Born from Fishing Nests – The Hybrid Performance Styled
Costa Antille
Date: |
1/2/22 |
Tackle type: |
Sunglasses |
Manufacturer: |
Costa Del Mar |
Reviewer: |
Zander |
Total Score: 8.33 -
EDITOR'S CHOICE
Introduction:
As we
start the new year it is time to look at one of the pieces in our fishing kit
that comes on every trip, the unsung hero in the angler’s arsenal, our polarized
sunglasses. Costa Del Mar sunglasses creates optics for all applications, but
has very strong roots in angling, and continues to design optics specifically
for the sport of fishing. The subject of our review is the Antille, which is one
of four new frames in Costa’s Untangled 2.0 collection, which was launched at
the most recent ICAST show.
Costa Del Mar
Untangled
Antille
Blue Mirror 580 Lens
Specifications |
Frame Style |
Antille |
Frame Material |
NetPlus |
Frame Size |
Small |
Frame Fit |
Regular |
Available Lens Options |
3+ |
Frame Color Tested |
Net Black
(looks grey) |
Lens Color Tested |
Blue Mirror 580 (glass) |
Case |
Soft Case
(Untangled) |
MSRP |
$226
($218.99
at Tackle
Warehouse) |
From first glance you might never
know that the Costa Antille's frame is made from recycled fishing nets
Impressions -
Getting Untangled:
The name “Antille” comes from the 1,500-mile Caribbean Island chain, which is
fitting considering that the frame is made from 97% recycled fishing nets. All
the Untangled 2.0 frames are built from recycled fishing nets and other
sustainable materials like recycled aluminum logos and mineral glass (580G)
lenses. To achieve this Costa continues to partner with the team at Bureo who
are working with communities in South America to provide an end-of-life solution
for worn out plastic nets.
Costa is proud work with Bureo to
create new frames from this recycled material
Bureo started by collecting old nets in Chile and
last year alone collected over 300 tons. Once collected the team washes the old
nets, grinds them down into plastic form to create pellets that are then used
for manufacturing of various products including skateboards, bike components,
and sunglasses like the Costa Antille.
The Antille is a hybrid frame that
sports styling and features from both performance and lifestyle frames
All the Untangled 2.0 frames feature a matte
finish that looks raw and unpainted. This is the result of using the recycled
materials, and a conscious decision to keep them as natural as possible. The
Antille, has a 100% traceable supply chain, and is built from a more durable
NetPlus material that is 97% recycled fishing nets and only a 3% performance
additive. Not only are they built from recycled materials, but the frames are
designed to be easy to recycle as well, including the frames themselves and even
the aluminum Costa badging on the side. But enough on all that, talking about
the end-of life is getting ahead of ourselves, and the real question for most
anglers is just how well the Antille performs on the water.
The new frames are also
recyclable. Even the stamped logos are made from lightweight aluminum
Real World Tests:
To test the Antille I went fishing in as many different bodies of water as I
could, targeting multiple species, and putting the Antille to work in a variety
of light conditions. This took me from fishing for snook and tarpon in Florida
to targeting largemouth bass in our home waters back in Northern California and
even a side trip exploring the deserts of Southern California. I compared the
new glasses to other Costas including the new Pro Series Fantail
Pro and more lifestyle oriented Spearo frames.
Over these tests I compared the
Antille with other Costa frames including the Fantail Pro which is very
performance oriented