Costa Del Mar

[BigMotherTucker]

So... Spent the week at the Portafina resort in Pensacola last week... Had fun. But had an experience that pissed me off real good.

A little back story.
I bought some costa del mar cabilletos (sp?) back before my kid was born... So... 08 early 09 maybe. I loved them. Over the years, I lost one of the wave logos.. They had gotten loose, and the "blue" looked like it was peeling off the lenses. Instead of sending them off, a couple of years ago I packed them away and bought a pair of Oakleys.. I don't remember the series, but they looked like WayFeirers.


Fast forward to last week. I come out of the unusually blue Gulf... Walk to my chair, take my State ball cap off, take my glasses off, and sit them in the chair beside me. Glasses in my hat. I'm trying to round up my 7 yo and get her up to the pool. I walk off with my hat and glasses just sitting there. When I get to the pool, realized what I had done. I walk back to the beach... Gone. There is a concierge desk on the beach and I ask if they had found them.. Nope. OK.. I'm a dubmass.. I'll eat that.

I head off to the local boardwalk to get myself a new pair. The salesman starts talking up the new costa del mar 580p lenses. Light... Beautiful... "scratch resistant". I bite. Get some new *** Mag Bays with smoked 580p lenses.

I head out to the beach the next day. Swim
.. Have fun... My kid is swimming like a fish this year. I get back to the room and go to clean off my new glasses. SCRATCHES... EVERYWHERE. I call the store.. No returns.. I've read all over CDMs site. Only replace factory defect issues...

I'm pissed. I lay down another $40 for some replacement lenses from fueslenses.com. They're plastic also... And will probably scratch again.

I found my cabilletos this morning and are shipping them off for repair today.


Just needed to vent my frustration. No real information other than I'm a dubmass.

 

[aTotal360]

That sucks. I love Costa lenses, but I'm swapping back to Oakley. All my Costa frames either break or the arms straighten out due to heat. I love the 580G lenses, but they are too heavy for all day use IMO.

I've gotten replacement lenses (Frogskins) at Fuse before and the coatings were kind of crappy. The color rubbed off after about 18 months and scratched really easily. They are certainly not as rugged as factory lenses. The polarization was solid though.

 

[SanfordRJones]

All I have to add is Rudy Project. I have never owned Costas, but I had a pair of Oakleys that got scratched so bad in 6 months the lenses were unusable. I replaced them with a pair of Rudy's about 8 years ago, and I'm still on the 1st pair of lenses. My frames just wore out a few months ago, about 5 years out of warranty, and they let me send the frames in for "tuning", which was code for replacing the frame for a $20 shipping fee.

 

[BigMotherTucker]

There is a follow up to this story.

I go back to the concierge desk a few days later to see if they found anything. The convo goes like this.
Me - "good morning ma'am, have any luck finding my State cap and Oakleys?"
Lady - "No sir... Nothing."

I happen to see a grey cap in her desk

Me - "Ma'am, if that my grey State cap right there in your desk?"
Lady - "Well how about that... it is."
Me - "Can I look through your desk for my glasses also?"
Lady - "sure"

After a search... No joy.

So, I found my $25 cap, no thanks to anyone there. But lost my $220 Oakleys.

 

[BigMotherTucker]

Rudy Project? Is that a lense vender?

 

[LandsurveyorDawg]

After my 4th pair of costas broke I have officially switched to oakleys.

 

[FQDawg]

I'm not sure why anyone would ever spend money on expensive sunglasses...

given how easy they are to break and/or lose.

I got two pairs of polarized sunglasses at an outlet a few years ago for $30 total. Both pairs work great, look great and if something were to happen to either of them, I don't think I'd think twice about them.

 

[fishwater99]

Only two brands I will by now, both have great customer service too.

http://www.kaenon.com


http://www.revo.com/

 

[Xenomorph]

Slight hijack... I've spent $$$ for sunglasses exactly once in the last 8 years. Smith Approach Performance.. got them because the lenses were interchangeable. Figured if they ever scratched too badly I simply replace them. There were incredible... never needed replacing, stayed on in ALL conditions... and I wore them almost daily for work and running.

