Best Polarized Sunglasses Reviewed & Rated For Quality

In a Hurry? Editors choice:
 Flying Fisherman San Jose
Test Winner: Flying Fisherman San Jose
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The pitiless sun can wreak havoc on even the best day outdoors. It's not just the heat, it's not just the threat of sunburn but if you're near water or any bright surfaces the intense reflected light can damage your eyes. That's why we are recommending you have at least one pair of polarized sunglasses. There are sunglasses aplenty out there but we swear by Polarized lenses because they're not just cool looking, they're going to make any day in the sun more pleasant. They help ensure you and your peepers stay safe.  So take a peek at our list of polarized sunglasses, your eyes will thank you.

Standout Picks

1. Flying Fisherman San Jose polarized sunglasses
These #1 rated polarized sunglasses come in black and copper colors and are made out of thin material. The lenses are shatterproof and scratch resistant, ensuring they are durable and will last over the long-term.
Amazon Link
$23.94
2. Duduma Du646 polarized sunglasses
Duduma's frames come in black and white, and the lenses are in black, blue and orange. The frames are made out of a composite material, which makes them flexible.
Amazon Link
3. Sungait HD polarized sunglasses
These polarized sunglasses come with a metal frame, along with composite (or standard plastic) frames. The frames come in either a black or a gunmetal color, and the frames are a dark gray no matter which frame you choose.
Amazon Link
4. Hornz Lightweight polarized sunglasses
These polarized sunglasses from Hornz have lenses which are made out of polycarbonate material, meaning they are shatterproof and scratch-resistant. They also come with extra coatings to help prevent harmful UV-A and UV-B rays from reaching your eyes.
Amazon Link
$19.99
5. E52 Polarized Sports polarized sunglasses
These polarized glasses from Ewin come with polycarbonate lenses, so they are impact-resistant and shatterproof. The frames are made from a polymer material, allowing them to be flexible and come back into shape, even when they get slightly bent.
Amazon Link
6. Spy Optic Dirk polarized sunglasses
Featuring a classic, yet unique design, these polarized sunglasses work hard at being one of the best on the market. Showcasing a frame constructed of TR90 makes them extremely lightweight with a net weight of 35g for a flexible approach. Furthermore, these glasses come with 5 interchangeable lenses that work for a multitude of different occasions. Doing so will ensure you have what you need on hand regardless of the occasion.
Amazon Link
7. Fisherman Striper polarized sunglasses
These polarized sunglasses from Fisherman Eyewear are made out of strong plastic which is coated in black color. The lenses are in a gray color and provide complete protection from normal UV rays, as well as UV-A and UV-B.
Amazon Link
8. Costa Del Mar Brine polarized sunglasses
Costa Del Mar has these polarized sunglasses available to you, with a frame which is made out of a durable nylon material. These glasses are intended for those people who tend to need a larger size of sunglasses to fit their head.
Amazon Link
$202.00
9. Oakley Dispute polarized sunglasses
If you are looking for a pair of sunglasses that were specifically created for sporting and outdoor activity these should be at the top of your list. Featuring 5 interchangeable lenses, all designed to work for multiple different occasions, these glasses come prepared to help you along the way. Though you are getting 5 lenses only the gray option is polarized, this was done strategically so you have an option for every event.
Amazon Link
10. Kastking Sawatch polarized sunglasses
These polarized sunglasses come with lenses which are made out of polycarbonate material. They also meet a high standard of safety, as they have been rated for FDA21CRF801.410. The frames are made out of very strong and durable material, while also very lightweight.
Amazon Link
$26.99

Criteria Used for Evaluation

UV Protection

Here are the three types of UV rays, UV-A, UV-B, and UV-C. These are all rays emitted by the sun and they are all classified as harmful UV rays. These three types of UV radiation are classified by their wavelength.

What makes them different is their wavelength. Each of these types of UV radiation differs in biological activity and their extent and ability to penetrate the skin. If the wavelength is shorter, it is more harmful. However, if the way length is short, then the UV ray is less able to penetrate the skin. Regardless, you should always do what you can to protect from any and all of them.

