costa to check out the Costa Del Mar Luke. A bonus – if you can’t wear sunglasses without a prescription – the Costa Del Mar Luke is also prescription ready.
