Costa Del Mar Reefton 580G Sunglasses Review

I like to fish, I like to ski, Costa’s Freedom Reeftons fit perfectly. This is a horrible rhyme about one of the best pairs of sunglasses. With big wide frames that hug my head perfectly and lenses as blue as the water they’re made for, these fishing glasses also perform surprising well in the snowy wilds of the Tetons. Even if the Costa Freedom Reefton Sunglasses are named after New Zealand’s legendary freshwater fishing grounds.

Costa Del Mar Reefton 580G Lens

When you’re talking sunglasses, it really comes down to the lenses. Sure, the frames need to be nice and durable, and style is important. But lens tech is the difference between a pair of shades you pick up at the gas station and a pair of killer eye protectors that keep your orbs safe from the sun while also allowing, or in some cases enhancing, vision.

Costa’s 580G lens is about as perfect as you can get for both. It blocks the harsh yellow light at 580nm on the spectrum while boosting red, greens, and blues naturally, perfect not only for fishing but also for kicking up contrast when navigating wide, sun-drenched snowy bowls. It sandwiches mirrors between scratch-proof glass for ruggedness.

But even more, the 580G lens protects 100% from UV light absorbs harmful high-energy blue light (HEV). Just so you know, HEV’s been known to cause macular degeneration, pterygium, cataracts, and more eye-closers. Especially important for a life lived in the high alpine, on snow, or chasing those pesky pescados.

The Reefton Freedom Series glasses marry a 580G lens (also known as Costa’s lightwave glass, with superior clarity and scratch resistance) with a wider frame for those of us with large domes, while still incorporating rubber panels to make them skip-proof.

So I was confident I could rock them from snow onto the river this spring but how’d they do?

Yeah, I wore the Costa Freedom Reeftons when skinning. But I also wore them when I was driving to skin, through gauzy days and bright whiteouts (for the contrast), and all around town. The first thing I noticed was that the blue lens really did a great job popping out the contrast. I could rock them in the big bright through the shadowy trees and in the blowing snow. And when driving.

Costa Del Mar Sizing

I have another pair of Costas and I love them but they’re a bit tight for my L/XL head. If I wear them too long, I start getting a slight headache. But the Freedom Reefton fits perfectly, comfortable but still holding firmly to the skull.

Finally, it’s springtime. Fishing season. And this is definitely where Costa first blew my mind. The clarity allows me to see ripples and watch flies, to see even the fish sneaking just under the surface. They let me pick out individual distinctions of some bugs (caddis are out), even see the difference between feeding and landings, something my beginner’s mind is still just learning.

Why These Work?

I used to buy cheap glasses for adventures, figuring I’d damage them or lose them and I’d feel okay if I broke the cheap ones. Then time went on and I started noticing I had trouble seeing on sunny snow days, and noticing that I couldn’t see the water as well when out fishing.

Then I got my first pair of Costa del Mar glasses and my perspective changes. My vision instantly got better. I could see the fishies under the water, and spend all day on the snow with my eyes ending up hot and red.

Now I have these Freedom series Reeftons, for extra comfort, indelible steeze (red frames and blue lenses), and their special bio-resin plastic frames, in line with Costa del Mar’s next-level commitment to reducing plastic.

Overall Impression

Top performance. Top comfort. Environmental conscientiousness. The Costa Freedom series Reeftons are my newest, favorite adventure eye coverings, guaranteed to ensure you can see better than ever for decades to come.

Costa Del Mar Reeftons Polarized 580G Sunglasses ($259.99): Protect your eyes, enhance your vision, live your life

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