So, which is the most harmful? Well, they are all very harmful, but UV-C rays are the most harmful, however since they are such short wavelengths, they cannot deeply penetrate the skin. Actually, they are so short that they are pretty much stopped by the earth’s atmosphere and do not reach the earth’s surface. That means all sunglasses will protect from UV-C rays naturally.

UV-B rays have a medium wavelength and are very biologically active. This means that they are able to penetrate the skin and are often the delayed cause of your skin either tanning and burning. They also affect your skin’s aging and can promote skin cancer as well. However harmful and plentiful, most of these solar UV-B rays are filtered by the atmosphere.

The number one UV radiation we are exposed to is UV-A radiation. These waves are relatively longer than the others and account for 95% of all the UV radiation that reaches the earth’s surface. Unlike like UV-B rays, these ones are not delayed. They are responsible for your immediate tan skin or burnt skin. They also attribute to your skin aging, wrinkling, and the development of skin cancer.

Since we are focused on sunglasses in this guide, we will discuss how UV protective coatings are important on your sunglasses and how it can affect not only your skin but your eyesight, too.

Yes, there are three types of UV rays, but since UV-C rays do not reach the earth’s surface, going forward we will only refer to UV-A and UV-B as being the truly harmful UV radiation for you. That said, UV-A and UV-B rays can we extremely damaging to your eyesight if you are under long exposure and over a long period of time without the proper protection.

Without the proper protection, there are a number of eye problems that can occur, the worst of all being blindness. Too much exposure to UV-A rays can hurt your central vision. The damaging exposure can affect the macula, which is a part of the retina at the back of your eye. This macular damage, otherwise known as macular degeneration, is a leading cause in vision loss.

Unlike UV-A rays and their effect on the back of the eye, too much exposure to UV-B rays affects the front of the eye. UV-B rays are mostly absorbed in the cornea and lens of the eye, both fashioned at the front of the eye. These rays can cause even more damage to your eyes than UV-A rays can.

Durability

We tested the durability and got mixed results throughout. Even the top polarized sunglasses on the list suffered from durability issues. Military sunglasses are the only pair of glasses that can guarantee the kind of legendary durability that users want. Polarized sunglasses have varying levels in this category, but none were so flimsy that it would be a waste of money. They are as durable as a regular pair of sunglasses or better. Taking only the frames into consideration, there were some surprising jumps on the top ten that really help round out the bigger winners up top. And the good news is that the most durable of the bunch also had a great warranty to back it up.

Accessories

Accessories weren’t a huge determining factor in how we ordered the list, yet there was a reason to include it. All of the listed polarized sunglasses can use any accessory available for regular sunglasses. The reason this criterion exists is to reward companies that made their own accessories. Branded products with branded accessories are important, even when not discussing polarized sunglasses. We took our time going through some of the better ones, coming to a solid conclusion about three lower-tier targets. One of them made it into the top three and remained there for the rest of the tests.

Advanced Features

Lens Quality
When looking at which pair of Polarized Sunglasses might be best for you, it is important to know which types of lenses are best.  There are many different grades and qualities of lenses out within the marketplace, and even if two different brands of glasses look the same and feel the same, the quality of the lens could be the determining factor in which pair of glasses are best for you.

The first type of material you could find is just a standard plastic.  This material is typically not impacted resistant or shatterproof and is by far the most inexpensive way to make sunglasses.  Even if there is a UV coating on the glasses, because they are easily breakable, any glasses with this type of material for the lens will make it an improper choice for your hunting needs.

The second type of lens you can find is made out of a Polycarbonate material.  This material is both lighter and thinner than standard plastic, yet is impact resistant and shatterproof.  Not only this, but the material has a natural UV protection within it.  It can be coated with extra UV protection if you want to ensure your eyes are protected from every form of UV rays.

