With 30 years of fishing and a fishing instructor's eye, I ranked these on three things: polarization, brightness (light transmission) and weight. No. 1 is the Daiwa photochromic polarized sunglasses DN-8065H. Polarization is 99%, transmission moves between 15% and 40%, and at 19g it is 5g lighter than the No. 2 DN-8066. List price is JPY 9,000 (excl. tax).
The Gear Nerd's Pick
Higher polarization pushes the lens darker. Even with Talex lenses, the 40% transmission color is 90% polarized and the 30% color is 99%, as the official table shows. That is why I take a photochromic lens first: I don't have to fix one darkness.
Key points
- The DN-8065H is 99% polarized, with 15-40% transmission
- DN-8066 to DN-8065H: 5g lighter for JPY 2,200
- The Shimano Fishing Glasses 01 has 15% transmission, the darkest here
JPY 6,800 and JPY 35,000, with the same polarization and transmission numbers
The Daiwa DN-8066 is 99% polarized with 30% visible light transmission. The Daiwa TLX 012 True View Sport, which uses Talex lenses, is also 99% and 30%.
The list price gap is JPY 28,200. On paper the only difference is about 2g of weight. So what are you paying for in the pricier pair? That is where I started reading.
How I chose
First I looked at polarization and transmission, then weight. Polarization is how strongly the lens cuts glare off the water; transmission is how much light the lens lets through, and a lower number means a darker lens.
What I weighed was whether to put the fixed-transmission DN-8066 or the 15-40% DN-8065H on top. The DN-8065H is JPY 2,200 more, 5g lighter, and its darkness moves, so it took No. 1. This ranking covers current models you can buy on Rakuten, and I ordered them by the official numbers.
Image: Rakuten Ichiba
Daiwa DN-8065H photochromic polarized sunglasses, gray
Lowest price on Rakuten: JPY 6,930 (as of Oct 14). Some stores go up to JPY 11,630. Prices change daily.
RecommendedSee it on Rakuten IchibaSee it on NaturumSee it on Yahoo! Shopping JapanThree ways to choose polarized fishing sunglasses
- Compare polarization and transmission as numbers. Polarization is glare off the water; transmission is a guide to darkness.
- About 30% transmission is a handy darkness for fishing. If you also fish dawn and dusk, a photochromic lens that goes lighter is a candidate.
- Lens color changes what you see. Brown makes terrain and the edges of weed beds stand out.
I weighted the first one most. These two numbers decide how well you see into the water.
Quick comparison of five polarized fishing sunglasses
| Rank / model | Visible light transmission | List price |
|---|---|---|
| No. 1 Daiwa DN-8065H gray | 15–40% | JPY 9,000 |
| No. 2 Daiwa DN-8066 gray | 30% | JPY 6,800 |
| No. 3 Shimano STL301 True View Sport | 30% | JPY 29,000 |
| No. 4 Daiwa TLX 012 True View Sport | 30% | JPY 35,000 |
| No. 5 Shimano Fishing Glasses 01 smoke | 15% | JPY 6,800 |
The higher the polarization, the lower the transmission
The Shimano STL301 table lists the numbers for each Talex lens color. True View Sport is 99% polarization and 30% transmission, Raster Orange is 95% and 32%, and Ease Green is 90% and 40%. The lighter the color, the lower the polarization.
Mirror coating matters too. On the TLX 012, the mirror coat lowers transmission by about 1-6%. The same color can be darker or lighter depending on the mirror.
Price of saving 1g
| The two rods compared | Price gap | Weight difference | Price of saving 1g |
|---|---|---|---|
| DN-8066 → DN-8065H | JPY 2,200 | 5g | JPY 440 |
| DN-8066 → TLX 012 | JPY 28,200 | About 2g | JPY 14,100 |
32 times. If you only want lightness, the Talex models don't pay off. What Talex sells is the build: a light lens material with a specific gravity of 1.15 and a titanium front. None of that shows up in the weight figure.
Which of the JPY 6,800 Daiwa pairs (3 models) to pick
Daiwa has three pairs at the same JPY 6,800 with 99% polarization and 30% transmission: the DN-8046, DN-8056 and DN-8066. The numbers match. What differs is weight and lens width: the DN-8046 is 26g and 58mm, the DN-8056 is 27g and 62mm, and the DN-8066 is 24g and 64mm.
The DN-8066 is the lightest and has the widest lens, so I put it at No. 2 of the three. Look at the DN-8046 only if you have a smaller face and a narrower lens fits better.
Why this order
| Rank | Model | Reason for this rank |
|---|---|---|
| No. 1 | DN-8065H | 99% polarization, transmission that moves between 15% and 40%, and 19g, 5g lighter than No. 2. |
| No. 2 | DN-8066 | The numbers are 99% and 30% for JPY 6,800, but it is 5g heavier than No. 1 and the darkness is fixed. |
| No. 3 | STL301 | 99% and 30% with Talex lenses and adjustable nose pads, but the list price of JPY 29,000 is more than 4 times that of No. 2. |
| No. 4 | TLX 012 | About 22g with 99% and 30%, but 1g less than No. 2 costs JPY 14,100. |
| No. 5 | Fishing Glasses 01 | The darkest lens here at 15% for JPY 6,800. I put the photochromic No. 1 and the lighter 30% No. 2 above it. |
No. 1 Daiwa DN-8065H | 99% polarization, 15-40% transmission
What decides it is that the darkness moves. It goes lighter in the dim hours of dawn and dusk and darker at midday as UV changes. It is 19g, with triacetate lenses and a TR-90 frame. If you want one pair to do it all, this matters most.