Sadly they succumbed to an 8 month old goldendoodle back in February. Now I rock a look-a-like pair from Target. I console myself by saying they're 90% the performance for 10% the price of my old pair.

 

[johnson86-1]

given how easy they are to break and/or lose.

I got two pairs of polarized sunglasses at an outlet a few years ago for $30 total. Both pairs work great, look great and if something were to happen to either of them, I don't think I'd think twice about them.

If you wear them a lot, the extra comfort is worth it. It's also easier to keep up with more comfortable glasses, at least for me, because I'm not taking them off all the time. Of course if you look, I'm sure you can find comfortable glasses that are also cheap.

 

[jethreauxdawg]

Did you call Costa?

I almost started a thread on here a month ago to sing their praises. I had a pair for almost 6 years. The frames were bent due to many many drops, and eventually a lens popped out and I was unable to find it. My one remaining lense was still scratch free after all the drops. I sent them back to Costa and for the price of new lenses, Costa sent me a brand new pair. I thought that was amazing especially since they were so old.

 

[Crazy Cotton]

I've had a pair of new wayfarers (glass) for eight years and not a scratch, even the hinges have stayed tight and I beat the **** out of these things. Ordered the costas with the 580P for an upcoming fishing trip, my dumbass not realizing they were plastic, and had a nice nick in them before I ever got on the boat. You can get several styles of the raybans with the glass and polarization. I know they aren't the raybans of old, and they're a tad heavy, but if you're hard on sunglasses then glass lenses are about the only ones that are worth the investment.

 

[aTotal360]

I keep a nice pair in my vehicles and a couple pair of Strike King Pros in my tacklebox. I use both.

 

[msudawg12]

buy maui jims

 

[SanfordRJones]

It's a European sunglasses manufacturer.

http://www.rudyprojectusa.com/sunglasses_landing.php?group_id=1

 

[BigMotherTucker]

I haven't called them, but I read over their warranty policy really closely the night I discovered the scratches. There is no way they will replace the lenses at their cost.
It doesn't matter though... I've come up with a place since starting this thread.

I will have my Costa Cabilletos in the mail back to them today. When I get them back, I'm going to send in my Mag Bays and request they replace the lenses with GLASS. When I get them back, I will have two pair of like new Costas. I like Costa Del Mar and have always been happy with them. At that point, ill only be out the cost of my Oakleys and the cost of the fuse lenses. I'm really bummed to get a crappy report of the fuse lenses. I had hope they would be good.

So, in summery...
Costa Del Mar (glass) = good products with good warranty cred.
Costa Del Mar (580p plastic) = sucks balls
Portofina beach staff = inept.

 

[Lawdawg.sixpack]

^^^

...

 

[Dawgbite]

buy maui jims

THIS X 10000!

 

[crushing]

I like Serengetti. I've never tried Costa's. You can get either on Sierra Trading Post for much less than you can find anywhere else. Just sign up for their emails and they'll send you deals. Grant it they do send a deal every day, so it kind of gets old when your not looking to purchase anything.

 

[Wizard.sixpack]

Will never own another pair of Costas again..I am on my third pair. Frames broke on 1st 2 pair and now I have had 3rd pair for less than a year and the rubber coating under the lenses(FanTails) is coming off. Terrible considering what you pay for the damn things.

 

[dawgoneyall]

I've had a pair of new wayfarers (glass) for eight years and not a scratch, even the hinges have stayed tight and I beat the **** out of these things. Ordered the costas with the 580P for an upcoming fishing trip, my dumbass not realizing they were plastic, and had a nice nick in them before I ever got on the boat. You can get several styles of the raybans with the glass and polarization. I know they aren't the raybans of old, and they're a tad heavy, but if you're hard on sunglasses then glass lenses are about the only ones that are worth the investment.

RayBans are the overall best.

 

[57stratdawg]

I love my Maui Jims. I don't like heavy glasses though and they feel like a feather. Try them out next time.

 

[ShrubDog]

This is a bad deal all the way around. I have never known anyone who has owned sunglasses that they did not lose, break or get scratched. I cant make myself pay good money for sunglasses. Berkleys from walmart are as good as I get.

 

[BigMotherTucker]

I haven't found a pair I like.