Lastly, you could have lenses which are made out of a High-Index Lens, or also can be called NXT.  These lenses are even lighter and thinner than the Polycarbonate and are also naturally shatterproof and impact resistant.  If you already have some poor eyesight, then these kinds of lenses would be the best for you, as they will offer you the most protection while also helping you adapt to your surroundings by offering up the best sight possible among all non-prescription lenses.

Color Options
When looking at the types of Polarized Sunglasses available within the marketplace, you will notice there is a large variety of selections of styles and colors, especially on the frames.  Although everyone wants to always look stylish, it is more important to make sure the frames you choose will be durable and long-lasting.  Remember, you are going out hunting in order to kill some animals, not to win a stylish competition.  As long as the frames are made from a durable and long-lasting material, the design style on the glasses is completely up to you and what you are comfortable with.

The Lenses on the glasses tend to come in a few different color options.  These options range from Black, Dark Gray, Blue, Yellow, Orange or even Green.  There are some advantages to choosing a different color lens than you would normally go with; depending upon the type of hunting or fishing you perform.  For example, Black and Gray lenses typically help with your depth perception as well as helping to enhance other colors within both nature and the water.  Yellow lenses tend to filter out Blue, which is perfect for when you are fishing in water which is very clear and easy to see thru, so you can spot brightly colored fish as well as any obstacles which might be coming your way.

Lens shape and coating
As you are reviewing differently polarized sunglasses, you will see there is a large assortment of shapes when it comes to the lenses.  You will have some lenses which only cover the front of the eyes, and that is it.  There will be others which are more curved and wrap around the contours of the face, helping to give you protection from as many different angles as possible. 

Although the safest route would be to go with lenses which wrap around as much of the eye as possible, you may not feel comfortable with that; you have to be fully comfortable with your pair of polarized sunglasses, otherwise, it will detract from your hunting ability.  This would defeat the whole reason why you would go out hunting, to begin with, so ensure you know the design shape you are most comfortable with before actually purchasing the glasses.

In addition to the shape of the lenses, you need to also figure out what kind of coating, if any, you want on the lenses of your glasses.  As stated before, there are some lenses which naturally come with UV protection; however, there are many different levels of UV protection, as some will protect you from just the basic harmful UV rays, and others will protect you from UV-A, UV-B or UV-C, or even all three.  Not only this, but some lenses come with Anti-Glare protection, to ensure no matter how bright it is outside your eyes will not squint. 

There are some lenses which also come with a Hydrophobic coating, which helps repel water from your lenses so they don’t have big water spots on them from when it rains or while you are out on the water.  Lastly, you can have sunglasses which have a chemical making them fog proof, which is excellent for times when you are out hunting in the wilderness in the very early mornings.

10 Best Polarized Sunglasses 

1. Flying Fisherman San Jose

Where to buy
Amazon Link
$23.94
1. Flying Fisherman San Jose polarized sunglasses
Amazon Link

These #1 rated polarized sunglasses come in black and copper colors and are made out of thin material. The lenses are shatterproof and scratch resistant, ensuring they are durable and will last over the long-term.

Nature Look
The lenses also have AcuTint applied to them, which allows the colors to contrast while also not distorting the natural color of nature.

Lightweight
These lenses will protect your eyes from the harmful UV-A and UV-B rays and are very lightweight yet strong.

Cost and Value
What makes these sunglasses such a popular option, and the number 1 pair on our list is the great price tag. When you look at the value these glasses offer, it makes this an easy purchase.

Amazon Link
$23.94

2. Duduma Du646

Where to buy
Amazon Link
2. Duduma Du646 polarized sunglasses
Amazon Link

Duduma's frames come in black and white, and the lenses are in black, blue and orange. The frames are made out of a composite material, which makes them flexible.

Flexibility
This allows them to bend back into shape if they are stepped on or bent too far in one direction.

No Squinting
The lenses are made out of polycarbonate material, with a special anti-glare chemical on the lens so your eyes will not squint, no matter how bright it is outside.

Cost and Value
As the second product on our list, this one arguably is the best pair of sunglasses on the market. Reason being, it's offered at a great price tag and comes with so much value, including an appealing design, lifetime warranty, and high-quality lenses.