Watch out for the limited colors: gray and brown only.
No. 2 Daiwa DN-8066 | 99% and 30% for JPY 6,800
You get 99% polarization and 30% transmission for JPY 6,800. It also lists a scratch-resistant double-sided hard coat and UV cut of 99%, so the numbers are all there. Plainly good.
This part is so-so. Darkness is fixed at 30%, so it can feel dark in dim light. It suits people who mostly fish in the daytime.
Image: Rakuten Ichiba
Daiwa DN-8066 polarized sunglasses, gray
Lowest price on Rakuten: JPY 5,089 (as of Oct 14). Some stores go up to JPY 7,480. Prices change daily.
RecommendedSee it on Rakuten IchibaSee it on Yahoo! Shopping JapanNo. 3 Shimano STL301 | Talex lenses and Sabae hand work
A Shimano and Talex collaboration, made by hand by craftsmen at a Sabae factory. The separate nose pads can be bent to fit your nose. You pay for a pair that stays put.
The so-so part is the list price of JPY 29,000. Even so, the lens numbers are the same as No. 4, and it is JPY 6,000 cheaper. For anyone who wants to fine-tune the fit.
Image: Rakuten Ichiba
Shimano STL301 polarized sunglasses (Talex)
Lowest price on Rakuten: JPY 28,570 (as of Oct 14). Some stores go up to JPY 41,761. Prices change daily.
RecommendedSee it on Rakuten IchibaSee it on NaturumSee it on Yahoo! Shopping JapanNo. 4 Daiwa TLX 012 | About 22g with a titanium front
About 22g. The front is titanium and beta titanium, and the beta titanium brow bar is designed so pressure from wearing doesn't reach the lens. The lens is Talex Kacchu material with a specific gravity of 1.15.
Watch out for the price. JPY 35,000 is the highest of the 5 pairs. It is 1 pair for people who want the numbers to justify every detail of the build.
Image: Rakuten Ichiba
Daiwa TLX 012 polarized sunglasses (Talex)
Lowest price on Rakuten: JPY 35,787 (as of Oct 14). Prices change daily.
RecommendedSee it on Rakuten IchibaSee it on NaturumSee it on Yahoo! Shopping JapanNo. 5 Shimano Fishing Glasses 01 | Dark lens with 15% transmission
Smoke with 15% transmission. It is the darkest of the five and comes with guard parts that block light from the side. It cuts 99.9% of UV.
It suits people who fish in strong daytime sun.
Image: Rakuten Ichiba
Shimano Fishing Glasses 01 UJ-032Y
Lowest price on Rakuten: JPY 5,409 (as of Oct 14). Some stores go up to JPY 9,157. Prices change daily.
RecommendedSee it on Rakuten IchibaSee it on NaturumSee it on Yahoo! Shopping JapanThere is one more thing you wear at the water besides sunglasses. See also the life jacket ranking, which compares Sakura Mark Type A jackets.
Which sunglasses suit you? How I split it
- One pair from dawn to midday: No. 1, the DN-8065H. The darkness moves, so you don't need to swap lenses.
- Mostly daytime, one pair to start: No. 2, the DN-8066
- Long hours wearing them, with a steady fit and low weight: No. 3 or No. 4, the Talex pairs
For strong midsummer sun alone, No. 5 with 15% transmission is another route. For what you carry on your belt, see the fishing pliers ranking.
If you are happy with your current sunglasses, stay with them. If you need prescription lenses, I did not compare how these five handle prescriptions, so a different way of choosing applies.
FAQ
What visible light transmission should I choose?
For mostly daytime fishing, about 30% is a good rule of thumb. If you also fish dawn and dusk, a photochromic lens that moves between 15% and 40% is handy.
What does polarization degree mean?
It is how strongly the lens cuts glare off the water. Nos. 1-4 are all 99%.
How do I choose a lens color?
Choose by what you want to see. Smoke is close to normal vision; brown boosts contrast.
Gear in this article
Ads and images: Rakuten IchibaSources
- Daiwa official page: DN-8065H (triacetate photochromic polarized sunglasses)
- Daiwa official page: DN-8066 (triacetate polarized sunglasses)
- Daiwa official page: DN-8046 (triacetate polarized sunglasses)
- Daiwa official page: DN-8056 (triacetate polarized sunglasses)
- Daiwa official page: polarized sunglasses with TALEXlenses, TLX 012
- Shimano official page: STL301
- Shimano official page: Fishing Glasses 01
- Shimano official page: polarized sunglasses lineup