 

[dickiedawg]

My Brownings broke a couple of weeks ago. Picked up a pair of these bad boys and have been pleased with them.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Renegade-Fletcher-Sun-F1-Black-Sunglasses/50704027

 

[was21]

Over the past three years, have visited Portofino Pensacola numerous times for days at a time. I have yet to have a bad experience with any of the staff. I'm sorry you did. If I were you, I would report any dissatisfaction with any employees since they seem to take pride in their staff and services.

 

[WhiteShepherd07]

I have a pair of them all. I am extremely picky on glasses. The maui's can't be beat on the frames but I think their lenses are subpar to competition. I have the wire frame with the blue lenses and I find myself still squinting when wearing them in bright daylight.

My costa's are the ballast with the 580p blue lenses, I can't wear the brines bc my eye lashes hit the lenses and it bugs the crap out of me. But anyway, I can not keep the dang lenses clean on those and I am constantly taking them off to wipe them down bc of smudges.

I just bought a pair of Oakley Triggermans yesterday in fact, hopefully they will do me better.

 

[aTotal360]

I love wearing my Maui Jim's to read the newspaper.

 

[BigMotherTucker]

Na... They were fantastic. They had a "beach retreat" from the 2nd Baptist Church of Houston going on while we were there. 2500 teens in one resort. I'm not going to complain because the concierge was having an off day. They had plenty on their plates.

 

[thatsbaseball]

I`m embarrassed to say how long I`ve been wearing Aviators

 

[thatsbaseball]

OK, so who has a sunglass decal on their vehicle with their Yeti sticker ?

 

[tired]

Both my arms on my Costas broke at the screw. For some of you more knowledgeable Costa owners, would that be covered by the warranty? 3-4 years old

 

[jethreauxdawg]

Yeah

Both my arms on my Costas broke at the screw. For some of you more knowledgeable Costa owners, would that be covered by the warranty? 3-4 years old

That should be covered. I'm guessing you'll basically pay $11 for shipping and get a new pair. Give them a call. Everyone I talked to were very helpful.

 

[MaxwellSmart]

Another vote for Maui Jim, excellent lenses. I have multiple Oakley lenses in the M-frame and Radar Lock that do not get much use anymore. Love the Maui Jim's.

 

[skip dog]

Wiley X

I wear the stew out of them as I am to and about a lot, this lense scratch stuff I think says that costs are just s^#t.....My Wiley x's are going on 4 years now, and no scratches......for pure comfort, I like the Maui jim's....especially there glass lense

 

[msudawg12]

RayBans are the overall best.

no they are not. RB's lenses come from the same manufacturer that makes the majority of lenses and most suck and are exactly the same. Very few manufacturers actually make and control the quality of their lenses and Maui Jim is one of them and one of the best. I promise, if you buy them you will never regret it.

 

[msudawg12]

I love my Maui Jims. I don't like heavy glasses though and they feel like a feather. Try them out next time.

assuming you have the titanium bendable glasses that "weigh the same as 6 paper clips?" I've had two pair of those since I was 17 and they are amazing. Plus, I hate wearing croakies and those stay on your head.
I have a pair of MJ's that look similar to Wayfarers as well. I love all of my MJ's

 

[mstateglfr]

I got two pairs of polarized sunglasses at an outlet a few years ago for $30 total. Both pairs work great, look great and if something were to happen to either of them, I don't think I'd think twice about them.

+1.
Between sand volleyball, pools, lake beaches, ocean, ocean beach, and the reality of having kids- I have gone thru probably 4 pairs of glasses in the last 2 years.
$15-20 for polarized aviators from Target or a truckstop. They work and I only get mildly annoyed when i inevitably bend, break, or lose them. I cant imagine how ticked I would get if I broke/lost glasses that didnt suck.

 

[was21]

I was aware of that retreat and retreated the hell out of there the day before they arrived

 

[Cousin Jeffrey]

...now I have had 3rd pair for less than a year and the rubber coating under the lenses(FanTails) is coming off...

The same thing has happened to mine (Saltbreak). The rubber edge started to separate from the plastic frame and actually started cracking into the nose guard. I've had them 3 years. Never had any issues with them other than this. The lenses (580G) have never scratched or anything.

They are currently being repaired under warranty.