Amazon Link

3. Sungait HD

Where to buy
Amazon Link
3. Sungait HD polarized sunglasses
Amazon Link

These polarized sunglasses come with a metal frame, along with composite (or standard plastic) frames. The frames come in either a black or a gunmetal color, and the frames are a dark gray no matter which frame you choose.

UV Protection
These lenses come with UV protection, not only for standard UV rays but also for UV-A, UV-B and UV-C rays as well.

Thin Metal Frames
The lenses do not go over all the way to the sides of your eyes, and the frames are constructed as thin metal frames, rather than a larger platform. This allows the sunglasses to stay light, so your nose doesn’t feel weighed down.

Cost and Value
This pair of polarized sunglasses offer some of the best value on our list. The best part - they are incredibly cost-friendly.

Amazon Link

4. Hornz Lightweight

Where to buy
Amazon Link
$19.99
4. Hornz Lightweight polarized sunglasses
Amazon Link

These polarized sunglasses from Hornz have lenses which are made out of polycarbonate material, meaning they are shatterproof and scratch-resistant. They also come with extra coatings to help prevent harmful UV-A and UV-B rays from reaching your eyes.

Extra Rubber Grip
These glasses have extra rubber grip along the sides of the frames to ensure they do not slip from your head while you are out hunting and fishing.

Multiple Colors
The frames come in a brown and green camouflage design, and the lenses come in black, blue and orange. Each pair of glasses also comes with a camouflage pouch.

Cost and Value
When it comes to value, it does not get any better than this pair. With scratch-resistant technology, this pair of eye protection is worth any consumer's attention.

Amazon Link
$19.99

5. E52 Polarized Sports

Where to buy
Amazon Link
5. E52 Polarized Sports polarized sunglasses
Amazon Link

These polarized glasses from Ewin come with polycarbonate lenses, so they are impact-resistant and shatterproof. The frames are made from a polymer material, allowing them to be flexible and come back into shape, even when they get slightly bent.

Standard UV Rays
Because the lenses are made out of polycarbonate material, they will protect your eyes from standard UV rays; these lenses are coated with an extra blocking material, which will help prevent UV-A and UV-B rays from penetrating into your eyes.

Color Options
The frames come in Black or Gray, and the lenses come black, gray or blue.

Cost and Value
If you are looking for a high-quality pair of polarized sunglasses, this may just be the choice for you. The only downside is that these are relatively most costly than other pairs. However, this can be attributed to high-value.

Amazon Link

6. JOGVELO

Where to buy
Amazon Link
6. Spy Optic Dirk polarized sunglasses
Amazon Link

Featuring a classic, yet unique design, these polarized sunglasses work hard at being one of the best on the market. Showcasing a frame constructed of TR90 makes them extremely lightweight with a net weight of 35g for a flexible approach. Furthermore, these glasses come with 5 interchangeable lenses that work for a multitude of different occasions. Doing so will ensure you have what you need on hand regardless of the occasion.

Scratch-resistant
When it comes to finding the perfect polarized sunglasses, you want to make sure you get a product that is strong enough to use in multiple different occasions yet won’t be damaged along the way. To find just that you want a set of sunglasses that are scratch resistant, durable and technically unbreakable. These sunglasses offer just that. Furthermore, the transparent lens you are receiving is fog-resistance so you can run, jog, walk or go for a bike ride without having to worry about fogging up.

Fully multilayer coating
An additional feature that makes these glasses one of the best on the market is their multilayered coating. Having glasses with multiple layers of coating with full REVO allows you to have the most UV protection possible without compromising how clear your lenses are. These are crystal clear with that added dose of protection so you can be in the sun for a longer period.

Cost and Value
Although you are receiving a quality product, with great features and 5 additional lenses, the cost is excellent. You will not be paying an extremely large amount for these glasses instead you have an exceptional product with an even better price point and you are getting a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Amazon Link

7. Fisherman Striper

Where to buy
Amazon Link
7. Fisherman Striper polarized sunglasses
Amazon Link

These polarized sunglasses from Fisherman Eyewear are made out of strong plastic which is coated in black color. The lenses are in a gray color and provide complete protection from normal UV rays, as well as UV-A and UV-B.

Depth Perception
The gray lenses help with your depth perception, and these lenses in particular also help bring all colors into more of vibrancy, so you can utilize their function even when the sun is brightest. T

Safety Design
he square wrap design of the frames allows them to keep anything harmful from being projected into your eyes from the side.

Cost and Value
If you are looking for a uniquely designed pair of polarized sunglasses, this pair is for you. The value that is built into this product is innate. With a great price tag, this is a strong competitor.

Amazon Link

8. Costa Del Mar Brine

Where to buy
Amazon Link
$202.00
8. Costa Del Mar Brine polarized sunglasses
Amazon Link

Costa Del Mar has these polarized sunglasses available to you, with a frame which is made out of a durable nylon material. These glasses are intended for those people who tend to need a larger size of sunglasses to fit their head.

Integral Hinges
The hinges are actual integral, which makes them very ideal for those who fish, as the saltwater will not affect the hinges and their performance.

20 Different Color Options
These glasses are available 20 different frame and lenses color combinations, so you are sure to find the right combination to fit you and your personality.

Cost and Value
The retail prices on these glasses vary depending upon the design you choose. Do it keep in mind, these products do offer some great value!

Amazon Link
$202.00

9. SPOSUNE

Where to buy
Amazon Link
9. Oakley Dispute polarized sunglasses
Amazon Link

If you are looking for a pair of sunglasses that were specifically created for sporting and outdoor activity these should be at the top of your list. Featuring 5 interchangeable lenses, all designed to work for multiple different occasions, these glasses come prepared to help you along the way. Though you are getting 5 lenses only the gray option is polarized, this was done strategically so you have an option for every event.

Durable
As previously stated, these glasses were created for sporting, which means you want a durable product that gets the job done. Created out of high-quality shatterproof PC material these glasses were intended to withstand any fall or occasion that might occur. Thanks to the shatterproof feature you do not have to worry about your lens falling apart or shattering along the way. Think of it as the perfect pair when you are doing any type of extreme sport. Furthermore, they are scratch-resistant to ensure you can wear your glasses for a long time.

Lightweight
One of the main issues polarized sunglasses have is they tend to be heavy. These, on the other hand, are the complete opposite. They are lightweight, easy to carry and do not feel heavy on the face. Thanks to this you will want to wear your glasses often without and not feel as if you have an additional weight on your face.

Cost and Value
When it comes to the value of this product you are getting quality over anything else which is great! Additionally, these glasses are priced exceptionally well. They are not only affordable, but you do have 4 different color styles to choose and are getting 5 different lenses as well. An investment that makes sense without the hefty price tag.

Amazon Link

10. Kastking Sawatch

Where to buy
Amazon Link
$26.99
10. Kastking Sawatch polarized sunglasses
Amazon Link

These polarized sunglasses come with lenses which are made out of polycarbonate material. They also meet a high standard of safety, as they have been rated for FDA21CRF801.410. The frames are made out of very strong and durable material, while also very lightweight.

No Stray Objects
The lenses go around to the side of the eye, to ensure no stray object can penetrate into the eye area by accident.

Colors
These glasses come in three different frame colors – Black, Blue and Dark Rose. The lenses themselves are blue no matter which frame you choose.

Cost and Value
It's important when purchasing any product, to be aware of the cost and value. The starting retail price on these glasses varies depending upon the frame color. In this, you are purchasing an attractive pair of sunglasses, which are comfortable and high-quality.

Amazon Link
$26.99

Sources

  1. Sunglass Warehouse, How to Clean Sunglasses, Website
  2. Rebuild Your Vision, Do Polarized Sunglasses Really Make a Difference?, Website
  3. Shades Daddy Blog, Polarized vs. Non-Polarized, Website
  4. American Sunglass, Polarized v. Non-Polarized: What's Right For You, Website